Skølldir/Builds/Gnome Loses Home in Tragic Earthquake

This build turns Skolldir from a close-ranged brawler into a medium-ranged turret poker/harasser by focusing on Skolldir's ranged attacks; centering on Homeless Gnome for damaging turrets/or surprising 'nauts who are chasing you, and Earthquake for warding off potential attackers and mowing down bots. If you stayed away from Skolldir because you're not into straight up melee characters or just want to try a new build, this one might be for you.
Note : I am by no means an expert player and this may well not be a "competitive" build. It's more for the funzies than for the serious business, even though we all know Awesomenauts IS nothing but serious business, right?
==Recommended Loadout==
For Mighty Throw I take Homeless Gnome (throw an exploding gnome behind you for 25/50 damage), Crankin' Dumbbells (Cooldown reduction), and Cortexiphan Shake (adds slow) although I don't upgrade much besides the first two, just for lack of solar, not that the Shake is bad.
For Earthquake I take Stolen Couch (mad props to Simbl for pointing out that Earthquake has a sort of waterfall effect down platforms; this was key to my strategy) for extra range and either of the +5 to damage powerups and Electric Hammer (for the snare, helps when you're being chased or you just want to lock them down and huck a gnome at them) or Enhanced Muscle Fibers (25% chance to reset earthquake; good for some extra bonus damage or keepaway)
If the game is drawn out enough I'll use Flaming Fists (extra range on 3rd punch for bonus keepaway), Rubber Ducky Choker (Stun on 3rd hit), and Salted Meat/Mead for extra damage. I'd probably have to max out everything for Earthquake and Mighty Throw and extra health/movement etc. before I start spending on Bash, though if you find yourself more often than not being able to pound on turrets/the core with your fists, or are just more confident with them than I am, feel free to upgrade these sooner.
And for general powerups I take Power Pills Turbo (+30 Health), Space Air Max (Move Speed), and Piggy Bank/Solar Tree as desired, though there'd be nothing wrong with Med-i-can (might be better than PPT).
==Purchase Order==
Your purchase order is not set in stone, as you might find certain upgrades will complement your teammates and/or opponents better, but as this build revolves around keeping your opponents at bay with Homeless Gnome and Earthquake, I would recommend Piggy Bank, Mighty Throw, and Homeless Gnome to start. After that, get Earthquake and add Stolen Couch as soon as possible to extend its range. Grabbing the Boots for extra movement speed at this point or earlier is recommended.
Remember : You're trying to keep them at range, which is something you probably don't think about much when playing as Skolldir.
After that, upgrade Homeless Gnome for extra damage, buy some cooldown reduction via Crankin' Dumbbells for Throw, and/or stack some damage or snare onto your Earthquake. I don't start putting upgrades into Bash until I hit the Level 30 range, and that just isn't something that should be happening that commonly in Awesomenauts unless both teams are EXTREMELY evenly matched.
==Versus==
This build changes a lot about how you play and the characters that Skolldir matched up well against and those he fared poorly against will be shuffled around quite a lot.
vs Clunk : Normally Clunk will be a huge problem for Skolldir, but since this build is all about keepaway and Skolldir is faster than Clunk, you can actually annoy the heck out of him now since if he chases you he gets gnomed and/or earthquaked. You won't necessarily dominate him but you won't have to worry about him too much either unless he dive bombs you from nowhere (a favorite Clunk tactic and something to be feared by any 'naut).
vs Leon : Skolldir usually eats Leon alive from my experience but this particular build makes Leon more dangerous to you. Keep an eye out and toss him aside if he tries to gank you and run like the dickens, using Earthquake to cover your tracks. In a straight up fight Leon will probably win when you're using this build.
vs Lonestar : Depending on Lonestar's build you might have a huge advantage but I don't think you'll ever have a major disadvantage either. It's going to be a lot of the two of you vying for high ground and other superior positioning. Use your Earthquake's "waterfall" effect on higher platforms to get the edge.
vs Coco : If it's melee Coco, run and pray. She's faster than you but that doesn't mean all hope is lost. You can toss her or snare her with earthquake, but it'll be a rough encounter. If it's harasser Coco, you're still at a disadvantage unless you can manage to get in her face. She's got the range but if you can catch her you can beat her silly even with the standard melee, as your snare and throw will make it tough for her to run away.
vs Derpl : Skolldir is a tiny, tiny bit faster than Derpl. You're just about dead evenwith Cat Derpl, who is also a great medium-range attacker. It's all about getting the higher ground with this fight, much like with Lonestar. Siege Derpl isn't a huge issue as you don't need to get in his face to deal with him as you would normally with Skolldir. Once again, try to get the high ground or just toss a gnome his way and watch the fireworks.
vs Gnaw : The edge should be yours regardless of Gnaw's build. If he's focusing on weedlings, you can blow them away with Gnome and Earthquake. If he gets in your face, punch him or throw him. If he starts spitting everywhere, do your best to avoid it. Gnaw's by no means a pushover for you, but in a perfect world you'll beat him most of the time if you stay on your toes.
vs Voltar : You can annihilate his drones and healbot with ease without risking yourself too much. If Voltar's alone and ready for you, he'll probably just run or hide behind the turret, and there's not much you can do about that. But you have enough burst damage that he shouldn't be able to harass you by healing bots, and of course if you catch him off guard and can get in his face, it's in the bag for you.
vs Yuri : Since this build needs high ground to work its best, Yuri will be difficult to deal with. On one hand his mines won't be too much of an issue to deal with since you're not trying to get in his face, but if he's flying up high or hiding behind teammates, it's a stalemate. If he gets close you will probably win but if Yuri is letting Skolldir (or anyone else for that matter) get close to him, he's probably asleep.
vs Froggy G : Froggy is faster than you and doesn't have as much to fear from you close-range anymore. Hold him at bay as best you can but if he gets close, he'll eat your face. If there's a Froggy running around on the enemy team, be especially cautious.
vs Skolldir : If an enemy Skolldir is focused on melee and gets in your face, he'll pound you but good unless you can toss him and run. But if you have the drop on Skolldir there's not a lot he can do to get close to you without eating explosions and earthquakes first, giving you an edge if he does see fit to close the distance with you. If he's using this build or something similar, then it's another case of "better positioning and circumstance wins."
Category:Guides