Pos 4 Jungle Blooseeker (7.05)

Introduction

Hello internet, welcome to another Bloodseeker jungle, but this time with a focused purpose.

Unlike my previous guide where Blooseeker acts as a right clicker/spellcaster hybrid, this time he acts as pure spellcaster, with one or two hits thrown in when fights turns into your favor.

After intensive time playing as Bloodseeker, more and more I build him as spellcaster than right clicker, mostly because I realize just how weak he is at facing other heroes face to face, easily kite-able and all that jazz as pure glaring weakness.

Then I start seeing other people and some pros disregard Thirst in favor of Bloodrage and Blood Rite, I try it then boom, winning streak.

I still see people tries him as right clicker, but I always kind of win against such builds no matter the hero I use at that time.

Guide History

Date: 10 May 2017

• Guide Published.

Date: 14 May 2017

• Changed Strength and Weakness Title to Build Strength and Weakness
• Added Innate Hero Strength and Weakness
• Added few words to Bloodrage ability.
• Added few words to Blood Rite ability.
• Edited few words in Level 10 Talent.
• Restructured Item Builds so description is next to the item pictures.

Date: 18 May 2017

• Added more description to Blink Dagger item.

Innate Hero Strengths and Weakness

Unlike Build Strength and Weakness, this one is dedicated to the hero design itself, meaning this is an analysis on the hero without items thrown in.

Innate Hero Strength

800 Cast Range for Bloodrage, 1500 cast range for Blood Rite, and 1.000 Cast Range for Rupture. All of his spells can be cast outside the range of major spells out there in the game.




This mostly impact 5 minutes from the start of the game, but in 5 minutes can happen a lot, like getting a kill. Priority of Boots can be lowered down a bit. Boots of Speed can be delayed a bit in favor of Hand of Midas for example.


This mostly affects early to mid game. No reduction means the damage dealt is absolute and powerful, one that we are abusing in this guide.




Any item that increase his int lets him effective to cast spells continuously until fight ends.


In this guide, this mostly affects Ethereal Blade since the item takes primary attribute. Considering Bloodseeker is an agility hero, Ethereal Blade gives +40 Agility, and +3.0 agility growth, now you can see why I list Ethereal Blade as potential item.

Innate Hero Weakness

As much as useful Bloodrage can be, you have to look at how the ability makes you so squishy. +40% Damage increase is no joke, both in dealing and receiving. The ability requires the buffed unit to kill enemies before they can even fight back, and the kit of spells Bloodseeker has doesn't fulfill that requirement. No one cares about silence if they can just right click you back. Rupture pretty much still forces you to go there to the victim which the rest of the enemy won't let you. And if you are Buffed at that time, prepare to be popped by nukes.

So yes, Bloodrage should be given to your allies that can make use of the increased damage effectively in short burst.


In DotA, as a right clicker, the worse BAT a hero has, the stronger the steroid e.g. Tiny, Doom, Spirit Breaker, Sven. Bloodrage in every possible sense is a steroid, but the feedback the spell has makes it an average steroid since the buffed unit can be blown up easily. Average Steroid + Average BAT = Average Right clicker.

This is the reason why Bloodseeker easily falls as the game continues when he played as a right clicker.

Build Strengths and Weakness

Strenghts of this Build Superior farm and levels No mana problem after getting Arcane Boots unless you throw your spells like an idiot. Not easily kite-able due to your spells cast ranges. Strong nuke early game. Strong heal and damage boost for allies. Powerful stage maker in fights with long silence duration from Blood Rite. Stupidly powerful pure AoE damage nuke with low cooldown (336 pure damage without talent or int boost when buffed with Bloodrage, 441 pure Damage after talent) While cannot fully support team as a full time team warder, he can share the burden to buy some wards with Pos 5 of your team. Have enough high movement speed to always be in range to cast spells in needed locations in teamfights. Tanky enough to take one or two nukes. Can turn to a right click carry midway if needed (not covered by this guide).

