Earth Torah
-=Introduction=-
This guide will go over the basic ideas and fundamentals and more complex techniques of earth bending. The way I view earth is different from how others view earth, so don’t follow this guide like the Bible. As described in the Avatar shows, earth is the element of substance and its users are persistent and strong. In the PK plugin, earth is defined by its defensive capabilities and raw damage output. However, note that there are many different ways to play earth, and I will be going over the vast sea of earth strategy. I will be covering the uses of all viable moves, how to properly position, and some rule of thumbs for decision making.
-=Moves=-
In this section, I will be covering the uses and how even to use every viable move earth has to offer. If you notice or discover any techniques that you feel I should add to the guide, dm me on discord! (my discord is .ryatic)
Earth Blast-
Earth Blast is the staple move of every great earth bender, and should be incorporated into every interaction that is within its range. While in close-mid range trades, earth blast acts as the “filler” in between your other moves’ cooldowns. It adds on to your overall dps, and will occasionally block enemy cooldowns such as earthshard. As a general rule of thumb, use it once in between each cooldown. An example of this would be using earth blast, earthline, earth blast, and earth shard when at midrange.
Useful Techs-
Foot Blast- Source and shoot an earth blast directly under your opponent’s feet, which will make it near impossible to redirect. This should be done while rushing to a close range position instead of regular cata-blast, or if you are already in close range with your opponent.
Earth Storm- Juggle multiple earth blasts around you in the air to create a clutter of them. This can be used to counter enemy earth blasts, barrage your opponent, or help deal with pesky air benders.
Catablast- I am begging, if there is only one combo you learn, it is this one. To use it, shoot an earth blast in any direction, and then use a shift catapult while looking in the same general direction. Then immediately switch to earth blast and start clicking, so that it doesn't disappear and you can adjust its movement. Catablast should be used while repositioning to close-ish/mid ranges; not only for extra damage, but to protect yourself from earth blasts that could stop your movement.
Earth Line-
Earth line is a curvable attack that can be used to hit moving targets, as long as they’re on the ground at least, and also does some decent knockback. It is best used at close-mid range where it’s likely to hit, and even better used in cases where your opponent is not expecting or ready for it. Due to its fast speeds and controllable movement, it is a better option in certain situations instead of earth blast or earth shard. For example, when your opponent is behind a wall, while repositioning somewhere out of your opponent’s FOV, or your enemy is charging up earth smash or shockwave from a midrange. It is also usually better to lead with earthline than earth shard while rushing. I would, however, avoid using it in situations where it most likely won’t land, however, because you may need it at a time while it’s on cooldown. For example, shooting it at a player who is 19+ blocks away from you while their mobility moves are available is most likely not going to work.
Earth Shard-
Earth shard is a great source of dps, and can be used at any range. It is especially good for mid-long range, but using it in close range engagements will give you a lot more dps. Earth shards often block incoming earth shards, so you can actually use it as a “parry” when your opponent decides to use it. An important thing to note is that earth shards do take a second to charge up, especially if you are new. This leaves you more open to rushes, so be ready for instances like that.
Earth Shot-
Similar to earth shard, but the maximum shard count is only 1 and the shot’s movement can be adjusted during its travel time. Also, if you hold shift while the earthshot is summoned, it'll eventually toggle a magma mode that does more damage. It is great for poking, and increasing dps for mid-long range combos. However, abuse its curve-ability and magma form at long range. Shot doesn’t have the same weakness as shard, where it takes a while to fully summon, but it does less base damage and can’t really block attacks. If you plan on using earth shot, you should adapt a more ranged playstyle.
Mudsurge-
Mudsurge has two primary uses: to shut down enemy aggression by creating space, and resetting your enemy’s regen timer. If you suspect your enemy is going to rush or take an offensive position, use mud surge to shut it down. Otherwise, use it just for an extra bit of chip damage. I would avoid using it, however, at close range due to its low damage and charge up time. Instead, catapult away from an aggressive opponent, and use mud surge right after to maintain long range.
Useful Techs-
Cata-Surge- If an enemy tries to rush you at a close-medium range, cata-surge can be used to counter. To use it, click catapult while looking downward and source and shoot mudsurge at them. Then use shockwave on the way down for extra damage.
Earth Kick-
Earth kick should be used in every close range encounter, for it is the fastest move you can pull off and greatly adds on to your overall dps. It can also be used to hit close by opponents who try to wall you off with raise earth.
Useful Techs-
Pillarkick- Use earth pillar directly under you and use earth kick while it is still moving upward. Pillarkick works great in response to an aggressive rush, or to counter an airborne opponent trying to land a shockwave on you.
