All mid heroes have basically the same role, which is the dictate the tempo/control of the game, which is why winning mid is so damn important. What lanes is he strengthing @ lvl 2? The tri-lane which is already winning, or the offlane that is going to lose anyway? He doesn't have that massive impact right away like other heroes do. In the current style of play, Invoker just doesnt do enough. There are def some points where you can pick up an invoker. He can def help out tri-lane vs tri-lane situations, but again, Mag is just huge in that department. 2 man RP's on a tri-lane vs tri-lane situation is 100x better than what an Invoker can do.

Not true. A tinker has a different role compared to a lion. One has the ability to split push and provide cover while your team takes a tower. The other has immense burst damage. They both control the tempo of the game but their roles are significantly different. Same goes for the other mid solos. That's why there are different heroes in the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ThKbui2LeY (Helps secure first blood in another lane at lvl 2. Not possible without him)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGeoJy08gI8(Tries to kill at lvl 4. Misses. Kills at level 5 in another lane)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KQP4rnKtMU(Sunstrikes at level 2,4,5 and 6.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZkMs81jeO4(helps secure first blood at level 3 in another lane, not possible without him)


There was a period of time right after the international when every team was picking invoker. He helps gank at level 2. One of your tri-laners leaves the lane to pull and the enemy decides to initiate. Your Sven stuns them and in comes a sunstrike for added damage along with the other heroes to counter-initiate.

What if you're trying to gank a tanky long lane dark seer and you're playing a solo bot lane? You only need 1 person to gank and stun, sunstrike comes in and your solo hero follows up. Your support doesn't have to leave your long lane which will leave your naix vulnerable. You can see this in the dignitas/navi game however he misses the sunstrike.

What if your trilane is losing? You have the option of using a sunstrike at any time for added pure damage. 100-225 pure damage before level 6 which is a lot.

Don't know why you'd put an invoker or a mag in a trilane. They need levels fast. I'd rather have a solo magnus gank the trilane. Obviously hitting a rp on 2 in a tri-lane is better than what an invoker can do.

Notice I never said that an Invoker is stronger than a Mag. I said he can be very dominant and he helps out from level 2 onwards, which is something a mag can't do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZBGTP4UY5M

Replace this invoker with a mag and you don't get the insane in game presence. He'll end up losing mid against the dual lane. Different heroes for different situations.

invoker is no longer used as a solo mid. You can't run a quas-wex invoker solo mid because he can't last hit for ****, you need exort to compete for cs in mid, and really exort invoker does not have team fight presence.

The previous invoker build was running quas first point for regen, starting with a blade of attack and tango/salve. This invoker can't compete in mid at all right now, when you're up against heavy bottle crowing (and people are starting with 3 branches and pooled regen to rush a bottle asap). Not even mentioning how easy it is to gank a mid invoker, you would need to protect him very heavily with sents+obs.

The last time I saw invoker being picked, he was used in a safelane tri, with the team's carry sitting mid. They waited until invoker picked up phase boots and then rotated him mid. They lost this game but the idea was correct.

We won't be seeing much if any invoker in ti3 unless he is buffed before then (and I doubt it, icefrog will have to be very delicate with the buff since it can easily revert invoker to a top ban)

Yeah he definitely was nerfed very hard after the international. However SEA teams still play him. I think it must be an Asian/Euro scene thing because I remember seeing lots of invokers play lately.

430 picked him against Chain stack and played a dual lane. Zenith picked him against DK and First Departure and ran him solo mid. Neolution played a mid invoker vs LGD.int as well (god played TA). All the matches were played in the G1 league less than a month ago and the teams above beat their opponents. However I have seen 0 euro invokers in the past month.

Part of the question also is whether grandma should start learning to play an invoker and I see no reason not to learn to play him.

ti3 will have 13 invited teams, 2 teams making it through via qualifiers, and 1 wild card slot (qualifier runner ups compete)

A pro Chinese player finally answers why Wisp isn't used in the Asian scene. Disappointing answer though.

"While Wisp is a popular hero in the Western scene, the hero is largely ignored in the Chinese scene. What are your reasons for disregarding Wisp? Do you feel that the hero has strengths that could be used by your team?" - Interviewer

"This are just issues with a team's gameplan and playstyle. All players have their own unique strengths, we should not be playing based on a hero's strengths/weaknesses, but through the player's maneuver and execution of a hero." - Zhou

And...

"If you were to pick teams you believe will be invited to The International, who would they be and why?" -Interviewer

"Na`Vi is an obvious invite for Europe, but to be honest I am not too familiar with the other top teams in the West. In terms of Asia, I believe both Zenith and Orange are strong and clear favorites. Other teams are similar in skill level, and I can't truly judge which other team is ahead. If we talk about China, I have no idea how to judge because there are simply too many good teams here." - Zhou



Interview on joindota.

