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Stout Shield
Healing Salve
Ring of Protection
Clarity
Tranquil Boots
Blink Dagger
Point Booster
Cloak
Blink Dagger
Bloodstone
Blade Mail
Heart of Tarrasque
Shiva's Guard
Pipe of Insight
Aghanim's Scepter
Scythe of Vyse
Boots of Travel
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4 | 6 | 8 | 9 |  |
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1 | 3 | 5 | 7 |  |
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2 | 10 | 13 | 14 |  |
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11 | 12 | 16 |  |
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15 | 17 | 18 |
This guide tend to focus on playing AXE aggressive teamplay in Suicide lane and Safe Lane as LaneHarrass/Gank/Initiate.
This guide is NOT for:
1. Jungling
2. Tanking
3. Ownning
This guide FOCUS in:
1. LaneHarrass/LaneSupport
2. BabySitting Carry
3. Initiating
4. Ganking aggressively
About AXE:
Pros:
1. Having one of the best crowd control spell in Dota 2(even better than Enigma's Black hole), it can even bypass BKB.
2. Require a lot less farming/last hit due to Counter-Helix
3. Having one of the best DoT spell with low mana cost and low cooldown, while 900 casting range.
Cons:
1. His STR gain and average-low armor gain makes him quite squishy as Initiate/Tank.
2. His hero-killing methods are quite situational.
3. Quite useless throughout the game without the core item, blink blade.
Berserker's Call:
NOTE: In my guide, this skill is maxed after Battle Hunger, while ignoring the Culling Blade and Counter-Helix.
Reasons WHY:
1. It is a very useful disabling spell during ganking with other nukers/gankers, even it is only disabling one hero.
2. Despite the popular's belief, Berserker's Call is NOT suppose to combo with Counter-Helix!
3. By the time you maxed this skill, you should be able to get its synergy item ==> Blink Dagger
Battle Hunger:
1. Max this skill asap for its high damage, long casting range, and spammable cooldown/mana cost.
2. Despite the popular's belief it is a situational spell, it is extremely useful during ganking, 5 sec cooldown is meant for re-cast to those who dispelled it by killing units OR tagging multiple heroes for movement speed boost.
3. Again another great combo DoT spell with Blink Dagger, for chasing low hp heroes.
Counter-Helix:
NOTE: Keep it at LVL 1 till you maxed Battle Hunger and Berserker's Call.
Reasons why:
1. Passive with 17% trigger chance means it is NOT a reliable skill in ganking with Blink Dagger.
2. 3 additional skillpoints only increasing 105 damage per spin, NOT increasing chance triggers nor interval reduction.
3. From above 2 points, Counter-Helix is designed and balanced for Jungling/Creeping, NOT GANKING.
Culling Blade:
NOTE: Putting points into it ONLY IF you maxed Battle Hunger and Berserker's Call. The only exception, however, up this Ultimate ASAP if opposite side having Omniknight/Dazzle in their team.
Reasons why:
1. AXE is LaneSupport/Initiator, early game kills goes to Nukers/Carry.
2. Axe's mana capacity only allow him to spam Battle Hunger early game OR Blink-Call during mid game, spending precious mana to KS for a kill, it is NOT WISE to do that.
3. Its movement speed bonus is only useful in gankings which involving more than 5 heroes. You chase and disable heroes with Blink-Call.
Things to do:
1. Early game:
a. Harrass/Kill at Top/Bottom lane: Depending on opposite's hero choices, time your Battle Hunger well to make them suffer or even net a kill.
b. Survive: As you need to get your blink blade ASAP, the ONLY support item you can buy is a pair of observer ward OR a basic courier.
c. Do not roam if your Battle Hunger not yet reach LVL 3, best to roam with LVL 4 Battle Hunger.
d. Use your LVL 1 Berserker's Call to save your teammate even if it meant your doom by diverting multiple heroes' attention to you.
e. Always replenish your mana with clarity, 50 gold for early game Harrass/Kill is too cheap to pass. You will worry about mana capacity problem during mid-game, not early game. Passive mana regen items is pretty useless to AXE.
(A lot of ppl mentioned about URN of shadow, but 875 gold is too much for Axe before a Blink Dagger)
2. Early-Mid, Mid-Late game:
a. After you get blink, you will be experiencing mana problem as Blink-Call + Battle Hunger is quite mana-consuming. Get a point booster for HP and Mana capcity gain.
b. Depend on the game progress, you can either get a Aghanim's Scepter or Bloodstone (Bloodstone always better choice for tanking and absorbing charges for faster respawning since AXE having the higher risk of dying)
c. Always help to crowd control enemy heroes and prepare for teammates to enter the combat. This applies to protect your carry by diverting enemy heroes attention to you, by all cost.
d. Try to get rid of most annoying hero from enemy team ASAP with Culling Blade(mostly heavy support hero such as Dazzle/Omniknight/Invoker). No one will blame you for KS in such situation, but feel grateful for your swift action)
Things NOT to do:
1. NEVER ever using Culling Blade to KS a kill from your teammate unless the situation forcing you to do so(teammates unable to deliver finishing blow).
2. DO NOT get any other core item before Blink Dagger. Without the dagger, AXE is totally useless throughout the game.
3. DO NOT FARM/JUNGLING when ally gankers expecting you to help them in ganking.
Q. ZOMG Why no arcane boots if you wanna spam Battle Hunger? Why Tranquil Boots?
A. +80 movement speed is invaluable for chasing/retreating while its actives significantly improves further AXE's decent HP regen. It is better to use the extra 475 gold for earlier Blink Daggers as core item than delay by a support item with lower movement speed. Clarity pots will do the job for mana issues.
Q. ZOMG Why no Vanguard if you wanna Blink-Call?
A. I prefer Vit + Point Booster for extra HP and MANA over Vanguard with almost same gold cost. I worry more on tanking nuking spell on me after the 3-sec-call ends than some damage blocking with lower bonus HP.
Some tips on Situational items:
Blade Mail: Get this when there is a potential hard carry or super nukers in enemy team, OR when you not doing well in mid game. Basically this item allows you to drag your enemy down together with your death.
Heart of Tarrasque: Get this over Bloodstone when your gold above 2.5k after Blink Dagger. Basically transform you into a solid Tank with mana issues though.
Shiva Guard: It is a plus having a slow AOE + slow aura when Blink-Calling, but its cost makes it a situational item to get.
Pipe of Insight: Get this when you facing a lot of AOE/Global nukes. Best combo with Mekansm from Int Support.
Feel Free to give comment/feedback for this guide as this is the first time for me to post guide after years of dota/dota2. I will make any improvments on this guide and keep it updated from time to time.
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