AM Rifle

How it plays

• Archmage Water Elementals are free units that trade well early — micro them aggressively
• Brilliance Aura gives permanent mana regen to all nearby units — enables Blizzard spam
• Riflemen have the longest range of any T1 ground unit — kite melee effectively
• Mountain King second for Storm Bolt stun and Bash — shuts down enemy hero plays
• Priests with Inner Fire buff Riflemen damage, Heal sustains the army between fights
• Spell Breakers at T2 — Control Magic steals summons, Spell Immunity blocks nukes
• Wins against: most standard openers, NE Archer builds, Orc Grunt builds
• Loses to: mass Mountain Giants with Taunt, UD Destroyer transitions

Tier progression

Hero skill order

Archmage

• Blizzard — level 3
• Summon Water Elemental — level 3
• Brilliance Aura — level 1

Mountain King

• Storm Bolt — level 3
• Thunder Clap — level 1
• Bash — level 1

Paladin

• Holy Light — level 2
• Devotion Aura — level 1

Core upgrades

• Priest Training
• Defend
• human backpack

If you are new to this build

• Peasants build on-site. Pull a peasant (or 2-3) off mining onto a building to finish it faster -- especially the Town Hall when rushing T2 -- then send them back to the mine.
• Summon Water Elementals with the Archmage at every fight and every creep camp. They're free, expendable units -- re-summon when they expire.
• Riflemen out-range everything on the ground at T1. Stand still, let them shoot, pull back wounded ones. Footmen tank; Rifles shoot -- don't a-move Rifles into melee.
• Get a Blacksmith early for attack/defense upgrades, and Priests (Inner Fire + Heal) once you're at T2. Don't worry about Knights or T3 for a long time -- Rifle + Priest wins most games on its own.

Common mistakes

Letting the Archmage's mana sit unused.

Brilliance Aura refills it constantly. Summon a Water Elemental, then Blizzard their army or workers -- unspent mana is damage you didn't do.

Riflemen melting in melee because you a-moved.

Position them, shoot from max range, and micro the front-line ones backward. Let your Footmen and Water Elementals soak the hits.

Getting all-in'd early with no Militia call.

Call to Arms turns your peasants into Militia for 45 seconds. Use it to survive an early rush, then send them back to mining.

Skipping Blacksmith upgrades.

+1 attack on a Rifle line is enormous. Get Iron Forged Swords / Iron Plating level 1 going as soon as the Blacksmith is up.

Before you try it

• Comfortable summoning and re-summoning Water Elementals during fights.
• Know how to Call to Arms (Militia) to defend an early push and how to send peasants back to work.

Pro replays running this build

3 tournament games. Each opens in the 3D simulator on this player's side.