Lestat
Supreme Master
Data inscrierii: 25/Oct/2007
Mesaje: 23
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 Trimis: 01/05/2008 13:56 Titlul subiectului: Lestat`s Evil Guide to SWAP BIATCH |
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LESTAT`S GUIDE TO THE SWAPING BIATCH
EARLY GAME
INTRODUCTION
Once a mighty warden... blah... Sister of Mortred... blah... Uhm, I always thought she`s Mercurial`s doughter 
Bottom line is that she`sa threat for most weak agi and int heroes... And a good suporter against those damn fatty hp heroes.
STAT GROWTH
She sucks at stats...
1.8/level suck sooo hard, even though she`s agi....
2.35/level this also sucks, she`s agi and still has low agi gain
1.75/level not so sucky, but you don`t need much inteligence because you only have 2 spells to cast, both with a decent manacost for you
The skill build focuses on early game domination with Magic Missile, and late-game support with Terror and Command Aura. Magic Missile is always maxed first, as this is your primary skill. Swap is gotten whenever possible, and Terror is taken up last when the team's DPSers are ready to eat the enemies up.
Stats are gotten early game for more HP and mana. I chose to take Stats over Command Aura for two reasons. It adds very little damage which is almost negligible early game as you will be last-hitting, and stats are MUCH better as it gives you mana for Magic Missile, HP for the fragile VS, and whatever damage Command Aura adds is albeit covered up by the extra AGI.
However, there are times when Command Aura should be chosen instead of Stats early. These are cases when your lane-mate has a disable, but relies on his/her natural attack to do damage. This works if your lane combo relies on aggression to take control.
RANGE
Her range is 400... Quite low... I`m sorry, should I point more about her range?
MOVEMENT AND ATTACK SPEED
She`s a relatively slow hero, but we won`t be relying on her ASPD as much as on her MS
ROLE IN THE TEAM
Vengeful Spirit is one of the best support heroes in the game. She has her bread-and-butter stun/nuke, which is her main weapon. Her ultimate is extremely versatile and can be used for ganking, initiating, saving allies/yourself. These two skills alone make VS a very powerful hero. Command Aura, provides a damage increase for your allies, gives her some UMPH late-game. Terror also gives Shandelzare more supporting power as a armor-reduction for your enemies means your late-game DPSers can whack away.
However, she isn't without weakness. Her low range means she's prone to harassment and may have difficulty carrying. Low HP and being AGI means she will have a hard time against nukers; and although she has Swap, she lacks a solid escape skill. Lack of teamwork also is deadly to Shandelzare, as you may sometimes land the perfect swap with no one to support you.
Most people try to turn Vengeful into a carry hero, a.k.a.damage-dealer. While this may work in pub games, higher-level matches utilize Vengeful as what she was born to be: support. This build will be most useful in a team-environment. You won't be racking up the kills, but you can lead your team to victory. Swap and Magic Missile will be the best thing you can offer your team.
ITEMS TO START
 
You will be transforming these 3 Circlets into 3 beautiful Bracers, but only after you get your Bottle
CHOOSING LANE
VS works wonders with a lane-partner, so do NOT make her solo unless it's a 3on3. Early game regeneration is up to you, Tangos are my recommendation as they can't be interrupted. The side lanes are the best for VS, as I said she is a horrendous solo. 400 range and shit for HP, she will get owned by any decent harasser.
If possible, get laned with another disabler. This makes it possible to get a firstblood at level 1 if you're lucky, or at least at level 3. Best lane partners? Here they are:
      
Disablers. Chain disable means there is nothing the enemy can do but take the hits. Nukers are also very welcome in Vengeful's lane. If get paired against melee heroes, dominate them. Show them that they should be scared. Most players don't expect to be pummeled at level 1.
Stand behind thier creepline to keep them out of experience range. Keep the creepline near your tower to deny them of experience. If they do try to step into your zone, stun them and hopefully your ally can follow-up with another disable. They will either be dead, or seriously hurt. Against an agility hero, whether they are ranged or melee, you and your ally should be in control.
However, against another combo lane, or a pair of nuker, your lane turns into a battlefield. Dangerous combos have 2 things, lots of nukes or lots of disable. Zues/Tinker, Earthshaker/Ezalor, Lina/CM are some of the deadly ones. Right now, you have two choices. You can play it safe, last-hit, keep the creepline near your tower and don't push. Don't give them an opportunity to start their combo, and find an opportunity to start yours. You can wait for them to rush in to nuke/disable, but be quick and stun them first. Have your lanemate follow-up quick.
This isn't applicable against ranged nukers like the Earthshaker/Ezalor combo, so you may have another tactic. You rambo straight in. This is more effective against nuke combos, since they usually lack a form of disable. Doing this against Lina/CM is suicide as they can start their combo first, but against a Zues/Tinker the strat is viable.
