General Discussion - Page 2617

On April 20 2013 05:23 SKC wrote:


Not sure about orchid or refresher.

He really isn't an auto-attacker, is squishy and his spells have quite a long range, so he probally wants to stay far back in the fights.

Really don't know why refresher would be needed, extremelly low cooldown on spells, his limitation is basically only mana, something refresher does more harm than good.

Would probally put Force instead of Atos as core, but that's not really a big deal, and I'm not so sure about Mek as well, he sort of could use being a little more tanky, but it's another thing to spend mana on and delay your int items.

On April 20 2013 05:26 Firebolt145 wrote:
Bottle should probably go on there as situational at the very least. Refresher definitely doesn't belong there. FS is more important than Atos.

On April 20 2013 05:27 SKC wrote:


Why?

Soloing in the middle lane... what a big dilemma. I personally don’t like this idea, but I want to point it out in an objective way. Most of the times, you’ll do it because you want to be effective in the first phase of the game, reaching level 6 as soon as possible and bringing havoc around the map with Mystic Flare. But there are many things to consider.

Proper last-hitting

Your job drastically changes compared to a dual lane. Instead of harassing the opponent, now you have to take advantage of this opportunity, gaining the highest amount of money possible. It’s hard: there’s a big difference between you and a Chaos Knight (79 maximum damage output, with Quelling Blade). In a certain sense is easier for melee heroes, and moveover, the more you walk away from the targeted creep, the more time will elapse before the projectile will hit.

Taking care of yourself

I repeated many times that Skywrath Mage is a very fragile hero, so he can’t dominate the lane. This could mean that you won’t be able to land many hits, and gain less experience due to the enemy’s last-hits. Try to take advantage of your attack range, but don’t overdo because you are cannon fudder already after a few shots.

The correct items

If you’re going to solo middle, I suggest you to start off with the “variant” starting item build. Clarity Potion is crucial to refill the whole mana: while you start the first gank of the game, at level 6, you’re supposed not to have a lot of mana, so it will fix this issue. Animal Courier is very important if no other one buys it: the first thing it will carry to you is the Ring of Protection (Skywrath Mage’s starting armor is equal to 1), but it’s also useful if you need extra regenerative items. I refuse Empty Bottle, I think its purchase slows the one of Arcane Boots. In this phase of the game, you don’t only need more mana, but also an extended mana pool.

Allies

I don’t know how much Mystic Flare will be effective withouth the right allies, it depends on the enemies’ skills too, but I’m completely sure that they are able to increase a lot chances of success. You can find below a deeper description of them all.

One shot, one kill

Mystic Flare is a double-edged sword, but many tend not to consider it. You probably already know that your mana decreases to 0 in the first gank. So, what will happen? “One shot, one kill” or “one shot... fail”? Don’t try your luck, hoping in a dumb enemy.

Well, if you’re able to accomplish all the above factors feel free to solo middle. If not, go back to “early game” and restart from there.

On April 20 2013 05:33 duoform wrote:


TC is on the bottom.

Torte, I would consider moving Atos to core and put Force Staff in situational. Rest is fine..

On April 20 2013 05:33 Sn0_Man wrote:
Thats a bad guide.

Think of Skywrath like zeus: infinite magic damage, hugely level and mana dependant, very fragile.