Weakness of this build Silence means no contribution. Avoid it at all cost. Low Armor. If you get jumped, you will most likely dead. Make sure to not get initiated on Like every other jungler, Bounty Hunter and Riki will make your jungle experience like a nightmare, so good luck if you face one of those two (or don't jungle)

Farming Speed as Jungler

Bloodseeker's farming speed as Jungler is crazy fast. Not as fast as Enigma ever would, but fast enough to contest your mid in normal day. Unless your mid has a good lane, your networth will zoom past him like no one's monkey business. If uncontrolled, you can get 4k networth alone by ten minutes.

Ability and Talent Guide

Bloodrage is the bread and butter for pretty much everything, from farming to fighting. Bloodrage amplifies everything considered damage from the buffed unit, including Blood Rite, Rupture and even items, hence this ability is maxed first. Also, it has 0 mana cost, so it won't hurt your mana pool at all.

Use Bloodrage to heal from last hits. Always make sure you are buffed before last hitting to get those sweet, sweet heals.

Use Bloodrage before using Iron Talon's active to buff the damage the item deals to neutral creeps.

Use Bloodrage on allies after ganking or teamfights to let them heal via last hits. On level 4, the heal amount is big from lane creeps alone, so make sure to buff them to make them restore health and continue to push towers.

Use Bloodrage on them when you see your allies on lane when they are low health but no apparent danger come soon. Getting their health up is great, no matter what the situation is (except maybe Huskar).

Use Bloodrage before Blood Rite finishes its animation and deals damage to get those extra pure damage.

Use Bloodrage on yourself after casting Rupture on enemies, the damage dealt when they move are also amplified.

Use Bloodrage to pop Linken's Sphere on enemies.

You will use Bloodrage a lot, like almost everything you do will be under the buff of Bloodrage, so get used to press those Alt+Q if you are a Quick Cast user like me.

Since you are a position 4, you are not the primary damage dealer. If you have Axe, Razor, Shadow Fiend, or anyone else who can wreak havoc on enemy team, make sure to buff them to make them a pure killing machine of destruction. Do not worry about the fact that Bloodrage is a double edged sword, Blood Rite make the enemies cannot fight back.

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Blood Rite is your tool of engagement in team fights. It has a huge Area of Effect, making it easy to land on occupied enemies (enemies who are busy engaging your allies). It also deals stupid amount of pure damage when buffed with Bloodrage. It also gives long silence duration. In early-mid to mid-late game, it will be the primary tool to deal damage to enemies and consequently trigger your passive: Thirst.

Leveling this skill increases Damage, Silence Duration, and lower cooldown, with maxed Bloodrage this skill grows in leaps and bounds, thus we max this before maxing Thirst.

Blood Rite should be used as a follow-up after initiation from your team or counter-initiation from enemy team, never use it to open fights since it's easily evade-able.

Primary usage of Blood Rite is to deal damage and silence enemies, but it's huge AoE and long casting range makes it also viable to be used as force zoning enemies away or keeping them close. Also great to disrupt channeling ultimates like Black Hole, Freezing Field, Death Ward.

P.S. Blood Rite gives flying vision on a small radius, use this to gain vision on enemy jukings or scouting trees.

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Ahh... Thirst, the most iconic ability of Bloodseeker, sadly also the weakest of all among the abilities in your repertoire.

Thirst makes any heroes a powerful right clicker in Ability Draft, but for Bloodseeker who is pretty squishy because of Bloodrage, the ability is not that useful, not when enemies will kite you around then spam you with stuns and nukes.

For Thirst passive to trigger, the enemies have to have their health reduced to at least 75%, that in itself makes the passive a huge turn off. No one would enter fights with their health below two third if they can help it. So if this passive is not triggered, then all points you put into this is a pure waste.

But Thirst has a huge selling point that makes it a very potent value point skill: True Sight at critical health and Movement speed bonus.

The True Sight will dramatically increase first blood chance for your allies, seriously. Small skirmishes in lane always ends with one of the other in low health and whoever loses will juke around trees and vision to avoid getting killed. Thirst will prevent him from doing so and net your ally a first blood.

The Movement speed bonus will make sure you are always in range for a well-placed Blood Rite or chase enemies who are trying escape from fights.

