How to Evaluate a Characters Build/Items (Pugna Example)

From the beginning of a game I think it is important to know a characters initial direction/aim in regard to build and items, but on some characters I think it can be complex/confusing.

Here is the thought process that I go through when trying to determine what items I should be going for.

-What are my Q, W, and E, and how do they work together?

-How does my Q, W, and E relate to my Ultimate?

-What is my Ultimate?(Stand Alone)

-What is my natural range and attack speed? Is this affected by my skills?

-What is my characters starting stats such as armor, life pool and how do they progress per level? (I consider this last and least compared to the others)

The aim of any of my threads is to try to simplify and I hope that 5 questions does not exceed any kind of tipping point of complexity, hopefully this keeps things as clear and simple AS POSSIBLE.


So I would like to take pugna for example...

Over time I realized that it's conflicting and unclear what the right direction is with this character from the start.

A.) If I was looking at his natural speed and attack range, this would indicate that a completed pair of phase boots would work great with him as it would make you faster then 95% of any hero out there coupled with a long damage attack range from the 24 damage.

Why should I not stay in this direction of maintaining a greater speed then my opponent and focus on raw damage items like a crystalis?

B.) As far as Q, W, and E working together goes, we see that nether blast can be enhanced by decrep. Therefore, maxing nether blast asap with at least 1 in decrepify, we might assume that this has to be the right way to play him.

However.. there are some issues. Nether blast is an area of damage and requires a close range to be cast. Sure, decrep might protect for a split second while your run in but it's finished in no time at all... being up close like this is risky as you are vulnerable being a weak squishy long ranged harasser.

People clearly see the power and potential of dagon + decrep, but dagon is focused single target damage... Therefore, the aim might rather be to farm with nether blast instead of risking hero engagements.

The problem with farming using nether blast is that it won't finish off a creep wave until L 4 x 2 casts. A soul ring would seem necessary to maintain continual casts, and it might be in your best interest to lane with another area of effect character with a soul ring so that you both can take turns being the first and second casters of the lane creep mobs in order to get gold most effeciently.

So this might be able to get you to a dagon, and I also heard that an ethereal blade can stack on a dagon but I'm not sure.

This build is a mana offensive direction instead of a physical one since it uses dagon.

C.) Looking at his ultimate and ultimate alone.

We know the power and capability of his ultimate but it is not with out its weaknesses.

Because of what it is and what it does, being as focused and effecient as it is and working with algeimz scepter, and pugna being a support....

Might the intital goal and direction be to get a BKB and Algeimz.... but then to follow up with all defense protecting gear to take even more damage in the process of his ultimate so that you could be some kind of ultimate tank for the team? Would you rather take focused protection of vanguard or team based protection with himself included by gettting mekanism and pipe?

It seems like he could fight an entire game with his ultimate alone...

D.) Final thoughts are that his Q, nether blast, might not even need to be maxed first since it can be used later to destroy towers. If you don't want to take that risk of getting in to close to the enemy then why max it first? Won't his mana trap flare be effective enough with its 1600 long range radius which fits well with the natural theme of the character's design, long range and speed?

Maybe being a so called support and being so squishy but also a mana hero he needs to do something weird like start with Headdress AND Ring of Basilus asap.... He doesn't necessarily need speed right away so why not?


Anyways, the question is, at the end of the day... what is the best direction here?

It's simple?

1. Go to www.DOTAFire.com
2. Click Pugna
3. Select a guide and follow the build
4. ???
5. Profit.

Create your own builds and such when you're experienced with the game.

Obviously the best direction is to build Phase Boots + Boots of Tranquility because more MS = imba.
Best part is, this imba strategy works on EVERY heroes! From Centaur, Dragon Knight, Luna, Invoker, Pugna, Dark Seer, Axe, and even Tinker!

There are two key things to take in to consideration when stacking boots and those are

A.) The speed of the character + boots because the higher that total MS is the more that speed will be enhanced by the percentages of MoM and Phase. Although it says that % based MS does not stack, I think this means that it doesn't multiply but rather, add the percentages. For example, you can see a substantial increase of MS when Phase + MoM are popped at the same time.

So, especially for the higher base MS speed characters, double boots, or adding % increase MS items should NOT be overlooked.


B.) The design concept of the character.... Axe and Dark seer being powerfully offense in the melee range indicates the power of MS for them.

The Tranq + Phase works on axe, and Dark Seer too.... HOWEVER, with Dark Seer being able to indirectly farm off another melee hero like axe, tranq boots might be unnecessary and you would rather get Boots of Travel + Phase. This could be genius for Dark Seer getting in to free lanes to solo farm and max out dagon asasp.

First inspiration for the double boot concept was when I witnessed a death prophet with Boots of Travel + Phase.

It is recognized, however, that due to the significant power of stuns in this game, at times, it can almost trump MS, that's the only catch. Imagine the power of MS if not stuns were in the game....

MS is and will always be a major factor in effectiveness none the less.

Teams with the highest MS and Stuns/disables should be the favored team.

I would also like to add that many here recommonded that pugna lane with keepr of the light while I was trying to say that Pugna + Luna completed a concept of Glass Cannon Synergistic Focus Fire Harassment...

Perhaps with luna, he might want to follow the direction of the physical damage + mana flare...


But with keeper of the light and both with soul rings perhaps, keeper could feed pugna mana for nether blad and both could farm the hell out of lane creeps, taking turns with mass finishing blows.....



It's interesting to note how there are always TWO recommonded heroes when playing... it's like, I recommend either luna or keeper of the light now and then play in the proper direction accordingly, it seems....

Genius indeed.

High level doto right here.

Or pay a bit of extra gold and get a Blink Dagger. Infinitely more utility than having two boots.

Or I could be open minded like an inspiring person should be and say "Blink in and Phase out"

Except i can already phase in and out.

And i can occupy an inventory slot with something that also has stat value...

Blink in for 20 + gold, when I did nothing to further enhance my tank?

Blink in to... a group of guys?

I'll phase in so that the fog of war opens up fluidly and i can decided to run away if there are many opponents.

Why are we still arguing about double boots.

Why is Kyfoid posting new threads at a highly rapid pace.

Why hasn't Porygon joined this argument yet.

Why does Kyfoid think that fog of war is relevant, even though you shouldn't blink in randomly without vision anyway.

Why didn't Kyfoid understand that when we said that you should add KotL to the combo, we meant that it was a trilane.