Questions and Answer Session #3
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Dota 6.63b AI - DotA-Allstars 6.63b AI 0.212 Map Download
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Dota 6.64 Map - Official Dota-Allstars 6.64 Download News and Update. IceFrog has just release Dota 6.63 with many balances. Now, what do you expect for Dota 6.64? What kind of new hero you wanted for Dota-Allstars 6.64? Or maybe you wanna new items? Share all your thoughts about Dota 6.64 in this post! ;)
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Traxex Hero Guide | Dota Hero Guide
Traxex Hero Guide
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Introduction
It all started back when I was still playing seriously in the clan DTD (later iPlay). In clan wars I used to play faceless void, or support Warlock. Except for these two, I wasn't very good with anything else. Or should I say not good enough for leagues? My support Warlock's role was to babysit our carry hero. I was good in babysitting since I knew, what a carry would need for free farming. Later I tried to see, if any other hero could be better, then warlock to babysit a carry. I found that shadow priest, and Viper were good, but not better. They seriously lacked early game lane control. Than I tried Drow, and everything changed. In my opinion: Drow is the best babysitter in Dota today! Reasons? Orb walk on level one with low mana cost and slow, 600 attack range, 1800/1700 sight range (instead of 1800/800).
Babysitters in general are heroes who help their lane partners to gain gold which they normally couldn't due to their lack of early game presence. Babysitting is a subcategory of support. It has nothing to do with other subcategories like ward support. This kind of support lasts from level 1 to maximum level 7. Usually by then the lanes become less occupied.
There are two types of babysitting heroes/styles. First one is the defensive type, based on healing abilities. Whenever the carry gets a beating the supporter heals him back. This way the carry can stay in lane longer. The second type is based on offence. By harassing the opponents non-stop, the carry can farm without worries. Offensive support has better benefits for the carry, but it's more dangerous for the supporter. Some heroes can play both types, like warlock, but heroes like viper or drow can play only offensive support.
The level of support we give to the other hero, is very important. I say other hero, because it doesn't necessary have to be a carry. Heroes like Tauren or Sand King may also need babysitting. There are three levels of support. First level is the zero support. This is what people normally do in a lane. The second level is the balanced support. The third level is the full support. Balanced, and full support are very much alike. You harass massively the opponent, so that he gets out of XP range. The only difference between the two, is that when there's no one to harass, you start farming in balanced support, while in full support you don't. Heroes like Warlock, who aren't very item dependant are better suited for full support. It was very common for me in the old days, that I had more denies, or hero kills, than creeps kills in the first 6 levels of the game. Sometimes others need money more, than you do. Remember! With every creep you kill, your carry becomes weaker.
Gameplay Walkthrough
Normally I would start with the skill and item build, but this guide is special. I will explain everything step by step, since both the play style, and item build should be unorthodox for most players. Even though the drow I play focuses on babysitting, she is still a carry hero herself, so she needs a carry (item) build. However in the first 6 levels of the game, which is the time we babysit someone, the build will be a bit different.
The first two levels are the most important levels for support drow. We will bet everything on these two levels. Just think about it! We have 600 range, and a level one orb attack with no CD. What does the enemy have? Weak nukes, short disables and low move speed, mana, health and armor. Drow is probably the strongest hero on level one. She gets weak extremely fast, but on level one and two she's a beast. What we will do ,is try to harass the opponent(s) out of XP range (or even further) on level one. Normally people don't do that on level one. They try to last hit and farm, as much as possible, and they won't try to get you before level 3. We are not going for the kill. We just want to hurt him, as much as possible. The tactic is simple. If you see someone, harass, and don't stop as long as you don't reach the enemy tower! Get Boots of Seed and a pack of tangoos from the base. If someone starts with boots of speed in a game, he is either a newbie or a pro player. I'm sure that I don't have to mention the games where high level players started with boots, and were able to own their lane's. I remember a Yurnero and a pugna doing extremely well. Think about it, pugna, the hero with the second best move speed going for boots. This is the same concept. With the additional effect of your frost arrows, the difference in MS will most likely be close to 90. That's like having a Boots of Travel on level 1!
- level 1: Frost Arrows
- level 2: Stats
- level 3: Frost Arrows
- level 4: Stats
- level 5: Frost Arrows
- level 6: Marksmanship
- level 7: Silence
- level 8: Frost Arrows
- level 9-10: Trueshot Aura
- level 11: Marksmanship
- level 12-13: Trueshot Aura
- level 14-15: Silence
- level 16: Marksmanship
- level 17: Silence
OR 
OR 
Skill Build Justification. Why max frost arrows first? The slower the enemy gets, the longer you can chase, and deal more damage. Why early stats? Drow's agi gain is bad, and since we will be very offensive, every point of damage counts. Stats also gives a little more hp, and mana for two more arrows, that might be needed for a kill. Why no silence, and why only level one later? Truth be told silence is imba, but thanks to frost arrows we wouldn't have the mana for it. One silence can cost a lot of offensive power. Later we will have the mana pool to cast it thanks to wraith bands. In early mid game we will need the damage from the aura more, than another second of our silence.