Attack Damage bonus is very meh, and you will get more kills from Rupture and Blood Rite more often than right clicking enemies into death, so maxing this first is just a huge no. Or if you do get kills from Right Click, most likely they are already weakened enough from those two skills first.

Max this last, because the full benefit of this passive only shines after having items to support yourself.

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Rupture, your ultimate, and the clutch to win skirmishes and team fights. The biggest selling point is not the damage (although it's very good!). Instead it's the fact that Rupture destroys enemy movements, preventing them from gaining superior positioning thus easy to kill or preventing them from being mobile on fights so they cannot wreak havoc. It's Black King Bar piercing to boot!, so use it on those BKB carriers.

Primary targets are capture initiators like Magnus or Axe, but if they won't show up or they act as counter-initiators, switch targets to high profile heroes like Lina, Weaver, Windranger, Phantom Assassin, Timbersaw, heroes that needs strong positioning to win fights.

Don't use Rupture on targets who are too tanky for their own good, (e.g. Dragon Knight with Assault Cuirass) and target someone else unless someone in your team deals Pure Damage like nobody's business *cough*Outworld Devourer*cough*

Rupture is a strong initiating skill, use it to open fights so your own proper initiator can do his/her follow up followed by Blood Rite.

After getting Aghanim's Scepter, this ability can be used very often (Cooldown reduced from 60 sec to 40 sec), even twice in one team fight alongside (can have two charges). So wrong target or wrong timing of Rupture doesn't punish you anymore.

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Hero Talents

30% Lifesteal +10 All Stats +75 Blood Rite Damage +225 Health

25 20 15 10

-7s Blood Rite cooldown +14% Rupture Damage +30 Attack Speed +25 Damage

*The ones highlighted in green is the talents you should pick.


At level 10:

Narutally, since we don't really right click people to the face, we don't get much value from taking +25 Damage. Your farming speed is already fast enough with Bloodrage + Iron Talon. Also, that +225 Health means we have higher chance to survive under the effect of Bloodrage


At level 15:

Again, since we don't right click people on the face, we don't get much value from taking +30 Attack Speed. If you are taking this from farming angle, damage from Blood Rite + Bloodrage is far faster to clear camps and creep waves, while your mana pool is covered by Arcane Boots and Aghanim's Scepter. After taking +75 Blood Rite Damage, your nuke will be boosted to 441 Pure damage after being buffed with Bloodrage before int boost. This thing deals just slightly lower damage from Pudge's upgraded Aghs Meat Hook, but AoE style.

Great stuff.


At level 20:

This is a huge dilemma to pick which one. After buying Aghanim's Scepter, that +14% Rupture Damage is a very tempting pick. But if somehow you have to diverge from this build and go right click since no one in your team can take the mantle, take +10 All Stats. Going right click by this time is never a bad decision since Thirst is already maxed but not a recommended one unless you properly itemized yourself after getting Aghanim's Scepter (which is not covered by this guide)


At Level 25:

If you already diverge from this build and go right clicking the traditional carry way, take the 30% Lifesteal. If you are not right clicking, take the -7s Blood Rite cooldown. Potent stuff since if you can cast twice in succession means the enemy cannot get out of silence state in 12 seconds.

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From the ability explanations above, this is how the build goes. Bloodrage is so versatile that we should max it first. Blood Rite is second because we cannot rely on Thirst aside from it's value point, and Rupture should be leveled whenever available because it's an ultimate.

Item Guide

Starting Items

Iron Talon Bounty Rune

Starts with Iron Talon, nothing else. Go to the Bounty Rune at 00:00 minute mark and grab it. Bounty Rune gives a small boost gold but huge multiplier for Bloodseeker because you can go for that instant Stout Shield. Use Iron Talon on the big creeps after buffing yourself with Bloodrage to increase efficiency in many folds.

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First Courier Use

Stout Shield

If you get the Bounty Rune, immediately buy Stout Shield at once and deliver it with courier pronto. If done correctly, you should get Iron Talon + Stout Shield before any neutral creep spawns.

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Second Courier Use

Gloves of Haste

Rush Gloves of Haste like a madman. This item will further your jungle experience far, far faster. Buy it and immediately courier rush it. This item is too important.

