Paquito

Paquito, the Heavenly Fist, brings a unique blend of aggression and resilience to the Land of Dawn. Understanding his core advantages and disadvantages is key to mastering his fighting style.

• Strengths:
  • Exceptional Burst Damage: Paquito boasts high physical damage output, especially when utilizing his enhanced skills through Champ Stance. This allows him to quickly dispatch squishy targets and turn the tide of skirmishes.
  • Great Survivability through Shields: His Heavy Left Punch provides significant shields, which can stack when enhanced. This sustain allows him to endure enemy attacks and prolong his presence in team fights, complementing his moderate durability.
  • High Mobility and Crowd Control: With dashes from Jab and crowd control effects like knockbacks and airborne from Knockout Strike, Paquito can easily engage, disengage, and disrupt enemy formations, making him a potent initiator and disabler.
• Weaknesses:
  • High Skill Floor and Ceiling: Paquito has a difficulty rating of 80, indicating that mastering his combos and efficient Champ Stance management requires considerable practice and precise execution. Mismanaging his skills can severely reduce his effectiveness.
  • Vulnerable to Crowd Control: While he has shields, Paquito can be easily locked down by extended crowd control effects. If he cannot cast his skills, his damage, mobility, and survivability plummet, leaving him exposed.
  • Reliance on Skill Combos: His primary damage and utility come from his skills and the Champ Stance mechanic. If he misses key abilities or fails to activate Champ Stance, his impact on the battle is significantly diminished.

Paquito's abilities revolve around his unique Champ Stance, allowing him to chain powerful enhanced skills for devastating effects.

• Champ Stance (Passive):

  After every 3 skill casts, Paquito enters Champ Stance, which enhances his next skill, ignores its current cooldown, and grants 60% extra Movement Speed that decays over 1.8s. His Basic Attacks deal Physical Damage with an 85% scaling (Total Physical Attack, Physical). This passive is the core of Paquito's gameplay, enabling his high burst potential and continuous pressure. You should constantly aim to manage your skill casts to activate Champ Stance for critical moments, whether for an enhanced shield, a powerful dash, or a game-changing crowd control.

• Heavy Left Punch (Skill 1):

  Paquito throws a punch, dealing 210 flat + 50% scaling (Total Physical Attack, Physical) Physical Damage. If it hits an enemy hero or Creep, he gains a shield of 150 flat + 135% scaling (Total Physical Attack, Physical) for 2.5s. When in Champ Stance, the damage increases to 350 flat + 100% scaling (Total Physical Attack, Physical), and the shield value increases to 140%. This skill is your primary source of sustain and poke. Use it to trade effectively in lane, gaining shields to mitigate incoming damage. The enhanced version provides a significantly stronger shield, making it invaluable for diving or surviving intense team fights. The high scaling on the shield means building physical attack items also boosts your survivability.

• Jab (Skill 2):

  Paquito dashes in a direction, dealing 200 flat + 165% scaling (Total Physical Attack, Physical) Physical Damage to enemies hit, stopping on the first enemy hero or Creep. In Champ Stance, the damage increases to 350 flat + 230% scaling (Total Physical Attack, Physical). Jab is Paquito's main mobility and engagement tool. Use it to close distances, chase fleeing enemies, or reposition. The enhanced version delivers a massive burst of damage due to its 230% Total Physical Attack scaling, making it a prime candidate for your enhanced skill when trying to secure a kill or deal significant damage in a combo.

• Knockout Strike (Ultimate):

  Paquito launches an elbow strike in the target direction, dealing 250 flat + 50% scaling (Total Physical Attack, Physical) Physical Damage and knocking enemies back. He then throws a haymaker, dealing 300 flat + 90% scaling (Total Physical Attack, Physical) Physical Damage and slowing enemies by 75% for 1s. In Champ Stance, the haymaker is replaced by an uppercut, dealing 400 flat + 120% scaling (Total Physical Attack, Physical) Physical Damage and knocking enemies airborne for 0.5s. This ultimate provides crucial crowd control and burst. The normal version is good for disengage or minor disruption. However, the enhanced version, with its airborne effect and higher damage (400 flat + 120% Total Physical Attack scaling), is generally preferred for initiating fights, locking down key targets, or setting up team combos.

Paquito's recommended build focuses on maximizing his physical damage output, enhancing his sustain through spell vamp and shields, and providing crucial defensive layers to allow him to survive extended engagements.

• Bloodlust Axe: This item is essential for Paquito due to its Spell Vamp. Since Paquito relies heavily on his skills for damage and healing (via shields), the Spell Vamp from Bloodlust Axe allows him to recover HP with every skill cast, significantly boosting his sustain in fights and during lane clear.
• Warrior Boots: These boots provide Paquito with movement speed for better rotation and positioning, along with physical defense. The unique passive, Valor, grants additional physical defense for 3s when taking physical damage, up to 20, making him more durable against enemy physical damage dealers in the early game.
• Blade of Despair: A core damage item for Paquito. It provides a massive boost to physical attack, which directly scales with all of Paquito's damaging skills and his shields. Its unique passive, Despair, further amplifies his damage against non-Minion enemies below 50% HP, making his enhanced skill combos incredibly lethal for securing kills.
• Queen's Wings: This item significantly increases Paquito's survivability. Its unique passive, Demonize, activates when his HP drops below 40%, granting 20% Damage Reduction and 35% extra Spell Vamp for 5s. This allows Paquito to turn the tide in close duels or survive burst damage, giving him a chance to retaliate with his skill combos.
• Brute Force Breastplate: This defensive item complements Paquito's aggressive, skill-spamming playstyle. Its unique passive, Brute Force, grants 6 extra Physical Attack and Magic Power and 2% extra Movement Speed for 4s each second after dealing damage, stacking up to 6 times. This provides both offensive and defensive benefits, making him stronger and faster as he engages in combat, and also offers 15% extra Control Duration Reduction at full stacks.
• Immortality: A crucial late-game defensive item that provides a second chance in team fights. Its unique passive, Immortal, revives Paquito 2.5s after death, gaining 16% Max HP and a 220-1200 shield (scales with level) that lasts 3s. This allows him to re-engage, escape, or absorb more damage for his team, making him a persistent threat.