Preemptive Earth Kick- In response to a close range rush, shoot an earth kick in the direction of where the enemy will end up after using a catapult. This will give you an early damage lead in the trade(damage exchange), but note that predicting where your opponent will end up is a very difficult skill that will take a long time to develop. It is also easy to miscalculate the range your opponent is going to end up on, so be mindful of that since sometimes they end up outside kick range.
Raise Earth-
Raise earth is one of an earth bender’s most versatile and useful moves, and a staple that almost every competitive earth bender uses. It has a vast sea of uses, but the most basic one is simply to protect you from enemy bombardment. The most common mistake I see newer earth benders make is popping up earth walls in situations when they don’t need to. These walls offers great protection, but it also limits your FOV, as shown by the image below:
This masks what your opponent is currently doing while the wall is up, which means you now have less information. In cases where you want to protect yourself from something like earth shard or mud surge, spawning a pillar instead can protect you without giving up FOV.
Useful Techs-
Locked Exit- By summoning a wall right behind your opponent, this will prevent them from backing up or catapulting backwards from your attacks. This technique is often very useful when taking aggressive positions, particularly from a mid-range.
Masked Charge- A versatile and extremely simple concept; all you have to do is summon a wall in front of you. This can be used to mask yourself if you wish to charge earth smash, or even charge shockwave if you suspect your opponent will try to rush you. This technique can also be used while coming down from catapult for a shockwave. If you use raise earth right in front of your opponent right as you are about to come down, you will defend yourself from incoming attacks allowing your shockwave to hit. Due to the nature of raise earth’s programming, moves like shockwave will pass through if it isn’t fully up.
Collapse-
Collapse is best used when your opponent tries to obtain leverage with raise earth. For example, when your enemy camps on an earth pillar, spawns an earth pillar to block certain attacks, or tries to raise earth from a far range to mask his actions; these are situations where it is best to use collapse. However, you shouldn’t try to collapse every structure; sometimes an enemy wall can be used to YOUR advantage. For example, if your enemy puts up a wall after a trade, you can abuse their lack of FOV(scroll down to the FOV Abuse section to find out how). Collapse is also very good for the late game, when your enemy is lower health than you and tries to spam raise earth to stall or run away. In general, when your enemy is trying to retreat, collapse is good to prevent that.
Earth Armor-
Earth armor is a defensive, reactionary tool used to win health trades. It is best used while in close combat to give you the health edge on your opponent. DO NOT pop it out without thinking first because it is commonly configured to have a high cd. It is best to use in response to a rush, or right before you rush. However, if you do use it in one of your rushes, do not pop it out before you catapult, or else your enemy will be prepared for it!
Earth Smash-
Earth smash is a versatile, investment move that everyone should be aware about. I expect you at least know how to use it, but if you are new, you probably don’t know how to counter enemy earth smashes. In order to do so, hold shift and left click as it is heading your way. Another way to counter is by holding shift and right clicking it, allowing you to ride the smash, but it's a lot harder to do. Earth smash is a great way to start off a duel, while you are at long range. It has the strongest presence out of any earth move and does a great deal of damage considering how big its hitbox is. Earth smash is also a great way to engage into close range via riding it, as well as stall and/or create space if you are at low health. Your enemy’s focus is always going to be finding a way to work around your earth smash, so use that to your advantage! The most common mistake is trying to summon it while you aren’t at a far enough range. Your enemy will often predict the earth will smash, grab it from you, and shoot it back, so it is very important to consider your range.
Useful Techs-
Smash Rush- Summon your earth smash and then catapult towards the opponent, look back quickly, grab the earth smash, then look forward at your opponent and shoot the earth smash. This will allow you to cover a great distance, if you are at a long range, and, either force an earth wall or reposition from your opponent, or do a solid amount of damage to start out the fight!
Smash Pull- Earth smash usually has a lot of knockback, you can use that to your advantage by shooting it slightly over people’s heads, primarily while airborne, to pull them towards you to then shockwave or use short range moves like earth kick on them
Smash Shock- While riding an earth smash, go up into the air then look down and release shift to let go of the earth smash, doing so will make you fall a lot faster and you can slam your shockwave to ensure your opponent doesn’t dodge it. This technique can be used for repositioning to an aggressive range, while being fairly protected by the giant hitbox of earth smash.
Shockwave-
Shockwave is a great way to create some pressure, whether used offensively or passively. For either or, I recommend cata-blasting upward right beforehand to prevent players from escaping with catapult, and for some extra damage. It can also be charged while hiding behind a wall; your opponent might suspect you are trying to use earth smash and try to rush you, only to be punished!
