In this week’s free hero rotation, try Vainglory’s unstunnable, unstoppable tank, Phinn! This tough-as-nails river troll is most often played out of jungle as a roamer, but he also has a sneaky-great, off-meta laner build path that’s incredibly fun to try. Be sure to watch the Phinn Hero Spotlight below for an introduction to conventional Phinn, and then graduate to ShinKaigan’s lane Phinn when you’re ready for a new twist.
All the heroes in this week’s free rotation have amazing synergy with Phinn. Try each combination out to see what you like best, and make sure to use Phinn’s Forced Accord to pull enemies through Ardan’s Gauntlet wall for a super-nasty stun! Oh, and one more thing: Skaarf is in this free rotation, too. He’s perhaps Phinn’s hardest counter, so bust out the deadly little dragon if you’re running into a lot of Phinn this week. Have fun! —PlayoffBeard
PHINN (ROAM/PROTECTOR)
- Phinn ‘School of Shin’ video montage (off-meta lane build)
- Hero info & lore
- VaingloryFire guides
Phinn is an unstoppable tank who brings the fight to him. He pairs incredibly well with other heroes who don’t back down from battle. Phinn is strongest with defense and utility items, and he’s able to absorb immense amounts of punishment, protecting teammates while they dish out damage.
ARDAN (ROAM/PROTECTOR)
Ardan is a powerful protector who dramatically changes the landscape of teamfights. Able to rescue friends from certain death and turn lost battles around with his powerful terrain-changing ultimate, Ardan brings immense utility to the team. Start Ardan in either the lane or jungle, depending on which ally you want to protect most.
SAW (LANE/SNIPER)
SAW has arguably the highest damage potential in the game … but at the huge expense of mobility. Excellent at sieging important locations, SAW zones out entire regions from the enemy team with suppressing fire.
RONA (JUNGLE/WARRIOR)
Rona is a deadly berserker who is always ready to leap into battle. She holds her own in melee combat, unleashing enormous damage on everyone who stands and fights. Rona is most often played in the jungle, pairs well with protectors and works well with both weapon and crystal builds.
GLAIVE (JUNGLE/WARRIOR)
Glaive has one of the most feared abilities in the game: a jet-powered Afterburn strike that will slice through you and blast you back into a tactically fatal position. In teamfights, Glaive’s area-of-effect cleave and Bloodsong lifesteal makes him incredibly hard to bring down.
SKAARF (LANE/MAGE)
Skaarf is a cute little flamethrower who thrives at dealing long-range and area-of-effect damage, especially during teamfights. However, his abilities are aimed, meaning you’ll need quick reflexes and good prediction to land those fireballs. Skaarf is often in lane but can also be effectively played out of the jungle. Go burn your way to glory!
ABOUT THE FREE HERO ROTATION
The free hero rotation unlocks six heroes each week to play as long and as much as you want in the Casual queue. It’s an opportunity to test drive heroes before using ICE or Glory to unlock them.
The free rotation changes every Tuesday and heroes in the rotation usually won’t return for a few weeks or months afterward, so unlocking heroes is always worthwhile. The free rotation does not apply to Ranked play to ensure players are already very familiar with the heroes they play in that try-hard environment with skill tiers at stake.
Go try Phinn now and hook some laner fools!