Abilities, roles and builds with an explanation for every purchase.
HERO GAME PLANI strengthen an ally’s initiation with Ink Swell and link suitable targets with Soulbind.
Skilled at manipulating battle from the outskirts, Grimstroke studies every movement and assesses each line, deciding when to emerge from inky darkness to disable his victims and bind them together with a swipe of his brush. He delights in unleashing phantom thralls to vex opponents, as he carefully considers how to dispatch multiple enemies with one fateful stroke.
My recommendation is a starting point. We choose another position together with the team and for its needs.
Help the lane, provide vision and keep the ally alive first; expensive upgrades follow the necessary team purchases.
I contribute through laning, control and movement. I adapt the expensive core route to my budget.
This is an editorial starting plan based on hero mechanics. It is not presented as a match I have already tested or a popularity ranking.
Here is my initial plan: I do my role's job first, then choose the items the team needs. I adapt the order and expensive purchases to the opponent.
Provide mana for laning and regular ability use.
Lets you use targeted abilities and items from a safer distance.
Adds a protective tool and hides the chosen ally; invisibility does not replace escaping detection.
Moves me or an ally out of danger; direction depends on the target's facing.
Unlocks or upgrades Dark Portrait. The exact effects are shown below in the abilities section.
Aghanim's Shard ↗Unlocks or upgrades Ink Swell. The exact effects are shown below in the abilities section.
Aeon Disk ↗Protects against sudden focus fire. I account for the cooldown and the fact that my damage is limited while it triggers.
Lotus Orb ↗Lets me remove an eligible negative effect and complicates the opponent's targeted focus.
I do not assign one ‘correct’ minute to every purchase. I look at my gold, the next fight and the problem: am I missing mana, target access, control or protection? If an expensive slot will arrive too late, I get a useful answer earlier.
Original Valve icons and descriptions. Cooldowns and mana are shown by level from the data snapshot; talents and upgrades can change the values.
With a sweep of his brush, the hero draws a curved line of ink that damages and slows enemies in its path. Damage increases with each enemy hit.
Grimstroke paints a curved path of ink with his brush, damaging and slowing enemies. The damage is increased with each enemy the ink hits. Can be put on alt-cast to have the path be straight.
Summons a phantom that flies toward the selected target and embraces it, dealing damage over time and silencing it.
Summons a phantom that flies toward the selected target and embraces it, dealing damage over time and silencing it. If the phantom remains attached for the full duration, it deals heavy burst damage and returns to its owner, resetting the ability’s cooldown. One hero attack against the phantom counts as three normal attacks.
The hero coats himself or an ally in ink, increasing movement speed and damaging nearby enemies. After 3 sec., the ink stuns and damages enemies.
Grimstroke shrouds an allied unit in ink, increasing its movement speed. Enemies in range of the allied unit are damaged with inky tendrils over time. After 3 seconds it applies damage and stun in an area around the unit in proportion to how long ink tendril was near any hero.
The ability deals 40% more damage and dispels negative effects from the target when cast. Heals the target for 40% of the damage dealt by the ability. DISPEL TYPE: Basic
Binds the selected enemy hero to their nearest ally, slowing them and preventing them from moving too far apart.
Binds a targeted enemy hero to its nearest allied hero within the bind radius, preventing both from moving away from each other. Any unit-targeted ability that either bound hero receives also gets cast on the other hero. If the bind is broken before the duration expires, the initial target will be bound to its nearest allied hero in the radius.
These abilities are not necessarily available at the same time. I check the condition beside the name: innate ability, another form or an Aghanim purchase.
Creates an ink illusion of a target enemy hero. Illusion is debuff immune, has 90% magic resistance, and has bonus movement speed and attack damage.
Creates an ink illusion of a target enemy hero. Illusion is debuff immune, has 90% magic resistance, and has bonus movement speed and attack damage.
The hero’s attacks and spells apply an effect that causes enemy heroes to leave an ink trail and deal less damage to the ability’s owner. Lasts 4 sec.
The hero’s attacks and spells apply an effect that causes enemy heroes to leave an ink trail and deal less damage to the ability’s owner. Lasts 4 sec.
These are fields from the official source. The hero's final values in the client account for attributes and other active mechanics.
Items, slang and real episodes help connect abilities with what happens in a match.