Mastering Paquito requires aggressive play and precise skill execution. Here are some tips to dominate the battlefield:

• Aggressive Early Game: Paquito has high physical offense and good durability early on thanks to his shields. Don't be afraid to poke and trade with enemies in the laning phase. Use Heavy Left Punch to gain shields and mitigate damage while dealing your own.
• Champ Stance Management is Key: Always keep track of your Champ Stance stacks. Aim to have an enhanced skill ready for critical moments, such as initiating a gank, securing a kill, or escaping a dangerous situation. Three skill casts lead to one enhanced skill, so plan your rotations carefully.
• Prioritize Skill Combos: Paquito's damage and crowd control come from chaining his skills effectively. Practice quick sequences to maximize your burst. For example, use Jab to close the gap, then follow with an enhanced Knockout Strike for airborne, or an enhanced Heavy Left Punch for a massive shield and damage.
• Target Squishy Carries: With his high burst damage and mobility, Paquito excels at diving into the backline to eliminate enemy damage dealers. Use Jab and Knockout Strike to bypass frontliners and reach high-priority targets.
• Utilize Movement Speed: After casting an enhanced skill, Paquito gains a significant movement speed boost. Use this to quickly reposition, chase down fleeing enemies, or disengage from unfavorable fights.
• Sustain Through Shields and Spell Vamp: Leverage Heavy Left Punch's shield generation, especially its enhanced version, to stay healthy during skirmishes. Combined with items like Bloodlust Axe and Queen's Wings, Paquito can sustain through prolonged engagements.

Understanding Paquito's matchups can give you a significant edge in battle, allowing you to coordinate with allies or adapt your playstyle against specific threats.

• Best Mates:
  • Tigreal: Tigreal's powerful crowd control abilities, such as his ultimate, are excellent setups for Paquito's burst combos. When Tigreal pulls or stuns enemies, Paquito can easily follow up with his Jab and Knockout Strike to lock down and eliminate high-priority targets, creating devastating team fight engagements.
• Counters:
  • Karrie: Karrie's unique true damage output and high attack speed make her a formidable opponent for Paquito. Her ability to bypass Paquito's shields and physical defense means she can quickly melt through his health pool, making it difficult for Paquito to sustain in prolonged fights against her.
• Countered By:
  • Harith: Harith's high mobility and consistent shield generation from his skills make him very elusive and difficult for Paquito to pin down. Harith can easily kite Paquito's aggressive dives while dealing sustained damage, preventing Paquito from landing his full burst combo and wearing him down over time.

Paquito excels at quick, decisive engagements. Here's a common combo sequence to effectively burst down a squishy target in a team fight:

• First, ensure you have at least two skill casts already used or are about to activate Champ Stance with your next skill.
• Initiate with Jab (Skill 2) to quickly close the distance to your target. This will deal initial damage and count as your first skill cast.
• Immediately follow up with Heavy Left Punch (Skill 1) for more damage and to gain a shield. This is your second skill cast.
• Cast Knockout Strike (Ultimate). This will deal damage, knock the target back, and count as your third skill cast, activating Champ Stance.
• Now, with Champ Stance active, you have a choice. If the target is still within range and you need maximum burst, immediately cast the Enhanced Jab (Skill 2). This will deal immense damage thanks to its 230% Total Physical Attack scaling.
• Alternatively, if you need to lock down the target for your team or for follow-up, cast the Enhanced Knockout Strike (Ultimate) for its powerful airborne effect and higher damage (400 flat + 120% Total Physical Attack scaling). If you are low on health, an Enhanced Heavy Left Punch (Skill 1) can provide a massive shield to turn the tide.

This sequence allows Paquito to apply multiple layers of crowd control and burst damage in rapid succession, making him a formidable threat.

To truly master Paquito and dominate the Mobile Legends battlefield, keep these actionable strategies in mind:

1. Master Champ Stance: Continuously monitor your skill casts to ensure your next crucial ability is enhanced. This is fundamental for maximizing your burst damage, crowd control, and survivability in every engagement.
2. Build for Burst and Sustain: Prioritize physical attack items like Blade of Despair to amplify your skill damage, and integrate Bloodlust Axe and Queen's Wings for essential spell vamp and damage reduction, allowing you to thrive in prolonged fights.
3. Initiate with Purpose: Use Jab to close gaps and Knockout Strike to disrupt enemy formations, focusing on isolating and eliminating squishy damage dealers in the backline. Your mobility and crowd control are your greatest assets for engaging.
4. Leverage Your Shields: Actively use Heavy Left Punch to generate shields, especially its enhanced version, to mitigate incoming damage. This skill is vital for sustaining through enemy burst and extending your presence in team fights.