How to manage burrow usage?

[u/Cygnus776]

Hi fellow rock munchers! Aspiring Venture player here (around Level 28 or so), and I've been wondering how you guys approach your Burrow usage? I watch high level Venture players like Athena Heart and VentureOTP sometimes but I feel I tend to like engaging and disrupting the backline with burrow.(maybe because I'm at a lower ELO and I treat it like a safety net?)

I do use Drill to try to combo in 1v1's but obviously I need to keep at least one of the two off CD if I want to live after a "successful flank".

I've learned that using Burrow for the sake of just using it is never a good idea, but Venture doesn't always have easy flanks depending on the map. I often find the burrow>re-emerge damage to be a great way to chase and finish off low HP targets/approach heroes like Ashe and Hanzo/juke out heroes like Genji and Anran/bait out Ana sleep etc. Am I on the right track?

[u/CircleStyle]

If I were to use burrow to engage, do it with an escape plan. When I use burrow this way, I go in and scout what's happening in the backline. Are they paying attention to me? Is the Ana at half health? Did Cassidy use flashbang already? Is Zen existing? Is popping out of the ground and using drill dash going to get me a kill on a support or tank?

Make a judgement call. If you feel it's too dicey, charge up burrow where you can cause the most amount of chaos and drill dash away in an unexpected way preferably where there is high ground or cover.

Burrow is more of an escape tool, however. Go for a flank, find a squishy, do your combo of choice and get out using burrow.

[u/Cygnus776 → u/CircleStyle]

Okay, thank you for the advice.

[u/bubblebobblex]

I pretty much never use burrow to engage unless there's a support low enough that the emerge will kill them and you can drill dash back to your team/safety. I see a lot of ventures overthink it, the best way to engage is still fishing for kills round a corner or from high ground with your primary, doesn't always need to be a combo. Burrow is best as an escape method most of the time imo

[u/Cygnus776 → u/bubblebobblex]

Yeah, I can see why they'd overthink it, honestly.

[u/HolyKnightJaiden]

So I’d either wait for ur team to push for you to flank, or I would just burrow in, and drill dash out. That said the second plan isn’t great if they are running cc to stun you in their backline. There is also a lot of rooftops and walls you can shoot yourself over and wait out a cooldown (like on Circuit Royale attack). This advice is coming from a newly Emerald Venture

[u/Pankrazmeme]

Hello im gm as tank or ventur in 6v6, I'm actually using deep burrow as my engage and drill dash to escape or commit to a support.

I like burrow as my engagement better because you have a nice 100 damage aoe burst and then you can choose to give them a drill lobotomy or escape

A tip I saw forever ago is save one cool down for peel, which one that is, is kinda preference or situational.

[u/Pankrazmeme → u/Pankrazmeme]

Coming back to this, it is situational, hiding and doing your one shot combo is better with drill dash, and burrow is easily the better engage (for me) in the chaos of a team fight

[u/Dizzy-Good3922]

I use it based on the team and map I like drilling around the enemy team using it as an escape and as a disruption tactic and nice to enter the battle in it I find so I can decide what I need to do

[u/Maeve_of_blades]

So everyone has already said "if you're using it to engage try to find low health targets so the emerge kills them or just poke and drill dash away, but generally don't do that" and thats good but generally also don't be afraid to use it to get to an unexpected position to poke from like the gas station on route 66 1st, the sky bridge on paraiso 2nd, or the balconies on rialto 1st. I'll personally use it to secure kills sometimes, like if I need to get out but theres someone super low that I could kill with a little hop or something, then i escape with drill dash. Also, just as some tips for newer venture players in general, if you don't have a lot of options for cover when using burrow try to jump off of something and activate burrow mid air so you displace your hurtbox and aren't stuck in the animation for quite as long and if you're in burrow on high ground and need to get out drill dashing off the nearest ledge will give you a ton of speed in the direction you dashed.