Skywrath Mage - itemization

hello there guys.

has been some time since my last post but im now back in dota business and would very much like to hear your opinion on skywrath mage itemization, since i have fallen in love with this hero lately :3

First: Boots?
Tbh i dont really know which ones are best for him. Usually i go with either Tranquils or PTs tho. Personally i dont think that Aracnes have much inpact, since your job is basically to insta-gib one of the enemy (key-)heroes...which is why i feel that mana sustain in form of regen is better than a flat mana pool increase. What are your thoughts?

Second: Force Staff vs. Rod of Atos...or maybe even both!?
Personally i like RoA more. It helps you to land your ultimate more easily in the earlier stages of the game; has a short cooldown and a huge range. Later on (especially if you go for a sheepstick) its becomes somewhat of a lackluster tho, which is the main argument for using Force Staff. What are your experiences?

Third: First big item?
I like to go for a defensive item first. If the enemy team has mostly physical dmg i go for a Shiva's Guard (although this item is genuinely a good idea since it gives much needed bonus armor), if it has some big single target nukes / CC i opt for a Linken's Sphere. Havent tried this myself yet but how viable would it be to go for a Sheepstick straight away? If memory serves right there was a time when this was THE go to item for similar heroes like Silencer.

Forth: Luxury?
What are some fun combos on SM? I have been playing arround with luxury items a bit, but couldnt really figure out which are best...since at this point of the game you either are dominating anyway or have already lost?

Now this was acutally longer than expected...I would still appreciate any constructive feedback :3

Arcane Boots are still the best choice. You can't just instagib one of the enemies then just be useless for the rest of the teamfights. Arcane Boots allow you to throw out some extra Arcane Bolts after your combo. PTs are decent, Tranquil Boots useless.

Rod of Atos is the better choice overall. His measly HP pool will be greatly benefited by that extra 325 HP Atos gives. Sheepstick doesn't matter, you get Atos for the HP, not for the disable. (since it also gives INT which boosts your mana, but mainly for that HP - consider it like the intelligence counterpart of Vanguard)

First big item, probably a sheep stick or a Bloodstone. Only get Bloodstone if you plan to get Aghanim's Scepter after that. Linken's Sphere is a good choice, Shiva's Guard is decent too.

Luxury : Scythe of Vyse, Ethereal Blade , Aghanim's Scepter

Arcane Boots are best on a Support Skywrath 90% of the time. Tranquil Boots are only good in those rare Situations where an Offlaner will get Arcane Boots and you have another method of regaining Mana on your Team, e.g. Outworld Devourer/ Crystal Maiden/ Keeper of the Light etc.

On a Core Skywrath? Power Treads + Bottle all the way baby! You'll save Mana by switching to Int, then Regen more Mana by switching to Strength/Agility, so it should result in more Arcane Bolts

Edit:gonna do math later...


I agree with Wulfstan here, the only exception being when the Active from Atos is rendered useless, e.g. Stampede, Surge, Manta Style, Diffusal Blade, etc.

Personally I follow(with some variation according to the game) the Merlini build which is 2 null talismans and then rush BoT's then of course go into atos and all that kinda stuff. I find it's always incredible successful. It's always great when you can TP in and kill all the people ganking your carry, Personally I do see the use in Arcanes or in some situations tranqs but I think that Merlini BoT rush is just better, it does depend a bit on your play style and for it to work you have to get about 90%+ CS in lane or you turn into a speedy feeder with some faulty luck charms.

If you havent seen merlini his videos(particuarly skywrath mage play) are on his channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8UJcruIo74&index=4&list=PLcmWfVFmaBr3Mp757YbMZBimdJcZpuIpY
I do also beleive Purge followed the Merlini build in one of his purge plays skywrath mage uploads

Arcanes are for your team's benefit as well. Plus they can be disassembled to knock out a significant chunk of your Bloodstone later. Then just brown boots until you have enough for BoT.

I know a lot of people throw it under core, but I have never really liked Rod of Atos on Skywrath. I see its merits, of course, but I just never really throw the 3k gold toward it and I end up just fine. The health and intel boost is the main reason you get it, but I would rather him have another (more useful) active, like a sheepstick or shiva's.

I play Skywrath as a ganker/roamer, and he really has nearly everything he needs in his skills to fulfill that role. A guaranteed, HUGE range slow, a cheap and spammable nuke, a silence, and a super high damage ultimate. I feel like the rod isn't needed a ton considering you already have a really good slow at your disposal.

What I do, to avoid absolutely needing to buy it, is pick Skywrath when I know my team already has some good CC to keep enemies down. If you don't have to worry about disabling and slowing half the team to land your stuff, you can just cast damaging nukes all teamfight.

I usually build arcane boots and a wand, and then try to get an early Preserverence. After that I go Force Staff and then start to finish my Bloodstone. Once you have that amazing regen the kills really start coming. Scythe is probably the first choice for luxury, but the others that Wulfstan mentioned are great too.

Arcane Boots as a support, tread switching+bottle is better as a mid though if you ask me.

First item for me is always Force Staff. Sky's heavily dependent on mobility just like every other early/midgame INT nuker, and force is the best option here.

Not a fan of Atos. All of his spells have decent to great range (just sit in the back), the slow doesn't fix his biggest problem (being hard countered by enemy forcestaff/bkb), and you're still pretty paper until you buy armor.

Main options in my mind are Mek (if you want survivability), BKB (against blademails or excessive AOE), eul (against silencers or if poor) or sheep/shiva (if rich). Dagon is pretty lolzy in a stomp.