Skill usage
Frost Arrows can be autocasted or manually casted. If we cast it manually we will be able to orb walk, that is better early to mid game. Later autocast will be better since our attack time decreases, thanks to AGI. For a Drow player orb walk is a must to know. After the spell is cast, we cancel the rest of the animation, and use that time to catch up with the fleeing opponent. Cancelling the animation can be done by double clicking on the ground near the opponent. If Frost Arrows is on autocast you can still cast it manually to do orbwalk. This can be useful when the opponent is standing or coming for you. Start orbwalking as soon as he starts running. Frost Arrows is great for harassing since it doesn't give you any agro, but don't forget that sometimes that can be bad. If an ally is on low hp and attacked by creeps or the tower, don't hesitate to use normal attacks on the enemy hero to get agro. Also note that the spell has a scary visual effect, that will make most players run, as soon as they see it. If you don't want to scare them away just use your normal attack.
Silence is a very good skill to have. If you think about carry heroes, not many gets an AOE disable, that's not an ultimate. Casting range is huge, it can be casted from 900 units away. Most spells have less range closer to 600. With this we can strike first from afar, which is important for a vulnerable hero like Drow. Casting Silence must become a reflex, if you wish to master this hero. Remember to disable the enemy, before they disable you! Only exceptions would be when the enemy has channelling spells, or magic immunity. It is not wise to use silence before Sand King cats his ultimate. Remember that drow can see 1700 units far even in the night, and that Silence's range is 900, while blink dagger's is 1000. So even if he does have a blink it is possible to break his channelling. Of course, if you can kill the hero before he starts channelling, that's even better. Never hesitate! Just do it! Timing is crucial. You must be faster, than the enemy. Hitting someone with a silence is not really hard, but hitting him before he can move an inch can prove to be difficult.
Movies
There are two movies I would like to share. The first one was made by me. It's a Music video with the best scenes I could get from my replay archive. I spent a lot of time making it, and I think it's the best video I made so far. The Drow Ranger on the second one is played by tottalnewbie. He's way of playing drow can be extremely mortifying for the enemy.
Low Resolution
A little something I made to influence people to:
"Think outside the box!"
Fanart
by Mark, by Sergon, by Sergon, by yonaz, by unknown, by unknown, By Blizzard, By Blizzard
Replays
Note: Replays need older Warcraft 3 version!
This is an inhouse game, played by me and my friends. We were in the same room when we played, and I can tell you, they didn't forget to bash me for my item build. Of course, nobody complained when I killed 4 heroes in the last minute of the game. My builds may be strange, but who cares as long as they work, right? Download!
This is a public game, where me and Avernus lane against Dragon Knight. Thanks to that he becomes really weak, and leaves later. One of my teamate also leaves, so the game ends with eight players. Me owning of course. Download!
Special thanks to totallnewbie for the mindgames moments...
Azwraith Hero Guide | Dota Hero Guide
Juddernaught's Guide to Azwraith
v. 2.1
v. 2.1
Azwraith is a straight forward hero to play, but many people don't understand how to truly make him shine. He is good all game, but strongest during the middle and end of the game due to the sheer strength of his images and his ability to confuse people. He is probably the best late-game hero bar none, yet he takes a little bit of nursing to get there. So how can you become so tricksy? Read on.
This guide will focus on his image generation and his amazing late-game powers. Some heroes have a hard time getting to these very powerful items because they can't farm or the ones that do don't have abilities that compliment the items as well as Azwraith's. Azwraith not only farms with the best of them, but his abilities are geared towards late-game crushing.
Table of ContentsA. Background
B. Stats
C. Role on the Team
D. Skills
E. Item Build
.....Core Items
.....Necessary Items
.....Optional Items
.....Misleading Items
F. Skill Build
G. Strategy
H. Mind Games
I. How To: Images
.....Scouting
.....Drawing Enemy Fire
.....Avoiding Spells
.....Confusing Your Enemy
.....Jungling
.....Slowing Your Enemy
J. Best Friends
.....Disablers
.....Slowers
.....Special Mentions
K. Worst Enemies
.....Cleaving Enemies
.....Area of Effect Enemies
.....True Sight
.....Silencers
.....Special Mention
L. Closing
M. Changelog
BackgroundAlthough his true name is unknown to his allies, Azwraith's assigned name tells you enough. Like the Angel of Death, Azrael, he fights to rid the world of those who choose to embrace undeath. He is able to appear and disappear at will like a wraith, often appearing in many places at once. Azwraith is more than capable of dispatching the undead using his lance, each blow sending them closer to the spirit-realm. This lance is the source of his astounding ability to duplicate himself, whenever it draws blood he can use their life to create weaker copies of himself.