Remember that lane control is VITAL to Vengeful's success. To sum up lane-match ups, pray that you're laned with a decent disabler, and that you won't face a combo lane. Grab the opportunity to stun and take out your opponents. And the golden rule: LAST HIT AND DENY.
At level 6, you can get your ultimate: Nether Swap. Paired with a disabler or nuker, this means who ever you swap should DIE. Simply put, Swap > Ally nukes/disable> RAPE HIM > you stun > MORE RAPE = Dead hero
Now, about THE BOTTLE
This little baby here solves your mana problems. With proper ward placement (discussed later on), you should grab those runes and gank. And with Bottle's rune-refill functionality, your mana should be at decent levels during mid-game
ITEMS BY THE END OF EARLY GAME
  
Pretty easy ain`t it? :D
MIDLE GAME
This is the stage of the game when Shendelzare shines. You should be able to have the 3 Bracers at this point, possibly some wards to help the team, and be able to get BoT quick. Vengeful is a powerful ganker, but she also has a possibility to carry.
Check your team line-up. Do you have a carry hero, one who will be doing the farming and be able to shine late-game (most higher level teams plan this out)? An example would be Razor, Medusa, or Clinks. If not, focus on farming, and gank when your allies are having a hard time.
The traditional support/gank Vengeful however, focuses on keeping the other team down, while your carry heroes farm. Check the Nether Swap section further in the guide to learn how to use and abuse Nether Swap, since this will be your primary ganking tool.
Check the minimap. How many heroes are missing? Are there any heroes alone in their lanes? Are there any heroes that may become a threat if given opportunity to farm? Are your allies having a hard time from a lane combo? These are the questions you ask yourself when choosing who to gank. Mostly, once you finish off the hero in your lane, you start to help your allies.
Get an ally to help you (hopefully a disabler), as Vengeful is NOT a solo ganker. Pick your target, be aware of the minimap. Ganking differs in execution, some use Magic Missile to initiate, some prefer to use Swap. Remember that Swap only has a 45 second cooldown, so you may be able to use it freely. Abuse your Bottle (if you chose to get one) and your BoT. Don't be selfish when you can help your allies by ganking.
Don't forget that Magic Missile only has a 10 second cooldown, allowing you to chase heroes if they do live.
When there are no potential targets to be ganked, like when enemies are dead, use this time to farm. Although Vengeful shines at mid-game, some games may go the distance, and Vengeful must adapt by getting somehigher tier items.
Also, be wary of ganks. Do not be alone, and always try to be with an ally. A gank on you can be turned around if you and your ally react fast enough. Proper warding (which will be discussed briefly) should be enough to warn you of incoming ganks
And now, gentlemen and gentlecreeps...
JUKING^^
The idea of juking is deception. Most heroes have spells that cannot be used unless you are able to click on the person. That’s the advantage I want to teach to you. Your enemy may have an idea where you are, but by using the fog, you can loose them and escape from their grasps. But first you must be extremely familiar with the terrain
As you can see, in a split second your enemy does not see you, you can escape them instead of running straight with clear vision from your enemy. This technique only works on single enemy on your tail. This strategy requires precision timing. You can gauge the speed you will take from the distance your enemy is from you and the movement speed of both parties. Once you move too early or too late, this technique might not work. By running towards the opposite direction of your enemy without him/her knowing it, you’ve already lost them.
This strategy is very effective when being chased by 1 or two enemies. By running inside a full forest, your enemy has nothing else to think other than you trying to escape from them. They will try to anticipate the direction you are taking and try to follow it. Unlike the first example, this technique won’t give your enemy a glimpse of you once you enter the trees. Make sure to observe your enemies’ movements before you loose sight of them. Anticipate where they are going to enter and avoid the path they will take.
This trick is a very funny one, and I’m sure you’ll laugh once you pull this off against your enemies. It is a very embarrassing move to be fooled with this and requires great skill to make this work. There are lots of hiding places in the map, make sure that it is a corner where your enemy can anticipate a false move by not seeing you or a simple fog extension so that your enemy won’t see you move in to the hole.
The reason why enemies won’t think you’ll hide among neutrals is that, neutral spots are most likely to be a dead end. It will depend on your enemy’s judgment to look for you there. As I have always been saying, fog is a very good tool, because of temporary blindness, your enemy will think you’ve gone far already and try to pursuit you.
