Sand King core...

I presume you never played mid Sand King with max Caustic Finale and Burrowstrike.

You can pretty much control mid lane like that, really easily, and get easy runes as well, and an early Epicenter.

He's a hero with the ability to clear waves quickly and pretty safely - Whether or not he's a core, he's probably going to do that job at points in a game. The idea in some situations isn't about maximum farm efficiency, it's about being efficient at pushing, split pushing, and de-pushing.

Likewise Sand King is a hero that's going to get kills. Probably a lot of them if you are doing your job well, because you have a massive AOE nuke, and a powerful spamable line-stun.

But then, I personally disagree with the idea of Sand King being a 5 position (And thus a ward-***** as you put it), given he farms extremely efficiently. He's independent enough to never demand core levels of farm, but he is capable of farming really quickly, which makes him great as a hero to buy utility items, rather than on wards.

I'd also argue that Force Staff is a good enough item to be built before Veil on Sand King. Since, you are an initator, both with Epicentre and Burrow Strike. And being able to do that from essentially a screen away (Or 2450 units to be precise), and be a fantastic space creator, is too good to pass up.

SnY Sand King

U wot m8

Seriously, why do people buy this item?

SK core has been played in pro games a few times, and it didn't do that bad because the amount of magic dmg you can do at 20 mins with safelane/mid farm is insane. However, he only works as a space maker for the really carry (morphling in mid/safe for example or dusa,) like a centaur or something (Empire did safelane centaur in the finals of SL) or in an all in push strat (which isn't good now so that's why he's NEVER picked anymore as a core). And also as wulfstan mentioned, caustic finale is ridiculous in mid against a meele hero, you will get ALL the farm and he won't be able to come to you at all.
So yea don't jump to conclusions, sand king core isn't that bad, but yea, right clicking sand king makes no sense. (excpet if it's a 100 min game)

Sand King as a core better than support. Mid is the best lane for him. Maxing Burrowstrike and Caustic Final, the enemy can't do a **** against you. You go Bottle, Magic Wand, Arcane Boots, Blink Dagger, Aghanim's Scepter and Veil of Discord.

With that logic I should play Keeper of the Light or Lich mid because they can win their lane easily against almost any hero.

Being a good mid hero has nothing to do with lane control. It's about bringing something to the table, whether teamfight presence, ganking/space creating, pushing power, (hard) carry potential...that you can ONLY do with a *heavy* level and farm advantage in the early game.

Support SK gets 9 minute blink and can do anything that mid SK does just as well. The only thing you're doing with core SK is that you're playing a 4 as a 2 and you're not getting anything out of it. Meanwhile the enemy team is playing a real mid hero, say Magnus, and is getting a hero that can create space more efficiently, scales way better into late game with the farm you're securing for him, and provides infinitely more utility.

The big strength of SK is that he can get tons of farm in a support role by farming jungle with Sand Storm. He reaches his full potential as an initiator *without taking space* from your team, because he's not hogging a core position. Play him as a core, and you're just playing a watered down Tide/Magnus.

The voice of reason.
He can push, he can de-push and do whatevs you want him to do just as well. I am sure you wont be liking an sk coming in lane to take farm from a hero placed at higher farm priority than him would you?
Want that the complaint here?

My simple position is he can jungle good, let him be there. Dont give him creeps unless it is time to push lanes or you want to relieve lane pressure against multiple creep waves attacking your tower.
He IS a ward *****, 1 burrowstrike and a wave dies( doesnt that ring a bell for you?). He is relatively farm independant and ability dependant, has a good farming mechanism; i suppose people would be comfortable buying wards AND consumables off of him since he wont be having any gold troubles at any point in the game!

I mean dont get me wrong, the mid build works(just tried it, so yeah pub wise really viable), but he still has his wobs and sandstorm that he has when he went mid. You merely accelerated the time space in which he gets them(which is never a bad idea, but i think a proper mid hero like templar assassin or puck might be better off hogging mid).

He takes kills, fine. But he can do HIS JOB with a blink and veil.
Blink= SK is ONLINE
Veil= SK pwning sum nubs.

Force,shivas,scythe,halberd= holla holla getta dolla sk got some kills getrektopnoscopemlgswag.

As i said earlier, i tried sk mid. Had a chat with my mentor on this issue and she partially agrees with you lot(*cough cough*). This is enough for me to admit i might be wrong in how i think. BUT can anyone say he doesnt do his job with just a blink and veil?( ergo, wobbling about in between the screen, with a penchant to drill additional holes in the enemy's ***)

No, the mid build DOES NOT work even in pubs, no matter what it may appear like, because it loses you the game. It's the same problem as playing Dazzle mid or that kind of pub scrub stuff : great, you just played a 5 as a 2, and as a 2 he's actually *less* effective than as a 5 because he's casting all his skills on himself while he could be doing it on your carry. Zero impact mid, enjoy your loss.

Go offlane if you want to do that build, because at least you're accomplishing something by shutting down an enemy melee carry. The only thing you're doing as a mid is getting your freefarm while the enemy mid hero gets his freefarm as well. Only problem is, almost every mid hero scales far better with farm than a SK.

So not only is your SK an absolute ***** by stealing farm from his team all game long with his skills, but he's hogging mid as well. GG report SK.

I'll continue the disscution once I get home, but I have some proof and a couple of arguments to add.

oh this ones interesting, SK mid,LOL pubs what up?
I think hes better than 5. but hes not better as 2 3 or 4 where SK wont be THAT excellent with items.
You should play him as 5 and then when money comes by get your luxuries and start pwning. My point: as kypho chan suggests, play 5 get money get luxuries and be happy. You didnt disrupt others' economy, and you got your items. Its nice with a win win situation no?