Stats
Starting HP: 492 || Starting MP: 273 || Base Damage: 45-67
Base Armor: 3.2 || Strength: 18 + 2 || Agility: 23 + 2.8 || Intelligence: 21 + 2
Strengths:- Good attack animation
- Good farming and hero-killing
- Many heroes compliment his abilities
- Mind Games!
- Very strong end game
Weaknesses:- Fairly easy to counter with gems, dust, wards, etc.
- Susceptible to battle-fury and cleaving attacks
- Fairly weak early game abilities
- Pretty item dependent
Role on the Team
Azwraith plays a unique role in DotA: image generation. Through his images he is able to crowd control, disrupt planned offensives, push lanes and confuse enemies, creating openings for both himself and allies. Though his images are powerful, they are primarily used late game because his associated skills, Dopplewalk and Spirit Lance, are very powerful early game for offense and survival. Azwraith is capable of a broad range of actions from initiating fights (with images) to dispatching enemies either fighting or fleeing. The key to his success is his images so this guide will focus on maximizing his image generation and image strength.
Skills
Spirit Lance
Throws a magical spirit from his lance at a target damaging it and slowing it down for 3 seconds. An illusion is created attacking the target.Casting range: 750 || Cooldown: 7 seconds
Level 1 - Deals 100 damage and Cripples for 10%. Illusion lasts 2 seconds. (125 Mana)
Level 2 - Deals 150 damage and Cripples for 20%. Illusion lasts 4 seconds. (130 Mana)
Level 3 - Deals 200 damage and Cripples for 30%. Illusion lasts 6 seconds. (135 Mana)
Level 4 - Deals 250 damage and Cripples for 40%. Illusion lasts 8 seconds. (140 Mana)
The Good: This starts out as a decent nuke and remains good throughout the game due to image generation (more me!) and cripple (for chasing and escaping). Plus, it has a fast cooldown, so you usually can use it a few times within a battle. The image automatically attacks the target of the spell, making micro-managing unnecessary. The damage is not blocked by linken's. Plus, it's very spammable and great for hitting those weak intelligence heroes in the back line.
The Bad: It's not that good as a nuke since it only gets to 250. If you have images out and about when you cast this, they will also cast it too to "confuse" the enemy. Unfortunately, you cast faster than your phantom counterparts, showing the enemy where you are. See Mind Games section for using this to your advantage. The slow is blocked by linken's.
Dopple Walk
Allows the Phantom Lancer to become invisible for a period of time, leaving behind a duplicate of himself to confuse enemies. 10% movement bonus at all levels. Lasts 8 seconds. This illusion lasts 20 seconds || Cooldown: Varies per level
Level 1 - 150 mana. 30 second cooldown.
Level 2 - 120 mana. 25 second cooldown.
Level 3 - 90 mana. 20 second cooldown.
Level 4 - 60 mana. 15 second cooldown.
The Good: This is your primary escape mechanism and it's better than wind-walk because there's no transition time and it creates an image to confuse your enemy (more me!) which is ordered to move 600 units from the direction you're facing at the time. See Mindgames Section for using these images as decoys.
The Bad: It only lasts 8 seconds, so get out quick. It costs a lot of mana at first. It's not that good for chasing because it's only a 10% movespeed increase. You can't stay invisible, wait for it to cooldown, then go invisible again (like you can with wind-walk).
Juxtapose
Whenever the Phantom Lancer attacks he will randomly create a duplicate of himself. Limit of 5 images. Duplicates last 15 seconds.Passive Ability || Images deal 25% damage and receive 400%.
Level 1 - 3% chance.
Level 2 - 6% chance.
Level 3 - 9% chance.
Level 4 - 12% chance.
The Good: This is why Azwraith is so good (lots of me!). You can use attack-cancelling to create images very quickly. The 5-image limit doesn't affect images created by runes and Manta Style.
The Bad: The images don't do that much damage on their own and take a lot of damage.
Phantom Edge
Gives the Phantom Lancer an edge in combat by increasing Juxtapose's image generation and increasing magic resistance. Additionally, it enables his images to generate their own images.Passive Ability
Level 1 - 10% magic resistance, 3% chance illusions will duplicate, 2% increase in Juxtapose.
Level 2 - 15% magic resistance, 5% chance illusions will duplicate, 4% increase in Juxtapose.
Level 3 - 20% magic resistance, 7% chance illusions will duplicate, 6% increase in Juxtapose.
