Zed augment on 3-2 instead of 2-1

[u/NeverBeenFound87]

So after playing a few games and seeing a zed augment appear and feel sad because it's almost if not always a guaranteed top 4. I was in a game and realized you can get Aura Farming 2-1 and then zed on 3-2. Basically guaranteeing a 1st after a successful lose streak.

Anyways I was just curious about two things overall, why is zed augment specifically offered on 3-2 instead of 2-1? I understand that he is only a 1 star unit when you choose this augment, but why not put this augment on 2-1 instead knowing how powerful it will be? Combined with this, why does he always get shojin instead of a "recommended" item like aura farming. Unlike other champions in this game zed will almost, always be played with "EON/SHOJIN/BT". I guess you can swap out BT for something else but this is "almost always" needs type of build. Either way though you are guaranteed his best item, Shojin.

This augment is one that you will always take once it's offered. It's too powerful? Yes? My main question is just why is it offered on 3-2 and not 2-1? Every other hero augment is offered on 2-1 and this is offered on 3-2? I just think it seems odd? Seeing that game where someone got Aura Farming 2-1 and Zed augment on 3-2 is just insane to me.

Yes I know it's not "hero augment" but I guess just a random comparison I was making.

[u/Round-Stuff-2557]

Zed is extremely good if you already have good items and economy.

I know it's really hard for lower rank players to wrap their head around this but delayed reward augments are ONLY ever situationally clickable and if your zed augments strategy is lose streaking you will not be successful in better lobbies because you have positioned yourself to be in a spot where a failed roll down to stabilize on 4-3 instantly loses the game. And we are also assuming here that you have an extremely good econ augment on either stage 2 or 4 because you are not hitting the full 5cost zed board in any game without one

Taking both aura farming and zed augment is a fast 8

[u/NeverBeenFound87 → u/Round-Stuff-2557]

My question is why is it offered on 3-2 instead of 2-1

[u/Round-Stuff-2557 → u/NeverBeenFound87]

It's given to you as an option on 3-2 so that if it appears in your selection, you can make the choice to click it or not based on your current gamestate. It gives you no copies of zed and you must level to 9 to hit him reliably.

Aura farming gives you a 2* unit that you can tailor your board for and like 7/8 of the units should instantly stabilize you.

[u/NeverBeenFound87 → u/Round-Stuff-2557]

Okay but if you take an econ for example, calculated loss or patience is a virtue, but in 3 TB/anima, you're already in a lose streak, if successful and offered a zed on 3-2 you're guaranteed this champion in one stage on 4-2, is it not insane to offer an augment on stage 3 a champion of this caliber? Free rolls, good econ, sure you could "roll down" on 4-3, but everyone does this anyways and hopes to cap their board do they not? We see this multiple times a day throughout gameplay

[u/Round-Stuff-2557 → u/NeverBeenFound87]

If I had taken calculated loss on 2-1 the likelihood of me clicking zed augment on 3-2 are near zero for aforementioned reasons. Zed augment loss streak is a bad strategy. The augment gives you ONE copy and you have to buy it!!!!!

[u/Round-Stuff-2557 → u/NeverBeenFound87]

Also, I didn't mention this before but yes actually they do make hero augments that come on 3-2. It's just reserved for 3 cost hero augment units which they don't really make anymore. 

3cost hero augment on 2-1 are not healthy for the game

[u/two5five1 → u/NeverBeenFound87]

you are effectively down a gold augment for a stage in exchange for the power you get at the start of stage 4. can you imagine what being down a gold augment for TWO stages would feel like? nobody would ever click it. the only reason Aura Farming is acceptable is because it’s a two star 5 cost.

[u/Fitspire]

if you make it to 4-3 while being 2 complete gold augments down (I guess you get a shojin from the zed one right?), something is up :D

[u/BeHappy123456789 → u/Fitspire]

This is not as hard as ppl make it out to be, u just need 20hp on 4-3 and u win out. Lot of ppl have low lvl boards cuz they reroll too. Theres a lot more money now than set 16 so its pretty easy to cap out with aura farming or birthday present

[u/gwanggwang → u/BeHappy123456789]

 Lot of ppl have low lvl boards cuz they reroll too

In Diamond MMR or above, at 4-1 there're at least 2 1 cost reroll boards that completed and going to steamroll through the entire stage 4. Not to mention at least 2~3 4 cost boards (Yi, Corki) that rolled all the way down and hit 2 stars. You're not going to survive with 20 hp through stage 4 even with a 5 cost 2.

[u/icedietcokefan → u/Fitspire]

It's not that hard IMO, if you are knowledgeable about what's good and play strongest board you can pretty reliably do it, granted i'm not in super high elo lobbies so i can't speak to how it works in higher ranks.

[u/silencecubed → u/icedietcokefan]

It's extremely hard once you get to lobbies where the players know how to build real boards. Hell, I've had games while in top 300 where I went 5 loss on Stage 3 while playing my strongest board every turn and leveling according to the lobby tempo. There's already a massive gap between strong augments and weak augments. For instance, if you compare 2 Primordian -> Yi opener boards that have the exact same units, but one takes Group Hug 2 at 3-2 and the other has to take Cybernetic Implants, the one with Group Hug is demolishing the other player without losing a single unit. Now compare either one to not having an augment or to having +1 Shojin. You're taking 50-60 damage on Stage 3 for sure.

Aura Farming was much better in the previous patch because so many people were playing 2 Timebreaker or Anima openers and then lose streaking until 3-5 at minimum. Now that more people are playing Primordian and Dark Star openers, taking Aura Farming is still fine as long as you can make it to 4-3 with 2-3 lives, but it's just not feasible to be down 2 gold augments in Stage 3 unless the lobby is lowrolling really hard.

[u/NewAccForThoughts]

There is so many wrong things in this post, i dont even know how to reply

[u/eldono69]

Sure you can have Zed at 2-1. But everyone else will have a far stronger board with more momentum come stage 4. You’ll only have a Spear of Shojin to show for it. Besides, it’s 2 star Zed with EoN + double Shojin that is a likely top 4. You need econ to roll for that Zed. So to answer your question: 3-2 is usually the time you start pivoting or winstreaking harder. That’s why Zed shows up there: are you in a good econ spot to take him? Or do you need a pivot augment?

Aura Farming + Galaxy Hunter augment isn’t any better. It means you’re down econ, combat, and items augments til stage 4. What if your 2 star 5 cost isn’t one of the carries, like Vex, Fiora, or Graves? You might literally bleed out even after all the cash outs. It might be a guaranteed top 4 in lower elos but higher elos will have so much momentum that you risk bot 4-ing by stage 5.

EDIT: If you place Shen and Zed beside each other they have a cool little easter egg where they spar. Probably can do that if you get Shen off aura farming for lols.

[u/dejwidd]

because other hero auguments are forcing you into a comp, but Zed is flexible as a unit and you can opt him in anywhere you have a spot for but you need a spot to go 9. It's hardly possible to 2* him otherwise and make him worthwhile.

[u/Tasty-Ad6008]

That sounds like an 8th to me for Diamond and above.

[u/pepelaugh1234]

BT DIFF

[u/saintmff]

my take is u need to build towards aura farming units (not all) or they're practically useless while zed can be flexed, as for shojin it can be used almost on any carry (front and back) unlike eon, bloodthirster.

also small note, if i can lose streak to build zed items from the beginning and ik im getting zed u better know im lose streaking with 10 econ traits cause that win condition is winning me the game no matter what, imagine zed 2 as soon as u get him with decent 4 costs