Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Hello there! Jah’rakal is a really fun to play but rather underused hero because he has little potential in league games, so this guide will focus on Jah’rakal as a killer/rambo type and not a team player:)
Jah’rakal - The Troll Warlord
Range: 500 | | Move Speed: 300 | Primary: AGI
Str: 17 + 2.2 | Agi: 21 + 2.75 | Int: 13 + 1
Damage: 36 - 58 | HP: 473 | Mana: 169
HP Regen: 0.76 | Mana Regen: 0.53
Attack Speed: 1.34 (+ 21% IAS) | Armor: 2
Jah’rakal - The Troll Warlord
Range: 500 | | Move Speed: 300 | Primary: AGI
Str: 17 + 2.2 | Agi: 21 + 2.75 | Int: 13 + 1
Damage: 36 - 58 | HP: 473 | Mana: 169
HP Regen: 0.76 | Mana Regen: 0.53
Attack Speed: 1.34 (+ 21% IAS) | Armor: 2
Berserker’s Rage (G)
Jah’rakal goes berserk, using his throwing axes as a melee weapon. He gains 27 minimum damage and 12 maximum damage, 100 HP, 3 armor, 7% move speed, and the Bash ability, but can only attack at melee range.
Level 1 - Bash has a 5% chance to deal 25 bonus damage and stun for 2 seconds.
Level 2 - Bash has a 5% chance to deal 50 bonus damage and stun for 2 seconds.
Level 3 - Bash has a 10% chance to deal 25 bonus damage and stun for 2 seconds.
Level 4 - Bash has a 10% chance to deal 50 bonus damage and stun for 2 seconds.
Mana Cost: 0
Cooldown: 0
A good mid-late game skill. The best time for hunting is once you Max this skill
Blind (D)
A searing light blinds the vision of a target enemy unit, making it miss on some attacks.
Lasts 15 seconds.
Level 1 - Misses on 15% of attacks.
Level 2 - Misses on 24% of attacks.
Level 3 - Misses on 33% of attacks.
Level 4 - Misses on 42% of attacks.
Mana Cost: 20
Cooldown: 8
When people say that Silencer/Viper is the most annoying harraser, they are WRONG. Blind is the most annoying harassing spell in the game(Note That I didnt say best) as there is nothing more annoying than missing a perfectly timed last hit on a creep. The skill that is to be Maxed out early
Fervor ()
Passively increases the attack speed of friendly units within 300 AoE.
Level 1 - Increases attack speed by 5%.
Level 2 - Increases attack speed by 15%.
Level 3 - Increases attack speed by 20%.
Level 4 - Increases attack speed by 30%.
Stack with Necronomicon Archer’s Endurance Aura.
Mana Cost: N/A
Cooldown: N/A
Fantastic skill mid late game for pushing and killing. You wont be learning this early though as it causes you to push more quickly.
Rampage ®
Troll Warlord goes into a feral rampage, increasing his attack and movement speeds.
Lasts 30 seconds.
Level 1 - Increases attack speed by 40% and movement speed by 5%.
Level 2 - Increases attack speed by 80% and movement speed by 7%.
Level 3 - Increases attack speed by 120% and movement speed by 9%.
Mana Cost: 100/ 150/ 205
Cooldown: 55
Add this to Fervour and you get 150% attack speed. Add this to Rage and you get 16% movement speed. This skill is the reason why people fear troll.
Skill build.
1)Blind
2)Stats
3)Blind
4)Stats
5)Blind
6)Ulti
7)Blind
Max Rage, then fervour and add points to your ulti whenever possible
Skill build justification
-Blind is maxed because its your only harassing tool(and a very annoying one)
-Stats is next because rage is useless earlygame and Fervour pushes your creeps too far in to the enemys camp.
-Max ulti whenevr you can cause its pawnage. MS grants can save your ass during ganks and you might score a lucky kill.
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Item build
Core
Core
0) As many Wraiths as you want, max of 3.
1) BKB
2) BoT (complete as and when you feel like it)
3) Crystalys——> 6) buriza (Luxury)
4) Maelstrom——-> 5)Mjollnir (Luxury)
6) Vlads??? (if you want to, you can use this item after buying Crystalys)(Situational)
Troll is a shitty farmer, so I dont think most games would even allow you to complete Mjollnir, so I wont add more Luxury items.
Thumbs up to the smart guy who guessed where i got the 3 images that look funny from
Item build justification
0) Wraiths
There shouldnt be an argument against this item actually, because its a cheap way to boost your agility and strength.
1) BKB
This item should be gotten first because Troll gets owned by disables and stuns , which almost all heros have. With this item, its possible to attempt a kill everytime the cool down is up. The prospect of missing nearly 50% of your physical attacks and not being able to stun/disable Troll while he is on a Rampage is scary.
Strength component is relavant for survivalbility as you are one weak troll earlygame
Damage is always welcome for Troll as he is a dps hero with insane attack speed.
2) BoT (Complete it as and when you feel like it)
I hate the BoT vs Power treads arguement so I will keep this short.
Troll has enough attack speed, so the attack speed treads provides is redundant.
Teleport is pretty useful for many reasons, escaping, farming…etc.
3) Crystalys
Q: WTF? Why dont complete Buriza? Why just this crap.
Well, I dont know about you, but I find it impossible to farm up 2600 gold for my Demon Edge. If you can do it, fine, but you gotta farm up a hell of a long time without attempting hero kills which will be pretty boring.
Crystalys is a cheap and easy way to boost Trolls dps as it adds a very nice 35 damage and 1.75x crit. Adding damage is the best way to improve Trolls dps as Troll already has a monster attack speed.
4) Maelstrom
The Maelstrom is also another easy way to increase trolls dps.
It adds 25 damage, 6 agility+ Chainlightning orb which increases your dps by around 60-70 which is not bad given its low cost!