The Good: This helps EVERYTHING: your magic resistance, your image generation, and your images' image generation (whole lotta me!).
The Bad: Not much: additional magic resistance stacks with diminishing returns and it's not that strong without at least 1 point in Juxtapose.
Item Build
If you disagree with this build, that's fine, but remember: Azwraith is very item dependent. Get items you can upward convert into what you need.
Core Items
Why? The Circlets are a great starting stat booster for Azwraith plus they upwards convert into either Wraith Bands (which is the build followed in this guide), Bracers (which can be helpful if you need a little HP boost), or Nulls (if you are a fan of spamming your lance). The Tangoes and Clarities are necessary because it allows Azwraith to take a few hits when scoring last hits on creeps and offers a little spammability on the lance. These should allow you to survive until you can get your skills up, especially if you're creep pulling and last hitting.
Then the Circlets are then converted into Wraith Bands (the IAS is cheap plus you get stat boosts for mana and strength). Then you get boots because his base movespeed of 290 is very slow. You then focus on getting Diffusal as this will carry you through mid game and into late game. Do not underestimate purge. It help images (see How To: Images section) but it's purge is perfect for chasing: lance, poke, purge, poke, lance, poke, dead. Get it? It provides Azwraith exactly what he needs and he was made for this item.
MATHCRAFT
Even level 1 of Diffusal is one of the best items for Azwraith because it increases his damage output a lot. Images burning for 22 damage is the same as increasing your damage by 88 (which comes only from Divine). I think that alone speaks for itself. But in case you weren't satisfied, you can upgrade it again to get even more damage and refills purges!
Then Yasha is purchased next. Why? Because Yasha is the cheapest way to increase agility (which translates into extra damage and attack speed for both you and images) and it's fairly quick to obtain. It also gives you and your images better movespeed for chasing (if you're following this build exactly, your MS will be 374). Besides, you can upgrade this later into Manta, which is solid also.
Necessary Items
I put the items in the order I usually get them, but there is no "best" order because they all provide excellent bonuses for Azwraith and should all be purchased as the game progresses. YOU must decide which item you need first and follow your gut.
Why? Boots of Travel are necessary for a few reasons: 1) it greatly increases your ability to chase (if you're following this build exactly, your MS will be 418), 2) you can farm multiple lanes at once, 3) it's great for pushing/defending, and 4) it's an escape mechanism. After much thought, I have decided to go with Travs over Power Treads because Travs just give you so much flexibility end game you don't have with Power Treads. Plus, images don't benefit from the IAS % from Power Treads but they get all the benefits from Travs (aside from the teleporting).The Breakdown
Power Treads (in agility form) give you +65 MS, +40% IAS, and 10 damage while giving your images +65 MS, +10 IAS, and 2.5 damage.
Boots of Travel give you +90 MS and teleport and your images +90 MS.
They are both solid choices for Azwraith, but since this guide is focusing on late game item building strong images, having the teleportation is necessary. Treads should be considered if the game likely won't last long or you would rather put the 900 elsewhere instead of into Travs. You could also consider getting Power Treads first, then selling them for Travs later, but you would be wasting the 900 gold anyway.
Why? The Butterfly is good for any agility hero because of the strong bonuses to attack speed and agility plus the evasion boost. The downside, it's expensive at $6,000. This is absolutely necessary for end-game because it drastically increases your damage and image output.
OR 
OR 
Why? These items make you almost unkillable. You have more HP than you know what to do with, plus if you get Bloodstone, you respawn faster and still gain experience if people die near your grave while you're dead. My choice is the Heart because it's only 450 more than Bloodstone and it gives a lot more surviveability. Skadi is VERY expensive, so I don't like it, but it can be helpful because it boosts all stats. Even though your images can't use the frost attack, you can, which benefits your images because it slows them. However, you run the risk of giving away your position.
Why? The new and "improved" Manta Style changes the build up a little bit. It's new bonuses are: +26 Agility, +10 Strength, +10 Intelligence, +15 Attack Speed, and +10% Movement Speed with the ability to make 2 illusions of yourself. For images, this translates into ~6 damage, 26% AS, +10% MS, and a negligible amount of HP/MP. While not nearly as good as it was before, Manta still provides very solid bonuses. Essentially, it's an upgrade of Yasha, which is a core item (see above), and it worth the money. In fact, I get this before I get the HP boosting item (see above). Also, the ability to Mirror Image is very handy (see below).
Optional Items
Why? Vladmir's Offering (Vlad's) is pretty good in helping Azwraith early game and keeping him from going back to heal/get mana for the remainder of the match. It's also fairly cheap for the benefits. Even though the lifesteal won't help the images (it will look it though) the extra bonuses to you can be helpful. Plus, you lifesteal from the damage dealt through feedback. This is optional because he really doesn't need the lifesteal but you can get it if your team has a bunch of melees but nobody wants to get it.