This technique requires good knowledge about fog characteristics. When being chased by an enemy from the lower ground, always remember that even though you can still see him, you are still invisible being on upper ground. So once you’ve reached higher ground, you can already make your move
The main objective for this is to get yourself a safe spot so that you can cast your TP or wait for your friends to come and help. By entering a dead end, you are closing the curtains. Your enemies will anticipate you running away where in fact you’re standing still casting your TP. By the time they realize that you’re not running, you’re already at home regaining your HP
Yeah, now you`ve learned a few tricks, huh? :D
ITEMS BY THE END OF MIDDLE GAME
  
OR
LATE GAME
You should have, or almost have, one of the recommended late-game items at this point. Assist the team via your DPS, Magic Missile is still used as your staple stun, Terror when possible to dish out PAIN. Swap should be used to take out heroes who are lagging behind, or to finish off fleeing heroes after a battle.
If you failed to farm up a late-game item, you can still be able to assist your team via Nether Swap. Swap their main DPSer or their main disabler, your allies should be able to kill the isolated hero, and you may end up dead. But by removing a important part of their arsenal, you have given your team an advantage.
NETHER SWAP
1. Nether Swap Facts
Nether Swap takes 0.3 seconds to Swap after the command has been issued. (Cast Point)
Nether Swap will remove trees within 300 AoE of the swap point if the area is unpathable.
You can Swap spell-immune units.
Swap goes thru Linken's but triggers the spell block. (basically wasting the Linken's spell block)
Nether Swap has a very short mini-stun and can be used to break channeling spells.
Nether Swap can cancel Panda's Split and Spiritbreaker's Nether Strike if timed correctly.
2. Who to Swap?
Some care must be taken in swapping, and a Vengeful knows who to swap, and who not to swap. When using Swap to initiate (though not recommended), heroes with AoE disables or AoE ultimates such as Earthshaker, Treant Protector, Enigma, or Tiny generally should not be swapped. You gave them a free blink dagger a very good position to disable your entire team. Those with escape mechanisms, such as Akasha, Bone Clinks, and Morphling should be avoided as well. This may vary according to the situation, feel free to swap back a Magina who blinked out, or an Earthshaker whose ultimate is in cooldown. Adapt and think fast.
In clashes, it is usually the best idea to swap the enemy who can do the most damage to your team. This does not only refer to late-game monsters like Razor or Medusa, but also to chain disablers like Lion, Rhasta, or Bane. Take out the one who poses the greatest threat to your team to gain the advantage.
Generally, if your team has enough disable and is fast enough, you can almost swap anyone.
3. Swapping Techniques
Other than the basic swap, these swapping techniques make sure that you use Nether Swap to its full potential.
A. Tower Swap
This is one of the most basic swaps. Best done early game when towers pack a punch. Simply stay in range of your tower, and swap the enemy. Time it carefully so that the enemy you will swap will be the only one that is in range of the tower, to make sure that the tower wails on them. Follow up with a stun and you should get a nice kill.
B. Ally Swap
For allies, Nether Swap is used for 2 things. To save an ally, or to save yourself.
The above screenshot shows an allied Slayer fighting Razor. Clearly, she's losing to him and she'll die from a Chain Lightning. I come to her aid and swap her, and then quickly stun Razor. After a few whacks, I get the kill and Lina gets away safely.
For saving yourself, don't swap someone who will die afterwards. Heroes with escape mechanisms are nice as they can avoid being killed by who ever is chasing you. Just be sure that they know that you'll be swapping them, as it's bad conduct to swap teammates and leave them to die.
C. Disabling Swap
This is made possible if you do take the optional item: Helm of Dominator. Centaur Khans and Polar Furbolg Ursa Warriors have the ability War Stomp, which gives you a 1 second stun if landed properly. With Nether Swap, doing it is quite easy.
Note: Neutral creeps spawn at the 2:00 mark, and at the minute mark onwards.
D. Other random swapping crap
Swap is an extremely versatile skill, so feel free to use it in unique ways. The possibilities are numerous, and listing them all here would be redundant. May it be swapping an ally out of a Chronosphere, or swapping an enemy into a Negru Hole, Nether Swap can do it for you.
ANIMATION CANCELLING
Almost every hero has a cast backswing. This is the animation executed after an attack or a skill. For Crystal Maiden this is waving her wand around, for Furion it's raising the roof. This animation can be cancelled by issuing a move command.
Shendelzare has a cast backswing of 0.51 seconds. So after casting Magic Missile or Swap, she stands there doing NOTHING for half a second. It may not seem like much, but it can make the difference between a kill and a hero that gets away.
We see here Vengeful casting Magic Missile. Once the projectile is in flight, you can cancel the backswing animation and start moving. This allows you to get more hits in during the stun duration, or get into a better position quicker.
Animation Cancelling is also possible for normal attacks. While chasing an enemy hero, once the attack projectile of Vengeful is in flight, click forward to cancel the attack backswing and keep moving. This allows you to almost attack while chasing and lose little ground due to attacks.
We see here that while chasing Rhasta, once the attack projectile was release, I immediately cancelled the backswing and continued chasing. Notice that very little distance was lost during my attack, and had I not animation cancelled, I may have not been able to follow up with another attack. Learning this is important, as Vengeful only has 400 range.