Total cost of Item Build with BKB+ Crystalys+ BoT + Maelstrom + 1 wraith
3360+2200+2350+3800+460= 12170 gold, which isnt so bad given the fact that the most of the components are pretty cheap and wasy to farm up.
5+6) Mjollnir+buriza
Since you already have the basic components, why not get these items to furthur improve dps? These items will usually not be gotten as the game would have ended by then, but they are the best ways to improve damage, which is the main focus of Troll.
7) Vlads?
If you are having big problems with survivalbility, you can get this item after Crystalys for the Lifesteal. It also adds damage, which is pretty useful.
——————————————————————————————————————-
Q: Why not S+Y
A: Its not a bad item actually, but I like maelstroms orb better as it contributes more to your dps. Furthurmore, adding damage will increase Trolls dps more than adding agility. The strength you get is overkill as My build already contains so many survivalbility items!
Q: Why not MKB?
A: The quarter staff sadly<>
Game walkthrough+ Strategy
Earlygame (1-6)
1) Get your prefered choice of starting items. I like getting a flask, a circlet, a slipper, and stock up on tangos.
Lane with another hero at the side lanes because Troll sucks big time earlygame(no stun) and will get harassed to no end. Last hitting willnot be discussed because its common sense.
Try blinding the hero everytime the creep wave is low on health so that that you can deny him the deny and sucessfully last hit. Also, he may miss whilst trying to harass you, which is a big help. Remember, it cost only 50 mana, so spam it!
Good lane combos include Axe and Lich.
Axe can use his battle hunger which synergises with blind as the opponent cannot last hit properly, causing him to suffer the full duration of battle hunger. The lich can easily deny creeps with dark ritual and combine that with blind, your opponents will be pretty pissed. This is not to mention that With his frost nova, you may actually get a lucky kill with rampage.
Early- Midgame (6-12)
By now, you should have
2) Boots of speed
3) BKB(almost completed)
The main objective of this period is to farm for your BKB, because killing other heros is very difficult without it. (Actually, the reason why troll is hardly used in high level games is because he cant do shit without a BKB which takes quite awhile to get, which is darn irritating.) Remember that unlike may ultimates, you dont have to save Rampage for later uses as it has a very low cool down. It is OK to use it if an ally stuns an enemy at full health, even though your ulti most likely wont kill him.
Midgame(13-20)
Ahh this is when the fun begins. This stage to me is the reason why Dota is so fun because it is jam packed with ganks which are sooooooo enjoyable.
You should have these items
4) Crystalys
5) Maelstrom
6) BoT
These items are mainly to provide cheap and easy to farm up damage to boost dps. The reason why you should not be busy farming up for a demon edge is because you have to participate in ganks(well its more fun than farming) and the chances of dying is pretty high.
Killing techinques
Trolls combo is very straightfoward.
Get ally to stun, BKB, Rampage, blind, wack away
Reason why BKB is so important is because Troll is weak against stuns or disables, and in that state, he cant deal damage and can easily die. Your dps at this stage can easily touch 160 per second,which is pretty good, considering that you did not farm much.
At level 10, get a tank to tank the damage for you when you want to kill roshan and grab the ageis B4 your ally can take it(be a bastard, its fun:)) After Roshan respwans, Convince the tank to help you once more and promise him that you would give the aegis to him. After you have killed Roshan once more, break your promise and take the second Aegis.
Late game
Chances are, the game is over with luck, your kills will top 20. It dosent matter if you win the game really, the kills are the fun. Without kills, dota wont be fun, so have fun!
7)Mj
8)Buriz
Those 2 items should be your final ones if the game continues further, although the game would have to drag for more than 1.5 hours in order for that to happen.
Conclusion
Well have fun playing with Troll Warlord. He has one of the highest dps in the game so, it should be fun seeing the red numbers fly!
Friday, 5 February 2010
2 All Tf Member~
Pls train ur early hero skill (lina,cm,tiny,nec,vs,es,razor) 4 competition....
Tq At All
TimeFor:No Lose In Our Dictionary!
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Zeus remains one of the most popular heroes in DotA. Not only is he incredibly fun to play in public games, but he is considered so powerful that he is either a ban or first pick in organized games. Although he does not have an escape mechanism (more recently with the Dagger nerf), he is one of the few non-stun Intelligence heroes to see competitive play. Zeus is not too complex of a hero: He has insane burst damage early game, with great scaling lategame thanks to Static Field, and a global nuke that is perhaps one of the most annoying skills in all of DotA.
Hero Abilities
Arc Lightning
Hurls a bolt of arcing energy that laces through many nearby enemy units
Level 1 – Arcs 5 times, deals 85 damage.
Level 2 – Arcs 7 times, deals 100 damage.
Level 3 – Arcs 9 times, deals 115 damage.
Level 4 – Arcs 15 times, deals 130 damage.
Cooldown: 2 seconds.
Level 1: 65 mana, 2 sec cooldown.
Level 2: 72 mana, 2 sec cooldown.
Level 3: 79 mana, 2 sec cooldown.
Level 4: 86 mana, 2 sec cooldown.
A great skill for finishing off creeps, harassing and controlling a lane. With static field the damage it does is highly significant.
Lightning Bolt
Summons a bolt of lightning from the heavens to strike a target enemy
Level 1 – Deals 100 damage.
Level 2 – Deals 175 damage.
Level 3 – Deals 275 damage.
Level 4 – Deals 350 damage.
Cooldown: 7 seconds.
Level 1: 75 mana, 7 sec cooldown.
Level 2: 95 mana, 7 sec cooldown.
Level 3: 115 mana, 7 sec cooldown.
Level 4: 135 mana, 7 sec cooldown.
A very powerful single-target nuke that not only does 350 damage at level 4, but also gives true sight.
Static Field
Whenever Zeus casts a spell, he shocks all nearby enemy heroes for a percentage of their current hit points as damage.
Affects an area of effect of 800.
