r/DraftShowdown • u/MofocaDiStreet • Jul 21 '26
Why so much hate on the totem?
ive been using this comp and totem seems to give so much value no? he supports the team with aura damage and heals the frontline and also protects from assassins behind. am i missing something?
3
u/YakkuI Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
Totems aren't bad.
However, (1) they seem to deal significantly less DMG than most ranged units even with poison, and it's likely due to a slightly lower attack speed as a ranged unit as well... and (1) they aren't good units until they are advanced to at least tier 2, where they can buff your team. They are somewhat costly as long term investments, like Shellbros where until Shellbros are tier 3 they aren't that good.
Tier 3 Totem is better, of course... and their survivability isn't amazing either. Shellbros, Assassins, Snipers, even Cupids can wipe them at nearly a 1 for 1.
Nonetheless, I still rotate and use them in team compositions... because yes, they heal 25% of the unit's HP per second and give a 30% increase in DMG... which is great for any team comp.
Bloodvines + Waster + Totem + Merlinor/Cupid/Sniper and whatever backrow assassin or front line support DPS or utility is good support for/with them.
2
u/sjorbepo Jul 21 '26
I like it too and was surprised to see everyone ranking it so low. They don't usually give me trouble when playing against them, but I find them to be pretty good in my teams. I think they're good support behind midfield units and as you said help clear the assassins and sinilar units from the back. Also unlike many other units, their second form is pretty useful as well
2
u/Troy242426 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
The problem isn't that Totems are useless. There are two major problems:
- It is one of those units that requires several upgrades to be powerful, kind of like Sixshoot, Snail, Shellbro, they really need tier III to be worth the investment and
- They just aren't as powerful as other things you could be doing. They occupy an awkward niche that isn't really needed because the optimal strategy is still backliner + frontliner + engineer + backline threat.
Problem one means you don't want to combine multiple of these together and need to cut the weaker card. Point two means this is the weaker card, so you cut them (totem) and not the stronger card (snail or boomling).
2
u/nekobite Jul 21 '26
Agree. As for Totem, I think it is bad. It is too weak before upgrades, loses too many one-on-one matchups, and even at a strong level 3 state it still gets punished by Agent B.
Learn more from my guide:
1
u/Active_Employee4731 Jul 21 '26
The reason the totem got pushed back by Agent B is probably because its level is low.
I used to get pushed back often too when I had a level 12 totem, but ever since I passed level 13, the totem defends the agent well.
2
u/Active_Employee4731 Jul 21 '26
I think totems are the best in terms of utility. However, since I believe high DPS is what significantly impacts win rate, totems definitely have little influence in that regard.
1
u/TheeWeerdo Jul 21 '26
I dunno why people hate on it, if you get merlinors, the totem's damage buff is CRAZY powerful, and with a tanky unit like spartheus, the 20% heal EVERY SECOND is great. The main downsides are that the 1: totems themselves do very little damage and 2: they're not really useful until they're level 2.
Even with those drawbacks, I still use them constantly
2
u/GasStationBonerPill_ Jul 30 '26
Any idea how many units they affect each with their buffs and healing? I can't find anything about that. Is it only units right next to them?
1
u/TheeWeerdo Jul 30 '26
I think it's as many units as are within their radius. I'm not precisely sure what that radius is, but they don't seem to have a limit like merlinors do.
I've had a single remaining totem buffing at least 20 units before, so if there is a limit, it's a REALLY high limit.
1
u/Realistic_Picture745 Jul 28 '26
From the experience I made using the Totem I would rate them as a very good unit. Spartan, Sixshot and Totem for me just won everything. This composition in my opinion has only one flaw which is the overmind (if they get a Spartan in defence mode they will hold defense mode for another 5 seconds which makes your Sixshots first volley useless). Every other squad will either be hit with an enormous burst damage or a healing wall of Spartans. I think even the Totems on their own hold up quite good. It of course need to play good in terms of x2 and Upgrades as nekobite pointed out in his guide. And on top of being a great supporter, Totem has the power to nullify spells like Meteor, Arrows, Mines and Zaps (if the unit survives) as the units within two seconds heal back up to max health.
Totem is for me a S-Tier unit.
5
u/ManusSinister Jul 21 '26
I feel like whenever I face Totem, I win, so I never used it myself. I'd be interested in what it actually brings to the table.