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Third Courier Use

Hand of Midas

Hand of Midas should be finished first before doing anything else. To stay relevant to the late game, Bloodseeker will need two more items after Aghanim's Scepter, either one extension + one situational, or two extensions or even two situationals. Either way, Hand of Midas will ensure he gets them even in a bad game or your allies sweeps every farm in the game leaving you with just a spare change of creeps. Hand of Midas should be gotten under 9 minutes, but if you are uninterrupted in farming jungle, a 7 minute midas is easy to get. He doesn't really need any items to be online in the game and start contributing, but he certainly need items to stay relevant, hence we need midas.

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Core Items

Arcane Boots

Arcane Boots is my boot of choice because you will cast Blood Rite and Rupture like a monkey going for a banana, and this is the item to accommodate your needs for mana. Reasons: You don't right click them or even enter the fray of fights unless it's favorable, so he doesn't need stats boost from Power Treads. Bloodseeker can heal himself with Bloodrage so no need Tranquil Boots Movement speed is covered by Thirst so no need for Phase Boots. Arcane Boots = more Blood Rite, more Blood Rite = faster farm. Arcane Boots gives mana to allies, which means more spells to throw at your enemies. Arcane Boots can be upgraded to Guardian Greaves much later in the game or disassembled for Aether Lens or Lotus Orb, so more efficiency there.

Aghanim's Scepter

Considering you have brought much to the table just from your spell kit and Arcane Boots, rushing for Aghanim's Scepter to amplify what you have is better than bringing other utility that can be bought by your allies. Rupture is that useful in fights, and having it more often means less downtime for Bloodseeker. Unless your team get rekt badly in early game, Aghanim's Scepter should be finished as soon as possible after Arcane Boots. While trying to get this item, you can sparingly buy Observer Wards or Sentry Wards to share your pos 5 burdens.

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Essentially, past Aghanim's Scepter, everything is a fair game. Build things according to your needs. In all cases, the guide stops being a true guide at this point and more of a source of reference. So I will say it again:

Build items according to your needs.

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Extensions (Defensive)

Try these items if the game does not go favorable for your teams.

Aether Lens

Aether Lens' use is pretty much to increase your cast range. Sometimes you just need to catch those back line heroes with Blood Rite or Rupture without exposing yourself into the fray. The spell damage increase plays nicely with your two spells since both are Pure Damage. Disassemble Arcane Boots to get Energy Booster for free. Great item to counter Linken's Sphere block because of the increased cast range of Bloodrage.

Shiva's Guard

Shiva's Guard is to reduce enemy's attack speed, hence less physical damage for your team, and also increase your own armor to let yourself do not get blown up very quickly, and it's active deals quite a damage after buffing with Bloodrage. Thirst is probably already leveled up by the time you got this item, so you can fall back to it for right click damages.

Lotus Orb

Lotus Orb to debuff yourself or your allies (Basic Dispel) (especially Silences) or Mana Leak and protect them for few seconds from single target spells. The increased armor for yourself means you can enter the thick of fray without getting instantly blown up. Disassemble Arcane Boots to get Energy Booster for free.

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Extensions Offensive

Bloodthorn

Bloodthorn is an expensive pick but powerful to have. Great item to destroy evasion heroes, Butterfly carriers, spellcasters and carries that relies on his abilities. Use it to stop heroes like Storm Spirit from zip-zapping, Morphling, etc. The fact you can pop Linken's Sphere with Bloodrage is a bonus point for this item. Works beautifully with Blink Dagger. Finish Orchid Malevolence part first since it brings better utility.

Linken's Sphere

Buy Linken's Sphere not for yourself, but to protect whomever deals the most damage in your team. Make sure to cast this item on them before entering fights.

Radiance

Radiance is a good pick if the enemy team somehow ignores you in team fights. The miss chance can be deadly and the aura can be buffed by Bloodrage. Don't get this if someone else already bought one.