Level 1 – Shocks for 5% of current hit points.
Level 2 – Shocks for 7% of current hit points.
Level 3 – Shocks for 9% of current hit points.
Level 4 – Shocks for 11% of current hit points.
Passive
This skill enables Zeus’s spells to effectively scale lategame since it does a percentage of HP.
Thundergod’s Wrath
Strikes down all enemy heroes with a bolt of lightning.
Level 1 – Deals 210 damage.
Level 2 – Deals 335 damage.
Level 3 – Deals 460 damage.
Cooldown: 120 seconds.
Level 1: 225 mana, 120 sec cooldown.
Level 2: 325 mana, 120 sec cooldown.
Level 3: 450 mana, 120 sec cooldown.
A global nuke that is extremely useful for comboing, finishing off heroes, granting vision, and in team battles, it adds effective “AoE”.
For a more precise description of skills, please visit:Lord of Olympia – DotA Allstars Wiki
Skill Build
Level 1 – Arc Lightning
Level 2 – Static Field
Level 3-5 – Lightning Bolt
Level 6 – Thundergod’s Wrath
Level 7 – Lightning Bolt
Level 8-10 – Static Field
Level 11 – Thundergod’s Wrath
Level 12-15 – Attribute Bonuses
Level 16 – Thundergod’s Wrath
Justification: Bolt and Wrath are maxed as soon as possible since they are his most powerful spells, and static is gotten afterwards to add multiple-target damage during team fights. Some people max Arc before 23-25 but it is actually not always good to max arc because you can only re-cast arc lightning when the first one is done ‘bouncing’ and since level 4 hits 15 targets, the cooldown is often over before the lightning finishes bouncing. In rare occasions sometimes you might want to go Stats/Bolt/Bolt/Stats/Bolt/Ult/Bolt/static/arc/static/etc – I’ll explain that more later in soloing.
Core Items
Nulls/Bracers: I started getting 3 nulls instead of arcane ring when Nerubian Assassin was popular. I feel that maximum hp / mana is very important on fragile int heroes: Feel free to make bracers instead.
Point Booster: Since a lot of battles are 2v2 3v3 or whatever from full health to death, mass hp is the most important factor for survival. Point Booster provides great hp/mana for its cost.
Bottle: Enables you to control the lane, have regen, and if you are soloing mid, collecting runes is very essential to your game.
Luxury Items
Guinsoo’s Scythe of Vyse: Lategame, having a guinsoo will work wonders for your team – great stats, imba range, and mana regen, and of course hex is a priceless ability.
Boots of Travel: It is a standard choice on Zeus for mobility and movespeed.
Other Items
Arcane Ring: You dont see many people going for mana regen or arcane because those only help with the laning phase and since zeus is such a glass cannon, he is often focused first.
Other Lategame Items: If you farm more than a guinsoo etc., you are probably farming too much (taking away from carries) or not fighting enough, or both. Zeus is still very potent late game, but reserve the farm for heroes on your team who are more item dependent.
Playing Zeus
Early Game: For starters, its 4 branches + 3 clarities + eaters (tangoes). Since I tend to solo middle when I play Zeus, I rush bottle to get the quick lane advantage. Usually my build is 3 nulls, boots, tp scrolls, and bottle.
Attack Animation: His ‘wind-up’ (frontswing) is very long, but you can use that to your advantage to ’s- cancel your attack and out-lasthit your opponent. Many players rely on Arc Lightning too much.
Lane Control: Arc pushes the lane and is also dependent on clarity potions, but pushing the lane also gives you free time to check the runes, so you have to weigh both choices. Both Arc and Bolt have a range of 700, enabling you to stay out of danger when casting
Strong Enemies: Against a good laner, Bolt/Stats build is needed sometimes against Shadow Fiend or Silencer. It’s important to get early last hits against SF, and stats helps with both allied/denied units (obviously, Arc only works for offensive purposes). When dealing with a really problematic hero like Broodmother, make sure you keep a tp scroll on you at level 6 and definitely go Arc. Try to rune whore it with bottle while keeping sentries up (from teammates) and you should do ok. Go gank the side lanes 
“>
Oh, maybe try out the stats/bolt build a few times so you can work on last hitting with zeus 
The 5 MYM|Merlini Golden Rules
1. Always Lightning Bolt before Arc
It may seem better to arc before lightning to get maximum effect from static field but if you arc first you may lose your opponent in the fog
2. Always ALWAYS watch your positioning
Lightning bolt has a hell of a long range, Thundergod’s Wrath has infinite range, and Arc has pretty damn long range too, so there is almost no reason to be ‘up close and personal’ in battle unless you are chasing down heroes
3. Wrath for Vision
When trying to kill low hp heroes (low, but not low enough for wrath only) in hard to navigate areas (e.g. below sentinel bottom right tower), use wrath to gain vision of your enemy so you can bolt them to death.
4. Share control with your allies
Communicating to a teammate to do something is always much slower than doing it yourself
5. Abuse Bolt Range
Try to ninja that extra bolt in before team fights actually start – it has ridiculous range and helps in battles way more than you think.
Replays
Sentinel: 
Scourge: 
Description: This is a friendly game played recently where I solo mid against QoP.
The Priestess of the Moon
Hey fellow friends. This is Sacred with my first ever guide. Why I choose to write about PoTM is simple because of the fact that Dota SG lacks PoTM guides. I will try to make this guide as detailed and as simple to understand. Criticisms are always welcomed. Without further ado, I shall start.