OR 
Why? These 2 items give Azwraith a better damage output but both are very expensive.Azwraith is a DPS hero and Divine is the best weapon to increase that. The downside, it drops when you die.
Radiance is Divine's younger, weaker kid brother. This is for those matches where you do a lot of damage, but are still afraid of dying. It's good because your images benefit from the burning aura, but it's bad because it's hard to sneak up on anyone when you're burning them.
Misleading Items
Why? Phase boots are usually good for chasing heroes, but not for Azwraith. First, Azwraith uses his spells while chasing, negating the buff from Phase Boots. Second, his images do not get the extra armor or damge granted by the boots. Third, Power Treads give only 5 less MS than Phase Boots but a lot more benefits. If you're considering Phase, just stuck with Treads for the extra bonuses even though it's more expensive.
Why? Buriza-do Kyanon (Buriza) is usually good for agility heroes, but it's not that great on Azwraith. First, although getting critical hits are nice, it's almost as expensive as The Butterfly ($5,800 vs. $6,000) which is MUCH better. Second, since your illusions do less damage than you, if they crit, their red numbers are much less than yours, giving away your position. Since you rely on your images to do a lot of the work, wouldn't you rather have your enemy confused by them than attacking you? Third, since your illusions are doing 25% of your attack damage, boosting damage has a much more diminished return on them than Feedback (see Mathcraft above).
Why? Sange and Yasha (SnY), while usually decent on agility heroes, is terrible on Azwraith. First, it's an orb effect. Second, images cannot maim! Third, you can already chase with Spirit Lance and Purge, so what do you need maim for anyway? Fourth, attack speed increases don't help out images. Fourth, for another $1,000, you can get The Butterfly. Which would you rather have?
Why? Hand of Midas doesn't help you, or your images out very much. This should only be considered when playing against Chen to get rid of his creep army. First, and really the precise reason, is that the increase in attack speed doesn't affect images. Since that's all this item does, what's the point? Well, you could argue it makes you create images faster, but spending $1,900 for this seems pointless when you could get a Hyperstone which upwards converts into an Assault Cuirass that has a few more benefits. But even an AC is NOT worth the money. Stick to this build.
Why? The Cranium Basher sounds appealing: You might think, "Sweet! My images can bash too!" WRONG! Images no longer bash due to the recent update on Cranium Basher so why waste your money on something that doesn't help your images? "But you can bash them, holding them in place while your images hit!" True, but you really don't need to bash because you can already chase effectively with Diffusal Blade's purge and your Spirit Lance. You really don't need to hold them in place at all.
Why? The Battle Fury doesn't make your images cleave (even though it looks like they do) and you're already a farming machine. So don't waste your time. The only thing to consider if maybe you need the regeneration, but why not get Vlad's instead? Remember, you're not a tank! Don't buy like one!
Why? Vanguard is not a very good item for increasing Azwraith's survivability. The block damage doesn't work on images and you're already getting at least one vitality booster for manta and other HP boosting items. You shouldn't be taking all the hits anyway, that's what your images are for.
Why? 1) Chain lightning cannot be triggered by your images, 2) Feedback is a much better orb effect, 3) getting The Butterfly is much better.
Quote: Why is Yasha a core item? Yasha is very good for Azwraith because it provides good benefits for a small price. For you: 10% movespeed, 16% attack speed, 16 damage. For your images: 10% movespeed, 16% attack speed, 4 damage. The extra movespeed is very helpful for chasing and the attack speed generates more images. These 2 items are key, especially because while you're getting this item, you're chasing with Purge and starting to generate your image army.
Skill Build
Level 1 - Dopplewalk
Level 2 - Spirit Lance
Level 3 - Spirit Lance
Level 4 - Dopplewalk
Level 5 - Spirit Lance
Level 6 - Dopplewalk
Level 7 - Spirit Lance
Level 8 - Dopplewalk
Level 9 - Juxtapose
Level 10 - Phantom Edge
Level 11 - Phantom Edge
Level 12 - Juxtapose
Level 13 - Juxtapose
Level 14 - Juxtapose
Level 15 - Stats
Level 16 - Phantom Edge
Level 17 - Stats
Level 18 - Stats
Level 19 - Stats
Level 20 - Stats
Level 21 - Stats
Level 22 - Stats
Level 23 - Stats
Level 24 - Stats
Level 25 - Stats
Why? Dopplewalk is picked first because having an escape mechanism is very important at the beginning since some people like to triple-team a lane for first blood. Plus, it's very rare when you'll need a nuke at the beginning (unless maybe you're triple-teaming a lane for first blood). Then Spirit Lance should be maxed out over Dopplewalk since it will provide damage for nuking and chasing. Although Phantom Edge is a great ultimate, it's skipped early because it's better to have Dopplewalk and Spirit Lance maxed out first. Phantom Edge just doesn't provide enough benefits to make it worth while. Part of it benefits your images, so shouldn't you be spawning images before you get it? I thought so.
