Tyr Vanguard

Vanguard is the missile light tank that earned a nickname before most players ever saw it: the rat tank. High shell velocity, a missile ability that sticks to enemy hulls and debuffs aim, and a scramble Keystone that rewards landing those missiles with free accuracy — Vanguard punishes heavies who think they are safe behind gray armor. This page is the playbook. Parent hub: tank roster. Rankings: light tier list.

Why Vanguard exists

Stoke gave the light class a hull that cannot out-scout Fuse at camo, but that can out-trade a heavy in the mid-game window. Vanguard does not hide in a bush and wait. It rotates fast, fires missiles, and uses the reload debuff scramble to make the enemy’s next shot harder. If you play Vanguard like Fuse you will lose. If you play it like a harassment artillery that happens to be in a light chassis, it pays.

The Vanguard is the ultimate Rat Tank - Tyr gameplay

Missile ability

The core tool is a missile that Vanguard fires on ability activation. It sticks to the target and applies a debuff that lasts several seconds. From the February 2026 patch: missile detonations no longer create a slowing area, and the Scrambling Missile Keystone was reworked to give +50% Base Dispersion and Aim Speed on the shot that follows a stick. The missile itself is not the kill — the stick followed by your next shot is.

Scramble Keystone

The max-level Keystone transforms the missile stick into a setup tool. After landing a missile, your next shot lands faster and cleaner. Use the window immediately after the stick, not ten seconds later when the debuff is gone. If you are in a position where you cannot follow up the stick with a clean shot, the missile was wasted.

How to play it

Vanguard is not a sniper. It is a flanker that uses speed and missile debuffs to create windows for its team. Rotate to angles the enemy is not watching, fire the missile at a target already engaged with your heavies, then use the scramble window to hit them while they are reloading or adjusting aim. On Scorch’s long lanes, use the missile to force a heavy off the ridge; on Ravine, rotate mid faster than they expect.

Camo and survivability

Vanguard sits in the lower half of the light camo band. You cannot sit invisible like Fuse. You survive by being fast, by being annoying, and by not being where the enemy is looking when you fire. After the missile, reposition — Vanguard in the open after a stick is a target.

What changed in patches

The May 2026 patch increased shell velocity to 1200 from 700, which changed how the hull plays at range. The scramble Keystone rework happened in the same patch. Earlier patches removed the slowing area from missile detonations. Check patch notes for any movement on Vanguard before you commit to a build.

Builds and SLVR priority

Buy the missile ability upgrade and the scramble Keystone node before anything else. Energy shells are useful on Vanguard because the missile stick does not generate assist Energy on its own — your follow-up shot and any subsequent damage do. Standard shells work fine as the base round; the missile does the special work.

See builds for the full loadout picture and the build planner for the shopping list. Compare with Fuse if you want invisible first-strike power, or with Ikarus if you want a four-shell clip instead of a missile stick.