The wisp question should be given a definitive answer during the g-1 lan finals. I'm not quite sure what to expect during the drafts.

interesting. i feel like zhou is saying nobody on ig is a great wisp player or they are just better on other heroes to the point itd not be worth it to pick wisp. very interesting viewpoint, playing to the strength of the team and their individuals. western teams seem to try every strat in comparison.

Ok.

Here we go.

1. Tinker with BoT controls the whole map, as I said. Controls how the game will be played out. Each different hero has the same role, but they each do it differently. Example. With a mag, you can take very early team fights which sets up early pushes, so you might want to design your team strategy this way. Which is a different strategy from a QoP, who can gank immensely and control his lane, which limits the other mid from doing his own thing. This sets up a roaming strategy and being higher level and just plain winning team fights. Which is dictating how the game goes accordingly. Its the same thing from a Mag. They both dictate what type of match and the tempo. The mid has the exact same role. Which is control how the game is going to go.

2. The International was what, 8 months ago? That has 0 bearing on what is going on now, when we have huge buffs and nerfs to each hero and about 5 or so new heroes.

3. Like I said, he can help out tri lanes, I never said, to put an Invoker or Mag in a tri lane. They both can help them out by the immense presence they have when one side has the numeric advantage.

4. I said from the start, Invoker is now a situation pick, so there are obvious situations where he is still going to be very strong.

I'm doubtful of this answer, because wisp is not picked by any asian teams at all. If it was just iG that would be a simple explanation.

Do they ban wisp vs LGD.int? I haven't seen asian scene games for a while.

Exactly. VG just played wisp yesterday though and managed to beat orange. I think its one of the first asian wisp picks I've seen this whole year.

Anyone wants to guess which 13 teams get invited? Off the top of my head the following are definite invites.

IG
Lgd.cn
Lgd.int
Zenith
DK
Orange
Na'vi
Alliance
Dignitas
Fnatic.eu

And possibly...
Liquid
VP
Mufc?

1. Semantics. Just like your bristleback with 'burst damage'. Lol.

2. The games I quoted (except for 1) were after the international. I also told Count about IG and Zenith running invoker against other top teams within the past month.

3. An invoker gives you a numeric advantage without even being in the lane. That's the benefit. That's the whole point. That's how he strengthens your lanes from level 2.

4. Back to grandma's post about... "What happened to the amazing, game dominating, using every spell tactically invoker?". This invoker still exists and asian teams still play him.

lol?

1. Are you freaking kidding me? Seriously.

2. iG and Zenith both have the 2 best Invoker players in the world, and they will build their overall strategy around that.

3. Again, it isn't going to benefit hugely, if at all. If you have an Invoker, and a Luna, SD, Lina bot, Dark Seer top. You are going to smash bot lane so hard, it isn't funny. You have a Dark Seer top, who isn't going to be aggressive. The only lane its going to have that much benefit from is your own, which isnt even from the SS, its from the extra damage on your auto attacks. Invoker has become a hero that you have to work around, rather than him fitting into your line up, which he used to with such ease. Mag is just that much better, so is Bat and so is pretty much every mid hero "in the meta" right now.

I like the idea of safe lane carry exort-wex invoker, esp because he can setup global ganks with his sunstrikes.

then go insane with alacrity later. pair with ogre magi in trilane for his buff.

Played LoL again yesterday for the first time in over a year, and damn, last hitting is so much easier. Don't have to worry about denies. Never have to micro the courier.

Such a different experience after playing dots exclusively for so long.

Haven't done any research but I wonder if that lgd.int rumor from a while back was true.

If so, that would mean Brax gone, which is very very good for LGD.int. Brax is very careless and kind of looks out of place on this side tbh. If it isnt LGD.int, it might be Empire.

rox kis. they could be good now.

Liquid beats navi 2-0. This navi was much flatter than they played against alliance though. Love liquid, and I would always root for these players over any other team in the world but they are so inconsistent I'm not sure if they'll make it to the lan finals still.

Hoping EG beat Dignitas, currently 1-0 up. A Liquid vs EG rematch would be great.

I think Alliance are the best team in the west by a distance at the moment. Fnatic and Na'vi can compete when they're at their best but Alliance are so much more consistent.

very surprised navi got 2-0'd by liquid. fluff played really well in what i saw (sick triple kill to start game 1).

excited for liquid vs eg. hoping overall for eg to win.

where is loh btw. i must know what team. rox kis would be a weird career move for him honestly.

just read speculation he might join up with artstyle. pls happen, would love that team.

NaVi out drafted and outlaned them in both games imo and they just got outplayed, which is the first time I've seen that happen.

that liquid-eg game 2... MUST WATCH

Na'vi seems to be performing very badly lately. With the way things are going, Empire probably won't get invited to the international. Too many roster changes.