WARDING
In higher level game, map awareness is extremely valuable. Knowing where enemy heroes are and being able to avoid ganks gives the team a very large advantage. This is made possible by Observer and Sentry Wards, which cost 200 gold and offer you 6 minutes of sight for an area, and Sentry gives true sight along with vision. Vengeful is one hero that often is tasked to buy wards, as her core build is very cheap.
Rather than making a half-complete guide about wards, I shall link a much better one which shows all the good warding spots, and how to maximize the area covered by wards.
http://forums.dota-allstars.com/index.php?showtopic=74632
ENDING INVENTORY
  
ITEMS NOT TO GET
Yes, frost does sound sexy. Not only that, it offers a great boost to HP, mana, and gives you some damage. However, it costs a whopping 7050 and really isn't a good item on VS. You have Swap and Magic Missile to make sure your enemies don't get away, and your range is a hindrance. The INT the item gives is also put to waste.
What? But Swap - Split is great! In theory, yes. But it doesn't work well since most higher-level games have AoE, so they can easily tell which is the real you. And ranged images don't have feedback. Bummer.
I don't like this item. Swap - WW is nice, but it'll only work once on decent teams. Wards/Gem will destroy all that money you put into this item, and without windwalk, Lothar's is nothing more than a waste of inventory space.
You're already straining your mana with Magic Missle and Swap, let the int heroes who can support the mana for this item handle it.
Viable, but do not get this as your first late-game item. You will be seriously lacking in the damage department. Some may see this as a good item since you can Swap right into a group of heroes, but doing that isn't recommended.
I often see this in pub matches, but the bonuses it gives are too little for its cost. Maim won't trigger much due to your average attack speed and low range, and the HP it gives is mediocre. Get Deso if you really have trouble farming.
CONCLUSION
M.F.A.Q.O. [My fans ask questions often]
FAQ
1. Your guide rocks/sucks!
That is not a question.
2. Why choose Fluturel over Heart? You said Vengeful isn't a good carry!
One, Butterfly gives IAS, damage, evasion, and armor. Heart gives about 900 HP. The evasion roughly equates to +30% HP against physical attacks, and the armor that FluturaÈ™ gives should be able to even up, or even surpass the HP that Heart gives. Heart is a defensive item, while Butterfly is an offensive AND defensive item. I think that's a good enough explanation.
3. Why not get Hood of Defiance? Magic reduction is UBERSEX.
Early game, you choose between HP and regen. In a 5on5 match, the best way to go is to get tangoes and components of bracers. If you choose to still get HoD, the regen is a bit wasted. And it puts you back a good 2000 or so gold. For swapping then, you won't be swapping into a bunch of casters, since that's suicide. Early game, you'll be swapping the casters for kills, while their DPSers can't do shit yet. Late game, you'll be swapping the DPSers, and nukes are less effective on you thanks to HP.
4. Why only these items early game?
Vengeful's role early game is to gank enemies to keep their levels down, and to make sure your late-game heroes can farm. Travels gives you the ability to jump lane seamlessly to aid your allies. The bracers are for extra HP and mana, which you need to take some punishment after swapping, and mana to swap and stun. For early regen, tangos should be enough providing you don't rambo into the enemies. The amount will vary depending on your playstyle, but tangos are simply THE best early game regen out there.
5. Why not Vanguard?
Vanguard is easily assembled, provides almost the same HP as the bracers, gives damage block and regen, and saves up on slots! But even with these nice attributes, the bracers still win. First, you can't grab a Ring of Health right off the bat in a 5on5 match. If you go Stout Shield - Tangos, this leaves you low on HP until you get your Vitality Booster, which has to be gotten AFTER the RoH. Simply put, you get too little early game compared to the bracers.
Also, you get no mana from Vanguard, which is one the important things that Vengeful needs. Not to mention Vanguard costs a near 700 gold more than the Bracers. VS also doesn't fill up on slots until very-late game, so we can abuse these little items. The regen early game is provided by tangos, and is enough for Shendelzare.
6. Why Travels instead of Treads?
BoT provides great map control, mobility, and the movespeed is sexy. Treads on the other hand, only offer IAS. Moreover, Vengeful needs to be able to gank efficiently and quickly, so BoT gives her the ability to jump from lane to lane.
SPECIAL THANKS
DorkLordSr for not having the guts to compete with his venge guide and letting me in.
My greedy little hands, for not letting othe venge guides spoil my fun [I have a Mirana Guide to compete with in the DS Contest]
DS Comunity
My wooden PC who tests my ability to have patience... Thanks to him, I shall be the next Buddha in 10 years from now ^^
YOU for reading my guide and aknowledging my knowledge
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