Cagnazzo in MXM is a Kinetic-type Juggernaut. He’s a game changer with various CC and is specialized in initiating fights by pulling enemies towards him or by using mobility.

Even though his attack damage is somewhat lacking because of his role as a Juggernaut, he does have solid survivability. Because of that, he mostly performs as a tank and defends allies in the frontline during fights. The best way to use Cagnazzo is to approach enemies and use skills that either stun or fear them in order to create an opportunity for allies to attack.

Upon dealing or receiving damage, he gains Rage through his passive. If his Rage is full, his next skill will become empowered while consuming all his Rage, thus it is important that you select what skills you will be using depending on circumstances. His weapon, Karith’s Fist, is swung in a whirling motion, striking all who are within its range.

Recommended Master options

Recommended Augments

Cagnazzo confronts targets with his solid defense. Defense Increase would enhance his tanking capability even further.

Recommended skills combination

This combination is good for initiating fights. Ripline can pull the target towards you, instantly closing the gap and actively engaging in a fight.

When you are good at using Ripline to initiate fights, you can use Terrorize to scatter the enemy team, making them easier to pick off.

Nodes

The most basic nodes for Cagnazzo are Defense and Health for sustainability. You can also equip Skill Cooldown Reduction for his rather long cooldowns. Weapon Damage for Offensive Nodes is a fair choice, as you will tend to use weapon attacks more frequently than skills.

Recommended Auxiliary skill

Sprint is recommended for initiating or quickly joining fights. Having high movement speed is much more convenient in terms of approaching enemies.

Trait priority

Cagnazzo needs to increase his health so that he can survive as long as possible in teamfights. He is capable of constant harassment while surviving longer than any other Master. Thus, you would need traits related to defense instead of offense.

Summary of Cagnazzo’s skills

Cagnazzo can empower his active skills through the passive called Fever Pitch. He gains Rage, or RP, when dealing or receiving damage, and all of Cagnazzo’s skills activate empowered effects by consuming a full RP bar on use. The RP is reset upon using a skill, so only one skill can be empowered at a time.

Ripline allows Cagnazzo to hurl his hook in a line and drag any opponent struck back to Cagnazzo. This skill is the one that makes Cagnazzo an excellent initiator. The damage is 690, the highest out of his skills. When the skill is upgraded to level 3, the effect is empowered and can drag multiple targets back to Cagnazzo. Upon consuming the RP bar, it increases damage by 30% and width by 0.8 meters.

Upon using Savage Leap, Cagnazzo leaps to the target area, dealing 70 damage and stunning all enemies he lands on for 1 second. The damage and stun duration are decreased farther from the center of the area. This skill in combination with the survival skill Charge would allow Cagnazzo to approach enemies from a long distance. Following up this skill with Ripline can prevent enemies from escaping. The cooldown is 12 seconds, and the empowered effect is 30% additional damage and removal of the distance-based stun and damage reductions.

Terrorize terrifies enemies within 9 meters, causing them to flee for 2 seconds. Since this is an AoE skill, you should try to get as many enemies as possible. Terrified enemies are uncontrollable for a short period of time, leaving them open to attack. You can also use it in order to disrupt an enemy group. Upon consuming the RP bar, it causes terrified targets to take increased damage.

Crushing Swing smashes enemies into the ground, applying the knockdown effect to them for a short period. It deals 315 damage. It is important to use it with other skills together. Enemies who are dragged, stunned, or terrified would be good targets to use this skill on. Upon upgrading to level 6, you acquire an additional effect that binds the target for 3.5 seconds, thus you may need to level this up prior to any other skills. When this skill is empowered it deals 30% additional damage and depletes the target’s stamina.

Barbaric Frenzy grants Cagnazzo CC immunity, increased weapon and skill damage, and heightened defense for 7 seconds. It is commonly used for the purpose of surviving high-damage skills. The skill heavily determines the survivability of Cagnazzo, therefore you need to consider exactly when you should use this skill.

His survival skill is called Charge. Cagnazzo charges forward while ignoring CC effects. It is useful for chasing enemies, joining fights, or escaping from enemy attacks.

Playing as Cagnazzo - use the skills prudently

Cagnazzo is great for constant harassment with his CC and strong survivability. He is also good at turning the tide of battle. He is quite reliant on his Ripline for good game-changing fights, so make every use count if you can. However, the longer the fight is drawn out, the less threatening Cagnazzo becomes, therefore he needs to cooperate with his allies in order to maximize his advantage.

Ripline works quite well with Cagnazzo’s other active skills; Savage Leap, Terrorize, and Crushing Swing. As soon as you pull a target, you can either stun, knock back, or terrify them immediately. An instant kill can also occur when you are with allies, even before the target uses any evasive skills. Savage Leap is considered a favorite as it is useful for chasing or escaping, but you can still choose one of the other two skills depending on your playstyle.

Cagnazzo has relatively longer cooldown than other Masters, thus you need to be careful when using the skills. The wrong use of skills can create a window of time where you can only use weapon attacks, making him not as useful during that duration. You need to, therefore, use weapon attacks frequently and look for the right time to use skills.

It is also important to use skills that are empowered by his passive at the right time. When you are about to start a fight, an empowered Ripline can tilt the battle in your favor. Once a battle has started, don’t forget to empower and use your other abilities.

Empowered Crushing Swing is quite effective, particularly during teamfights. Since it depletes your enemies’ stamina, it can prevent them from escaping via their survival skills. An empowered Terrorize can also weaken your enemies by reducing their armor.

As mentioned before, Cagnazzo’s damage is not good as you would expect, thus staying in the lanes or going for objectives in Titan Ruins is not recommended. Instead, you need to roam around the map, and support allies or draw your enemies’ attention. You should, therefore, understand the location of allies and enemies by looking at the minimap and decide your routes carefully.