Scythe of Vyse

Scythe of Vyse to disable items on enemy heroes. If that Drow Ranger or Sniper survives because they make good use of their Hurricane Pike, buy this. Also great to gank enemies in late game to kill them before they can use Black King Bar. Works great when combined with Blink Dagger.

Solar Crest

Solar Crest should be used offensively. To destroy enemy armor if they tank up with the stuff.

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Situational

Eul's Scepter of Divinity

Eul's Scepter of Divinity is not exactly a good item to have on Bloodseeker. In this build, it offers too much mana regen you don't need, redundant movement speed, and the stats doesn't offer much for him. The only thing you need from this is the active to cyclone enemies up. Only get this if your team is in a very desperate needs for extra disable, E.G. Your offlaner is Bristleback / Undying while your mid is Shadow Fiend / Templar Assassin, or you have too much failure to take objectives (towers or win fights) after the Rupture victim escapes via TP.

Ghost Scepter

Ghost Scepter is an interesting pick. In this guide, Bloodseeker does not have many agility stats for natural armor and do not right click much, so having this can be a huge blessing when you are focused down. If the enemy carries loves to put his or her attention at you and kills you on the spot to prevent you from contributing further, buy this.

Ethereal Blade

Ethereal Blade is a great choice if you already have Ghost Scepter. You are an Agi hero and its base damage comes from your primary attribute which is agility and buffed by 40 by said item. It's active deals quite a chunk of damage after the buff from Bloodrage if casted on enemies, and it also prevents enemy carry to right clicking at your team, either by Ghosting the enemy carry or your ally who is beaten down. I usually buy this if I buy Ghost Scepter earlier in the game. Math for level 25 BS with Aghs and EB: 140% from Bloodrage * (75 Base EB+200%*(99 base agi+40 bonus from EB+10 from Aghs)) = 522 Damage. in one simple button without casting time.

Dagon

Dagon 5 is a further step after you get Ethereal Blade. This item will delete a squishy hero from the game in just 2 buttons (EB+Dagon). Damage is tremendous after being buffed by Bloodrage and Ghost from Ethereal Blade. the math for level 25 bloodseeker with, Bloodrage, Dagon 5, Ethereal Blade and Aghs: 140% From Bloodrage * ( ( 75 Base EB + 200% * (99 Base Agi + 40 from EB + 10 from Aghs + 3 from Dagon) + 140% * 800 damage from Dagon 5) = 1740 Damage

Mekansm

Mekansm is a great pick if your team is strong enough to push lanes quicker than the enemy team but your team lacks the survivability to do so to put pressure. Buy it if no one else gets it and you plan to pressure enemy team early.

Guardian Greaves

Guardian Greaves is a natural upgrade for Arcane Boots + Mekansm, but the recipe cost is very expensive in early game, thus you should pick something else first before finishing this one unless no other utility is needed.

Blink Dagger

Blink Dagger is to catch down those notorious split pushers on enemy team. Best combo'ed with Orchid Malevolence or Scythe of Vyse. Also buy this if enemy likes to spread out too much. When you also have Aether Lens, your reach for Rupture is crazy.

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Alternate Starting Items

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If no one buys the courier, man up and buy it. Better be delayed by 1 minute than having no courier at all.

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Utility Items

For wards, use it offensively. Wards to the back of enemy towers while put sentry around tower spot any invisible heroes. Don't buy sentry for dewards, that's your Pos 5 job.

Dust of Appearance should be bought if someone buys Shadow Blade. Tt's not funny if they walk in invisible to avoid Blood Rite under Rupture, but health not low enough to be spotted by Thirst.

Smoke of Deceit to hunt enemies down away from their observer wards eyes.

Jungling

Starts with Iron Talon first, buy nothing else. Buy Animal Courier if somehow no one buys courier. Go to the Bounty Rune, which one doesn't matter, and grab it. Immediately buy Stout Shield and send it over with courier. Level Bloodrage as your level 1 spell.

If you don't have Stout Shield immediately because you don't get Bounty Rune or you have to buy Animal Courier, then you have to do some choke jungling.

Choke jungling Technique:

Go to medium camp, stack it if not cleared by 0:54 mark, then clear it. You should net a level 2 from this. In the middle of clearing this camp, you will get enough money to buy Stout Shield, buy it if you don't have one. Make sure to use Iron Talon and last hits under the buff of Bloodrage.