You should be well on your way to Diffusal (if not bought already) around the time you hit level 11. By that point you will have image generation from Juxtapose and 2 levels of Phantom Edge. From here on out Juxtapose is the way to go so you can really create images.
Then all the skills are maxed out before getting Phantom Edge at 16 then stats all the way. There isn't much point in getting stats sooner because you can escape with ease and if you're following my strategy, you shouldn't be focused on too much as the enemy won't know where you are.
Quote: Why not only one point in Dopplewalk then go stats instead? I use Dopplewalk both offensively and defensively, so I enjoy the shorter cooldown. Plus, that leaves more mana for Spirit Lance. If you're using Dopplewalk only defensively or rarely using it, you could consider stats. Although stats are great, I think Doppelwalk is a fantastic skill. It allows you to be more flexible in your gameplay. You can invis-in and out of combat. Besides, your images aren't going to be that strong without Diffusal Blade anyway, so it's better to stay alive and confuse your enemies early game. Azwraith's strength lies in his late-game ability. Few heroes can match his strength. You want to focus on the end game: so stay alive.
Strategy
Early Game: Azwraith's primary goal early game is to stay alive because he's very squishy. Fortunately, Dopplewalk is there to save you if you get in trouble, but it costs a lot of mana, so just stay back and last hit creeps (if you can). The problem heroes here the ones that dink you to death: Viper, Veno, Clinkz, Bounty Hunter, Huskar, Warlock, etc because you'll have to spend time using tangoes or running home (not recommended). If you're really having a problem, switch lanes because you need to get some levels and items on you before you can become a threat. The good thing about Azwraith is that he really doesn't need a babysitter since he can run away easily (provided he has the mana) and this "early game" only lasts until roughly level 11, when you can really start farming and preparing for the end game.
I can't stress this enough: DENY YOUR DAMN CREEPS and PLAY DEFENSIVELY. For every hit you put on your creeps, the closer the enemy creeps and heroes come to your tower. For a more thorough explanation, see BLAOW's guide to Lane Control. You want to force your enemy to make mistakes while getting some meat on your otherwise puny base stats and abilities.
Middle Game: The middle of the game is the make or break point. You should be starting to get strong now and you can use him for hero-killing, ganking (Spirit lance for nuking and slowing and Dopplewalk for sneaking up and escaping) and pushing (lots of me!). Plus, if you're following my item/skill build, you should get Diffusal here really tilting the scales in your favor.
If you're worried about being ganked, use Dopplewalk to scout both runes and the jungles and pay attention to the global combat. Since that image lasts 20 secs, you can cover a decent amount of the map. Or, if the enemy doesn't have true sight (dust/gem/track/amp dmg, etc.) or can chain disable, you could save Dopplewalk for times when you get ganked. Don't worry too much if your teammates are getting hurt because you have to farm in order to get strong. Azwraith is very item dependent and needs the time and money to get very strong. You can also play around in the jungle for easy money using your images to tank and scout.
Your focus during the middle part of the game is to get as much gold as you can, either from heroes or creeps. Azwraith requires some pretty expensive items to be strong because his abilities are that powerful on their own. Just play smart and you should make it to the end game successfully.
End Game: The end game is where Azwraith truly shines. By now you should have at least Diffusal, Yasha, and another powerhouse item like Butterfly, Heart, or Manta. You can push lanes for farming while using images to scout runes, jungles, potential ganks, etc. You are truly a farming machine - not many heroes can keep up with you're farming ability. If you have boots of travel, you can farm a lane, teleport to another one, and let your images continue to work while you're not there. Also, your Spirit Lance still (and purge if you have it) provides the slow you need to effectively chase people. When the big team battles ensue (which they always will) you shouldn't just charge in there. You're not a tank. Dopplewalk and use that image as a distraction so they think it's you waiting there and run behind their front line (usually full of tanks and creeps). Once the two lines clash, begin decimating their casters. Usually, they wont have time to react before you're all over the place thanks to your images. If they start figuring out which one is the real you, activate Manta and continue the punishment. If you're in real trouble, Dopplewalk and get out safely. Fortunately, you'll be doing hefty damage so you might bring down one without getting too hurt and you can begin chasing.
Your images will be duplicating themselves at both the front line and the back line, confusing your enemy. Your job is to focus on one hero, kill him, and move onto another. Your images will act as fodder.
Mind Games
A more general place for mind games and how successful they are can be found at totallnewbie's The Art of Mindgames v3.0.