Catapult-
This move is the foundation of your ability to reposition, and in no circumstance should you try to create a move set that doesn’t use it. Catapult should be used for all kinds of repositioning; click catapult for close-close-ish ranged dodges, and shift catapult for everything else(go to Advanced Section to learn more about cata’s usage)
Useful Techs-
Catapult 2.0- Jumping right after releasing shift with catapult will make it feel a lot smoother, and it’ll take you farther. You should learn to catapult like this any time you want to use shift catapult
EZ Shockwave- Clicking with catapult while looking below the angle threshold(or directly down on most servers), will give you the smallest amount of height needed to set up for shockwave. This is primarily a passive technique meant to be used in response to a close ranged rush
Earth Surf
Earth surf is pretty similar to catapult when it comes to uses; primarily just used to reposition or dodge incoming attacks. Earth surf, notably, is the best move to use while repositioning around/away from a wall when your catapult is on cooldown, and it also makes you immune to earthline.
Useful Techs-
Mindset Pillar Juke- While pillaring up, you can use earth surf while the pillar is going through the spawn animation and you will quickly fall down. This can help dodge shockwave, and can also be combined with earthkick for damage and evasion. Overall, this technique is good for bringing you back to your source, preventing the vulnerability that being on a pillar brings you.
Metal Cable-
Metal cable allows you to both change position and shoot out blocks. It is good for two things; and feinting is one of them. If you suspect someone is about to rush you while your catapult is on cooldown, you can cable away to dodge the attack. You can also use cable to bait attacks due to its easy use midair. And on top of that, cable is a super easy way to get damage off your enemy, being that it has the farthest source range and can be used midair. However, I only recommend you use its projectile mode when at a far range, or are positioning away with a catapult. All in all, cable can be used in a lot of the same ways as earth surf with its mobility, and earth blast with its projectile ability. The most important thing to note, however, is that cable is primarily a passive move, and it is best used as an extension of one’s mobility.
Useful Techs-
Cable Feint- Use a shift catapult forward or diagonal, and then cable yourself back to the ground in a different direction. This will allow for you to dodge moves as well as immediately coming back to your source. I like to use it to feint enemy cooldowns while at close-ish/midrange, or in response to rushes
Cable Juke- Shift in any direction with catapult, hold shift with metal cable, click, and then release shift and click again. This will allow you to shoot a projectile, while being able to perform a smaller scale version of the cable feint. It can be used in a lot of the same scenarios as cable feint, however
Lava Disc-
Lava disc is a curving projectile attack that can go through walls and easily change direction. It can be used in a very similar manner to kick, being that it is great for hitting players who try to wall you off with raise earth, either around or directly through the wall. It is also a good move to incorporate into your close-mid range combos, for some extra easy dps.
Sandblast-
A blinding move that is very similar to mud surge in appearance. It is a great move for both shutting down enemy aggressions, and giving yourself opportunities to attack. If your opponent is trying to reposition to an aggressive ranged position, or if you want to create an opening to rush someone, sandblast will definitely help. It is more of a situational move, that you should reserve for special situations, as you would with collapse.
-=Combos=-
Toss/EarthPillars-
I decided to combine these two into one section because their uses are borderline the same. The point of both combos is to move your opponents into a different direction to put you at an advantage, with pillars moving the enemy up, and toss moving the enemy left, right, forward, or backward. The main difference is between the synergies of each combo; for example, toss can be used while rushing to bring an enemy closer to you, setting you up for moves like earth kick or earth shard. It is also very good for bringing players from behind a wall into your FOV. Earth pillars, however, are better for setting up things like earth blast and mud surge. Earth pillars, in general, give you a pretty big advantage by separating the opponent from their source! It’s use is in close range encounters, while you are rushing out of your opponent’s FOV, but it’ll only be truly effective if your speed is good.
Earth Dome
An offensive/passive tool used either to defend yourself, or interrupt your enemy. It is best used in reaction to a rush, in one of your rushes, or to stall out your enemy at mid range. Dome is also good to hide your activity as well as forcing a movement cd out of your opponent.