Level up Thirst to help your allies getting first blood or kills in lane by preventing enemies from juking in trees.

You can go to Hard camp by level 2, but just be careful, it will leave your health a bit low afterwards. Clear medium camp if you are not feeling confident.

Level 3, get more Bloodrage to make you farm faster. By this point, jungling is easy as pie.

by Level 4, get Blood Rite and start to check out mid. See if there is opportunity in ganks. If the enemy extends too far and your ally has an ability to slow down or disable try to gank mid. Blood Rite deals good damage when buffed by level 2 Bloodrage, and your passive Thirst will start to kick in to get you that movement speed to finish that enemy off.

If your mid health is low and he is near your side of tower or at least enemy mid is busy somewhere else, give Bloodrage buff to him so he can heal up.

If no opportunity arise or mid doing well, keep jungling like nobody's business.

Level 5, get more Bloodrage, same as level 4, but this time, try to look the other lanes as you busy jungling. If your safelane has strong stunners or disablers, ganking the lane is beneficial.

Level 6, get Rupture and look at mid again (because it's the most rewarding lane to gank) while busy jungling. You should gank him if he ever extends even one bit, because Rupture will prevent any escape from him.

Level 7, put Bloodrage at level 4, Hand of Midas should be finished by now. You should start roaming and helping other lanes via kills or heals from Bloodrage. Look for ganks on solo laning enemies, but don't go solo, anyone wise enough to know a Bloodseeker on enemy team will stock up on Town Portal Scrolls. If no gank opportunity arise, back to jungle to level up more. Your objective now is to get that Arcane Boots and level 4 Blood Rite (Level 11).

Finish building Arcane Boots? start to pressure enemy towers. Go for kills to immediate tower rush. With Bloodrage for allies to heal up after clashing and mana heal from Arcane Boots, you can take towers because enemies have less heroes than you are and your allies still combat ready.

Farm more until you get Aghanim's Scepter, buy wards if you need to, but buy sparingly. Your Position 5 hero should do the heavy lifting of dewarding. If you buy wards, use it offensively. Wards and sentries on enemy tower, while your Pos 5 wards defensively and dewards.

Finish with Aghanim's Scepter? Good job, now you are a beast in fights. The rest of the game item should be filled with items you and your teammates needs.

Friends, Enemies, Hero Combos

Friends

Basically Cores that goes online early are your friends, meaning Strong Mid-laners and Offlaners are your friends since you can boost their damage.

Notable examples:


Basically these guys deals so much damage in short bursts that enemies die before they can fight back, and Bloodrage will help secure that notion.

Since your farm is fast, you would have two to three cores (including you. Yes you are a core if your farm is that fast) already doing business making space while your carry still farm for late game.

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Enemies

Your number one enemy is instant silences, because they will disrupt your spellcasting, which where all of our damages come from, and making you a dead weight and food for enemy team.


Your number two enemies are those that can circulate around your Blood Rite and Rupture with little to no problem.


Careful around these guys, only use Rupture on them after they waste all their spells.

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Hero Combos

Mid-Lane destroyer:

outworld devourer

+

+

=

GG, instant win mid, easy ganks.

Basically the combo begins with outworld devourer cast the Astral Imprisonment then when the red ring expanding at the center of the visual effects about to reach halfway (only visible to allies), cast Blood Rite on the imprisoned unit, and you and OD position yourself to kill. If done correctly, Blood Rite animation damage procs immediately after Astral Imprisonment ends, this in turn proc Thirst, effectively gives easy chase and kill due to the enemy being silenced. Best do the combo when you both reach level 4.

Easy stuff to do, win mid lanes, and win games.

Easy Kill, but can be hard in execution:

+

+

=

Easy kill.

The combo is rather obvious, Rupture someone, move out of the way, and Pudge hook the target with Meat Hook, easily forcing damage from Rupture to enemy. Can be hard in execution if there are many creeps blocking.

There are many combos available out there, but these two are the one I found most grounded one and realistic.