Ayla/Demolition

This guide is for an Ayla AA (auto attack) build, one that uses Chain Whack, in combination with Evil Eye, as its primary means of dealing damage. It's important to make note of who your opponents are when deciding which build to use. If the enemy team is composed of mostly passive/defensive 'Nauts (Gnaw, Voltar, Genji...), 'Nauts without a lot of knockback potential (avoid Coco, Lonestar, Skolldir, and Ted), and/or 'Nauts that don't specialize in assassination (Froggy, Leon, Vinnie, Penny), then a Rage build is a completely valid option. If the enemy team is able to take advantage of Rage's poor acceleration (and various other weaknesses), it's time to pull out AAyla.

AAyla, or as this guide is called, Demolition Ayla, is a more difficult, more tactical build than Wrecking Ball, but also much more versatile. Many people don't realize that, with maximum upgrades, Ayla's Chain Whack actually has a higher DPS (damage per second) than a max-power Rage does, AND better lifesteal, too, when you factor in Rage's self-damage. Its DPS and lifesteal are both significantly higher than Leon's sword, as well, albeit having shorter range. If you're a skilled player who knows when to back off and play defensively, and hopefully have a good team backing you up, AAyla can be a monster in 1v1 combat... and even better at tearing through turrets like butter.

Recommended Loadout
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Game Start
Piggy Bank, Rage, Evil Eye, Space Air Max
 * These four right out of the starting gate. As with most 'Nauts, it's important to get both abilities ASAP. Rage won't be in as heavy use in this build, but it's still critical for early game damage, farming droids, and making quick escapes. With a good drop in the beginning of the game, you should have jumpt enough Solar for all four of these upgrades. If you missed some on your way down and find yourself short, go and farm a quick Solar nickel or two and then come back. Space Air Max increases Ayla's movement speed and jump by a greater amount than any other character in the game, the jump being critical to being able to move around the map quickly. Even more important for AAyla.

Early Game
Toothbrush Shank, Power Pills Turbo, Hungry Zurian, Thief Tools
 * Here's where the judgement comes in. Evil Eye and Chain Whack are both important to upgrade. General consensus is that Evil Eye is more useful, as the kills you get at this point in the game will most likely be earned by tricking enemies rather than overpowering them head to head. The Toothbrush Shank-Power Pills Turbo back-and-forth sequence is a strong opener for AAyla. Consider maxing both of these before upgrading your AA.
 * Alternatively, you can sprinkle AA upgrades into this sequence. After my first Shank/Pills set, I often get Hungry Zurian, then a Thief Tools after the second and third sets, respectively. Consider whether you're in a position to play offensively or defensively when deciding these purchases. If your team is pushing the other team back, chain upgrades may not be a bad idea, as they can help your team's pushing power against turrets. If your team is defending, or if you're breaking about even, Evil Eye upgrades may be the higher priority, as they'll allow for assassinations.
 * Thief Tools is a better option than Explosive Neckband early game. While it does increase AAyla's DPS by a slightly smaller amount, it does so for a significantly smaller amount of Solar.

Mid Game
Explosive Neckband, Fake Family Pictures, Fresh Scrubs/Jail Food
 * Once again, it's time to consider your team's position. As before, if you're defending, upgrading Evil Eye might come first, but if you're pushing (or at this point breaking even), AA upgrades may be smarter. With both Explosive Neckband purchases, Chain Whack will be dealing some ludicrous damage, which is useful against both turrets and enemy Awesomenauts, making it my preferred next purchase.
 * Fake Family Pictures will allow you to reach those higher damage thresholds, faster. Excellent for EE assassinations, and your best option for an EE upgrade.
 * For the final Evil Eye upgrade, consider your role on the team. If you're the team's primary pusher, and spend a lot of time poking turrets from a distance with Evil Eye, Fresh Scrubs will allow you to poke more often. If your role is more of an assassin, getting the drop on enemy 'Nauts sent your way (or ambushing them yourself), Jail Food is a valid purchase option, as it will add another 300 damage to your Evil Eye (dealt over time). Both upgrades have uses for both purposes, but excel over the other in one of the two. Consider who your teammates are and how they're playing before deciding on either upgrade.

Late Game
Blue Three-wheeler, Rip-apart Bear, Angry Drawings jack’s dragon 1 is  here but 2 is now in future
 * With nothing else left to purchase, it's finally time to upgrade Rage. Why? Because we can. As any proud AAyla knows, Rage sees more use for mobility than it does for attacking in an AA build. So, make Blue Three-wheeler your first purchase to help you fly up and out of danger, faster.
 * Rip-apart Bear is my next suggested pair of purchases as it will allow you to fly up and out of danger, faster... safer.
 * Finally, Angry Drawings. When you've got those, you've got the offensive potential of both a Rage Ayla and an AAyla, allowing you to play pretty much however you like.

Game Start
Early game Rage Ayla is squishy, and early game AAyla is no different. She doesn't have a lot of HP, both of her primary attacks (Chain Whack and Rage) are fairly weak at this point. This is when Ayla must rely heavily on her team, and focus on hit-and-run tactics with Evil Eye and combinations of AA and Rage. Take advantage of Evil Eye's slowing ability to make your escapes, as well as Rage's flight. You'll have to be very skilled in knowing when to use Evil Eye to your best advantage in order to survive as early game AAyla. Practice your aim well and be ready to back off if things get too hairy. Deal some damage when you're sure you can get away with it, back off at the first sign of serious danger, and always watch your back for assassins. Fortunately, they haven't powered themselves up much yet either, but they're still Ayla's greatest threat. Above all else, though, farm. Kill every droid in sight. Hog the neutral creeps from enemies. If it moves, kill it. This, at least, remains constant between Rage Ayla and AAyla. Get as much Solar as you can to propel yourself into an advantageous position (helping your team along the way, of course) and get those upgrades as soon as you can.

Early Game
Be judicious; be cautious. With your EE upgrades, enemies will probably start to be wary of you. And rightly so, too. If you can land your Evil Eyes skillfully, and at the right time, even base Ayla can be a force to be reckoned with. Too bad for her she's practically made of glass. Continue the hit-and-run tactics, work with your team closely, and farm what you can. Hang in there until you can start upgrading that AA. Ayla's greatest struggles are in the early game. The sooner you can manage to get those upgrades and crawl out of the rut, the better.

Mid Game
When you DO get those upgrades, though, you'll be a force to be reckoned with, able to take out enemy 'Nauts and even droids as well as any Rage Ayla. Be wary of ambushes and surprise attacks, and again, when in doubt, keep your team about. Watch at all times for an ambush or any kind of burst. Even with fully upgraded HP, Ayla is fairly squishy. Of course, crowd control isn't as much a problem for AAyla as it is Rage Ayla. Small blessings, right?

Late Game
By the time AA is fully maxed, little Ayla will be dealing some killer damage against enemies and against turrets, with enough lifesteal to overpower most 'Nauts head-to-head. Of course, there's no substitute for caution. Just keep your wits about you and don't let the DPS go to your head—a full team can still wipe out Ayla easily. Once you get a foothold, start pushing, and whittle away at what's left of the enemy's defenses. Or don't whittle. Maul. You can do that, now. Adorable.

--XTApocalypse (talk) 16:20, 3 November 2014 (UTC)