Images are your best friend: they do a lot of work for you and are expendable. They can be used for a variety of purposes:Scouting
The image created by Dopplewalk lasts 20 seconds, that's more than enough time for you to get to a rune or to scout the jungle. You can scout with your Juxtapose images, but each only lasts about 7 seconds. They are best used when you're jungling and want to scout out an area since you can start them running in different directions, covering lots of ground. They are also helpful during pushes because once you have killed the creep wave and you have left over images, send them in different directions (into the jungles, Rosh, behind you, ahead of you, etc). They won't survive until the next wave anyway, so you may as well put their sight to good use.
Drawing Enemy Fire
Azwraith gets dominated by chain stuns and focus-fire due to his fairly low HP. The way to counter this is to go out of your enemies' sight (behind trees, up cliffs, around corners, out of range, etc.), Dopplewalk, and control that image like you would control yourself. If played right, enemies will fire away on that image. This is especially the case when you think they are coming to gank you as they are very eager to get a kill. I have successfully drawn Rooftrellen's mass entangle, Rexxar's roar, Lion's finger, Bane's grasp, and a bunch of stuns with my illusion. The trick is to make your enemy think it's you since they can't tell a difference. Although this may not seem like much since you're not killing anyone, you just made them waste their precious mana with (hopefully) their strongest spell. Now they are less of a threat to both you and your teammates. Plus, you can trash talk a little. Go on, you earned it.
Avoiding Spells
In a related concept, since Dopplewalk has no transition time into invisibility, you can use it to avoid spells. Although this isn't really "using your images," one is created in the process, so I stuck this here. For example, if you have a storm bolt coming at you, activate Dopplewalk or Manta. The spell will fail and you will be unharmed. Additionally, the enemy, anticipating the stun will hit, will likely come in after you. They will attack the illusion, leaving you an opportunity to hit back.
Confusing your Enemy
As mentioned earlier, when you cast Spirit Lance, your images mimic you but shortly afterward. Therefore, by casting the lance, you give away your position. This can be helpful however. First, make sure you can Dopplewalk. Second, cast your lance. Third, Dopplewalk. You know that "real" one your enemy was looking for? Well, he's a fake one now. You can run around searching for an opening to strike or bail if you have to.
Jungling
Images play an important role in jungling because they allow you to tackle creeping earlier and harder. It's like having a friendly hero with you but better because they don't leach your experience. The basics are: go in and attack, creating some images, then you back out a little while your images do most of the work. Some people recommend moving on to another creep camp once you've spawned a few images, but I prefer to stay at one until it's over. Why? Well, 1) that ensures you get the experience, 2) if enemies come to gank you, you already have duplicates to confuse them, 3) if only one enemy shows up, you already have a ganking squad, 4) you can use your 7 images to scout the area after the camp is dead. What camp you can kill depends on the creep strength and your items. Once you get diffusal most of the creeps will be easy pickings but with manta and a vitality booster, creeps should be trembling in fear (except Rosh, who eats your illusions like a fat kid eats cake).
Slowing your Enemy
WARNING: Uber-micro Required! Having a hard time catching that speedy Strygwyr or Barathrum? Spirit Lance and Diffusal Blade slow. Well, so can images. After casting Spirit Lance, your enemy is crippled for a decent slow. If you plan it right and can chase. After casting the spell, quickly tell your real hero to attack the enemy and take control of your image. Then, have your image, who runs at your speed, run in front of their hero. Use that image to block the enemy as you would your own creeps. You can catch up and initiate the beating. However, this is very difficult to do and I don't have the micro skills necessary so don't expect a replay (if you can and want to submit it, I'm all for that!).
As I said earlier, images are your best friend. They not only do damage, but they can be utilized for a variety of purposes apart from hacking away.
How To: Images
Images, although very helpful and strong, are picky about what they will and won't benefit from. Note: These two sources are where I got my information. I did not test these as it's taken me long enough to write this out!See Gray the Grayte's Post
See DotA Wiki's Summary
Images will not benefit from:- Direct bonus to damage items (i.e. items that say +x to damage do not give that bonus damage to images)
- Direct bonus to armour items (Chainmail, Platemail, etc)
- Direct regeneration items (Ring of Regen, Ring of Health, etc)
- Increased Attack Speed percent (Hyperstone, Treads, Hand of Midas, Monkey King Bar, Butterfly)
- Frost Attack (Eye of Skadi)
- Lifesteal (Satanic, Mask of Madness, Mask of Death, Helm of Dominator) Note: the graphic appears, but the images don't actually leach life
- Chain Lightning (Maelstrom)
- Cleave - Percentage Splash Damage applied to nearby targets (Battlefury)
- Maim (Sange, Sange and Yasha)
- % Chance for Microstun that disrupts concentration spells and gives bonus damage (Monkey King Bar)
- Corruption effect - minus to armor upon hit (Stygnian Desolator). Images will benefit from the corruption given by your main hero
- Damage block (Stout Shield, Vanguard)
- Spell items - images can't cast spells (Dagon, Guinsoo, Mechanism, Mantastyle, etc)
- Magic resistance items (Planeswalker Cloak)
Images will benefit from:- Stat bonus items (Wraith Bands, Bracers, Null Talisman, Ultimate Orb, etc)
- Feedback (Diffusal Blade, Manta Style)
- Critical Strike (Crysalys / Buriza ) Just the critical strike ability is transferred to images not the bonus damage from the item.
