Mal'Damba Appreciation Thread: What do you think about the character, good and bad?

I think, like many characters in the game, his kit is a little incoherent. The styles of his heals and abilities don't really fit together.

Spitting Cobra is a hilarious little idea, though I'm not sure the short-ranged basics really fit someone so squishy. He's the closest thing to an outright pocket-healer we have so far, so I suppose he wasn't meant to really be using basics much, but it still seems a little odd to me. I have made it more helpful by buying cauterize, though, using my basics to help allies more easily clean up the kills.

Mending Spirits was quite a surprise, given the nature of the game. It's really punishing to miss. The heal is decent, but this weekend events has made comps and matches so chaotic, it's hard to tell whether the risk/reward is fair on that, or he should heal less, or heal more easily.

Gourd is a great move for the game. It's simple, effective, and fun. Its slow heals and damage make its point-clearing abilities fair, and it's small enough that it can be played around. However, I really don't know why it's on this rather single-target character. Honestly, someone like Pip could benefit from it more, so he can go off and be his offensive self and not have to worry as much about aiming heals properly.

Like many characters, his F is just a short little dash to cut through a fight. Meh. And it just makes him go forward rather than directing him in the direction he's moving, or better yet, to the nearest ally. As a support, you're typically back behind allies. When there's trouble and you need to leave, and there really isn't much time to react or reposition, it doesn't take you where you want to be. It's okay for Barik, because he can dance in circles all around the point. Mal'Damba's kit doesn't typically want to chase down.

Dread Serpent I really like, but I'm not sure if it matches with what they're going for with the character. It pairs extremely well with Gourd's point-clearing style, but clashes with Spitting Cobra and Mending Spirits' up-close skillshot one, as it drives enemies away. Surely it conflicts with his basics' range.

Most often, I find myself playing him as a pocket healer for Fernando, assisting his push. Playing rather close makes his heals easier to hit, his basics are in range, and he can benefit from gourd, however I can't help but think he just goes down way too easily for how immobile and up-close his playstyle is. The heals over time don't really do enough to take the heat of health drain when the enemy team is up on the point firing back.

I like that this is a character who naturally seems devoted to healing, has some tools to focus on that, and has a really consistent focus on the ticks over time, and as such seems uniquely good at toying with players' sense of hope, which seems to tie quite well into his spooky witch doctor visual design. It's good to see a pretty unique character, whose visual design is actually tied to the mechanical.

/r/Paladins Thread