The Last Son of Krypton

First and foremost, understand that Superman is not in a good place right now in the Meta. His ultimate is severely lacking in the damage department and his Powers seem scattered between Atk DMg and Power Dmg. However do not fear for he is still one of the most Brutal bruisers in the game but you will need to play him in a very specific manner.

Note: There is a Tank/dmg soak option you could pursue but screw that, He's Superman, this guide is about smashing things.

So let's get to it....

Augments and Mods
Best Place to start are your custom Mods and Augments. To save you time here are the 4 Augments I use by their codenames.

Popcorn
Kord
Attack Damage (S) +2.01 Attack Damage
Health (B) +18.51 Health

Beetle
Kord
Attack Damage (S) +0.25 Attack Damage/lvl (Max 4.75)
Health (B) +2.31 Health/lvl (Max 43.89)

Beaver
Queen
Attack Damage (G) +0.3 Attack Damage/lvl (Max 5.7)
Critical Chance (S) +1.5% Critical Chance

Hex
Queen
Attack Damage (G) +2.41 Attack Damage
Critical Chance (S) +1.5% Critical Chance

They Provide you with Health, Atk Power, and Critical chance. Focusing Superman in these 3 areas early on is going to help improve both your survivability and immediate damage output.

Your 3 Mods are going to be:
Queen Enhanced Atomic Axe +9 Attack Damage (Tier 1)
Queen Empowered Joe Chill's Revolver Deadly: +75% Critical Damage (Tier 4)
Wayne Enhanced Lobo's Chain +75 Health (Tier 3)

This setup is to ensure that you are dealing the maximum amount of burst damage and survivability that you can muster, once you've purchase full tiers of your core items. Superman does not have the speed or abilities to close distance and chasing is almost out of the question until you have your Ultimate.

Upon Launching into your game, Put one point in Q, W, and E, and spend your starting gold on the first tier of Atomic Axe. With your mod you're going to produce +29 attack damage on top of the penetration which will certainly take most champs by surprise.

Depending on how the opening exchange goes, you'll either be able to take the earned gold and buy the first tier of Joe Chill's Revolver or If things didn't go so smoothly, the first tier into Lobo's chain for some health and added attack power.

Once you have Maxed out Your modded items go for Deadshot's visor. This will assist with more attack power and also your Will which all of Superman's abiltiies utilize. The Man of Steel can be very Will starved in early game so once you get your damage to a respectable level, tossing in the Will will ensure you have ammo for longer team fights.

Your 5 Core items listed above are going to ensure you're outputting the most possible burst with your Q and auto attacks. Your optional items are entirely based on your enemy and the problems they are creating for you.

Your ultimate should be reserved for joining fights and turning the tables, or chasing down already weakened opponents who are going to easily outrun you. DO NOT WASTE IT IN EXISTING COMBAT. You are simply pausing yourself to take more damage and when and if you hit your target at close range it will be no better than an auto attack.

Gotham Heights Tactics

Rules of Engagement

1. You're a power top. You'll be heading to Wayne Tower with your team at the begining of each match.

2. Know your targets before you engage- You're looking for Blasters, assassins, and controllers. They will fold under the critical attack damage from your basic attacks and don't have the armor(until they build it) to put up a fight or out damage you if oyu get the drop. Do not be afraid to hit and run.

3. You're not unkillable. Pick your battles. If you're the only Bruiser in your immediate team then you'll be initiating combat, but this build really shines when you get the drop or "Come to the Rescue" of a teammate engaged in a 1v1 or 1v2. When not being targeted by the enemy this build can become destructive if left alone to it's own devices.

4. Think like an Assassin. My goal is to control Townhomes, Gas Station and Wayne Tower, and Jungle between them. Using the mid section for cover to get the drop on people who think they can bully my teammates. Superman doesn't put up with Bullies.

5. Map awareness is essential. Knowing who is fighting where and more importantly who is fighting who. If you recapture a point and see your teamates engaging at the top, start making your way to save the day. But check the area and see how the fight is going, If it's too late; abort and reevaluate the situation. If it's going well or evenly matched, Ult in and turn the tides!

6. Cull the weak! HP bars are like playing whack a mole. Lower the Health = higher the target, eliminating an enemy in a group fight is highest priority, turning a 3v3 into a 3v2, snowballs into a 3v1.

Superman's Abilities

Your Rotation:

R*>Q>E+E>W>Q>R*

R*: A Note on your ultimate, using this to initiate or chase is acceptable in either scenario, You need to guage the fight based on your distance, the current state of the encounter, and whether or not the enemy has the potential to escape. This is going to determine whether you engage or chase with Speeding Bullet.


Q
Kryptonian Might-
This is by far your primary damage dealing ability. I'm not going to waste your time on the mechanics, you can read the tooltip. This is why you're devouring attack damage items, this ability when you crit, with the added bonus crit from your joe chill mod and the tons of atk dmg can almost one shot a Flash. Be mindful not to activate it in a foot chase, you will be out run and the charge will be wasted. This is an onset engagement ability to be used when you KNOW you're going to hit. Timing it's use right after an auto attack to reset your auto attack refresh is of high priority to inscrease your DPS and burst.

W
Frost Breath-
This is in my opinion the worst ability in Superman's Kit. It serves no purpose damage wise as it scales on Power dmg, which Superman doesn't utilize due to the lack of power dmg coming from his primary DMG abilities. This ability is your primary Crowd control slow/root. Use it to prevent foes from escaping as best you can. If you remember what I first said about Superman not being in a good place in the Meta this ability is why, It's slow and root durations are far too short to be efffective for chasing down escaping opponents, or using to reposition for.....

E
Heat Vision-
This Ability actually can be amazing but knowing when and how to use it is key. I prefer using this ability to pincer an escaping enemy Champ and heat blast them back towards my teammate then dive in on them for my rotation and hopefully the kill. The initial heat blast can annoy teammates chasing with you, when it pushes your enemy farther away from you but it is Superman's only reliable distance closer. The follow up E dash can be highly damaging. This is a great ability to push enemies back from or off control points. This is also your primary Peel ability to save escaping teammates from their impending death. Use it wisely, and know when NOT to use the follow up E to dash, sometimes just pushing away your opponent is enough, but diving in on them can get you killed.

R
Speeding Bullet-
This has been mentioned a few times, Superman crouches for a few seconds and creates a universally visible line of sight to his target which can be blocked by enemy champions. The range on this is beautiful, the speed and damage... completely lackluster. This "Ultimate" ability is to be used for 2 purposes: Initiating/Joining a fight from extreme distance, or chasing down a run away enemy on the last legs of their health bar. NEVER EVER Use this ability thinking it will help in the middle of engaged combat. You will die and waste your ult.