-=Meta Moveset=-
The meta move-set that allows for earth benders is widely considered the strongest due to its versatility and strong dps potential, and it is as follows:
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Earth Blast
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Catapult
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Raise Earth
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Earth Shard
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Earth Surf
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Earth Kick
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Shockwave
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Earth Smash
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Earth Line
Numbers 3 through 9 can all, in theory, be replaced by other moves while still being effective. However, this only applies if you stick to swapping a mere couple, otherwise your kit will most likely be all over the place. Do not even dare swapping out numbers 1 through 2, for they are essential. Other viable moves are earth shot, metal cable, mudsurge, collapse, bulwark, lavadisc, and earth armor, which can also show great results! Overall, your move set should work around your strengths and weaknesses, so don’t be afraid to go off-meta if you feel you can get better results with alternative moves than what the meta offers.
-=Advanced Section=-
This is the section of the guide where I will be going over general advice to help your decision making in the future. If you are a newer player, this may not be of use to you yet. You need to learn the basics of your element first and gain some more experience before reading this section. This section will go over positioning, the importance of analyzing individual player’s strengths, FOV, and predictability.
-=Positioning=-
One of, if not the most important concepts to master as an earth bender is positioning. Range management, where you move to, and when you reposition are all extremely important factors that are vital to anyone trying to become a pro.
Offensive Repositioning/Rushing
Rushing refers to the use of horizontal catapult to quickly get in close-mid range to your opponent, and it often involves draining a bunch of your cooldowns into them right after. We rush in order to gain health leads and apply pressure; most of the time you only have an opportunity to rush with a couple of moves, but complete and uninterrupted combo will go like this:
Catapult -> earth blast -> earth kick -> earth surf to side -> earth blast -> earth shard -> earth blast -> earthline
The reason most rushes don’t end up as lengthy is because an uninterrupted rush like this is very risky. Rushing into a close range is like placing a high bid in poker; high risk with high potential for reward, in the form of a health lead. Most likely, you will only get the chance to use earth blast and another move before your opponent starts retaliating. Now, compare this to offensive repositioning, which typically involves using catapult around your enemy at a mid-range, and pressuring them with mid-range attacks. It is definitely harder to get punished, but it is also easier for your enemy to respond to, and you also won’t get as much damage off of your enemy. Some playstyles will primarily revolve around this kind of positioning, which works out for players who are good at aiming, but being able to properly do both will greatly enhance your skill.
Defensive/Passive Repositioning
When facing strong close-mid range aggression, assuming you haven’t landed a pre-emptive earth kick or earth blast, there are two things you can do to counter; The first counter is simply to catapult to a different position. This can either be to a medium-long range away from where the opponent is going to land (the safer option), or you can catapult in the same direction they went, slightly to the opposite side of where you were currently standing, and then perform your own close combo(example below)
This will grant you the same risk/reward ratio of that when rushing, if not a greater one since your enemy most likely isn’t expecting it. However, what if you have a slower reaction time, or your catapult is on cooldown? Well, the second potential counter is to raise earth to give you time to reposition around/away from your wall. Now, where you actually reposition is a matter of both your remaining hearts, and your individual skill-set.
Vertical Play
When I refer to playing “vertically”, I mean utilizing catapults midair and taking advantage of standing on an earth pillar. At first glance, playing up in the air appears to be inefficient since it separates you from using most moves, and it is definitely situational. The main concept of playing vertically, other than to set up for moves like shockwave, is to get safe and easy damage off. When you catapult over someone, assuming they don’t have an attack prepared, they have to look at the ground, and then back up at you just to attack. You, on the other hand, can source earth blasts underneath your opponent’s feet and almost 100% certain it will hit. The same principle applies to when on top of an earth piller;
As shown by the image above, your earth blasts(X) take less time to reach your opponent than vise versa(Y): Your height also makes it slightly more difficult for your enemy to source, since they have to look up and then down just to throw an attack at you. This also makes canceling enemy earth blasts easier. Typically, good players will utilize this in response to a rush or reposition. However, it isn’t all that effective against players who can spam shift faster than you.
-=Movesets and Individual Skill Sets=-
When fighting someone, it is important to consider your opponent’s skill in comparison to your own. Sometimes, their moveset will reveal this to you early on, especially if they are playing off-meta. For example, someone binding earth grab tells us that we should be more careful when fighting them at close range. The meta kit, however, allows for the most versatility in playstyle, so this can be a bit tricky. That is when we get more into the individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Two players, even with the same kit, can be more effective than the other at different things. The idea is to analyze these skill differences, and abuse them. Let’s say there are two earth benders fighting it out; one of them is better at aiming, and the other is better with combos. If we are the player who is better at aiming, we will want to maintain mid-long range while being weary of rushes. If we are the other player, we will want to do the opposite and rush in close and move around the player’s FOV!
