Yuketsus PvP Assassin Guide

"sin or not to sin" - a light novel by yu-kreygasm-ketsu

Who am I ?
Changelog
Introduction
Terms & Keys
Class Synopsis
Skilltree- & Ability Analysis
[TAB]
[F]
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[LB]
[RB]
[Q]
[E]
[S]
[Z]
[X]
[C]
[V]
Basic Mechanics
Advanced Mechanics
Matchups
Blade Master
Destroyer
Summoner
Force Master
Kung Fu Master
Assassin
Blade Dancer
Additional Tips
tl;dr
Credits
How to support

Who am I ?
My name is Robert, born 1991 (Germany), started gaming in 2006 with Counter
Strike 1.6 and Warcraft; my nerd life began. Back then i watched Giga TV, a tv
channel that showed professional level Warcraft 3 - i was hypnotized. Later on I
picked up Call of Duty. I loved Call of Duty 4 Pro Mod and that was the time where
the competitive mindset starting growing on me. I played many scrims/matches via
ESL.
Being better, faster, smarter than your enemy - thats what it was and is about.
Superiority, obtained by skill. Ive played multiple MMOs - started with FlyFF, then
some random asian MMO i forgot the name of, later on World of Warcraft and Guild
Wars 2. I hit 2300 Rating in Season 6 with Rogue (me)/Warlock as well as 2300 in
3v3, Rogue, Ret, Hunter.
Besides that, I used it be a raid- and rated battleground leader in WoW. Objectivity &
Performance are the keywords. Do your job and I will give you the world. Be shit
and expect to be called out / replaced. I decide to not have patience with bad or
weak minded players.
I am playing Blade & Soul since Alpha 2 NA/EU, which started October 16 2015.
My highest rating in Alpha/CBT was 1696.
I then started writing this guide (time between CBT and Launch) and got supported
by amazing people like VoidkIng, Arrow (now Virus), Himelia, Xukania, suk12355,
SolemnHan.
I hit 2158 (Diamond) in Pre-Season 1, which was first applied on launch. I hit 2200+
last season (Pre-Season 2), which was Rank 1 Sin on the 26th of March. As you can
see I greatly improved by talking to outstanding Assassin Players, analyzing footage,
etc.

Changelog
30.01.2016 - 13:38 - introduced Changelog to show changes, making it easier to stay up to date
30.01.2016 - 15:22 - updated Summoner Build & matchup section, updated credits & how to support
01.02.2016
updated Force Master matchup section
06.02.2016
MASSIVE overhaul of entire guide up until matchups (content, formatting) - continuing tomorrow!
07.02.2016
Massive overhaul part 2 - I made it until KFM (i mean i stopped right before KFM) - more tomorrow!
07./08.02.2016
Finished the update! (also minor spelling corrections)
16.02.2016
Updating the guide for the Rising Waters Patch!
17.02.2016
Updated all builds for all matchups (HM1 to HM5)
21.02.2016
Fully updated for Rising Waters Patch!
26.03.2016
Updating the guide for Silverfrost Mountains Patch
13.04.2016
Misc. Updates

Introduction
Welcome to my Arena PvP Assassin Guide for Blade & Soul (Region: North America
& Europe).
The consensus you will dive into has been and is a living, breathing & ongoing effort
of me, Yuketsu, and the PvP Community (Official Forums, Dojo, Reddit, Twitch Chat)
that decides to support and help me in this project.
In here you will find a wide & deep range of information, suitable for Beginners,
Rookies and Veterans of either the sneaky, shadowy class we cover here, Assassin,
or any other class, eager to nick every little advantage they can get from other class
guides. Youre all welcome to participate in the conversation!
Tip for beginners: Sit down with a cup of your favorite coffee/tea & read up every
ability & sub-spec on Bns Tree - while I will go over the abilities, listing every detail
about a point spent would bloat this guide by a lot; and its already pretty big.
)

Disclaimer
This Guide is purely for Arena Player versus Player (1v1). I dont cover PvE or Open world PvP

Terms & Keys

General
BM

Blade Master

Des

Destroyer

Sum

Summoner

FM

Force Master

KFM

Kung Fu Master

Sin

Assassin

BD/LBM

Blade Dancer (old: Lyn Blade Master)

WL

Warlock

LB/LMB | RB/RMB

left (Mouse-)Button & right (Mouse-)Button

Tech / Teching

rolling out of dazes or knockdowns

Trinket

escape mechanism (tab by default)

Tech chasing

frame perfect control follow up on enemy techs

Trinket chasing

frame perfect control follow up on enemy trinket(s)

i frame

invulnerability frame(s) within an animation

Neutral Game

neither player has a positional advantage

(often times when 2 players are at 10m-20m range)

Combo Game

how well a class can juggle

Punish Game

how well a class can capitalize on an opponent's mistake

Auto Combo

combo that is inescapable

ani cancel

cancelling an animation of an ability which has

already been registered as hit by the system

cc

crowd control - status effects like a slow, stun, knockdown

gcd

global cooldown - the cooldown one has after using an

ability (not every ability has/puts you on gcd)

cd

cooldown

gc

ground counter or grapple counter

oos

out of stealth

ooc

out of combat

oom

out of mana (in B&S thats focus or Chi)

regen

can mean regenerated or regeneration

ku

knockup / airborne

kd

knockdown

Ms

movement speed

daze

groggy

unconscious

paralyzed

F 1/2/

Form 1, 2 etc. for skilltrees (horizontal)

T 1/2/

Tier 1, 2 etc. for skilltrees (vertical)

Sin specific
Body swap

Tab skill [out of Stealth] / Turning Leaf

Flower

V-Skill / Lotus of- Escape/Poison/Rescue / Fighting Spirit

c iframes

c speced into Lotus Fury

c stun

c speced into Lotus Kick

Smokebomb

Smoke Screen

Decoy Stance

oos

Stealth Stance

in stealth

Tech

Retreat

Trinket

Stealth

Air Bomb

Throwing Mine T3 F2

Infiltrate

Shadow Dash

Moths

Venom Swarm

Shadow Step

Sneak Attack

Web

Webbing

Silver Wire

Highwire

SS

Backstep

Firecracker

Bombard

Sidestep / Q

Shadow Step

Key
[C]

Core for a successful PvP Build

[O]

Decent option

[E]

PvE talent

[G]

Garbage talent

Class Synopsis

Assassins are almost what you expect from the name in conjunction with an MMO.
Stealth, Poison, Dagger, Crits. While these parts stays the same, the Assassin plays
different if you compare it to the Rogue in WoW. We still have the ability to stealth,
its - with a few exceptions - very short-living. The secret for a longer time in the
shadows is to refresh it; and here lies the tricky part. On another note, we arent
directly invisible. One can see the silhouette around us.
Talking about difficulty, the publisher itself rates it 4 out of 5. The highest is
currently Kung Fu Master with 4,5. The community says its the second hardest class.
Our combo potential is mind blowing; a skilled Assassin is able to juggle the enemy
as he pleases. While that takes a good amount of game knowledge & mechanics, it is
extremely satisfying. On the flip side, we can lose the control of the fight in a blink of
an eye, and here comes the intricate part of the Sin - if the enemy counters
something, how well are we prepared; what countermeasures did we commence 10
steps before that happened?
Examining the combat of the Assassin - we (can) have the steering wheel. We set the
pace, decide what we do with our enemy, the positioning & the order of events. Our
main focus lies in tracking enemy escape abilities & punishing them on use. While
that sounds easy, Assassins can be read like every class, so it is our job to make
surprising, unexpected attacks to throw our enemy off.
Mastering the combo game is exciting! Poisons, Knockdowns, Stuns, Dazes - while
there are cookie-cutter combinations, you have to adapt to the situations. Enemies
will use their escape mechanics differently.

