Leya has tried out Paladins’ latest tank “Inara” and doesn’t really like being on the front line. With Inara, that could change now.
Inara is the newest champion in Paladins and the first woman on the front line. She is a stone bender and stands protectively in front of her team like a tall statue. Inara is a huge woman and looks down on other characters. She is even a bit taller than Fernando. Maeve appears like a small child next to her.
Her face resembles that of a lioness, and Inara fights like a lioness to protect what she loves: “I will fight to protect the Holy Mother Earth!”
Inara’s Wall, Blessing or Curse?
It took me a few matches to realize what an incredible package of area control Inara possesses. With her ability “Dead End”, Inara summons a wall from the ground that blocks opponents. Neither friend nor foe can pass through the wall. No ability can penetrate it. This gives you a powerful weapon to protect your team or to completely block their way.
With Inara, you have to be very careful about what your team is doing. Unfortunately, it has happened to me that I totally separated my allies from the team with Inara’s wall. Isolated, they stood among the opponents, left to certain death.
I fear that this is part of the Inara learning process. Maybe I’m just trying to rationalize my guilty conscience.
Area and Crowd Control Works Only with Allies Nearby
Inara has even more features that keep the opposing team in check. A pulsating stone obelisk that slows down opponents and her ultimate ability, which causes a powerful stun. However, she has no escape options and deals only minimal damage. When things get dicey, Inara can be easily taken out by a flanker or damage champion.
You must create a symbiosis with the team. While you ensure that the opponents are severely limited in mobility, your team should take advantage of this and eliminate the opponents before they do the same to you. Inara’s ultimate is a powerful stun that immobilizes an entire team. However, if you have no one nearby to attack the opposing team in time, the ultimate won’t be very useful.
Tanks Aren’t Really My Thing, but Inara Might Grow on Me
I am really a terrible tank and usually do not feel comfortable in this role. I much prefer agile champions like Evie. After a while, I started to like Inara more and more. I set out to build a deck for her. I gave her more health and reduced the cooldown of her strong wall. This way, I would not be taken out as quickly when cornered.
Then it actually started to go really well, and I tried her out in a few ranked matches. – With success! A few times, I even got the “Play of the Game”, which normally never happens to me with tanks.
In the various Paladins forums, I read that many consider Inara to be too weak, especially her ultimate ability. However, I’m not so sure about that. Inara can have complete control over a match, slow down opponents, exclude, stun, and annoy them. However, she is heavily reliant on the help of her team, and the team depends on Inara not blocking them with her wall. However, with the right coordination, she opens up every opportunity for game-changing combinations.
I will continue to practice her and play with her deck build. She could become my number 1 alongside Torvald when I need to fill the team with a tank. Maybe I will even willingly become a tank, as I really like her strong AoE effects and want to see what I can get out of Inara.
What do you think of Inara? Is she too weak?