Mirana Nightshade - Priestess of the Moon
Range: 600 | Move Speed: 300
Primary: AGI
Str: 17 + 1.85 | Agi: 20 + 2.75 | Int: 17 + 1.65
Damage: 38 - 49 | HP: 473 | Mana: 221
HP Regen: 0.76 | Mana Regen: 0.69
Attack Speed: 1.14 | Armor: 1
Range: 600 | Move Speed: 300
Primary: AGI
Str: 17 + 1.85 | Agi: 20 + 2.75 | Int: 17 + 1.65
Damage: 38 - 49 | HP: 473 | Mana: 221
HP Regen: 0.76 | Mana Regen: 0.69
Attack Speed: 1.14 | Armor: 1
A matriarch and high priestess of Elune`s blessed order, Mirana Nightshade serves as a light in darkness for the front line of the Sentinel ranks, raining arrows and falling stars alike upon the shambling undead masses of the Undead Scourge, while her very presence is said to be so holy that it melts away the fatigue of nearby allies, giving them greater haste on the battlefield. In times of need however, she can fade herself and others around her into the safety of invisibility, making her a potent supporter matched by few.
Starfall™
Calls down a wave of meteors to damage each nearby enemy. If enemy is farther than 600 range, it has a 60% chance to still hit him. One random enemy unit within 200 aoe will get hit again for half the damage.
Level 1 - 75 damage per wave.
Level 2 - 150 damage per wave.
Level 3 - 225 damage per wave.
Level 4 - 300 damage per wave.
Cooldown: 12 seconds.
Author’s Remarks: Your bread and butter move. You will use this primarily for harassing and farming. It can also be used to initiate battle. Starfall and Radiance are quite a pair in farming.
Elune's Arrow™
Fires an arrow to a location with deadly precision, dealing large damage and stunning the first unit it strikes. Stun duration increases based on how far the target is, ranging from 0.5 to 5 seconds.
Level 1 - Deals 90 damage.
Level 2 - Deals 180 damage.
Level 3 - Deals 270 damage.
Level 4 - Deals 360 damage.
Cooldown: 25 seconds.
Author’s Remarks: This is what makes me love POtM. If you successfully hit an opponent with arrow, he is a good as dead. Imagine a 5 secs stun. You can dismember him anyway you want. Of course, this takes practice to master but once you master it, you will be an asset to your team and a threat to the opponents. Aiming this is almost the same as Pudge’s hook. Only thing, Pudge’s hook flies faster ( I think ). More on this later.
Leap™
Mirana's wild Frostsaber leaps forward into battle, empowering allies with a ferocious roar upon landing. Movement and Attack Speed bonus lasts 10 seconds.
Level 1 - 400 range. 4% speed increase.
Level 2 - 450 range. 8% speed increase.
Level 3 - 500 range. 12% speed increase.
Level 4 - 550 range. 16% speed increase.
Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Author’s Remarks: One of two escape tools you have. The key is to be sure where you want to Leap to and look at that direction. I have seen many n00bs on BNet, in the heat of battle, they leap straight into their opponents and get owned. Also, when you leap, you are invulnerable. But if you get ruptured, don’t think of leaping as you will take damage ( Someone clear this for me ). Apart from the range, you get a movement speed bonus aura that will benefit both you and your allies. A 16% increase may seem negligible but trust me, it is significant.
Moonlight Shadow™
Turns Nightshade and all allied heroes invisible. If Invisiblity is broken, it gets restored after the fade time during the shadow duration.
Level 1 - Lasts 7 seconds. 2.5 second fade time.
Level 2 - Lasts 9 seconds. 2 second fade time.
Level 3 - Lasts 11 seconds. 1.5 second fade time.
Cooldown: 160 seconds.
Author’s Remarks: Your ultimate. Finally a skill in DoTA that makes all allies invisible. Most of the time ( about 9/10 times ), I have seen this being used only defensively. This can work wonders if used offensively. Imagine 5 opponents pushing mid and suddenly 5 heroes pop around you. By the time they realize what happens, chances are, they are dead. More on this later.
PROS: Have 2 escape skills ( Can leap into fray, kill and windwalk away)
Can farm extremely well
Early game harasser, late game damage dealer
360 damage stun that can stun up to 5 secs
CONS: Low HP
Low Mana
Maybe target for ganks
Most importantly, Very Item-Dependent
As you can see, the cons can be easily remedied with cheap equipment such as bracers, nulls and observer wards. Also, if you can farm properly, items shouldn’t be a problem. As such, there is absolutely no reason why you should not play POtM.
The Skill Build
Level 1 - Starfall
Level 2 - Leap
Level 3 - Starfall
Level 4 - Elune's Arrow
Level 5 - Starfall
Level 6 - Elune's Arrow
Level 7 - Starfall
Level 8 - Elune's Arrow
Level 9 - Elune's Arrow
Level 10 - Moonlight Shadow
Level 11 - Moonlight Shadow
Level 12 – Leap
Level 13 - Leap
Level 14 - Leap
Level 15 - Stats
Level 16 - Moonlight Shadow
Level 17-25 – Stats
Reason for Skill Build : This should be the standard POtM build, no matter what equipment you choose. Starfall early for harassing. One level of Leap is learnt for sticky situations. Arrow for the much needed stun. Moonlight Shadow is learnt later as you wont have mana to use it. The rest is all logical.
Item Build
Starting Items
Early Game Items
Finishing Items
Explanation of item build:
Stout shield is gotten as starting item for vanguard later. Circlet for your null or bracer and clarity for your early game mana usage.
Now comes the fun part. WHY THE HELL DID I CHOOSE VANGUARD? After experimenting with different builds, I found out vanguard works wonders on PoTM. First of all, you got low life. Vanguard more than covers that It also gives you life regeneration. Also consider this situation. You are hundred gold more to complete an item but you are low on life. Vanguard covers that and you can battle neutral without fear. Vanguard can also help you out in farming as you can tank a bit. If you are still not convinced, PoTM gets vanguard for the same reason Viper gets vanguard. Lets move on. You can opt for 2 bracers, 2 nulls or one of each. I personally feel one of each is sufficient.