Skilltree- & Ability Analysis

[TAB]
Trinket

0/3

only bails you out of kd and unconscious, too weak by itself

1/3

mandatory. You need to get out of stun and daze

2/3

optional. Against classes that grapple - Des, FM, BD [mandatory against

[C]

Summoners]
3/3

I personally consider 3 points a complete waste, 5% Heal on a

36s
cd and ONLY when used from grapples? Please.
Notes: Can be iframed and chased very obvious where you will land. Adapt
on your opponent and keep in mind that you can save 1 skillpoint against
every
class other than Des, Fm, Sum, Bd.

Body Swap

-/-

Notes: CAN be blocked. Enemy cant turn camera after usage, standard combo here
is [TAB] + [1]. The short disable cannot be trinketed. Viable opener in arena out of
Glide / Midair, as well as great against spinning classes because it goes through spin.
If its on cooldown, it wont show in the cooldown bar - keep track of it! (18 sec)

Shadow Kick

-/Notes: Basically NEVER in use for the Damage or 2 Chi generation. Extremely good
to cancel stealth early . Example: into Body swap followed by Infiltrate.

Hook Kick

-/Notes: ONLY use when enemy is poisoned, you gain stealth AND 5 Chi, but cost
1 so overall +4, 3m Range. Great re-stealth mechanic. Part of all major damage
combos.

Flash Kick

any/any

[G]

Notes: Considering you NEED webbing to effectively make use out of the enemys
status effect ku/kd by setting up your combo, preparing for the next phase of the
match, I wont go into detail here. Its a bad talent for PvP.
One of the worst Sin abilities in the game.

Webbing

2/3

allows you to keep enemy kd/ku for 4 seconds, core

3/3

this only increases range from 8m to 16m, not worth

[C]

Notes: Absolute essential, only 1 point in Webbing needed the extra range is
redundant. Web is one of your key-components for the combo game. Great to place
flower, smokebomb, moths and more. Ku can NOT be trinketed, Kd CAN.
Depending on the timing on Webbing after Sweeping Gale/Volley you can either
hold them in the ku or kd state. Most of the time we are aiming to get Webbing off
on the kd, that way we can Infiltrate. (More on that under: Advanced Mechanics >
Combos)

Sweeping Gale

-/Notes: Needs Daze/Stun Necessary for air combo- & combo initiation. Be careful
on pressing Tab, because it can accidentally trigger Webbing right after Sweeping
Gale got used & you miss the opportunity to squeeze more damage in with Volley.
Also has a cooldown that has to be tracked!

[F]

Shadowslip

-/Notes: A teleport. 2 Chi regen comes in handy, also the range is surprisingly high,
16m. Shadow Slip is used in 2 ways: You gap-close or just iframe something with SS
and follow up with Shadowslip; then Leaf Shift procs. The other way is to instantly
use it after you tabbed, followed by Spinal Tap. Careful: Enemys can turn 180 and
block you. Can be ani canceled in stealth, with Lightning Rod.

Lightning Crash

-/Notes: ALWAYS procs after Heart Stab in stealth, sort of ani-cancels with each other.
Regenerates 1 Chi.

Dark Strike

1/2

1 Chi Regen on a crit is decent

2/2

increased damage on 5 poison stacks & stacks 1 bleed

Notes: Depends on playstyle, I love Lightning Pierce a lot more than Dark Strike,
and its easier to pull off, because you dont have to think about pressing F in
between your regular RB/LB ani cancel - works good against summoners if you go
for the CC style of play.

Close Shave

2/2

our go-to F Skill, great to use between combos

[C]

Notes: Extremely valuable - our filler between stuns in our main damage combo.
Renders enemy ccd the same way Body swap does.

Lightning Pierce

2/2

Lightning Crash on steroids, only procs on Heart Stab crit, decent for
the stealth playstyle.

Notes: A possible 2-Point ability to increase damage against Summoner, mainly.

Stomp

-/Notes: Default F against enemies in melee range & knockdown state. I have
honestly never found myself in a situation where I used this.

Swiftstep

1/1

changes the default Daze after Swiftstep to kd, great against spinning
classes (Destroyer, Blade Dancer)

Notes: 2 Ways to use: SS -> Shadowslip -> Swiftstep or just out of Woodblock. Great
to get enemy to tech. CAREFUL: Enemy can turn around 180 and block/deflect. The
kd is amazing to bait techs from spin classes or just instantly web them (make sure
youre familiar with a different combo rotation because you cant knock up considering you have no web). Core part of the dazelock combo if no points are
used.

Tech

-/Notes: Your main cc removal for daze/knockdown. 12s cooldown. Can be tech
chased. Has i frames in its animation.

[1]
Thrash

-/Notes: One of the 3 abilities youre able to use while grappled / suppressed / forcegripped. Players tend to spam this for damage. Dangerous to use, because it uses a
gcd; unable to use the Counter.

Shuriken Flurry

-/Notes: Lets you stand up after a kd, damage is basically non-existent, slows enemy
for 8s. CAREFUL: Knocks you down again, if enemy hits you in the animation. Can be
blocked/deflected. Stun, daze, knockback, kd resistant for 1s on successful escape.

Cyclone Sweep

0/2

renders enemy unconscious for 30s, possible use: Pet CC

Does have a higher cd though - 45s

1/2
2/2

spending 1 point makes it a kd, great for stun/daze immunities

F1

range is now 4m, can only be used if in range

the 6s movement-ability lock is great against charging classes

2/2

F2

turns it into a 3 second daze

Notes: The kd forms are great against LBM/Des because spin only grants daze/stun
immunity. F2 Cyclone Sweep is great for tech-chasing . Be careful to not get caught
by spins or the reflect trying to use this.

Shadow Drain

2/2

great for the Stealth-Spec vs Sum & FM

Notes: Splendid stealth harassment tool, as it not only refreshes stealth but also
works as a Chi generator. Only worth specing into classes that have no easy access
into stealth removal/aoe (Best used against: Sum & FM; mediocre usage: BM & KFM,
figuratively impossible usage: Des & BD)

Infiltrate

0/4

one of THE abilities a sin has. Either a charge tool or our simple
stealth, if used behind/sideways an enemy.

1/4
2/4

increases the speed/animation time - necessary

F1

built-in evasion bonus - really only comes in play when simply

charging from the front

3/4

F1

reduces cooldown to 6s. This is the GOAT.

4/4

F1

gain -1- additional Chi when entering Stealth, pretty pointless,

[C]

especially because you, most of the time, cap Chi on use.

Notes: Range 1m-4m is a deadzone and good players will know how to abuse this.
Taunting cats are an amazing re-stealth opportunity - make sure to track position
and abuse that as much as possible.

Sidewinder

2/3

F2

turns your 9s/6s charge that provides stealth you into a 30s
garbage ability that cripples you, please keep away.

3/3

F2

removes the 1m-4m deadzone from the above, wish Infiltrate had
that

[G]

Notes: One of the worst sin abilities in the game. Should never be used.

[2]
Slipping Lotus

-/-

requires good timing. 0,8s window to counter, breaks grapple.

Notes: Some classes are easier to counter than others, watch out for certain
animations, I will go into details under the matchups.

Time Bomb

0/2

decent damage for 1 Chi, unspeced 60s cooldown. Has an

interesting mechanic with mines.

1/2

any points invested lower CD by 15s, dazes. Removes

mine-interaction.

2/2

[O]

changes daze to knockdown, which works well against BD/Des

hardest part is going to be to place the Time Bomb - too risky

Notes: Explosion does NOT break Webbing. Really good synergy with Shadowstep
(Tech bait/ Tech punish). Keep in mind that Time Bomb also does not trigger (the

first step of it, the plant) any sort of blocks, not even Wood Block or the Dandelion
from Summoners. More about this under Advanced Mechanics.

