Every ladder game on the Internet Gaming Zone follows the same rhythm: train your first Hero, march to a neutral Creep camp, and start earning experience, gold, and items. But which Hero you choose, and how you fight the other three races, is where matches on Lost Temple, Turtle Rock, Echo Isles, and Twisted Meadows are won and lost. Learn the four matchups before you queue.

Footmen and Riflemen backed by Sorceress Slow and Priest healing form a flexible line. The Mountain King snipes enemy Heroes with Storm Bolt, while an Archmage creeps freely behind a summoned Water Elemental. Human towers make expansions tough to crack, so pressure the Alliance before they turtle and mass Knights.

Grunts are the sturdiest early melee in the game, and Raider Ensnare grounds fliers and pins escaping Heroes. A Blademaster using Wind Walk harasses workers and expansions relentlessly. Bring Shaman Purge to slow a key enemy unit to a crawl and to instantly kill summoned units such as Water Elementals and Skeletons.

Ghouls both harvest lumber and fight, so the Scourge swarms fast. Crypt Fiends fire piercing shots, and their Web pulls fliers down to be finished off. A Death Knight heals your undead with Death Coil while a Lich nukes clustered foes with Frost Nova. Undead reward patient, grinding battles over open blight.

Archers under the Priestess of the Moon and her Trueshot Aura melt light armor, and Huntress Moon Glaives bounce through packed ranks. Dryads are immune to magic, shrugging off Slow, Frost Nova, and Cripple. Wisps expand without stalling lumber, so punish a greedy Elf before Mountain Giants and Bears arrive.

• Piercing attacks (Archers, Riflemen, Crypt Fiends) shred Unarmored casters and Light armor, but do reduced damage to Heroes and barely dent Fortified buildings.
• Never feed a Hero. A rival Hero at level 5 loaded with items can decide the whole game by itself.
• Creep for experience, gold, and items, but never wander into a fight your army cannot win.
• Mind your Upkeep: crossing 50 food cuts your gold income, and crossing 80 cuts it hard. Lumber is never taxed.

Master these four matchups and the road to The Frozen Throne ladder is yours. We will see you on the ladder and on LAN. Good luck, and have fun on the Zone!