Now the final build. I understand its quite hard to obtain the items in a standard game. By the time you build up radiance, game should have ended. In the rare event it has not ended though, feel free to complete. OK. First of all, lets discuss Desolator. To understand why you should get Deso, you must understand the following statement:
PoTM is a early game caster, later game damage dealer.
Now if you understand that statement, you will agree with my item build. While your starfall and arrow are sufficient early game, it lacks fire power late game. As such, PoTM transforms in to a damage dealer. Also, remember you are damage dealer like Clinkz and not a tanker. You should stay back and fight. More on this later in the Walkthrough. Desolator is your first item to get your holy shit. I am aware a simple platemail will negate the minus armour. Nevertheless, raw fire power is enough. This coupled with MKB will make you be feared in the battlefield. Radiance is gotten for farming and the evasion. By now, within a few hits, opponents would be dead. To complete the build, finish Buriza and jump in joy seeing the ever so frequent red numbers.
Optional Items:
Empty Bottle
Empty bottle can be bought seeing it as an investment. With your low HP and Mana, Bottle is a worthy choice. I exclude this from my build as this will delay the time you can complete vanguard.
Arcane Ring
You can get this if you want but I advice against it because of the same reason I have given for the Bottle.
Linken’s Sphere
I can actually see this in my item build if you plan to go defensive a little. If you want to get this, get this instead of Buriza and get it after your Deso.
Observer Wards
If your teammates are the type who do not say heroes are missing or if you want to be extra careful, get these. Plant them at river exits, behind trees and rune areas.
Heart of Tarasque
A tempting item indeed. It covers nicely for your lack of HP. Also an added 11 HP/Sec regen doesn’t hurt. As you would have guessed, If you are getting this item get this instead of Buriza. What if your Buriza slot is already taken by Linken’s Sphere? Get this instead of Radiance in that case. No matter what, Desolator and MKB mustn’t be separated. They are a pair made in heaven. They work hand in hand to get you your kills. * Note * : I recommend that if you get Linken’s, skip this or vice versa. I believe going too defensive isn’t good, especially for a hero like PoTM who is item-dependent.
Items Not to Get:
Black King Bar
Black King Bar is exactly the same as MoM. Why u ask? MoM is a double edge sword. Ditto for BKB. How many countless time you see a Naix avartar but no one runs? Any good team will stay and fight the Naix. He would be dead before he can say “ Oh Shit ”. Now imagine PoTM with BKB. She leaps in and screams “ Kosmorton!!”. On top of that, she expands in size. Almost immediately, your life will start to drop. And seeing that your life is not remarkably huge, you will be dead. There is also a Clinkz guide here, in the premium guides section I think, that says BKB is a must for Clinkz. I agree to a certain extend. You can pick of lone hero's like CM at ease seeing they cant stop you with Avartar. But Avatar doesen't help you in team battles. You, as a fragile but good damage dealer, should stand back and shoot. Not get into the thick of the action. I think my reasons are sufficient enough and I will not discuss further in this matter.
Hey fellow friends. This is Sacred with my first ever guide. Why I choose to write about PoTM is simple because of the fact that Dota SG lacks PoTM guides. I will try to make this guide as detailed and as simple to understand. Criticisms are always welcomed. Without further ado, I shall start.
Mirana Nightshade - Priestess of the Moon
Range: 600 | Move Speed: 300
Primary: AGI
Str: 17 + 1.85 | Agi: 20 + 2.75 | Int: 17 + 1.65
Damage: 38 - 49 | HP: 473 | Mana: 221
HP Regen: 0.76 | Mana Regen: 0.69
Attack Speed: 1.14 | Armor: 1
Range: 600 | Move Speed: 300
Primary: AGI
Str: 17 + 1.85 | Agi: 20 + 2.75 | Int: 17 + 1.65
Damage: 38 - 49 | HP: 473 | Mana: 221
HP Regen: 0.76 | Mana Regen: 0.69
Attack Speed: 1.14 | Armor: 1
A matriarch and high priestess of Elune`s blessed order, Mirana Nightshade serves as a light in darkness for the front line of the Sentinel ranks, raining arrows and falling stars alike upon the shambling undead masses of the Undead Scourge, while her very presence is said to be so holy that it melts away the fatigue of nearby allies, giving them greater haste on the battlefield. In times of need however, she can fade herself and others around her into the safety of invisibility, making her a potent supporter matched by few.
Starfall™
Calls down a wave of meteors to damage each nearby enemy. If enemy is farther than 600 range, it has a 60% chance to still hit him. One random enemy unit within 200 aoe will get hit again for half the damage.
Level 1 - 75 damage per wave.
Level 2 - 150 damage per wave.
Level 3 - 225 damage per wave.
Level 4 - 300 damage per wave.
Cooldown: 12 seconds.
Author’s Remarks: Your bread and butter move. You will use this primarily for harassing and farming. It can also be used to initiate battle. Starfall and Radiance are quite a pair in farming.
Elune's Arrow™
Fires an arrow to a location with deadly precision, dealing large damage and stunning the first unit it strikes. Stun duration increases based on how far the target is, ranging from 0.5 to 5 seconds.
Level 1 - Deals 90 damage.
Level 2 - Deals 180 damage.
Level 3 - Deals 270 damage.
Level 4 - Deals 360 damage.
Cooldown: 25 seconds.
Author’s Remarks: This is what makes me love POtM. If you successfully hit an opponent with arrow, he is a good as dead. Imagine a 5 secs stun. You can dismember him anyway you want. Of course, this takes practice to master but once you master it, you will be an asset to your team and a threat to the opponents. Aiming this is almost the same as Pudge’s hook. Only thing, Pudge’s hook flies faster ( I think ). More on this later.
Leap™
Mirana's wild Frostsaber leaps forward into battle, empowering allies with a ferocious roar upon landing. Movement and Attack Speed bonus lasts 10 seconds.
Level 1 - 400 range. 4% speed increase.
Level 2 - 450 range. 8% speed increase.