Straw Doll

-/-

basically Woodblock, just on 0,8s channel time.

Notes: Keep in mind that its not always good to instantly spam Straw doll, adapt to
your enemy, have different timings. Can be deflected if proced off of Spins.

Decoy

0/3

one of our main abilities, crucial to use well timed

1/3

4 instead 3 Chi recovery, very weak talent

2/3

F1

creates a shield if it doesnt proc - decent against better players

who have the patience to wait out Decoy

3/3

F1

besides the T2 effect, also heals for 2%

2/3

F2

gives dandelion protection to nearby party members within 16m,

chi recovery, reduces the cooldown shadow invasion by 6s

3/3

F2

on top of the T2F2 bonus, also grants 5% over 10s - bad

2/3

F3

reduces the 1,5s channel to, burns 2Chi/20Chi for Des

[O]
[E]

3/3

F3

on top of the T2 effect, also has the deflect effect

[O]

Notes: Form 1 is great for survival/time builds, mostly going to be used against
Summoners/Persistence Destroyers (maybe even FM). F2 is a pure PvE talent and its
party member applications do not apply to you. Form 3 is great against Force
Masters and Blade Dancer, it requires delicate timing but has incredible potential
(Blade Dancers pentaslash can be daze-wood blocked this way)

[3]
Bolt Step

0/3

simply stuns the enemy

1/3

reduces the Chi cost

2/3

increases CD to 60s but refreshes stealth, core

[C]

3/3

besides the T2 bonuses, also blinds/muddles enemy. optional

[O]

Notes: Great re-stealthing tool - beginners will trinket this stun, leading into a very
favorable situation. Good players will read you using this ability and counter you.
Stun can simply be avoided by either spinning or SS-ing, as well as sidestepping it.
You wont see people do this in Bronze or low-mid Gold though. The jump back
part of the animation can be canceled, more under Advanced Mechanics.

Shadow Slash

0/5

simple Damage Ability, not worth specing into

1/5

increased Damage

2/5

F1

stacks poison on certain status effects & deals extra damage, still
meh

3/5

F1

100% crit chance vs -other classes cc- and Stun/Daze, really good
for burst damage

5/5

F1

faster animation, lets you cast it twice - my new favorite ability!

2/5

F2

turns into AoE, can be used to get people out of stealth

3/5

F2

increased damage, F2 seems pointless

5/5

F2

generates chi & resets cd on kill - solely for PvE in my opinion

3/5

F3

still AoE, knockdown for 3s, locks movement abilities AND slows,
amazing punish tool, great against spin classes

5/5

F3

8m range knockdown, adds a poison stack - top tier ability

2/5

F4

lowers damage, as well as cd to 3s - PvE Talent

3/5

F4

reduces animation time from T2

5/5

F4

Turns Shadow Slash into Venom Slash

[O]

[O]
[E]

Notes: T3F1 (as well as the HM version) is a huge damage boost, best used after a cstun, T3F3 is an amazing tech-punishing or cc-prolonging tool. You do have to invest
3 full points into it though, to gain any value out of it. All other forms are useless in
my opinion.

[4]
Lightning Rod

0/3

core Ability by itself

1/3

reduces Chi Cost by 1, putting it to 3 - worth if you have too many

points

2/3

F1

from the 3 possible forms to go, this is what we are looking at

[O]

reducing the CD by 6s can come in really handy!

3/3

F1

1 Chi regen per enemy hit

2/3

F2

sets chi to 0, increases damage, lowers CD loses stun, PvE

3/3

F2

20 Chi gained over 5s when enemy hit

2/3

F3

sets chi to 0, changes target mechanic, lowers CD, but PvE tool

3/3

F3

recovers 3 chi on successful hit, as well as T2 bonuses

[E]

[E]

Notes: The most viable talent point distribution here would be T2F1. The reduced
cooldown and cost make it great!

Poison Breath

0/3

great tool against Sin Mirror to get the enemy out of stealth (also
optional against Summoners

1/3

increased damage, has casting time

2/3

same as T1

3/3

same as T1

[O]

Notes: Your choices here are: Either specing 0 points into it, receiving a great tool to
reveal enemies in stealth (using this as a Poison-Stack tool is rather bad, there are
better ways), spending 3 points to get Venom Swarm, or Choke Bomb - more on
those abilities further down.

Moths

3/3

simply Amazing. The Sins bread and butter

[C]

Notes: Moths are a gift of the gods. It has a slow travel time, which has multiple
facettes. You can bait out SS from your opponent, use it before starting your
Wombo Combo (right before Infiltrate), use it in the Opening/Neutral Game - its
mindblowing (more about that under Combos/Neutral Game).

Choke Bomb

3/3

has high cooldown, but instantly applies 5 poison stacks.

Notes: Can be used against either FMs or Sum - instantly stacks 5 Poison Stacks followed up by Lightning Stride, great for quick burst, big downside is the 60s cd,
restricting its use to 2 times in an arena. The choice between Bomb and Mist comes
down to personal preference.

Plaguemist

3/3

15s less cooldown than Choke Bomb, requires enemy to stand in the

aoe to stack up the poison stacks (best used when opponent is ccd)
Notes: Depends on how long you can lock someone in one place, the longer your
enemy stands in the Mist, the more Poison stacks are applied (which is probably the
con, making it too bad to use - Moths or Bomb are much more reliable). Can be
used 3 times in Arena, due to its 45s cd.

[LB]

Thunderstruck

-/-

your ku finisher, best/only used when Webbing is on cd.

Notes: You will ask yourself why Sins dont often/ever use Thunderstruck to finish
the air combo. The reason behind that: Considering you have Webbing, you have
another 4 seconds to set up Flower, Mine, Smoke, Moths, Infiltrate and more. Does
stack 1 poison stack for 10 seconds, though.

Volley

-/-

refreshes ku status, used after Sweeping Gale.

Notes: Make sure to target your enemy (directly look his direction) while he is ku,
you have a small time window to either moths, smokebomb or flower for example.

Spinal Tap

0/3

one of our core tools to begin/prolong combos.

1/3

just reduces Chi cost by 1, not worth as a standalone skillpoint.

2/3

F1

core, pierces defense, amazing against BM, Des, Sum, KFM, Sin

3/3

F1

You stay in stealth after usage, removes piercing defense - not

[C]

worth
2/3

F2

Chi regen instead of consumption, removes Stun

3/3

F2

reduces cd, increases damage from T2

[E]

Notes: The pierce defense is always a safe route and generally considered core. I
started using T3F1 against FMs and Summoners. Its great against FMs to bait out
trinkets & great against Summoners to pump in 3-4 seconds of RB+F, try it out.

Mist Slash

0/3

50% of our conventional ani cancel, 1 Chi regen

1/3

increased damage

2/3

1 additional Chi regenerated on Crit

3/3

F1

additional damage on stunned/dazed targets

3/3

F2

increased damage on poisoned targets

[O]

Notes: I love to put 3 points into Mist Slash - Form 1. The damage is surprisingly
high and the additional Chi makes Heart Stab cost 0 after a crit - definitely worth
experimenting with - now with the last patch its almost core to have at least 2
points.

Silver Wire

-/-

mostly used after Swiftstep, has 3 ways to finish

Notes: Has a 9-16m range, meaning 0-8m is a deadzone. Cant be trinketed

Best/easiest use is after the stun from Swiftstep. Core tool in our daze lock combo.

[RB]
Blink Step

-/-

Gain stealth after use, putting you on the opposite side of your
enemy.

