The S4 2023 Meta continues to be dominated by Marksmen, with standout champions making names for themselves. Across the Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese servers, although there are variations in the Marksman champion rankings, they are largely compiled from popular hot picks.
Let's evaluate the top 5 hottest Marksman champions in the current meta with Mytour and highlight the differences in the ranking lists on each server.
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Top 5 - Hayate
In the ranked matches, we opt for Hayate because we believe he's simply agile, can fend for himself well without a Support, and especially excels at handling Tankers effortlessly. This echoes the sentiments in tournaments where he's also extremely popular and favored by many pro players. Although in the Thai and Vietnamese tournaments, Hayate is rated lower than Slimz and Teeri, in Taiwanese tournaments, he's much more highly valued.
Hayate is the perfect pick to deal with hot picks like Y’bneth, Thane, Omen, or Taara with his incredibly high damage output. If needed, he can also go for the Death's Embrace, making pushing lanes or even the enemy Tanker's bloodthirsty speed a breeze. In tournaments, if Hayate encounters too many high-damage opponents, pro players will restrain from initiating ultimates recklessly; instead, they'll stick with their teammates, bait out the enemy's abilities, and then dive in with Arrow Storm.
HayateWhen deciding to unleash his ultimate, gamers must ascertain it as a decimating move because even if you still have Cleansing Light, opponents might have other slippery abilities. In ranked matches, there are plenty of aggressive Hayate players, especially when there's no Cleansing Light and they spam ultimates recklessly, it's a sure defeat. Hayate isn't a hero to snowball too hard but can still maintain a steady balance to carry late-game, so players need to be cautious during the early stages.
Top 4 - Joker
Joker is a Marksman in Liên Quân who takes care of himself well; if faced with high-damage Assassins like Ngộ Không or Kriknak, picking Joker is quite reasonable. In Taiwanese tournaments, Joker ranks 4th, 3rd in Thai tournaments, and only makes it to the top 5 in Vietnamese tournaments.
Although Joker isn't a late-game hero, he's the one to set up a refreshing early-game for the team on one flank. For instance, you can create a strong offensive with the Mid - AD - Support trio or form a formidable Support - Tank duo. If playing solo, carrying Uproar and 2 flickers is all you need to wipe out the enemy troops instantly.
JokerNot to mention, if enemies plot to freeze the troops, making Joker stutter, it's a bit tricky. Because when facing heroes like Slimz, Elsu, Capheny,... who can cover and exert pressure preventing late hits, Joker's solution is simple, just use skill 1 to shoot straight through. Playing Joker, you can combine with various Supports like Y’bneth, Xeniel, Krizzix, Taara… letting them dive freely without worrying about Joker at the back. Especially if the team has Taara paired with Aya, then Joker can handle well enough and is strong enough to fight when enemies invade the Jungle.
If Elsu is not available, Joker is the perfect piece to fit into the team's puzzle, although his arms are not too long, his damage and firing frequency are equally impressive.
Top 3 - Valhein
Valhein is not weak in this meta; encountering him frequently in ranked matches, he's equally prominent in tournaments. He doesn't appear at the top of the pick list in Vietnamese and Thai tournaments due to frequent bans, but in Taiwanese tournaments, he's more leniently treated. Ultimately, Valhein secures a spot in the top 3 because of his immense popularity despite being banned quite often.
For Valhein, a fast and strong playstyle needs to be deployed immediately, even in the Taiwanese region, known for its turtle strategy. Currently, Valhein has a much stronger late-game presence but still not quite on par with other Marksmen like Joker. Nevertheless, because he's so strong in the early game to capitalize on snowballing matches, he's still very viable. Valhein is particularly wary of many heroes, especially those who like to dive into skirmishes like Skud, Richter, Y’bneth, making it difficult for 'Van' to play.
ValheinThe combinations with Valhein are quite diverse, the best being Helen to completely dominate one flank. Then execute a lane swap, bring Valhein to Top to dominate the enemy's top lane. If Helen is not available, there are other strong early-game Supports like Krizzix, Baldum, Y’bneth, Xeniel,... all fine. With Valhein, the team can confidently pick late-game Junglers like Yan, Wonder Woman, Ngộ Không to create a balanced damage output in skirmishes because ultimately, Valhein's range is quite short in the late game.
Top 2 - Elsu
In ranked matches, players might overlook Elsu, but in tournaments, he's a super hot pick; if he's available, he's a must-pick. In Vietnamese tournaments, Elsu ranks top 1, in Thai and Taiwanese tournaments, he's top 2. In this meta, if any team can't play Elsu, it will be a huge disadvantage in gaining advantages in both the laning phase and sieging with precise snipes from his skill 2 to push back the enemies.
With 3 gigantic super placed eyes, controlling the map with Elsu is extremely simple, so in Taiwanese tournaments, a late-game playstyle that's usually cautious becomes even more relaxed with Elsu; they can push and siege comfortably without worrying about enemies picking off big targets sneakily. Dealing with Tanks is not a big concern either because Elsu's hand damage is also very painful. Whether on the blue team or the red team, Elsu always has very annoying eye placements. If on the red team, place an eye on the Caesar lane, making it difficult for the enemy to disrupt. Similarly, on the blue team, place an eye on the Caesar lane and the blue buff, creating an equally annoying situation.
ElsuElsu's effectiveness in tournaments doesn't lie in skirmish sniping but in pre-combat harassments to weaken enemies because there are many situations where Elsu finds it hard to snipe due to opponents with long-range harassments like Yue, Iggy,... so before engaging or targeting in a standoff situation, it's wise to gift the enemy's main force with a few skill 2 shots to weaken them first.
Top 1 - Violet
As a Marksman in Liên Quân with consistent strength from early to late game, Violet naturally tops today's hero list. Her lane presence is exceptional, alongside perfect synergy with every type of hero from harassers like Yue, Iggy, Liliana to strategic players like Rouie, Zip,... even without a protector if the team has pairs like Taara + Aya or Nakroth + Aya.
Against opponents, be it Joker, Elsu, Slimz, or Valhein, Violet can handle them all, neither afraid of being countered nor having difficulty catching enemies off guard. In tournaments, if on the blue side, Violet often rushes Claves Sancti early to deal with tanks or builds Fafnir's Talon for more damage output. If enemies are not tanky, she goes for Omni Arms or Muramasa for impactful bursts.
VioletViolet currently employs a turret shooting style, focusing on targeting heroes rather than minions. She simply needs to gain momentum to shoot harassers from the outside in, which is extremely effective. This trick may not be very effective early in the game, but as the match progresses, especially with items like Omni Arms and Fenrir's Tooth, turret taking speed becomes undeniable.
In the current phase, Violet can pair up with various Support heroes. However, according to Mytour's observation, Violet + Teemee seems to be a rather interesting combo. This Support hero can not only provide gold for Violet but also easily control enemies, allowing her to shoot comfortably.
See more: Top Assassin-Marksman pairings are sworn enemies in Arena of Valor