- Evasion (Butterfly, Radiance)
- Raw movement speed gain items (Boots, Treads, Boots of Travel)
- % Movement Speed gain items (Sange and Yasha, Yasha).
- True Sight (Gem of True Sight)
- Radiance burning aura (Radiance) - Note that while images get the burning aura only one such aura will apply to an enemy at a given time (i.e. 4 images do not mean 4xdamage from the burn aura) The bonus damage from the Radiance item itself does not transfer
- Direct Hit Point bonus items (Vitality Booster, Point Booster, Soul Booster, Heart of Tarresque, Manta Style)
- Direct Mana Point bonus items (Energy Booster, Point Booster, Soul Booster, etc)
Best Friends
Disablers
These heroes hold them while you beat them. The longer the hold, the more hits you get in plus the more images are created.
Slowers
These heroes help you when you're chasing the enemy. You can already slow enemies with your spirit lance and purge, but sometimes those skills aren't enough. With these heroes around, the slow effect is multiplied, giving you more of an opportunity to get hits in and nuke away.
Special Mentions
Morphling is a great partner for Azwraith because of his ability to copy Azwraith. What's better than having one mana-burning, image-creating hero? 2 mana-burning, image-creating heroes! The good thing about Morph is that his image copies don't affect your image count.
Crystal Maiden is another great because not only does she disable with Frostbite, but her Brilliance Aura makes your lance more spammable. Once her aura is leveled to 4, you can pretty much spam your skills.
Worst Enemies
Cleaving Heroes
These heroes have the innate ability to cleave. Images go down fast to these guys since they take 4x the amount of damage. Even if the cleaved damage is 50% of the original hit that you take, your images are taking double the normal hit. Not fun for you or your images.
Area of Effect (AOE) Heroes
These have abilities that do damage to multiple people simultaneously. Fortunately, most require a decent bit of mana to be effective and fortunately you're going to be burning through it. Unfortunately, if they take out your images (since they like to get pwned), you're a sitting duck unless you can trick them. Rooftrellen and Leviathan's ults are especially dangerous since they will not only kill your images, but leave you stuck.
True Sight
Yes, Zeus has true sight. Static Field? These heroes are a pain because if they spot you first and can track, amp damage, etc, your "sneakiness" isn't that helpful. They are best for spotting you so you get rocked by their friends. The way to counter some of these is to activate Manta, dispelling the magic on you, or create a few images and run them like a pack while you're not invisibile. They have nothing to distinguish you from your phantom counterparts so it's still hard to hit you. Necronomicon is a double-pain because not only does it show you, but it increases your enemies' move speed, making it harder for you to chase.
Silencers
If you're silenced, you can't cast Dopplewalk or Spirit Lance but most importantly, you can't generate images with Juxtapose. This makes you a sitting duck to whoever wants you. The only effective way of countering this is to not let them know which one is the real you (which you should be doing anyway!). You need to dispell this as quickly as possible by either purging yourself or activating Manta.
Special Mention
Strygwr gets his own category for 3 reasons: 1) He see invisible units if their HP is below 40% of their maximum. This is terrible for Azwraith as he will likely end up under this threshold a decent amount of the time, making him vulnerable to Strygwr's Thirst. 2) Strygwr heals himself whenever he kills another unit. Unfortunately for Azwraith, this works on images. Since your images are easy to kill, Strygwr can just hack away and heal himself. This is further amplified if he gets a battlefury. No matter how many images you make for him, he kills them and is healed. NOT GOOD. (removed in newest patch, thank god) 3) He has the ability to silence you. There goes your escape mechanism and image generation. All in all, Strygwr is bad news for Azwraith.
Closing
This is my first guide and post so please feel free to critique. In closing I hope this has inspired you to play Azwraith more. He's very fun because he's so tricksy. The important thing is understanding that his illusions are very strong with the right items. You should focus on the long-term as he's one of the strongest heroes in the game. Good luck and happy hunting!
Changelog
3/25/09 - Minor changes
8/25/09 – 6.61c update
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