Notes: Is very easily countered & punished, because easy to read, use carefully. Can
only used when sprinting/gliding.

Guard Break

-/-

one of the 2 pierces defense abilities a Sin has.

Notes: Great for any classes than can block/counter, can be used in and out of
stealth.

Heart Stab

0/4

our other 50% to our main ani cancel combo.

1/4

this point allows to remain stealthed when used Heart Stab.

2/4

allows instant-animation against certain CC types.

3/4

this point unlocks Venom Pierce

4/4

reduces Chi cost from 3 to 2 - vital.

[C]

Notes: This is basically THE Sin ability that defines our class. High damage, poisons,
can be used in stealth. Core tool for animation canceling, more about this in the
sections below.

Firecracker

3/4

turns Heart Stab into Firecracker - No.

4/4

just No.

[G]

Notes: Bad. New years eve is over.

Lightning Stride

-/Notes: One of our hardest hitting abilities, damage mainly depends (scaling) on
Poison Stacks (which are consumed on successful hit) also a great mobility tool (Can
even dodge enemy abilities with it - Shadow Dash Stun from Sins i.e.). Good as a
finisher after a combo.

[Q]

Sidestep

0/2

the conventional sidestep/Q - procs stealth on resist

1/2

increases Chi regeneration to 6, from 4, weak point.

2/2

makes Heart Stab 100% Crit on Proc

[C]

Notes: Amazing Tool to get another chance to restealth, you can Q charges.

Sidestep Left

2/2

increases range to 8M, great tool against ranged classes

[O]

.
Notes: Really strong against all ranged classes, considering all of them have way to
cc you that they can kite you. Can be used as a gap closer. I started using this as a
default tool.

[E]
Shunpo

0/3

simple, nontarget dash - 8m in camera direction

1/3

30% ms buff for 6s after use

2/3

F1

adds iframes & cleanses charge removal, invaluable!

3/3

F1

readies Lightning Stride on resist (does NOT RESET cd!)

[C]

Sidestep Right

2/3

F2

basically the T2F2 Q with a ms buff, .5s iframes after cast, a longer cd &
no stealth on resist

3/3

F2

readies Shadowslip on resist

3/3

F3

readies Dark Strike/Lightning Pierce on resist

[O]
[E]

Notes: Shunpo is not the hero we deserve but the hero we need(ed). Now with
Silverfrost Mountains & its balance updates we finally received a real immobilize
cleanse. Its great for juking, initiating, disengaging & pretty much everything you
can make out of it in the appropriate situation. Its our most valuable utility tool &
overall enhances the already fast pace of sins. Get used to use it a lot.

[S]

Backstep / SS

-/-

Notes: Very versatile tool, can be a gap closer as well as an escape mechanic. Built
in iframes (even slightly after the animation) making it possible to iframe ranged
attacks, charges & more. Allows great counter plays.

[Z]
[Y] (for German Keyboards)

Mine

0/3

great tech chase tool, even without any points spent

1/3

8s slow allows for great RB F harassment in stealth

2/3

this Tier allows to daze (on top of kd) for ani cancel

3/3

launches dazed/stunned enemy into the air

[C]
[O]

Notes: Can also be used in stealth to deploy. One of the core punish tools against
enemy Tech. Easily setup after Webbing. Careful: T2 daze only procs on poisoned
enemy.

Ice Mine

2/3

freezes opponent, increases CD massively

3/3

disables movement abilities for 6s after freeze.

[O]

Notes: Careful: Enemy is invulnerable while frozen. Casting Moths too early makes
them disappear in the nether. Decent option against Des with Fortitude or Sin
mirror. I have also started using this against Blade Dancers.

Throwing Mine

2/3

turns your regular mine into a throwing mine - Stacks poison.

3/3

F1

reduces Chi cost by 1 - rather weak point

3/3

F2

the so called air bomb - very high damage, increased Chi+cd

[O]

Notes: This is a decent option for 2 reasons: Throwing Mine is effective against
ranged classes or allow for a more passive playstyle. The default damage is rather
high and the cooldown of 24s allows us to spam it fairly often, the poison stack
comes in very handy. The air bomb is actually better than it looks. The damage is
one of the highest damage abilities Sins currently have and our current patch has
comparatively low HP numbers. More on that under Mechanics & Matchups. Dont
count as projectiles, cant be blocked.

[X]

Shuriken

0/3

Range Chi Generator, generally rarely used

1/3

F1

increases Damage

2/3

F1

increases Chi regen to 2

3/3

F1

crit procs Shadow Slip

Notes: Compared to Smokescreen a rather weak ability on its own, generally more
of a PvE skill.

Smokescreen

2/3

F2

amazing Chi regen tool, the immunities are very useful

3/3

F2

10% HP regen if you stand in full duration, also increased cd

3/3

F3

an instant stealth without any prerequisites

[C]
[O]

Notes: T2 is what I consider core, has amazing synergy with our main combo
because our stunned target (if he did use Tab) is stationary for the entire duration.
Our F3T3 is also amazing & strong against classes with overwhelming openers (like
pentaslash from BD/BM as well as a core for me, against Summoners)

Throwing Dagger

-/Note: Prerequisite for Shadow Step (below). Careful: Can be deflected. Stacks 1x
poison. Additionally, falls under projectile category, multiple classes have tools to
iframe those. Also applies 15s slow

Shadow Step

0/2

teleports you to target, stacks bleeding, useless without the cc

1/2

adds 1 Chi regen,

2/2

F1

dazes enemy for 2s, great setup tool after using Flower

[C]

2/2

F2

doesnt cc, 7 Chi regen -> PvE

[E]

Note: Falls under the category charge - can be Qd and punished in other ways,
more on that under Mechanics.

Acrid Star

-/-

Note: Procs after you resisted an enemy ability, stacks 1 poison stack AND provides
Chi regen, try to always use when available. Cant be deflected, so always safe to
use.
Highwire Act

-/Note: Only available when enemy is affected by Silver Wire, kd on the spot. Can be
used in combination with body swap.

[C]
High Voltage

-/Note: Usable after Silver Wire - I personally love to use High Voltage and body swap
right after that - the damage is also one of the hardest hitting abilities from Sins.

Lotus Fury

0/3

simply a damage ability

1/3

grants iframes for the entire duration of the animation

2/3

this point adds healing to our iframes, extremely strong

3/3

adds another second of iframes after the animation

[C]

Note: I am going to combine the notes for Lotus Fury & Kick below.
Lotus Kick

2/3

lowers cd, chi cost & range - removes iframes, adds stun

3/3

increases the stun duration by another second

[C]

Note: Lotus Fury & -Kick are one of our most important tools - its amazing that we
have the choice between either having a Penta Slash with full iframes & built-in
heal or a great stun mechanic. Depending on playstyle, enemy class & enemy player,
this is one of our most valuable skills, more on that under mechanics & matchups.

[V]

Lotus of Escape

0/4

a 2-step teleport - #1 place down a stationary flower #2 teleport to

it - highly valuable and very versatile in usage, HP +Chi regen, iframes
while usage and 1s after

1/4

gets us out of stun, daze and grab

[C]

3/4

F1

moves near death party member, PvE Talent

[E]

4/4

F1

increases duration

[E]

Note: 20s lifetime when placed, 45s cd when used, 30s cd when used while not
being ccd. Our mini trinket - unmeasurable value. Aim for a 100% uptime to always
use a flower before trinket. Can also be simply used for mobility. More on that
under mechanics. F2 isnt worth looking into, concerning PvP.
Lotus of Poison

3/4

F2

completely changes the mechanic of Lotus of Escape. Teleports

an enemy, poisoned enemy.

