Crypt Lord Fast Fiends With Fast Tech

This guide was created by NorthDrakkar

This guide focuses on a Crypt Lord (CL) first build with a fast tech to Tier 2 (T2) and a push using Crypt Fiends. It’s designed to be beginner-friendly, requiring minimal micro in fights, while allowing players to focus on macro. The build works especially well in early-game pushes with a Tavern Hero second and is effective in various matchups.

Difficulty of Build: Beginner– Requires little micro and focuses more on macro management.

Pros:

Beginner Friendly: Minimal micro needed, ideal for players who struggle with advanced control.
Fast T2 Tech: Quick access to crypt fiends and a fast push, putting pressure on the opponent early.

Cons:

Vulnerable to Tech Delays: If T2 timing is off, you risk getting out-teched by opponents.
Requires Scouting: Ensure the opponent is not expanding or preparing a counter strategy. Scout to learn what units they are building.

The Build Order

The Game Plan- Start to Finish

Early Game (0-3 Minutes):

Start with CL: Begin with Crypt Lord (CL) and leave Beetles on autocast at level 1.
Level 2 CL: Once CL reaches level 2, turn off autocast for Beetles and skill Impale or Carapace next.
- Impale: Effective vs players who have expanded (you should have scouted this with initial beetles by now), so you can impale repairing workers and the mass ground army they would have (mass ghouls, mass footman/militia, etc).
- Carapace: Makes the CL transform into Ironman, literally, he is almost unkillable with carapace + armor rings if you find them. If going carapace, you can leave beetles on autocast, A-click CL into the fight and forget about him (focus your micro on saving fiends, focus fire, etc). Vs elf, Carapace is default since you wont have mana for Impales anyways (DH Manaburn).
Tech to T2: Start teching to Tier 2 by 2:45.

Mid Game (3-7 Minutes):

Level 3 CL: Reach level 3 CL (always skill Beetles lvl 2) before purchasing your Tavern Hero.
Tavern Hero: Choose a Tavern Hero (Dark Ranger, Naga Sea Witch, or Pitlord).
- Dark Ranger (DR): Amazing vs Humans or UD’s that have expanded… snowball by focusing ghouls/footman/militia by turning them into skeletons one by one. Also good vs FS HH. As the secondary skill, I like to get life drain as a survivability tool (since we don’t have coil). Life drain also applies the dark arrow debuff that gives you skeletons.
- Naga Sea Witch: Frost arrow provides amazing CC early on, really good at slowing down and focusing enemy hero’s like the DH/Blademaster, also catches out Clunky units like Grunts/Fiends/Rifles/Huntress. For survivability I skill mana shield on naga for lvl 2 (since you should be in the middle of the push).
- Pitlord: I haven’t really tried him out as much, but Howl and lvl 1 is insane (30% damage reduction) and he is very tanky as well.
- DK (Ye Old Faithful): Coil is nice to have to heal up units, although you must ensure he doesn’t wander off in the frontline and get focused down.

Push Timing:

Push when your first Statue pops out, ideally after you’ve reached CL level 3.

Your push should consist of 4-5 Crypt Fiends, 6 Beetles, and 1 Obsidian Statue.
When attacking… always prioritize killing the shop if its out front, they are all fragile and you should be able to take it down before opponent teleports in. Starving them off heal/mana potions is huge.
Beware of sudden militia calls (beetles stay on A-move, shift click each militia to snowball with skeletons with fiends+DR control group), or mass wisp pulls vs the beetles (pull back beetles instantly using their control group, use fiends control group to shift click the wisps)

Fight Strategy:

Fight Execution: Initiate the fight by A-clicking both Control groups. The control group with Beetles+Statues must always be on A-click (statues keep healing and beetles do their thing of blocking and making pathing weird for opponent). You can then focus targets with Fiends+Heroes or you can leave them on A-click.
Burrow Fiends: Due to the lack of DK coils, we are going to protect our fiends by burrowing them (if well timed, you can actually dodge storm bolts, raider ensare, etc). Keep on the lookout for what fiend the enemy is targetting, burrow fiends or move them away (if opponent has reveal/dust). Burrowed Fiends heal up pretty quick so you can unburrow them later in the fights after ~10 seconds.
Beetles & War of Attrition: Do not panic if you start losing fiends, every dead unit on the battlefield is potential for more 2 more tanky beetles. Keep macroing and spamming fiends and Statues/Wagons from your production control groups.

Control Groups

Bind Necropolis for Acolytes and tech.
Bind Crypt/Slaughterhouse for production buildings.
Hero+Fiends on 1 (right-click/focus fire).
Beetles+Statues on 2 (A-click army).
Meat Wagons on 3 (for sieging enemy buildings).

Conclusion:

This build is great for players who enjoy Crypt Lord and Fiends. It’s beginner-friendly and non-meta, making it a fun, unique strategy to try out. If executed properly, you’ll put serious pressure on your opponent by reaching T2 quickly and pushing with a powerful army. If the Push is not working, you can always TP out and Tech up to T3. From there you can transition into Fiend-Destroyers or even get Banshee’s depending on the games state and your opponents army composition. Feel free to experiment and tweak it as you get more comfortable.