"I AM a can of whoopass" DiTTo's guide to Clockwerk

Intro

Prepare for Repair!

I'm gonna get straight to the point here, obviously you're here because you know what dota is, so I'm not gonna waste your time by letting you read me lecture on and on about how great dota is. Because to be honest... I tend to do that sometimes. Anyway, Clockwerk. Clockwerk. Nope, not Clockwork, Clockwerk. I love Clockwerk. I live Clockwerk. I am Clo - nevermind.... Throughout this guide, I'll be showing you the art of playing Clockwerk, a very underrated and underused hero. So yes, more often than not, you'll be able to pick him before anyone else does.

Pros & Cons

Pros
*very high starting move speed

*excellent long range initiation

*as long as there is one person with you during a gank, and if the opponent has no special escape skill, it is almost a sure kill as soon as you get to level 6, IF you land your Hookshot
* Rocket Flareis amazing when it comes to damaging heroes bunched up together, and those with very low health when running away
*Durable, great for tower dives during ganks.
*Escape Mechanisms include Hookshotand Powercogs which not only traps nearby enemies in, but also forces others away if timed properly

Cons

*Below average starting damage

*Can cause teammate deaths if some skills are not timed properly

*The user has to have good estimation skills for Hookshot
& Rocketflare

Friends and Foes

Drow Ranger

Well, plain and simple, she hurts. She's a long range hitter. When you cog a teammate nearby her, she'll just beat you down. Or if you cog her... and she's farmed... and you have 1 person helping you... or less.... then she'll beat you down too.

so she's a.... FOE

Anti-Mage and QOP

Blinkers. They just suck. Even after perfectly executed skills, they just blink away from your stun / cogs. Although, if you get lucky with your battery assault, you may be able to stop them from escaping.

so they're.. FOES

Pudge

Pudge isn't that irritating, aside from the fact that he can save his teammate when he gets cogged, or hook YOU if you get cogged.

so he's a... FOE

Well, that's it for foes. As for friends, Clockwerk is decent with many other heroes, but one who stands out is Storm Spirit

Both of you have long range initation, and with his second skill available when you cog, it's an ultimate disable.

So he's a... Friend & Foe

wut. Hahaha. Although he can help with his disables, he can also be a pain with them. Oh, and he can of course escape easily with his ball lightning.

Skills

Battery Assault

Basics

Battery Assault is pretty much broken. If you solo a hero, he cant use any channeling skills because of your constant stun, like Blink YES BLINK!! If you're lucky enough. Another useful thing it can disable is Dismember. Yup, Dismember. And those are only two on the long list! It also does decent damage as well, and it lasts pretty long. It's really useful. Or broken.

Combo

READ!! THIS IS THE COMBO FOR CLOCKWERK'S WHOLE ARSENAL!

This is usually combo'd with hook - cog - battery - rocket flare. It's Clock's bread & butter.

POWER COGS

STEEL CAGE MATCH!

The reason why I called it this is because it's basically forcing your opponent to fight, with no ability to escape. (unless they have blink, etc.) Cogs also force other opponents with short range away, while damaging them and draining mana at the same time.

ESCAPE!?

Yup. Cogs can be used to escape. If you time it correctly, it will trap OUT the opponent. thus allowing your teammates to gather or teleport away.

SAVING OTHERS

Sacrificing your life is something that may need to be done with Clockwork. When alongside a carry, there is a high possibility that they will be nuked down. This being said, your job is to trap other opponents with you in the cog, allowing your team's carry to escape.

Rocket Flare

Early Game Harassment

Rocket Flare is great for this. It can do a decent amount of damage to your opponents, and is especially useful in the laning stage. You constantly wear down the opponent and then, when the opportunity comes, you can get a good cog off and go for the kill. It is also useful for vision during ganks, etc.

GLOOOOOBAL!

Yes, rocket flare is global. It can be used to track down worn down opponents who were failed to be chased and killed by your teammates. Early game, it is also important to just use rocket flare to harrass other lanes (globally) because you never know when your luck can strike.

HOOKSHOT

Ah finally, the hookshot.

Initiation

As you can imagine, with great range comes great responsibi- whoops. With great range comes great power. (Uh whut) This is just an amazing initiation skill, and as long as you hit your targer during a gank when they dont see you coming, it's a sure kill. Rocket Flare is also a good spell to give vision for your hook, so if you're not sure, flare up. Wards are also extremely useful to get those farming in the jungle.

Escaping

Hooking can be great for escaping, because it also hooks to allied units. So when you're getting nuked down, cog, then hook away! Or just hook away, you don't always need the cog. This is especially useful with Aghanim's scepter, which reduces the initial cooldown of 40 (lvl 3) to twelve seconds.

Items

At the start of the game, you need some decent healing, because you will be taking hits. Knowing that, you should also pick up a Stout Shieldalong with your Healing Salve & Tango(which is good for starting up your vanguard). Also, add in the unpopular Circlet. Many are more favourable towards the multiple iron branches because they're cheaper, but this will get you a head start on your Bracer to add some tankiness early on.

Early game, a Bottle is great for roaming. By then, you should pick up a Ring of Health and a Bracer, to help your overall tankiness. Obviously, you need Boots of Speed as well.

Mid-game/Core, you should already have your Vanguard(tankiness) and Phase Boots (great speed addition and helps your low starting damage). Later on, you should pick up an Aghanim's Scepter for lower Hookshot cooldown, allowing great mobility and escape. A Blade Mail can be useful when you cog, forcing the opponent to damage you, thus getting damaged themselves. A Heart of Tarrasque adds to your tankiness and makes you almost invulnerable with your health/health regen and escape ability.

Luxury and Situational Items. If you suddenly have a ton of gold early on, you can go for a Radiance(although I don't recommended it too much) Shiva's Guard is good for teamfights and slows when chasing down opponents, so it will be a useful addition after your core is finished. Heaven's Halberd is a good disarm, but it depends on the enemy lineup. Assault Cuirass is also useful when your team needs attack speed. Force Staff Is a great pick up when you cog yourself with opponents that can beat you down easily. Aside from attacking the cog, which will give the opponent a way out as well, a Force Staff can let yourself out easily, thus avoiding a death.

My first guide.

This is my first guide, so feel free to leave comments and suggestions. Thanks for reading!

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Fart Monkey! Who helped polish the guide! :-)