STUNbased

Stunbased is a term used in video game discourse to describe strategies, builds, or character kits that rely on stunning opponents as the primary mechanism for control and damage. In many games, a stun is a form of crowd control that temporarily prevents affected targets from moving or acting, often accompanied by an animation or audio cue. A stunbased approach seeks to maximize the uptime and effectiveness of such effects to create openings for damage, interrupts, or objective control. This contrasts with damage-based or mobility-based strategies that do not depend on incapacitating enemies.

In practice, stunbased play is common in multiplayer online battle arena games, where champions or heroes possess multiple stuns or synchronized CC chains. It can involve combo stuns that lock a target in place long enough for teammates to follow with finishing moves, as well as single-target stuns used to counter spell-casters or high-value targets. Some games monetize or standardize stuns via items, abilities, or ultimates.

Design and balance considerations: Stuns interact with resistance mechanics, cleanse abilities, and diminishing returns. Stun durations are often tuned to prevent excessive stunlock, and some games limit consecutive stuns on the same target. Anti-stun tools, such as cleansing, immunities, or crowd-control break mechanics, impact stunbased viability.

Criticism and reception: Stuns can be a source of frustration for players seeking agency, leading to balancing changes that reduce stun impact or introduce more dynamic CC palettes. Depending on game design, stunbased strategies may be celebrated for their skill expression or criticized for dominating meta.