How to really play Techies

Introduction

Hi all, and welcome to my first guide on one of my favourite hero : Techies
I have not a really good english, so if you want to correct me in the comment section, just do it !
Why do I make this guide ? For two reasons : First I see too much "noob Techies" in pub game, and second i don't really like the other guide for Techies.
If you want to see Techies stats, story or skills, dota2.com is amazing.
Enjoy reading !

Items explanation

First, go for one Tango, because it's always good to have Tango.
Then, buy 3 Clarity. Why 3, and not 2 or 4 ? Because you need 2 for your first 4 Land Mines, and by my experience, you don't need 2 more, one is enought.
Buy a Town Portal Scroll, and tp to your hard lane.
Buy the Soul Ring Recipe, so you don't need to use the Animal Courier to buy it.
And if no one buy it, buy the Animal Courier.

After that, rush your Soul Ring, and when you have it, buy Boots of Speed and Arcane Boots.
With this two items, you can have enought mana for drop every 10 seconds a Land Mines, but you gonna have mana problem if you don't drop your Arcane Boots when you use Soul Ring.

Then, do your Aghanim's Scepter, with this item you can be very usefull in team fight, dealing big dommage and not be out of position.
Drop your Aghanim's Scepter when use Soul Ring is a bad idea, because you gonna lose life over time, drop 2 items at the same time is also a bad idea, because it take like a half second to drop one item, use an other and take your item, but drop two items or more is way too long. Remember : drop your Arcane Boots when use Soul Ring, and Aghanim's Scepter when you use Arcane Boots.

And now, you have a big choise for your next item :
If you are more playing with your team, buy the item in "For your team section", and for sure, adapt to the situation : One snow-balling right-click carry in the enemy team ? -> go Heaven's Halberd. Too muh magic damage ? -> go Pipe of Insight. Storm Spirit / Ember Spirit ? -> Orchid Malevolence. I think you get it. I also precise that Scythe of Vyse is one of the best item in this game, so if you are well farmed, get one.

An other way to play Techies is to occupe a lane.
For this way, consider buying Blink Dagger for your survability, Eul's Scepter of Divinity for mana regen and move speed, and Necronomicon for take tower faster when the two team are fighting, you can also buy fast Boots of Travel.

The bunker build is more to increase your Mine/min, so Octarine Core, and Bloodstone are very good.

The turtle build is an exemple for these party so long that you don't know what to do. Octarine Core + Refresher Orb is good for have a permanant Minefield Sign, to protect one side of your base. You can replace Bloodstone by Scythe of Vyse, and Guardian Greaves by Boots of Travel.

Oh, one last thing : I say'd Scythe of Vyse is one of the best item in the game, but the best item in the game is Observer Ward. If no one want to buy them, there are no reason to not buy them. Make some math and you will see that buy 5 Observer Ward (= 15 min) is better than lose one of your teamate, and after 20 min, buy 10 Observer Ward (= 30 min) is better than lose your carry or your mid.

Also, always carry a Town Portal Scroll.

Play style

The most important chapter : How to play Techies ?

Lane

First, when you have buy your item, i say'd tp to the hard lane. Why ?
First because Techies need to tp to increase his chance to have a first blood.
And second, because Techies is an hard laner. He is not a mid, not a support, not a roaming, and not a carry.
So, when you tp, go to the turn, and put your Land Mines in the middle of him.
You will see that creep don't walk on them. I hightly recommend you to play with bot to see where the enemy tower see, and where the creep walk.
Put 4 Land Mines there, use 2 Clarity. You have enought time to do it if you tp very fast.
Why 4, because 3 is not enought for hero like Ursa who have big amount of armor and healt at level 1.
Be carefull, the Land Mines now provide 10 golds when destroyed, so don't put them if you know there is sentry ward.

Early game

When you have your Soul Ring, you can place some Land Mines around your lane to be safe, and then try to get the tower as fast as possible. Don't put Land Mines at rune (you can do it if you have less than 2k mmr ^^,) and at side shop. And just don't put Land Mines when the enemy team can see you. How to see if you are a bad Techies ? If you are solo offlaner and you have less level than your carry you are a bad Techies. How to see if you are a good Techies ? If you have more level than your mid, you are a good Techies (if your mid don't feed).

When you get the tower or you reach 15 min, it's time to move... or not.