4/4

F2

adds 3s daze

Note: 20s lifetime, 45s cd. I have honestly never used this ability in arena, so its
hard to give feedback/advice on this one. I feel that T3F1 Flower is by far the
strongest: its simply...almost another trinket.

Lotus of Rescue

3/4

F3

completely changes the mechanic of Lotus of Escape. 15s stealth for

you when flower is placed, party members get teleported to you on
2nd use if they stand in the flower aoe

4/4

F3

adds 3s stealth for party members after the teleport

Note: I only see this being used to skip trash mobs in PvE.

Fighting Spirit

3/4

F4

completely changes the mechanic of Lotus of Escape. 15s stealth and

huge damage buff

4/4

F4

adds cooldown reset of all Poisons on 4

Note: High risk, high reward - it kind of turns you into a KFM. Steroid on demand
but only one trinket. I only use it against Summoners, but its definitely viable in
almost any matchup (I dont recommend it against Destroyers/BD)

Pull Silver Wire

-/Notes: Pulls target in front of you, dazes for 2s. Viable alternative to High Voltage enemy can be ku right after the pull. Careful: Be prepared for the enemy to tech.
Mandatory tool for the long dazelock combo - mostly followed up by bodyswap.

Basic Mechanics
This section is going to cover the foundation, on which you will further build on.
While this can be skipped by players who have played Sin in the past, one might as
well give it a read. I am not going into detail about certain cooldowns / prerequisites
of Sin abilities, because that information is in the topic above & on www.bnstree.com.
Under CC Types you will find terms of other classes that might sound confusing to
you, check those out on bns tree as well to understand the mechanics, cooldowns,
interactions.

Your mind
There are 2 keywords here. Objectivity & positivity. If you want to be a good or even
better player you have to be able to take criticism and improve (its obviously
important that the given critique is correct).

The other thing is your attitude.

If youre not positive, thinking like a winner, the outcome is already determined.
Here are 2 videos I have bookmarked for several years now that nail what I am
trying to say. (click the images)

Turning pro is a mindset. If we are struggling with fear, self-sabotage,

procrastination, self-doubt, etc., the problem is, were thinking like amateurs.
Amateurs dont show up. Amateurs crap out. Amateurs let adversity defeat them.
The pro thinks differently. He shows up, he does his work, he keeps on truckin, no
matter what. - Steven Pressfield
Would you like me to give you a formula for success? Its quite simple, really.
Double your rate of failure. - Thomas Watson

If you ever blame the enemys class on your loss, I will find you and I will slap you.
- Thats from me

CC Types
Stun

renders one stunned, unable to do move or use

offensive abilities

Daze

puts one into a dazed state, neither movement nor

offensive are usable

Knockdown

puts one into a knocked down state, enabling

"ground counters"

Knockup

puts one into the airborne state, no way to escape

Unconscious

puts one into a lengthy cc

High HP regen is enabled during this status effect
Taken damage breaks the effect

Grappled

puts one into a state of suppression

Paralyze

inescapable cc

Know your enemy

There are multiple approaches to learn about other classes. The first one is a rather
dry and theoretical one, which is to read up on bns tree. One problem here is the
difference in patches. So please take this information with a grain of salt.
The next step is to watch pvp guides from other classes, people normally go more
into detail like I do, as well as talking about the Sin matchup, allowing us to steal
precious information to cross their plans!
The last step is the most fun one - friends and guildies sparring you. You can learn
from them; what goals they have, playing against you - as well as getting to know
what they struggle with & what you are doing right. There is no point into rushing in
arena when you dont know enemys cc or ways to escape.

Your UI
Shift + F1
Make yourself comfortable. Your UI is what you will have your eyes on; a lot.
Configuring your interface as early as possible & making changes as you progress is
the best way to get used to it - know it inside out. You have to feel every single pixel
on your screen.

Tracking your cooldowns

Its important to know your own cooldowns in and out - the best way of doing that is
first of all obviously reading the tooltips. Above that its just gamesense, which is
acquired over time; by playing a lot. The same goes for your enemy. A slight
disadvantage is, that some abilities arent tracked by the cooldown tracker ingame,
example: SS is, Body Swap isnt.
Here is an example of my UI.

Buffs and Debuffs

These are easily tracked and should be put in a spot on your UI that makes it
comfortable to read (Shift + F1 for fast access to the UI Manager). Examples: An
important buff is your flower, a debuff on the enemy is your Throwing Dagger & a
debuff on you can be the frost icon from FMs.

Advanced Mechanics

Opener / Neutral game

You can use Flower, Body Swap, SS or Moths, for example midair between
gliding,by pressing: Space > Ability > Space in rapid succession. This way you can
place your flower safely, without risking to get caught by charges (which arent
available to use against gliding enemies).
That allows you to have a more advantageous position of yourself and your flower.
More about this under matchups. Note: It does put you into combat, disabling your
ability to sprint again.
Always mix up your openers/tactics, especially from Gold on where you can see
your opponents name & when you play against the same person.
Like endah says - Play the player not the matchup boys.

Mid-/Lategame
Time Bomb and Shadow Step Synergy
T1 Time Bomb gives us a daze, the plan here is to plant the time bomb & combo it
with good timing with our Shadow Step.
Dream scenario: use Time Bomb -> use Throwing Dagger -> use Shadow Step ->
enemy Tech -> Time Bomb goes off, punishing the tech -> proceed with combo
This requires timing, the right matchup (Time Bomb is extremely hard to pull off
against Des/BD & the timing has to be precise, because Tech has iframes)

Swiftstep is a mechanic that can be ani canceled to avoid getting

countered/punished for using an ability that is very obvious for experienced players
because it has a long animation by itself. The best way to do that is between the 2nd
and 3rd step of the animation (picture below). You will cancel that with Q if you
anticipate that your enemy is trying to punish you for it. Another way to cancel it, is
with LB. An amazing cancel is shown in the following video by suk12355 - a diamond
Sin from KR - http://www.twitch.tv/suk12355/v/26936686 (17s)

Trinket: Upon hitting an enemy with the flash the enemy will be disabled (same
thing that happens when you Body swap someone) for about 1 second. If you
successfully manage to disable someone with the flash you can use that second to
start off a combo. Tab -> F -> LMB is the combo here . This is possible because
Shadowslip is available upon using your trinket.
This is however only recommended when the opponent has no trinket because you
can get dazed by the trinket and further on chased and as you dont have your
trinket at this point, it puts you in a really bad spot.

Cancel Lotus Fury

The same way you can cancel Swiftstep. If you see your enemy using abilities into
your animation, press Q for a free re-stealth.
In Sin mirrors its a known technique to Q the last animation of Lotus Fury- try to
just cancel yours by stopping at 3/4.

Punishing Techs
We have a couple of different abilities to punish enemy Techs.
T3F3 Shadow Slash is an amazing tool for tech punish - you have to spend 3 though.
F1 of our Mine tree is also a great tool.
Shadow Step & Time Bomb are nice as well, but have to be thought about in
advance.
Another, more tricky one, is your Leaf Shift after a Tech, you proc it via Decoy.
Generally speaking, it is a better idea to use the other skills because it has the
highest ramp up time.

iFraming Trinkets
In our conventional 100-0 combo, try to Q after the ku, Volley, Web, Moths and
Infiltrate. Most Trinkets are used here, either before the use of Lightning Rod or
even before that. Another common Trinket usage is (considering your opponent
knows you speced that) right after your C Stun, because it is our longest stun & has
a longer cooldown than Lightning Rod, but they pay with health for it.

