One of the key changes in Patch 7.33c that has contributed to Clinkz's viability as a support is the rework of his ultimate ability, Death Pact. Previously, Death Pact allowed Clinkz to consume a target creep, gaining its health and damage as bonus attributes for a certain duration. In the new patch, Death Pact has been modified to grant Clinkz a percentage-based bonus to his attack damage and health, making it a more versatile skill that can be utilized in various situations.
As a support, Clinkz can now utilize Death Pact to bolster his survivability and become a formidable frontline presence. By consuming a large creep, Clinkz can gain a significant boost in health and damage, allowing him to tank incoming damage and disrupt enemy formations. This unexpected tankiness makes Clinkz an excellent initiator and creates opportunities for his team to follow up with crowd control and burst damage.
Furthermore, Clinkz's ability to quickly move around the map and scout for the team remains valuable even in his support role. With his Skeleton Walk ability, Clinkz can easily roam the map undetected, providing crucial vision and information to his team. This scouting potential can be instrumental in setting up ganks, securing objectives, and gaining map control.
In their builds, professional players prefer different items. Still, in most cases, the main items are Phylactery or Solar Crest, although purchasing both items in the game is also possible. The essence lies in the fact that these items themselves are very strong in the patch: they are easy to build, provide mana regeneration, a good stats, and are conceptually good on the hero, as they help to eliminate desired targets quickly.
As the game progresses, it is essential to choose items based on the situation, but often Clinkz has the opportunity to build big core items and deal damage as effectively as a full-fledged carry. However, it's important to note that transitioning Clinkz into a support role requires a playstyle and team composition shift. Clinkz lacks traditional support abilities such as reliable control and healing, so he heavily relies on his team to provide those elements. The team must draft heroes to compensate for Clinkz's weaknesses and capitalize on his strengths.
Despite the unconventional nature of Clinkz as a support, the hero has demonstrated its potential in professional matches and high-level pubs. Players experimenting with this unorthodox role have reported success, highlighting Clinkz's ability to surprise opponents, create space for his team, and provide valuable utility. One such player is Kataomi from Entity, who actively practiced the hero in public matches with a win rate of 60%.
He has also achieved victories in official matches. However, it's worth noting that Clinkz's success as a support heavily relies on early-game efficiency and capitalizing on his power spikes. Without a good start and the necessary farm and experience, Clinkz can struggle to have a meaningful impact in the game's later stages. Effective resource management and map awareness are key to ensuring that Clinkz thrives in his support role.
In conclusion, Clinkz's transition into a support role in Patch 7.33c has brought about a new dimension to the hero's gameplay. With the rework of his ultimate and the right team composition, Clinkz can provide unexpected utility, scouting, and frontline presence. While this hero requires careful execution and coordination, it opens up new strategic possibilities
