Kripp's Powder Keg Vanessa Build

Powder Keg

Powder Keg is an item with an incredibly high ceiling but equally low floor. At Diamond tier with 100% Crit Chance you're guaranteed to one-shot the opponent if it goes off, barring Shield or Revives. However, Silver tier without Crit only deals 30%, which isn't enough to justify its long Cooldown.

As an item with a 20 second Cooldown, it requires you to assemble a very specialized build in order to make it work. Oftentimes this begins as a Burn setup, as it's common enough to piece together and Burn is quite strong in the early game.

While it may sound appealing to initially include it alongside the Burn build, it generally falls short. After all, Heroes don't have that much Health at the start, so dealing Damage that scales to Max Health is far less relevant.

However, once you get into mid game, this is the time to look for supporting pieces so that you can eventually transition into a full Powder Keg setup. While there are a variety of Keg arrangements, they all heavily prioritize a very important skill...

Heated Shells

Heated Shells is the backbone of the build, allowing you to create significantly more Burn triggers than the items can provide on their own. With this one skill, every Ammo item can enable Powder Keg. Prioritize the fastest Small items that are available in order to get the most out of your board.

Since Heated Shells doesn't care about having actual Burn items, you can eventually forgo the Burn strategy and move fully towards the OHKO. However, there's a few things you need to prepare in order to make it happen.

1. Upgrade Powder Keg as soon as possible. Silver tier really won't cut it, as even Gold will require extra support to get the job done. To ensure the 100-0, you'll need to get a Diamond Keg for maximum output.
2. Get 100% Crit Chance. Powder Keg needs to Crit in order to hit the 100% threshold, and you really don't want to rely on chance. A Shiny/Obsidian Keg is one exception as it directly doubles the Damage, or you can also utilize Radiant to explode the Keg multiple times.
3. Set up a fast board state. You can go full fast Ammo spam and activate the Powder Keg in seconds, or lean into Dive Weights' Multicast alongside some supportive utility options (slightly slower, but more well-rounded).

Incendiary Rounds

Incendiary Rounds is an incredibly important piece as it provides at least two Burn triggers for its one Small slot. If effectively matches the speed of your fastest items, and when paired alongside Multicast it becomes a busted enabler. If you're not using a full Ammo setup, Incendiary Rounds is essential.

Dive Weights

Dive Weights is the best way to take advantage of Incendiary Rounds. When paired together alongside Heated Shells it can basically Charge the Keg on its own, allowing a lot more flexibility across the rest of your board.

When you can, take advantage of Gunpowder and/or Ammo skills to up its capacity and Multicast.

Swash Buckle

Swash Buckle is an excellent source of Crit Chance that also provides a bit of additional bonus Damage. While it may not always be relevant, it can help in scenarios where you need to punch through a bit of Shield. Ultimately, as long as you have a reliable source of Crit, this slot is flexible.

Kripp had a Deadly Swash Buckle which doubles its Crit, guaranteeing the 100%.

On-Start Package

Holsters is an exceptional item, especially during the late game. Late days of The Bazaar are all about speed, so getting a kickstart right out of the gates can help lead to a swift victory before the opponent even gets a chance to act. Do try to upgrade this to at least Gold+ in order to have a longer Haste, or alternatively look for Rocket Boots to scale the duration.

Similarly, Clamera and Icicle both help disrupt the opponent from the start. Hitting the right items can occasionally make or break a matchup, especially if the opponent has a chance to stack Shield before the Powder Keg goes off.

Pop Snappers

Pop Snappers is the other Ammo item of choice and gets twice the Value since it's also a Burn item itself. It compliments the rest of the build well, but can be replaced in the event you don't find it.

Kripp's Pop Snappers had an Obsidian enchant which helps provide a bit of extra reach against matchups that survive the usual 100-0.

Silencer + Star Chart

Silencer + Star Chart is an alternative setup that focuses less on triggers and more on Cooldown reduction. By getting Powder Keg's Cooldown significantly lower it'll only take far less Charges to go off. This of course requires you to avoid other Weapons, but does also enable skills like Shield Bash.

The Lighter became Kripp's main activator alongside Incendiary Rounds and Clamera, with Vanessa's Amulet rounding out the Crit Chance needed to guarantee the 100-0.

You can also use Seashadow to reduce its Cooldown even further. Plus, its fast activation speed allows it to pair nicely alongside Incendiary Rounds, assuming you have a full combo Cooldown-reduced setup that requires fewer triggers.

Inexorable

Inexorable is a very strong source of Crit if you can get it early on. You can actually estimate its value pretty easily just by counting the days, as you're guaranteed at least two fights with the potential for a few extras.

Many other Crit skills can also work, but it's best to focus on flat buffs instead of scaling ones. Unless you're certain it'll scale fast enough during combat, it's much safer to have 100% before the fight begins.

Invigorating Cold

Invigorating Cold pairs perfectly with Icicle for an extra Holsters-like Haste effect. Given how few active items are present in this setup, chances of hitting Dive Weights or Pop Snappers is pretty good.

Mixed Message

Mixed Message fits well as an extra source of Charge. Since almost all that matters is speed, any additional Charge support is always welcome. Keep in mind that this is best used alongside a non-Weapon setup, as you want the Charge triggers to hit the Powder Keg.

Technically in Kripp's case it wasn't as ideal alongside the Obsidian Pop Snappers, although considering it's only one additional Weapon, it still has a 50% chance of hitting the right target.