Combos

Pocket Combos

SS -> F -> 3
Backstep -> Shadow Slip -> kd Shadow Slash
SS -> F -> C [speced C Stun]
Backstep - Shadow Slip - Lotus Kick

Tab -> Tab -> 1

In stealth: Strike (cancel stealth early) -> Body swap -> Infiltrate
Note: If youre close enough you can Heart Stab before following with Lightning Rod
or Spinal Tap.
If youre too far away (or just prefer that over Heart Stab) you can press X for
Throwing Dagger. Warning: Using X here disables you to use smokebomb freely
when youre going for the full combo (explained below)
Note: You can ani cancel your Shadow Slip with Lightning Rod (4 in stealth)
Heres a scenario for that:
[in stealth] SS -> F-ani canceled with 4
Backstep -> Shadow Slip -> Lightning Rod

Inescapable Mini-Combo
[not confirmed on Live EU Ping]

Tab -> 1 -> LB -> F -> Tab -> 4 -> F [optional: 2 -> RB]
Body Swap -> Infiltrate -> Spinal Tap -> Close Shave -> Hook Kick -> Lightning Rod ->
[Close Shave] -> [optional: Decoy -> Lightning Stride]

Longer Combos

Main Combo [prerequisite: Opponents Trinket is down]

LB -> 2x-3x RB/LB -> Tab -> LB -> Tab-> X -> 4 -> 1 -> 4 -> 3x RB/LB -> F -> C -> 3x
RB/LB -> F -> Tab -> LB -> 2x - 3x RB/LB -> F -> 2 -> RB
Spinal Tap -> Ani Cancel -> Sweeping Gale -> Volley -> Webbing -> Smokebomb ->
Moths -> Infiltrate -> Lightning Rod -> Ani Cancel -> Close Shave -> Lotus Kick -> Ani
Cancel -> Close Shave -> Hook Kick -> Spinal Tab -> Ani Cancel -> Close Shave ->
Wood Block -> Lightning Stride
Here is a video how a similar combo looks like & the skill usage in a picture to
visualize it

LB -> 2x RB/LB -> Tab -> LB -> X -> Tab -> Y/Z -> 4 -> 1 -> 4 -> 3x RB/LB -> F -> Tab

-> Y/Z -> If enemy techs > 1 -> 3x RB/LB -> 2 -> F -> 2x RB/LB -> SS -> LB -> V -> 2x
RB/LB -> Tab -> ...

Spinal Tap -> Ani Cancel -> Sweeping Gale -> Volley -> Smokebomb -> Webbing -> Mine ->
Moths -> Infiltrate -> Lightning Rod -> Ani Cancel -> Close Shave -> Hook Kick -> Detonate
Mine -> If enemy techs -> Leaf Whirlwind T2F2 -> Ani Cancel -> Wood Block -> Leaf Shift ->
Ani Cancel -> Backstep -> Silver Wire -> Pull Silver Wire -> Ani Cancel -> Sweeping Gale -> ...

Alternative Main Combo up until the enemy is webbed on the ground (make sure you placed Mine) and you
moths + Infiltrate him. You will then Spinal Tap, Ani Cancel - dont Close Shave instead use Decoy + Leaf Shift, if enemy techs, he runs into your Mine, if he doesnt
tech, carry on with main Combo https://www.twitch.tv/himeliabns/v/37167175

Matchups
Keep in mind that those arent the textbook how to beat Class X instructions. This is
how > I < win against those classes; be creative and develop your own tactic .
Make sure to check out my YouTube Channel - I am constantly uploading videos of all
matchups, to demonstrate you how I play against Class X with my builds!

Blade Master
Level 50 HM5

Opener
Aggressive BMs will try to instantly pentaslash you, this is best avoided by running
backwards / sideways, jumping and then gliding. Putting down flower while gliding is
a solid choice here, risk is basically non existent.
Obviously 3 points into the instant-stealth smokebomb is amazing & by far the
safest. If you feel confident, feel free to use the glide + Moths against them,
disabling their defenses, giving you a free Body Swap.
Another opener you will see from BMs is their pull. Its a throw and classified as
projectile - if you feel hes going to do it - either Smokebomb or SS it. Wood Block
will not work, because it pierces defense.
Passive & defensive BMs will wait for their pentaslash to be used in in different
situation and will just play the waiting game, standing at the spawning point or go
back into a corner - just be patient as well.
Be careful on using Blink Step, Blade Masters have their V (Flock of Blades) to
knockback, greatly punishing you.
Neutral Game

Aggressive BMs will always try to stay in your face, using Block in between, trying to
apply as much pressure as possible. Its a good idea to use Moths here. Additionally,
make sure your flower has 100% uptime.
The other approach is that they try to play it slow. They wait for you to blow SS,
Body Swap and Woodblock. Be prepared to get blocked when trying to leaf shift out
of SS or Woodblock. Using Moths here is a great baiting mechanic for their SS, if
they let it just affect them, its your time to attack.
Another great counter is to simply Infiltrate them from the front if you see them
blocking, followed up by RB (Guard Break). Careful, good BMs know this tactic and
will either SS or Q here after you dashed to them.
There is also the option to Hook Kick them in Melee Range if you managed to apply
poison on them (most likely via Moths).

Mid-/Lategame
BMs are very afraid of your spinal tap.
If you applied Throwing Dagger you will see many BMs in mid-high tier turning 180
degrees trying to block/deflect you on Shadow Step usage. Best way here is to either
walk up to them because they cant see you and then Infiltrate, or just Body Swap. If
they turn around, Shadow Step.
Be careful when approaching them closely in stealth, they have an ability called
Cyclone where they swoosh around with their swords, it does have pre-requisites
though, make sure to read up on that on bns tree.
Overall its an ok matchup, their only out is Tab, make sure to not get knocked out
of stealth with Flock of Blades or Cyclone.

Destroyer
Level 50 HM5

Opener
Charge Opener can be avoided by gliding or spamming Q.
Their aerial opener will almost always be their throw that pulls you in, if you know
your enemy & their plan you can use the Space > Body swap > Space trick to negate
that. You might still get pulled, being behind him. The decoy between gliding works
as well, avoiding incoming damage and stealthing. As it shows you in my build I am
running T3F3 Smokebomb to avoid any possible harm done to me.

Neutral Game
Our neutral game is extremely strong against Destroyers, theirs is one of the
weakest in the game. Smokebomb T2F2 or T3F2 can be used to iframe their throw, Q
spam negates their Charge and Body swap is almost a safe bet against Des, unless
you Body swap into a red spin.
Your kd Shadow Slash is also another chance for you to counter their spinning, due
to the fact that Spins do not grant kd immunity. I personally dont like the current
one, because the range is very low and a 3 points investment is quite huge.

Mid-/Lategame
Their battle plan could be: High aggression, cornering us/pushing us against walls
after a grab. Persistence (Blue Buff) is also a solid choice against Sins. Ice Mine can
counter that plan pretty well, because it gives you time to breathe. I personally love
to play throwing mine here & play the 3Minute waiting game.
Try playing with their patience using full duration stealths near them (not too close
to get hit by Spins, not too far to still be able to initiate)

Always use Flower over Trinket, simply because its a lower cooldown.
If he forces you into a situation where your Flower & Tab is on cd - make sure to Q
his charges. Their throw has a rather slow and predictable animation to be
countered by either SS or smokebombing it.
Be careful on punish commitment - if your escapes are on cd they might just pop
Persistence and blow you out of the water.
Its very rare that well use our Trinket on Grab - while they have us in a good
position for them & will most likely put is with the back against the wall , wait for
drop combo and get one big stun cd with your trinket or maybe even red/blue buff,
counter all piledriver attempts from grab (animation has a big windup and it's easy
to time against, don't confuse it with his grab spin windup)
After all I can say - it comes down to the player (Destroyer). If he plays damage
greedy, with the regular (red) Fury you have a rather easy matchup, can easily spec
into c stun and wreck them after they blew their tab. Persistence Destroyers are a
lot harder to fight if youre trying any kind of combo game, on the other hand - Blue
Buff Des are extremely trigger happy when it comes to Trinket/Persistence - Ive
had extremely good experience instantly qing every stun I applied.
Keep the following 2 timers in mind: Regular Des Trinket (like every class) 36
seconds cooldown, Persistence / Blue Buff 60 seconds cooldown.

