Theory building: Core Leshrac

I used to think that Bloodstone was the only way to play core Leshrac because of how ridiculously mana-intensive he is, but since the latest patches, especially 6.82, I tend to think more towards Peppo's build : Eul's Scepter of Divinity into Aghanim's Scepter is really efficient now because a fast Agh's on Leshrac gives you pretty sick benefits.



Essentially a level 1 Pulse Nova with Aghs is the same DPS as a level 3 Pulse Nova without Aghs FOR ONLY 1/3 OF THE MANA COST.

So you can leave your ult at level 1, and you have an extremely mana-efficient farming/pushing skill that allows you to just walk around and melt creeps.

Leshrac isn't the easiest hero to build, as generally he's a support hero, and all of his spells are short ranged and mana intensive. This means you need a blend of both survivability and mana if you want to be able to wade into the middle of fights where you can do the most damage.

This is why Bloodstone tends to be popular on him - it's very efficient at providing HP/mana, and right click isn't really an issue when almost all your damage output is magical. However, I'm also a big fan of Rod of Atos as it's cheap, provides a good slow (easy to setup stuns) and lots of hp/mana for the cost.

I think ideally you want a Black King Bar so you can really get in there and get stuck in. Ghost Scepter it very handy here too (doesn't stop you casting). Eul's I do like, but it tends to leave him a bit squishy.

Orchid Malevolence tends to work best for right click heroes, I'd rather get a Rod or Sheepstick instead.

If you're looking for a really cost effective build, try Rod of Atos/ Soul Booster/ Ghost Scepter (you don't have to complete it into BS, and can use the mana booster for your boots for a while), then round off with a BKB or Agh's.

That's 325 + 450 + 133 = 908 hp
325 + 400 + 91 = 816 mana

For 3100 + 3300 + 1600 = 8000 gold

You can slow enemies strongly and become physically immune, plus plenty of regen.

I think the best first item for core Leshrac is Eul's Scepter of Divinity, unless going for a Bloodstone: Eul's not only gives a ton of mana to play with, it also grants a reliable setup for Split Earth.

The Orchid on Leshrac is just wasted money, it's like picking it up on Death Prophet. On such Heroes you not only need mana regen, but also survivability: that's why the Bloodstone is so popular (even though it's not the best choice). Other good choices would be cheap mid-game pickups that add mana or mana regen like Drum of Endurance, Rod of Atos (as suggested by you) and - as said before - the Eul's, followed by a big item that bulks up your stats like Aghanim's Scepter, Scythe of Vyse or even Heart of Tarrasque.

I haven't played core Leshrac in a long time, but if I had to play him nowadays I'd probably go Phase Boots into Eul's and Agh's, with optional Drums before the Eul's. My most standard late game choices are, obviously, Scythe of Vyse and Shiva's Guard, along with Heart of Tarrasque, Linken's Sphere and especially Black King Bar versus certain lineups.

Hmmmm

I used to play a lot of Leshrac in Dota1 and i used to run in as a position 1. (i know i know completely stupid)

BUT

My build was go MID

early game.
Bottle - cause im mid ...duuuhhh
Arcane Boots - mana mana mana

Mid game
Rod of Atos - the slow plsu the hp and mana mana mana
Black King Bar - you cant stop me now!!

Late Game
Aghanims Scepter - melt puny mortals MMEEELLLLLLTTTT!!!!
Scythe of Vyse - the active helps with chasing and Zoning.


EXPLANATION :

at level 16 i could outlay over 400 damage a second in an AoE of 450.

with bkb i waded into fights and just melted people.


your idea of Orchid though ... i never thought of, mana regen and the silence with damage amp would work absolute wonders.

the attack speed he doesnt really need as he isnt right click.