(Guide) Mule

Hey there! Of all the different units, I think the Mule is probably the most "gimmicky." It behaves entirely different from the other units and requires a very unique style to pull off. I wanted to write a little bit about Mule strategy and also explain the mechanics of how its abilities work.

Gather Properties
The purpose of the Mule's Gather ability is to clear the field of dodgeballs. I kept seeing final-round scenarios where both sides became littered with dodgeballs, and I wanted a unit to have the ability to suck them all up and spit them all out at once. The way Gather works is that it releases twice the number of dodgeballs it absorbs. Greatballs count as three normal balls, which means a Mule will spit out 6 from Gathering a single greatball. An Ultraball counts as five dodgeballs and will make the Mule spit out 10. Any one masterball will cause the Mule to spit out two masterballs. The order that dodgeballs are released is completely random. An important part of the ability is that the dodgeballs it releases WILL NOT BOUNCE. This is for the Mule's benefit, as a smart player could easily destroy a Mule every time it used Gather by putting a Depot Wall in front of it. It also helps accomplish the goal of clearing the field, as all dodgeballs that are fired will explode and no longer remain on the field.

Calldown Dodgeballs
This ability is pretty self-explanatory. However, what you may not know is that dodgeballs that spawn in the center of the map have a higher chance of being special dodgeballs. It's a little dangerous to do, but if your team has center control, you can drop down dodgeballs in the center and increase your odds of getting powerful ones. I find Calldown Dodgeballs to be the most important part of the Mule, and you'll want to use the ability immediately every time it becomes available. I always upgrade this ability directly after upgrading power. When fully upgraded, it basically gives you 1 dodgeball every 5 seconds, which is twice as good as maxing out Auto-Dodgeballs! Max out both and your team will never be low on deadly projectiles. Another effective technique is to use the Mule if an ally is going with a Siege Tank. This allows you to "pass" him dodgeballs during the first round while he's ridiculously slow so that he can use his cannon to destroy the enemy team.

Upgrades
I highly suggest maxing power and Calldown ASAP, then moving straight to speed and health. When those upgrades are maxed, you can put additional points wherever you like. I find power very important because it allows you to score some kills outside of using Gather and also increases the range of the dodgeballs Gather throws. Speed and health are both important for obvious reasons. I advise maxing Calldown early on because having a large number of dodgeballs is absolutely critical to the Mule's playstyle and Calldown gives much more dodgeballs for its cost than Auto-dodgeball does. Putting points into Gather can allow you to use Gather more often, but by default it can be used once per two Calldowns, which I find sufficient.

Playing with a Mule
Remember that a Mule relies on having a large number of dodgeballs available. If your ally is a Mule, try not to take dodgeballs that it's "storing" up for itself. Also be careful if you're an SCV not to put up a Depot wall in front of a Mule right before it releases its dodgeballs!

Playing Against a Mule
I've seen many people call the Mule imba because of its Gather ability. Here's the thing: the Mule has NO DEFENSE WHATSOEVER! The Mule cannot teleport, it cannot shield itself, it cannot reduce the damage it takes--it is flawed defensively. So how do you defeat a Mule? You can always predict what it's going to do. See that large stash of dodgeballs it's been accumulating? Guess where the Mule's going to be when it starts its Gather ability. The fact that it has a clump of dodgeballs it must tend to means you have an ongoing target. Keep that area under heavy siege and make it impossible for the Mule to get to its own dodgeballs without taking a hit. If your team has a unit that can stun (Ghost/Thor), have that unit save its ability for when the Mule has started its Gather. If you can stun it while it's Gathering, it will lose control of where it fires its dodgeballs. And where does a Mule go while it's firing its Gathered dodgeballs? It comes straight to the front lines. This is the perfect time to hit it with a masterball, stun, or just pummel it with normal dodgeballs. And if you have a unit that can't stun but has an "escape" ability (stim, blink, charge, defense matrix, depot wall, hardened shields, etc.) make sure to keep it in reserve for when the Mule is coming at you. You can predict the behaviors of a Mule and take advantage of it.

Thanks for reading! Hopefully you learned a thing or two about playing dodgeball with the Mule.

rut