Level 3 - 500 range. 12% speed increase.
Level 4 - 550 range. 16% speed increase.
Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Author’s Remarks: One of two escape tools you have. The key is to be sure where you want to Leap to and look at that direction. I have seen many n00bs on BNet, in the heat of battle, they leap straight into their opponents and get owned. Also, when you leap, you are invulnerable. But if you get ruptured, don’t think of leaping as you will take damage ( Someone clear this for me ). Apart from the range, you get a movement speed bonus aura that will benefit both you and your allies. A 16% increase may seem negligible but trust me, it is significant.
Moonlight Shadow™
Turns Nightshade and all allied heroes invisible. If Invisiblity is broken, it gets restored after the fade time during the shadow duration.
Level 1 - Lasts 7 seconds. 2.5 second fade time.
Level 2 - Lasts 9 seconds. 2 second fade time.
Level 3 - Lasts 11 seconds. 1.5 second fade time.
Cooldown: 160 seconds.
Author’s Remarks: Your ultimate. Finally a skill in DoTA that makes all allies invisible. Most of the time ( about 9/10 times ), I have seen this being used only defensively. This can work wonders if used offensively. Imagine 5 opponents pushing mid and suddenly 5 heroes pop around you. By the time they realize what happens, chances are, they are dead. More on this later.
PROS: Have 2 escape skills ( Can leap into fray, kill and windwalk away)
Can farm extremely well
Early game harasser, late game damage dealer
360 damage stun that can stun up to 5 secs
CONS: Low HP
Low Mana
Maybe target for ganks
Most importantly, Very Item-Dependent
As you can see, the cons can be easily remedied with cheap equipment such as bracers, nulls and observer wards. Also, if you can farm properly, items shouldn’t be a problem. As such, there is absolutely no reason why you should not play POtM.
The Skill Build
Level 1 - Starfall
Level 2 - Leap
Level 3 - Starfall
Level 4 - Elune's Arrow
Level 5 - Starfall
Level 6 - Elune's Arrow
Level 7 - Starfall
Level 8 - Elune's Arrow
Level 9 - Elune's Arrow
Level 10 - Moonlight Shadow
Level 11 - Moonlight Shadow
Level 12 – Leap
Level 13 - Leap
Level 14 - Leap
Level 15 - Stats
Level 16 - Moonlight Shadow
Level 17-25 – Stats
Reason for Skill Build : This should be the standard POtM build, no matter what equipment you choose. Starfall early for harassing. One level of Leap is learnt for sticky situations. Arrow for the much needed stun. Moonlight Shadow is learnt later as you wont have mana to use it. The rest is all logical.
Item Build
Starting Items
Early Game Items
Finishing Items
Explanation of item build:
Stout shield is gotten as starting item for vanguard later. Circlet for your null or bracer and clarity for your early game mana usage.
Now comes the fun part. WHY THE HELL DID I CHOOSE VANGUARD? After experimenting with different builds, I found out vanguard works wonders on PoTM. First of all, you got low life. Vanguard more than covers that It also gives you life regeneration. Also consider this situation. You are hundred gold more to complete an item but you are low on life. Vanguard covers that and you can battle neutral without fear. Vanguard can also help you out in farming as you can tank a bit. If you are still not convinced, PoTM gets vanguard for the same reason Viper gets vanguard. Lets move on. You can opt for 2 bracers, 2 nulls or one of each. I personally feel one of each is sufficient.
Now the final build. I understand its quite hard to obtain the items in a standard game. By the time you build up radiance, game should have ended. In the rare event it has not ended though, feel free to complete. OK. First of all, lets discuss Desolator. To understand why you should get Deso, you must understand the following statement:
PoTM is a early game caster, later game damage dealer.
Now if you understand that statement, you will agree with my item build. While your starfall and arrow are sufficient early game, it lacks fire power late game. As such, PoTM transforms in to a damage dealer. Also, remember you are damage dealer like Clinkz and not a tanker. You should stay back and fight. More on this later in the Walkthrough. Desolator is your first item to get your holy shit. I am aware a simple platemail will negate the minus armour. Nevertheless, raw fire power is enough. This coupled with MKB will make you be feared in the battlefield. Radiance is gotten for farming and the evasion. By now, within a few hits, opponents would be dead. To complete the build, finish Buriza and jump in joy seeing the ever so frequent red numbers.
Optional Items:
Empty Bottle
Empty bottle can be bought seeing it as an investment. With your low HP and Mana, Bottle is a worthy choice. I exclude this from my build as this will delay the time you can complete vanguard.
Arcane Ring
You can get this if you want but I advice against it because of the same reason I have given for the Bottle.
Linken’s Sphere
I can actually see this in my item build if you plan to go defensive a little. If you want to get this, get this instead of Buriza and get it after your Deso.
Observer Wards
If your teammates are the type who do not say heroes are missing or if you want to be extra careful, get these. Plant them at river exits, behind trees and rune areas.
Heart of Tarasque
A tempting item indeed. It covers nicely for your lack of HP. Also an added 11 HP/Sec regen doesn’t hurt. As you would have guessed, If you are getting this item get this instead of Buriza. What if your Buriza slot is already taken by Linken’s Sphere? Get this instead of Radiance in that case. No matter what, Desolator and MKB mustn’t be separated. They are a pair made in heaven. They work hand in hand to get you your kills. * Note * : I recommend that if you get Linken’s, skip this or vice versa. I believe going too defensive isn’t good, especially for a hero like PoTM who is item-dependent.