Summoner
Level 50 HM5

Opener
The aggressive approach from the summoner here is to use their F (DoomnBloom)
on you, which leaves a dot on you, un-stealthing you if you managed to use Blink
Step.
Other than that you will see Sums sometimes use their bubble (X heal with iframes)
right in the beginning to negate incoming damage.
Watch out how you use your Throwing Dagger, that can be easily countered with
countered with their Petal Storm or Dandelion.
Considering we now have the Vanish Smokebomb, my approach is to set up
flower, instantly go in stealth and react to the summoner (Petal Storm, Block, maybe
Cat Bomb)
Its the safest way and makes sure we are not rushed down.
Throwing Dagger puts them into combat, making it easier for us to hit Throwing
Bomb, as it can just be outrun. Dont waste it by using Bomb first (Note: goes
through Petal Storm)

Neutral Game
You will rarely see a true Neutral Game vs Sums - itll be a lot of action and games
are rather fast paced. A good idea to regain stealth is to abuse the cat with Decoy, Q
& Body Swap. Good Summoners are aware of that and will control their cat a lot
better.
Since my approach is to delay / prolong the fight as much as possible, I try to (as
you always should) have a 100% uptime on my flower and then try to get out of
combat, to use Blink Step (preferably on the cat, because DoomnBloom [same story
as opener])

Mid-/Lategame

My goal and strategy might shine through my build: Stealth harassment with
Shadow Drain, Throwing Mine, poking with dots & cat and mouse - very similar to
the Destroyer matchup with Blue Buff. I love this way to fight summoners considering their low HP pools you can take them out in 2-3 stealth durations with
well played ani cancels. A general just kill the cat/summoner isnt realistic.
Depending on the player, it might be easier to focus the cat, for others its easier to
just focus the Summoner. Ive had overall good experience with split-pressure.
Adapt here on the playstyle of your opponent - some might play extremely
aggressive with SS into Ahling! - taking the cat out of a previous taunt, making it
very vulnerable to harassment. Others are paranoid that their cat might die, leaving
it in the distance, keeping it in taunt. That makes it very easy to burn down the main
target. I have to admit that most of my games end with time - winning with score.
Healing of the summoner is massive. There are cases...lets say 2 in 10 games where
the summoner or cat flops over rather fast into the game. Many summoners lose
spirit and motivation to carry on, once their cat died.
Make sure to not blindly attack into Dandelions with Heart Stab/Lightning Crash &
Pierce - know the cooldown (Its the exact same one as our Decoy - 8 seconds with a
1,5 seconds cast). My tip is to keep clicking RB, enabling Guard Break whenever
Dandelion is used. You will then often see Summoners trinket out of the Guard
break stun, allowing for smaller stunlocks, burning through their tiny HP pool.
Keep track of the cats placement when it goes in crouch/taunt mode and use
Infiltrate to refresh your stealth!
Try to play this game slower than other matchups - observation is key. Find out
how aggressive Ahling! is used, if your opponent pays attention to the cats HP, as
well position of the fight (There was a summoner who sat in a corner all game,
causing me to lose it because it was very easy for him to get me out of stealth).

Force Master
Level 50 HM5

Opener
Playing an aggressive start against FMs is figuratively impossible - they have a
higher range than you with their aerial & your Body swap is also not going to help
(unless you know your enemy has long loading times, in that case you obviously
abuse it to get a free stealth) Placing smokebomb & flower here is a solid choice.
You can try to use the Glide into SS. With the last patch, we received the 90s
Smokebomb that grants a 10s stealth. Have an eye on them using Divine Veil, that
works like Petal Storm - dont use Body Swap or Throwing Shuriken into it.

Neutral Game
If you couldnt manage to proc your Wood Block or Q to gain stealth, you are in a
rough spot. There is always the possibility of dropping down your smokebomb
(many skills FMs have are projectiles which you resist standing in the smoke. If that
happens, they will most of the time run towards you, using their 1 ability, that
knocks you back - time to Q or SS. Most of the time FM's will try to grab you
and throw you in a different direction, forcing you out of the smoke and knocking
you down. You can counter this by specing into your 8m Q (thats why its core) and
spamming Q as the forcemaster approaches you in attempt to grab you.
The grab has the same range as the 8M Q which means that you'll burn a CD for the
FM, iframe the ability and regain stealth. The problem is that the FM can wait out
your 8M Q and then grab you. (risky)
Watch out for shockwave as it'll get you out of stealth if you get hit by it, it costs no
chi and can be spammed.

Mid-/Lategame

First of all, an important note: This is, hands down, the hardest matchup in the game
right now. Dont feel demoralized losing against FMs - its extremely in their favor. I
havent completely figured them out yet and this is so far the only approach Ive
tried / had success with.
A big point to note about Force Masters is that they can have 2 36s trinkets.
Meaning that you'll have to force out trinkets twice within 36s to start up a combo.
Keep in mind that if the Forcemaster decided to spec into 2 trinkets he has no SS as
it is his SS that is the second trinket.

Their freezing debuff is our biggest weakness, not being able to use movement
abilities or stealth sucks. Iframing most attacks here and watching the blue debuff
is crucial. Using the speced Q - Left Step - is amazing!

Kung Fu Master
Level 50 HM5

Opener
The aerial Body Swap is a great choice against them. Blink Step is easy to counter for
a KFM and most of them will expect that as an opener. They have an ice flower that
freezes them on hit, making them immune so be careful how and when youre using
your Throwing Dagger, as you wont be able to use Shadow Step if you threw the
Shuriken into the ice flower.
More aggressive KFMs will try to get an instant penta slash off of you so make sure
you are in the air gliding (!!) so he can not target you.

Neutral Game

Using Wood Block within 3m of aKFM is one of the riskiest moves for a Sin, it can
(and most likely will, because the majority of players will just hold down the key) get
you stunned because it procs Triple Kick and eventually force your Tab. I advise you
to only use it if you know you have a decent ping and use Wood Block for a quick
Lightning Stride.
Keep in mind that their block has 1s duration, on a 1,3s cd, so you can time your
Body Swaps in those 0,3 seconds.
Using Moths to get an iframe from them is a solid strategy. One of the scariest
things in the neutral against a KFM is their Tab charge/jump. We can Q it but it needs
to be spammed repeatedly AND the camera has to b aligned almost perfectly. It
pierces defense so Decoy will not work.
Make sure your flower has 100% uptime.

Mid-/Lategame
Be aware - if you use your Shadow Step a KFM has a great way to counter it either
using Q or E or just blocking behind them and dazing you afterwards (being blocked
causes you to not go in stealth).
Using Swiftstep is also a very risky move and should (against experienced players)
be ani canceled with Q to iframe ccs.
Be careful approaching the KFM in stealth - this is the most intense part of the
whole matchup for both.
KFMs have a stomp on the ground that gets you out of stealth, an AOE stun with
360 (kick) that looks like a roundhouse kick (very similar to the trinket animation)
and a frontal cone-kick. These are the abilities that get you out of stealth, into a lot
of trouble.
It is vital to keep flower up the entire time; try to close the gap to the KFM with a
180 into SS while in stealth - this method safed me from many potential stealth
breakers. Q is also an extremely strong choice. Keep in mind: The outcome of this
matchup mostly depends for us on the stun initiation with Spinal Tap in stealth - and
the outcome of this matchup for the KFM is almost solely determined by how good
he can get us out of stealth.