Close Range Vs. Medium Range Vs. High Range
Earth can technically play at any range it wants, given its versatile move options. In general, the matter of how close you play towards your enemies is based on what you feel comfortable doing and what you are best at. Note that most players will play all three of these ranges to some degree, and the range you choose to play at being the primary gauge of your risk/reward ratio at any given moment, and there are no concrete fighting styles you can really classify earth benders in. Playing closer range means there is usually more potential for DPS, and playing further range means less likelihood of taking a lot of damage.
Close Range Warriors
Players who play at close range are typically better at timing; being wary of their opponent’s earth blast cooldown to avoid being stunned mid-travel during rushing, and taking advantage of their opponent’s short moments of vulnerability. Such as when they try charging a move (earth smash or even shards and mud surge if done at medium-range), when their FOV is obstructed by something like raise earth, or during when they are in mid-travel with a mobility move such as catapult or earth surf. Close range players also tend to be offensive play style wise and fast with their move inputs, stacking up DPS while performing at mach 10 speeds. When fighting against long ranged opponents, utilizing earth smash is really going to come in handy while traveling those long distances.
Medium Range Normies
Most players, especially newer ones, will play around a medium range, because it has the safest ratio of damage causation/prevention. It’s enough range that prevents them from getting repeatedly comboed up close, but it isn’t too much range that most of their attacks won’t land. Playing at a medium range against a close/long range player means you will often be forced into playing on your opponents terms. For example, you will be on the defensive mostly against a close range junkie, and on the offensive mostly while fighting a sniper. This means if you are going to primarily play at this range, you will have to adapt a neutral style. These kinds of players are characterized by their adaptability and balanced skill set. They tend to be “good at everything, but not a master of anything”, but this isn’t always the case.
Long Range Snipers
People who play at long range are at least one of two things: really good at aiming, or a bitch. Players who camp long range tend to have neutral/defensive playstyles, capitalizing on their superior aim and playing reactionary to their opponent’s advances. On the occasion they end up getting rushed, raise earth is their saving grace, so it’s crucial to these types of players that they use the move wisely.
FOV Abuse
The single best tip I can give for positioning is learning how to properly reposition/catapult outside of an enemy’s field of vision. To do this, whenever you are using catapult, move to a position that forces them to have to turn to see you. This gives us a slight advantage, forcing our opponent to turn their head to react to our attacks. This small margin of time often allows us to get the first hit off in a trade. This advantage is especially relevant when abusing the lack of FOV a player has while hiding behind a wall. They already cannot see you, which is why you should almost always take advantage of that, and why you should be careful when you put walls in front of yourself. Walls give openings to both you and your opponent, allowing you to reposition without punishment, charge up attacks, rush, retreat, etc. The goal is that you take advantage of that before your opponent does. That is why I’d keep track of your opponent’s mobility cooldowns before placing a wall up in front of you, and why vertical play is also a useful skill to learn.
Predictability
A common occurrence I see is benders, with more mechanical skill than their opponents, still losing fights to them, and not having a clue why. Often it’s because they play too predictably, and end up getting read like a book. It doesn’t always matter if your mechanics are better, especially when fighting more experienced benders. Once they recognize the patterns in how you play, they gain a massive advantage over you. The best solution to this simply being mindful of the way you play, and changing up your patterns from time to time. The ranges you primarily play at, whether you play more vertically or horizontally, and the ways you react to specific plays are especially important. For example, when my opponent’s earth blast went on cooldown, I would always rush them from the left side. Eventually they would pick up on this and counter attack every time I did it, and I would be left dumbfounded and left amazed, thinking it was a matter of reaction time. However, it wasn’t their reaction time as much as it was the fact I would keep doing the same thing. You should look to identify patterns your opponents have, and actively punish them for it.
-=Vocabulary=-
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Gamesense: The intuitive understanding of the game, their surroundings, and their opponents
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Rush: To quickly engage to a close/medium range
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FOV: Field of vision
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Juggled: Repetitively stunned and/or attacked while midair
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Trade: A damage exchange(n), or to trade blows(v)
-=Conclusion=-
Earth, as a whole, is a neutral based element with strong offensive and defensive options in battle, which is why it is so versatile and earth benders are the most likely to have off-meta presets. If you wish to become a truly strong earth bender, you must learn proper positioning, as well as develop strong attack speed and aim(note that aiming is easier with earth than other elements such as fire). The most important thing, however, is the mentality you have while bending. You have to be able to look back at your fights, judge them objectively, and take note of how you can improve. At the end of the day, the only way to truly master bending is to gain loads of experience, and this guide is merely a guide. However, if you have come this far, I hope you walk away from this with a better understanding of earth vs earth, and the element as a whole!