Abilities Build
(Just a quick note, v.27 is very new. Any mistakes or references to previous updates should be overlooked for now. All Melee characters are being moved to fighter class scaling so expect increases in base damage and armor stats. I do not have all information yet and therefore will NOT be altering most of the guide until patch release)
Summary
Steel is a very interesting character in Paragon and a lot of fun to play if done correctly. Not to mention that this build allows for a lot of versatility and improvisation, letting you counter your enemies as they build their own decks. His ult and charge are basically his bread and butter. With insane engage, he can be quite literally and unstoppable force and immovable object. With even minimal communication, or teammates that actually know what they're doing simply using your ult can set up countless kills. I myself have gone games with over 30 assists and main Steel because of it.
Abilities Overview
His passive will be removed come v.27 :(
His passive is Unstoppable force , this reduces all cc abilities effects on steel by 15%. Now this may not sound like a lot, but when a team has characters like dekker, Muriel, or Riktor you'll be a happy camper because of it.
Base damage and speed will be changing come v.27 (no stats provided yet)
His basic attack is VERY basic. Punch , 43.956 dmg every 1.32 seconds. Slow as hell and not that useful usually. But its why this is called Real Steel, dudes a fighter and you should always remember that. Punch is slow, but can startle enemies and make them back off. Mainly a scare tactic because you will not do a lot of damage but you can really take a beating. I've gotten right next to a twinblast and spent the next solid few minutes just punching him dead.
No known changes to charge, although a damage buff is expected
Charge is one of my favorite abilities in the game. Farthest mobility attack of any melee character and maxed out does terrifying damage for a tanky character. Use this like you're a linebacker in American football and sack the crap out of the enemy carry. I can't count how many times my opponent just focuses whoever I lane with, i get into travel speed and run right behind them and knock them into my carries face for a kill. Max this out first, the damage scaling is crazy.
Force shield now reveals enemies in the shadow plane who get slowed by its ability. (Anti-Kallari!!!)
Force Shield , what to say about this beautiful ability. A massive deployable wall that blocks ALL projectiles?! Guess what, it also slows enemies and gives allies a shield too. This ability can shut down your opponents single handed if they are all ranged. Toss it down right on the far side of a tower and you're free to punch the crap outta that thing till the shield is gone, back off and repeat.
Expect variation in scaling of defense stats. Going from 3 upgrade points to 4
Shield block is your last resort. In most cases force shield will be your go to for defense but when thats down use this and get between your enemy and your carry. Enough said...
Probable damage increase on patch release
Finally, basically the best ability in Paragon, Shield Slam . This is insane, as only his 3rd option for damage the developers gave him quite the move. This can chunk enemies without armor and if you're being greedy (which you shouldn't be) can kill steal quite easily. Bait out their escape, for example twinblasts jet boots. Then go in for the kill! This ability has a knock up and short stun, so while they cant move, quickly get behind them and combo with a charge to knock a stunned enemy right into your team. Throw up a force shield so no enemies want to attack and you're good to go.
Early Game
Okay to start, almost always begin with charge, you can set up a 1st blood easier than you think. Before you even buy consumables check your enemy team composition. If they have a lot of phyical damage buy guard token, energy? Barrier. Go back to base right when you have 3 and can buy pendulum. Get another 3 and finish off the item. I do this every game, the little boost for tank right off the bat is amazing and having a 6 cost is a great early starter.
Mid Game
Mid game you're only gonna wanna be tanky for right now. Buy up on tempered plate or tuned barrier to counter your enemies. Then and only then you're gonna wanna get either your divine shield if your finding yourself being stunned often, or burst engine mainly for the mana regen. You're gonna want to max charge 1st, your ult, then force shield, and shield block only when you have to.
Late Game
Late game your gonna wanna buy either mind flow or rally the troops. I have a tendency to pick mind flow, the bonus cdr it crazy. Though if you have a lot of ranged allies rally the troops. The bonus attack speed is a great active. Pop it while grouped, ult the enemy and watch his health vanish as your team melts them.
Jungling
Stay out of the jungle for the most part. You won't have the damage to clear effectively with this build. Use it for shortcuts and MAYBE killing an overconfident enemy jungler that's invading your side.
Laning
Figure out who is your teams carry and stick with them. You're job is to get that person as many kills as possible while keeping them alive in the process.
Ganking
With the removal of travel mode, ganks should be seen as a last resort. Now more than ever you are going to want to think of yourself as a support character. Recall will allow for interesting laning rotations, but stick with your adc/apc.
Gank only when necessary, like I've said you have potential to set up kills. If an enemy is overpushing their lane, get behind them with a teammate keeping their attention and ult their sorry butts. Knocking enemies into your own tower does more damage than any other thing you can do. If you charge them into tower fire, then ult. Congrats! Unless they are as tanky as you, you got a kill. (HIGHLY EFFECTIVE)
Please leave any questions or comments below, I will respond at my earliest opportunity. I love feedback and will be constantly updating my build as time goes on. (Up-vote if you feel this guide was helpful!)
@legend-of-ohren, Hi there! Congratulations with the first guide here. I'm going to bump this to the front page temporarily for more visibility but let me suggest something.
You can use short-codes for hero abilities. It should make your guide look better and provide context to what is being described. Side notes are good to be marked as "Quoted text" this way they will look better.
And lastly about the deck. Now it's de facto a standard to take Shockwave card with Steel. Is there any specific reason you avoiding this card in your guide?
This is the deck that I use in the game. Unfortunately I haven't been able to be lucky enough to get Shockwave as a card yet. I will be updating this guide as I progress in paragon and get more available cards. Currently these are the best options I have available but want to continue to make my deck stronger. Any input is appreciated and I want to make this the best guide out there over time. I've been considering running Silverspear but once again, just don't have the card yet. I wanted this to be a guide even beginners could use. Trying not to get overly costly cards and using universal cards both for their flexibility and other players being able to easily adapt my build to their available cards.
@legend-of-ohren, sounds promising. I have pushed the guide to the front for a while so hopefully it will receive more feedback even despite that hype around Khaimera.
You are right about the beginners. I think that a good guide should provide multiple ways of building a hero by describing something that is the core of the build (mostly of common cards) and pointing to rare cards that can be worth waiting for (like Shockwave) or can be useful in certain situations.
BTW you might consider watching a couple of replays of top players to see what they use and build while playing Steel. See agora.gg/leaderboard.
Thank you, I'll definitely look at the top players and update accoringly. Can't wait for the patch release and Khaimera too. I mainly use melee characters so the revamping for them all to fighter class scaling will be interesting with its impact on the meta.
We'll definitely begin seeing jungle specific play styles becoming more common I think too and I can't wait to give him a shot myself. Though separately, Kallari is going to be a nightmare for glass cannons its appears with the rework on her ultimate.