Items Not to Get:
Black King Bar
Black King Bar is exactly the same as MoM. Why u ask? MoM is a double edge sword. Ditto for BKB. How many countless time you see a Naix avartar but no one runs? Any good team will stay and fight the Naix. He would be dead before he can say “ Oh Shit ”. Now imagine PoTM with BKB. She leaps in and screams “ Kosmorton!!”. On top of that, she expands in size. Almost immediately, your life will start to drop. And seeing that your life is not remarkably huge, you will be dead. There is also a Clinkz guide here, in the premium guides section I think, that says BKB is a must for Clinkz. I agree to a certain extend. You can pick of lone hero's like CM at ease seeing they cant stop you with Avartar. But Avatar doesen't help you in team battles. You, as a fragile but good damage dealer, should stand back and shoot. Not get into the thick of the action. I think my reasons are sufficient enough and I will not discuss further in this matter.
CONTINUED
Any ORB-EFFECT items
The reason is simple. Orb effects do not stack. I believe desolator is a better choice for PoTM than these items.
Now we got those out of the way, we can look at the Walkthrough.
How to use PoTM’s Abilities:
Starfall- (1) Harassment— Really good at softening up opponents
early in the game
(2) Finisher- Can be used to finish opponents
(3) Farming- Farming is a breeze. Just press ‘T' and
watch.
Elune’s Arrow- (1) Stun- Duh.
(2) Nuke- If Pudge has hook, You have this.
360 dmg!!!
(3) Catch feeling opponents- Just aim at
at direction
He is heading to and watch
Your arrow hit.
Leap- (1) Escape- Like another Duh.
(2) Speed Boost Aura- Secondary purpose. Mainly for
escape.
Moonlight Shadow- (1) Escape- The third Duh. Your second escape.
But be warned. Casting it too late
May be fatal.
(2) Ambush- Let your opponents push, cast
Moonlight and backstab them
Gameplay Walkthrough
Level 1- 11
When you start, grab your stout shield, circlet and clarity pot and head top for Sentinel and bottom for Scrouge as they are nearer the Secret Shop. I would prefer a partner as your skills can mix well with your allies. As with any other damage dealer, your job early game is to farm. Her range is great (600). Use that to your advantage and harass opponents who come in for last hits. Do last hits yourself and farm for your Vanguard. If you are unlucky and chance upon nukers, play defensive until at least you have obtained you Ring of Health. Once you are around Level 7 or 8, and see heroes with less than half life, you can hunt them. Remember to have enough mana to pull of your combo. Hide behind the tree. Let them leave the comfort zone of their towers. Another important point to note is that the hero should be alone for this to work effectively. Notice their mana. If they have almost none to use any skills, they are food for your tiger. Once they do not have protection of the tower, aim properly at the hero and leap. Starfall straight away and start hitting. Most of the time, with level 4 starfall, they should die. In the rare occasion they have not died, chase and stun. 99 % of the time they will be dead. If they are not dead, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT bother chasing. Tower can be a real menace to you with your low life. The tide of the battle can easily be turned and the hunter will be the hunted. Be happy he have left, warn your team mates hero missing, and start farming.
Mid Game
Level 11-16
This is where you can start to hunt. By this time you should be finishing Desolator. This is the time Ultimates are at level 2. You should be as defensive as you are offensive. Hunt with your team mates. Anything goes wrong, use Moonlight and start running. One thing to note about your Moonlight. If you want to use it, use it early and not at the last moment. Remember your windwalk have a fade time unlike Bone’s or Bounty Hunter’s windwalk. This is also the phase of the match where your role from caster shifts to damage dealer. Always remember. Strength lies in numbers. Ambush together. Or if the hero is weak enough with no natural escape abilities such as Zues or Sniper, feel free kill them alone. But be aware of baits. Zues and Sniper are typical baits. If you sense everyone is missing and a half HP Zeus is farming alone at top, do not bother hunting him down. Always remember to Play Smart.
Late Game
Level 16-25
This part of the game is Pushing, Pushing and more Pushing. As always, stick to your allies and push. Your MKB should be completed or even Radiance can be finished. Spam starfall to clear creeps. They should be down in mere seconds with Radiance. If opponents offer weak resistance, crush them and continue on your path. If something goes wrong and your only tanker is dead for some reason, Moonlight and save the rest of your teammates. Without a tanker, you are food for the opponents. Remember to stay back and shoot and not be a front line fighter. At this part of the game, lone heroes are can be killed within a few hit, even for strength heroes. When you are defending your tower at base, use Moonlight out of sight and walk behind them with your allies. After this, throw all your combos at them. 75% of the time, your team should triumph and be quick on the counter attack.
Best Allies
If you have 2 or more of these heroes with a PoTM, consider the match won. How you ask? Just moonlight, walk behind them, and wreck havoc. A whole team of 5 may be down in under 10 secs.
Any ORB-EFFECT items
The reason is simple. Orb effects do not stack. I believe desolator is a better choice for PoTM than these items.
Now we got those out of the way, we can look at the Walkthrough.
How to use PoTM’s Abilities:
Starfall- (1) Harassment— Really good at softening up opponents
early in the game
(2) Finisher- Can be used to finish opponents
(3) Farming- Farming is a breeze. Just press ‘T' and
watch.
Elune’s Arrow- (1) Stun- Duh.
(2) Nuke- If Pudge has hook, You have this.
360 dmg!!!
(3) Catch feeling opponents- Just aim at
at direction
He is heading to and watch
Your arrow hit.
Leap- (1) Escape- Like another Duh.
(2) Speed Boost Aura- Secondary purpose. Mainly for
escape.
Moonlight Shadow- (1) Escape- The third Duh. Your second escape.
But be warned. Casting it too late
May be fatal.