Mid game

I consider 3 way to play Techies :
-The team Techies
-The pushing Techies
-The bunker Techies

For the team Techies, you will more be the support of your team, defend your tower when ou feel the enemy want her with Remote Mines, fight with your team, and build team item. Arcane Boots and Soul Ring are suffisant for your mana, you don't need Bloodstone, or Octarine Core. This way is the more easy way to play Techies, but not the better. Do it if the enemy team can catch you easily, or if you have guy like enigma in your team ( Black Hole + Stasis Trap = 8 sec stun.), or if you play with a friend, Magnus + Techies is a very good combo.

The pushing Techies is really good versus a team fighting team. You stay on one lane, plant Land Mines all around, and Remote Mines in. Kill every wave with one Remote Mines. Be very carefull : buy Observer Ward or place many Stasis Trap, buy Sentry Ward if they have invisibility, and after your Aghanim's Scepter, buy a Blink Dagger to be safe, or an Eul's Scepter of Divinity just before for the mana. After, consider buy Necronomicon, they push very fast. Use them when the other team are not here, or to push other lane.
The better lane for doing this is the enemy safe lane, so their wood are not safe.
If you cannot push the enemy safe lane, push the enemy hard lane, but not the mid, it's too dangerous.

The bunker Techies is like the pushing Techies, but you occupe a place and not a lane. Do it on the enemy jungle or the enemy secret shop. If it's the secret shop, place Observer Ward to see the Animal Courier. The items and the way to play is pretty the same than the pushing Techies. But if the enemy don't come, don't stay here during all the game, it won't be worth.
With the 6.85, you no more have a Land Mines limit, so we you are in a turtle position, don't forget to put a Land Mines every 5 seconds, it will help you.

This is 3 way to play Techies, but you have to alternate between them. Your item choise will define your main way to play, but adapt to the situation of the game.

Friends & Foes

A Short chapter, but important.

Friends

- Magnus, like I say before, is very good in duo. I think you get why, he can push one guy or all the enemy team in your Land Mines.
- Tiny, a very good lane combo. Simple : Techies plant Land Mines, and when an enemy come near to Tiny, he Toss him on Techies. Easy kill, and when Tiny have mana and Techies have Land Mines, the enemy don't take a single last hit.
- Pudge is pretty same, but it's more early. This is the only way to play roaming, by roaming with the Pudge, and place Land Mines when he Meat Hook.
-And all the hard carry who need to farm safely in their wood, just put Stasis Trap to protect them, or many Land Mines if you want try to get kills.

Foes

- Zeus this guy is insane, he can detect all your bomb ! And now with the 6.85 the Land Mines wont explode when he destroy them, so this hero gonna be a really hard counter to Techies... Another problem is Thundergod's Wrath.
-Illusion and invocation hero, like Naga Siren, Invoker...

Some othet things on Techies

I consider a good Techies don't just win a game, he destruct the enemy team mental.
Don't play it like the other guy I see in pub, who played like a robot !
You are on your lane, and in one instant you disappear. In fact you buy a Smoke of Deceit, and go in their wood when you know there are nobody in, and start placing Land Mines.
When you play the pushing Techies, be so close to the enemy base than they thing they can catch you, but in fact you are totaly safe and you know it, because you have Sentry Ward, Blink Dagger and you check their inventory, and then they die.
Remember, more you are close to the enemy ancient, more you are close to your victory. Putting Remote Mines under your tower the whole game is just a free lose, because Gem of True Sight exist, and you have only one Minefield Sign for 3 lanes.
I place Techies in the top 10 most difficult heroes, and he is for sure the most strategic hero. But, we all see so much some guy who play him very bad, and now he is called as a "noob hero"

Some tips :

(This trick his not so usefull in 6.85 because the Land Mines wont stack properly, so the enemy always see there is many Land Mines)
Drop your item when you use Soul Ring or Arcane Boots, I say it before, but it's very important.
You can perfectly stack mine easily :
1)Put one Land Mines where you want, and make a control group with it.
2)When you have your cooldown, press Q (your key for your Land Mines), select your control group, and click on the Land Mines icon.
3)Enjoy enemy thing there is only one Land Mines and suicide them (It really happend for me ^^).
This method is very good for your Land Mines, because it's really really hard to say if there is one or more Land Mines at the same point. This work with Remote Mines if you don't move when you place your Remote Mines.

I can't say the best place for put Land Mines, in fact it depend of many factors, like where the enemy support place his Observer Ward and also his Sentry Ward, where the enemy carry walk... Just be inventive and startegic.

This guide end here, but I will rework him often.

GL & HF