It's critical to choose your champion accordingly to the map. Even the greatest players of all history will probably suck if you force them to play the wrong flanker on the wrong map.

Maps are usually classified by size.

Large maps require a faster flanker (say, Maeve), while small ones are better for those who can inflict the most damage no matter their mobility (Skye or Moji).


Those maps work with pretty much any flanker because of the relatively small size and few spots where a flying damager can hide. In fact, picking a Lex, Zhin or Moji for one of those maps might prove even better than, say, an Andro or a Maeve.




By 'Large Maps' I mean maps that have big open spaces and spots that can be abused by long-range damagers. Timber Mills is probably the best example because there are four different buildings around the point that can be easily camped by a Kinessa, a Drogoz or a Willo. If you have to play flank, you better choose someone who can fly, leap, teleport or climb walls. Otherwise, an experienced damager can easily keep distance with you.



In casual matches, Koga is pretty versatile and depending on your loadout, he can be good both on small and large maps. Thanks to his ability to climb and the above average range of his Hellkite Claws, he is usually a decent counter to Kinessa, Drogoz and Willo.



Regarding the Warder's Gate, the map belongs to the 'Large Map' category. Flankers like Talus, Androxus, Lex and Zhin work the best there. Unlike, say, Serpent Beach, Warder's Gate does not require you to be able to fly, however because of the big size of the map and the huge amount of open spaces, you do have to have a fast flank with good range.

The Bazaar is a big map but because it has a lot of corridors, small rooms and places to hide, I would still put it into the 'Small Map' category. Any flanker is equally good on Bazaar, with Skye, Lex and Zhin having a slight edge.

As a flanker, your main role is to deal with enemy damagers. Supports are usually your secondary target because stuff like cauterize and dead zone exist, and your tanks and damagers usually have an easier time dealing with those.

In most cases, you'd want to choose your flanker according to the map. There is an exception, though.

Drogoz, Willo and Kinessa will require you to pick a flanker with vertical mobility no matter the map. Moreover:

Drogoz and Willo can only be countered by Androxus and Maeve. "But Evie can fly too!" Yeah, though she is often inefficient because of her slow projectile speed. "What about Buck?" He does not have enough air time for Drogoz, while Willo's dead zone nullifies one of his core abilities.

Kinessa can be countered by Androxus, Maeve, Evie and Buck. Any other flanker is usually a poor choice since Kinessa can instantly teleport across the map. Maeve is usually a good counter if your aim is good enough and you know how to finish the sniper off in less than two seconds.

Oh, and before you start telling me how a good Lex can easily kill a newbie Kinessa, let me remind you that I am talking about diamond-level play. If you are not diamond and want to become one, you better learn the right strategies :)

Sometimes, the way the game chooses the top flank is misleading. I've seen a Skye sniping and getting top flank because she was stealing kills while the enemy drogoz was freely mauling our tanks.

Do get me right, kills are important. By killing an enemy you are buying your team time to capture the objective.

Kills aren't the only way of buying your team time, though.

Being a distraction often has the same effect.

You are doing a your job as long as you keep the enemy damager busy and distracted.

When would you want to be a distraction?
Sometimes your opponent is good enough so you can't insta kill them. Sha-Lins and Strixes with flawless aim are a good example. If you rush for the kill, you may end up getting killed yourself.

In situations where you have to deal with a good damager or a damager being babysat by a support, all you have left to do is to strike, escape, heal, strike again and then rinse and repeat. Keep them on their toes. Don't let them focus your tanks. While doing so, try to take as little damage as possible and change your position all the time.

If you can not easily kill the damager, the wrong decision is to leave the damager alone and focus the tank. Don't do that. Instead, start distracting the damager(s) as much and as long as you can, ESPECIALLY if they are good.

Most beginner flankers often buy Kill to Heal or Haven first. In my experience though, the best flanks I've seen actually pick those two last.

When it comes to loadouts, try to prioritize cards that increase your mobility. Some cards decrease the cooldown of your F ability, while others directly afffect your movement speed.

Some flankers can be decent tank shredders. Moji and Skye are arguably the best at this role, though any flanker can do.

When to Switch to Tank Shredding?

As a flanker, your only purpose is to help your tank to stay alive. Usually, you do that by killing enemy damagers. Sometimes though, enemy tanks are the ones dealing the most damage to your tank. If that is the case, you can choose to go tank shredding and leave the enemy damager alone.

Here are the most important do's and don'ts:

You might say: "but DaddyMouse, those tips are so basic .... why would you bother making this guide?"

You see, my journey to Diamond was quite rough. Part of that was due to potato flankers. I've seen many times a platinum player picking Moji in Timber Mills and then complaining that they cannot reach the Kinessa. Or, a Lex asking me, a Fernando, to kill the Drogoz... in Serpent Beach. The possibilities are endless.

If you follow the five rules I've mentioned here, you will at least look like a good flanker. Add a bit of aim and game knowledge, and you can easily become a decent flanker, even if you are new to the game.

Good luck in your journey :)



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