(2) Ambush- Let your opponents push, cast
Moonlight and backstab them
Gameplay Walkthrough
Level 1- 11
When you start, grab your stout shield, circlet and clarity pot and head top for Sentinel and bottom for Scrouge as they are nearer the Secret Shop. I would prefer a partner as your skills can mix well with your allies. As with any other damage dealer, your job early game is to farm. Her range is great (600). Use that to your advantage and harass opponents who come in for last hits. Do last hits yourself and farm for your Vanguard. If you are unlucky and chance upon nukers, play defensive until at least you have obtained you Ring of Health. Once you are around Level 7 or 8, and see heroes with less than half life, you can hunt them. Remember to have enough mana to pull of your combo. Hide behind the tree. Let them leave the comfort zone of their towers. Another important point to note is that the hero should be alone for this to work effectively. Notice their mana. If they have almost none to use any skills, they are food for your tiger. Once they do not have protection of the tower, aim properly at the hero and leap. Starfall straight away and start hitting. Most of the time, with level 4 starfall, they should die. In the rare occasion they have not died, chase and stun. 99 % of the time they will be dead. If they are not dead, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT bother chasing. Tower can be a real menace to you with your low life. The tide of the battle can easily be turned and the hunter will be the hunted. Be happy he have left, warn your team mates hero missing, and start farming.
Mid Game
Level 11-16
This is where you can start to hunt. By this time you should be finishing Desolator. This is the time Ultimates are at level 2. You should be as defensive as you are offensive. Hunt with your team mates. Anything goes wrong, use Moonlight and start running. One thing to note about your Moonlight. If you want to use it, use it early and not at the last moment. Remember your windwalk have a fade time unlike Bone’s or Bounty Hunter’s windwalk. This is also the phase of the match where your role from caster shifts to damage dealer. Always remember. Strength lies in numbers. Ambush together. Or if the hero is weak enough with no natural escape abilities such as Zues or Sniper, feel free kill them alone. But be aware of baits. Zues and Sniper are typical baits. If you sense everyone is missing and a half HP Zeus is farming alone at top, do not bother hunting him down. Always remember to Play Smart.
Late Game
Level 16-25
This part of the game is Pushing, Pushing and more Pushing. As always, stick to your allies and push. Your MKB should be completed or even Radiance can be finished. Spam starfall to clear creeps. They should be down in mere seconds with Radiance. If opponents offer weak resistance, crush them and continue on your path. If something goes wrong and your only tanker is dead for some reason, Moonlight and save the rest of your teammates. Without a tanker, you are food for the opponents. Remember to stay back and shoot and not be a front line fighter. At this part of the game, lone heroes are can be killed within a few hit, even for strength heroes. When you are defending your tower at base, use Moonlight out of sight and walk behind them with your allies. After this, throw all your combos at them. 75% of the time, your team should triumph and be quick on the counter attack.
Best Allies
If you have 2 or more of these heroes with a PoTM, consider the match won. How you ask? Just moonlight, walk behind them, and wreck havoc. A whole team of 5 may be down in under 10 secs.
CONTINUED ( because of image restrictions)
Worst Enemies
The NO.1 enemy to almost any hero in DoTA, the anti mage can really screw you. Early game, he may be food for you but late game, you are food for him. First, he burns all your mana in seconds. You cant leap and Moonlight. If you stay and fight, it comes down to DPS. Your DPS is really high late game but his natural attack speed is higher than you. Even if he is about to die, he just blinks away.
Counter: The moment you see him alone, Moonlight away to safety. Sadly that’s the only counter you have for him. Or you could ask your team to mass Guinsoo. If that’s the case, he should be really pissed and leave quite soon.
He can really hurt your early game play. A simple stun + toss combo is enough to kill you early game. Late game, he stun and toss, you still take considerable damage.
Counter: Early game, request for ganks. Late game, you can eat him for lunch as by the time he reaches you, he should be dead. If he gets dagger, it will be a bit of problem but nothing PoTM cant handle I bet.
Definitely on the Top 5 feared list for the PoTM, as a matter of fact, any hero. He time walks in, chronosphere, and seconds later you are dead. Yup. Thats sad reality.
Counter: DO NOT LET HIM FARM AT ALL EARLY GAME. Assign team mates to scout neutral creep positions or use observer wards. You should keep ganging him early game if you want to survive late game.
The Mana burner. He burns your mana a little at a time leaving you at his mercy. However, he is a threat only early to mid game.
Counter: If you have him in your lane, request for lane change. Also don’t let him farm. A well fed NA with dagon is more than a threat for you.
Conclusion
Finally I am finished with this guide. I will add screenshots later. Also this guide is a little uncompleted ( How to use your Skills etc.). I will update this soon enough. Cheers!!
Worst Enemies
The NO.1 enemy to almost any hero in DoTA, the anti mage can really screw you. Early game, he may be food for you but late game, you are food for him. First, he burns all your mana in seconds. You cant leap and Moonlight. If you stay and fight, it comes down to DPS. Your DPS is really high late game but his natural attack speed is higher than you. Even if he is about to die, he just blinks away.
Counter: The moment you see him alone, Moonlight away to safety. Sadly that’s the only counter you have for him. Or you could ask your team to mass Guinsoo. If that’s the case, he should be really pissed and leave quite soon.
He can really hurt your early game play. A simple stun + toss combo is enough to kill you early game. Late game, he stun and toss, you still take considerable damage.
Counter: Early game, request for ganks. Late game, you can eat him for lunch as by the time he reaches you, he should be dead. If he gets dagger, it will be a bit of problem but nothing PoTM cant handle I bet.
Definitely on the Top 5 feared list for the PoTM, as a matter of fact, any hero. He time walks in, chronosphere, and seconds later you are dead. Yup. Thats sad reality.
Counter: DO NOT LET HIM FARM AT ALL EARLY GAME. Assign team mates to scout neutral creep positions or use observer wards. You should keep ganging him early game if you want to survive late game.
The Mana burner. He burns your mana a little at a time leaving you at his mercy. However, he is a threat only early to mid game.
Counter: If you have him in your lane, request for lane change. Also don’t let him farm. A well fed NA with dagon is more than a threat for you.
Conclusion
Finally I am finished with this guide. I will add screenshots later. Also this guide is a little uncompleted ( How to use your Skills etc.). I will update this soon enough. Cheers!!
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