Ive seen 2k+ KFMs time their SS so well that is immunes our Spinal Tap - it wont
happen too often but be prepared for it.
Keep poking him with your RB F and start chipping him down and just do some
aerial combos here and there with Webbing afterwards.
Overall its a straightforward fight - force the KFM into a trinket and combo him.

Assassin
Level 50 HM5

Opener
Body Swap Glide or Moths Glide is amazing, really depends on opponent. Blink Step
is extremely risky, can be countered with mine or 180 Poison Breath. Playing AFK ,
waiting for the enemy Sin to Blink Step -> into mine is fun. Vanish smokebomb
works just as well - this matchup has probably the biggest variety in openers.

Neutral Game
Scenario almost all the time: Both Sins will do the same - Decoy, either SS or Body
Swap, then either Body Swap or SS. Smokebomb is great to counter the Swap.
Sometimes simply charging them into Guard Breaks works wonders. Highly
depending on matchup. Decoy into Leaf Shift works as well - can be countered by
decoy or Q, or even bomb.

Mid-/Lategame

Sin Mirrors are fun and boring at the same time. You want to do what the enemy
wants to do, but faster, more efficient and un-countered, while you want to counter
everything they throw at you without blowing any CDs.
If Sin1 (in stealth) attacks into the counter of Sin2 (out of stealth, using decoy) with F
or the Heart Stab before the Guard Break procs, nothing happens with the used
Decoy.
If you managed to use Throwing Shuriken successfully and the enemy is in stealth
(planning on using Swiftstep) hold down or spam X. As soon as he is out of stealth
(because Swiftstep does get one out of stealth for a bit) you will counter his
animation, dazing him instantly before he gains stealth or stuns you.
Tip: Use decoy on the last animation frame if the enemy Sin speced Lotus Fury, and
if you spec it, cancel your last animation with Q. Its a free Stealth which can just
lose you the game.
Swiftstep is one of the easiest abilities to counter because it has a rather long
animation time - standard or ice mine are a great tool.

Blade Dancer
Level 50 HM5

Opener
Avoiding Pentaslash is your #1 priority! Flower Glide is awesome - they cant target
you with pentaslash when you glide. Abuse the iFrames on your SS & Flower if he
somehow catches you with pentaslash. Body Swap glide also works very well - just
be careful playing against more experienced players - they have the timing down to
SS your Body Swap, putting you in a horrible spot. If youd like to avoid the risk of
getting caught early, run the vanish Smokebomb, its a safe bet and gives you plenty
of time to think about your next step. Blink Step works, but can be easily countered
by their aoe-pull.

Neutral Game
The neutral against Blade Dancers is a nightmare. First of all, we have to make sure
to iframe every Throwing Blade. Make use of your Smokebomb and SS or even
flower (thats a very offensive move though) to avoid the throw - it regens a lot of
Chi - one of the reasons Blade Dancers lose games is due to chi starvation.
Body Swap. The kryptonite against Spinclasses; the BD got another iframe
(Maelstrom) that works in connection with their Spin, making it even harder for us
to get a clean Swap off.
Using decoy is pointless because pentaslash continues, even if the target is in
stealth.

Mid-/Lategame
Its rather simple - dont make your ground counters obvious, mix them up - BDs
have a very good ground game. Other than that its similar to KFM - bait trinket,

blow them up. Watch out tho - the matchup is a lot faster & can be very hectic at
times.
What it comes down to: Its a spin class - never attack into the first 0,5 seconds of
the spin, try to use Body Swap on cooldown but make sure its not getting iframed.
There are basically 3 ways to avoid pentaslash from happening. The easiest is to
spec into Lotus Fury and sort of -mind-read- anticipate their pentaslash to negate it.
The 2nd way is to place flower, gain a couple of meters range between and use the
flower when pentaslash is incoming - but that is just the first part. Because the
speced flower grants us 1 second of iframes after landing, we have enough time to
SS or wait a bit and then Q. On paper that should negate the pentaslash and stealth
us. It requires good timing, experience and just practice.
The third way is by far the hardest: CC the pentaslashing rat in the animation. There
are multiple ways of doing that. I have had Moths on my opponent and Lotus Kicked
him in the animation - allowing me to start my combo. Another CC can be the mine,
it is extremely hard and delicate to time but it works; and lets be honest: What
would you give to make this happen? Try, fail, try more and succeed.
When grappled, which is going to happen a lot, wait - dont use Thrash. The moment
you see a blade spawning behind the Blade Dancer, press 2 - this is one of the most
obvious, but also most dangerous abilities and is a MUST COUNTER ability, or youll
take huge damage. Experienced Blade Dancers wont use this ability (shouldnt be
seen under 1900). They are waiting for your Thrash and will then use the blade,
because you are under the effect of gcd.

Warlock
Level 50 HM5

Opener
To be honest, I still have to figure out how this matchup works - will be added asap!
I had more success running conventional summoner build, Fighting Spirit melts the
damn pet.

Neutral Game

Mid-/Lategame

Additional Tips
Bugs / Glitches / weird interactions
There are 2 major interactions that seem to not work as intended.
#1 - Infiltrate is sometimes unusable if enemy got Body swapped out of the air.
That has, at least thats what the community thinks, to do with the fact that the game thinks
the enemy is at a different position than you see him.
How to fix: SS or strafe to gain range, then use 1 - Example
#2 - Infiltrate doesnt grant you stealth after Body swapping.
How to fix: Wait a bit before using 1, dont instantly use it.

Balance
Bomanis gonna bomani, man. Read this great post from a while ago, from Nigma.
The Dunning-Kruger effect is also a very nice read, Julianne Harty brought this to my
attention.
Input Lag
There is a small detail many people dont know - the Unreal 3 Engine (which is the engine
Blade & Soul runs on) has a slightly longer delay when commands (via hardware) are put in
with mouse, comparatively to keyboard. This is why you will hear the keybind R from time
to time in the community. That is mostly used by KFMs in their infamous 3RF or in this
case 3LBF combo...which just doesnt sound as cool. I am also currently practicing my ani
cancel to be R/RB (can be seen on my keyboard overlay on my Twitch Stream or YouTube
Videos). Here is also a great reddit post to avoid getting mouse-delay:
https://redd.it/41wv2n <- This is not bannable! (confirmed by babbletr0n)
Fps Drops
Blade & Soul experiences Memory Leak in the Arena Lobby, this is why you will see pros like
Jaesung resetting by leaving & re-entering the arena lobby (out of F9, rejoining via F9, not
the entire game). Read more about this phenomenon on Wikipedia.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_leak
Staying too long inside the arena leads to memory leak>fps drops,going out and in of it
fixes it. owarishadow - reddit

Holding Buttons down

You can also hold down, lets say your F for Tech, instead of spamming it. As far as I know
its better to spam them because the game registers it faster, this is just a theory without
any evidence backing this up.

tl;dr

SINS OP, PERMA STEALTH

Credits
NCWest - www.bladeandsoul.com
suk12355 (Diamond Sin in KR)
enoL_ (EU Platinum BM in CBT)
VoidkIng (EU Platinum Sin in CBT, Diamond on Live, preseason)
Arrow (now Virus) (NA Platinum Sin in CBT, Diamond on Live, preseason)
Yohmah (Diamond on Live, preseason)
Himelia / Ryuki
endah (NA Platinum Destroyer in CBT) & his Destroyer guide
Dakaringer (for bnsTree.com)
Cozou
FireZky
QuietSteps
Nyameria
Karazu
Secorak
Limejam
Thormond
Zarzi
Zhokye
Jondesu
ZilPui
iNqx
LovingXGamer
Dema1503
maxdcd1

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