Abilities, roles and builds with an explanation for every purchase.
HERO GAME PLANI find several targets for Burrowstrike and Epicenter, then hold the fight area.
Not many can survive an ambush from Sand King. Demolishing everything around him with waves of deadly vibration from his ultimate, he evades counterattacks by hiding himself in a scouring gust of sand, and stuns foes by striking them from beneath.
My recommendation is a starting point. We choose another position together with the team and for its needs.
My resource is the team's space: I hold the lane and build for initiation or team protection.
Levels, lane control and joining the team at the right moment matter.
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.
Changes the entry angle and lets me reach a target quickly. Damage taken can prevent its use.
Provides a window for my actions against eligible magical damage and disables. I check effects that pierce the protection.
Adds armor and pressure in an area, helping limit the enemy’s health restoration.
Unlocks or upgrades Epicenter. The exact effects are shown below in the abilities section.
Pipe of Insight ↗Provides team protection against substantial magical damage.
Octarine Core ↗Reduces cooldowns when my impact is limited by how often my spells are available.
Wind Waker ↗Improves your escape plan and gives you more freedom of movement while lifted.
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.
The hero burrows into the ground and tunnels forward, stunning and damaging enemies in his path. Applies Caustic Finale to heroes hit.
Sand King burrows into the ground and tunnels forward, damaging and stunning enemy units above him as he resurfaces. Adds Caustic Finale poison to heroes hit Can be put on alt-cast to immediately cast in the desired direction, without walking towards the targeted location.
Sand King creates a fearsome sandstorm that damages enemy units and grants Sand King Invisibility while he is in it. The effect ends when Sand King leaves the area.
Sand King strikes an area, performing an attack on all enemies in the area of effect, dealing extra damage to each. Enemies within an innermost radius of 125 take 40% extra damage. Applies Caustic Finale and a slow to all enemies hit.
Sand King strikes an area, performing an attack on all enemies in the area of effect, dealing extra damage to each. Enemies within an innermost radius of 125 take 40% extra damage. Applies Caustic Finale and a slow to all enemies hit.
In the central area, a Caustic Finale explosion with modified damage triggers at enemy heroes’ positions. Does not apply to the strikes from the Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade.
After a 2 sec. preparation, the hero violently shakes the ground around himself. The earthquake damages and slows enemies and increases in radius with each successive pulse.
After a 2 sec. preparation, the hero violently shakes the ground around himself. The earthquake damages and slows enemies and increases in radius with each successive pulse.
When the pulses begin, every 0.5 sec., the Stinger effect is applied in 3 random areas each sized at 35% of Epicenter’s current radius, dealing 40% of its damage. Pulses from Aghanim's Shard create 1 area each.
Creates one small pulse from this ability every 3 sec.
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.
Sand King's attacks inject a venom that causes enemy units to violently explode when they die that does a flat amount of damage and an additional amount based on the dying units max health.
Sand King's attacks inject a venom that causes enemy units to violently explode when they die that does a flat amount of damage and an additional amount based on the dying units max health.
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.
