100% Crit chance with only 230% Inc. Crit

Just wanted to give a little PSA about Ambush's +25% Crit Chance and some uses I have found for it (including what I am using for league start).

Disclaimer: These interactions require MULTIPLE BUTTON PRESSES! Yes it's rather clunky, but it's also pretty satisfying. No this is not for DPS chasers, gotta go fast, or button mashers.

MAIN INTERACTION
Ambush gives +25% base crit chance for a single attack with a one handed melee weapon. Depending on the base crit chance of your weapon, you'll need between 240% - 210% increased crit chance for 5% base weapon crit - 8% base weapon crit to get 100% crit chance for a single attack.

Some attacks hit multiple times (Earthquake, Double Strike, etc.) while others have a longer lasting effect that snapshots the crit chance (Static Strike, Rage Vortex, Bladestorm).

This will trigger all on-crit effects as normal.


HOW I'M USING IT
First off, Sword Mastery has a nice little option for "120% increased crit chance with swords; -20% to crit multi." If you take either wheel for sword crit chance (Duelist or Ranger side) you can get 210% or 230% increased crit chance respectively (Duelist will need 10% more crit chance from somewhere to reach 100%). Personally I recommend the Ranger area because you will pass right by the cluster that gives 45% cooldown recovery for movement skills which affects Ambush.

Secondly, using a 6.5% crit chance sword, use Ambush to gain the +25% Crit Chance to get a base 31.5% crit chance * (1.00 + 2.30) = 103.95% crit chance for one attack.

Third, snapshot that crit chance, which I only know of three skills that can do so.

Static Strike (my league start)
- The beams will retain the 100% crit chance and whatever other damage buffs you had at the time (such as Smite's aura, Phase Run's more melee damage, or Ruthless Blow)
- Each beam hit will trigger Cast on Crit, or if enemies are killed by the beams it counts for Cast on Melee Kill.
- Beams travel with you
Downsides:
- Beams have 40% less damage
- Only attack once, multiple attacks seem to replace the buff you gain, removing the buff with the 100% crit snapshot
- Missed attacks punish time, have to wait for Ambush cooldown

Rage Vortex
- The thrown vortex will have 100% crit chance
- HILARIOUS when combined with Cast On Crit, very easily reaches the 150ms cooldown on skills.
- Vortex deals full skill gem damage at 250% attack speed
Downsides:
- Have to manage rage. Once the first 10 rage is built, becomes fairly easy, but feels very underwhelming until you get it.
- Ambush teleports you right on top of target, thrown vortex likes to travel a little bit, so it may hit your primary target once then move off.
- If target moves then Vortex is wasted

Bladestorm
- Blood or Sand bladestorm will have 100% crit chance
- With enough duration and Ambush cooldown, can have multiple 100% crit chance bladestorms at once
Downsides:
- Have to invest in attack speed heavily, otherwise the bladestorms are pathetic
- Ambush doesn't work with Multistrike linked skills, so no triple 100% crit from one attack
- Bladestorms deal 50% less damage
- If target moves, the Bladestorms can become useless. Similarly if using sand bladestorms, they may hit an enemy once and then move off.


OTHER INTERACTIONS
- Ambush exerts the attack, which does gain the +50% more damage from Berserker's War Bringer so long as rage has been sacrificed to a warcry recently.

- The Stampede Unique Boots' 50-80% Cooldown Recovery for Movement Skills will apply to Ambush, decreasing its 5 second cooldown time to something more reasonable.

- If you can keep track of Ruthless Blows and/or Fist of War, you can gain the benefit of 100% crit chance and the massive damage boost for some crazy bleed/poison/fire effects. (Possible ignite prolif build)

- Unconfirmed, but I believe the added Crit Multi from Ambush does get used by Perfect Agony.

- Possibly good for Bino's Kitchen Knife, as it will propagate the massive one hit poison damage

Found a much smoother way to manage all these buttons; Battlemage's Cry linked to Ambush

Warcry, attack with Smite, if it hits it will trigger Ambush, attack with Static Strike, crits will roll.

Smite will trigger one use of Battlemage, Static Strike will attempt to trigger another but Ambush will be on cooldown. It will still consume 1 use of Battlemage, despite Ambush stating attacks made with the buff cannot be exerted by other skills...




Also discovered that if you dual wield a mace, a sword, and 230% increased sword crit chance the initial hit from Static Strike will have the 100% crit chance while attacking with the sword, but the beams seemingly choose at random which weapon they're going to use. Will test with a Dreadarc to see if the Flammability is triggered every other hit, or if it truly is random.