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2 Votes

ShaDy_FeDGoD's Guide to Lycanthrope

October 8, 2013 by ShaDy_FeDGoD
Comments: 3    |    Views: 16277    |   


Sideline to Jungle

DotA2 Hero: Lycan




Hero Skills

Apex Predator (Innate)

Summon Wolves

2 4 7 9

Howl

3 12 13 14

Feral Impulse

1 5 8 10

Shapeshift

6 11 16

Talents

15 17 18

ShaDy_FeDGoD's Introduction to Banehallow, The Lycanthrope

Banehallow or commonly known in Dota 2 as Lycan is a melee strength hero that excels best late game. In nature Lycan is a durable carry with skills that can give a big boost of damage to both him and his allies and movement speed for a period of time. Lycan was once known as one of the greatest early junlgers in the game but due to today's current updates mainly the update where his wolves was given a decrease of total health points. It is now harder and risker to jungle at the very start. It is a proven fact that Lycan needs farm, that Lycan needs the jungle to be a force to be feared. With this guide you will find the ways and tips of an effective Lycan that can jungle like he used to.

Banehallow, the Lycanthrope's Lore

Banehallow was noble-born to the house of Ambry, the greatest of the landed castes in the old kingdom of Slom. Before the Fall, as the Kings wants grew strange, and his court grew crowded with sorcerers and charlatans, the house of Ambry was the first to rise against the avarice of the throne. No longer willing to pay homage and fealty, they instead sent six-thousand swords into the capital, where they were wiped out in the Massacre of the Apostates. And then came the teeth behind the old truth: When you strike a kings neck, you had better take his head. Enraged by the betrayal, the king exterminated the vast Ambry bloodline, sparing only the lord of the house and his youngest son, Banehallow. Before all the royal court, with the disgraced lord chained to the ornate marble floor, the King bade his magicians transform the boy into a wolf so that he might tear out his own father's throat.Do this,the king said,so that Lord Ambry will understand the bite of betrayal.Powerful magic was invoked, and the child was transformed. But though his body was changed, his spirit remained intact, and instead of biting the exposed neck of his father, he attacked his handlers, tearing them to pieces. A dozen of the King's knights perished under the wolf's teeth before they managed to drive it off into the night. Lord Ambry laughed from his chains even as the King ran him through with a sword. Now the heir to the lost house of Ambry, Banehallow wanders the trail as the Lycan, part warrior, part wolf, in search of justice for all that he lost.

Pros / Cons

Pros
Great Jungler
Built-In Escape Mechanism
Short Period of Time added damage to him and allies
Burst Movement Speed
Reliable Chaser
Pusher
Durable
Efficient Ganker

Cons
Farm Dependent
Item Dependent
Little Contribution during Early Game
Useless if Immobile
Needs Practice when Jungling

Items ( Starting Build )



I would like to say this is not your typical Jungle Guide for Lycan.
This guide is a transition from Sideline to Jungle
Stout Shield helps blockout damage received from enemy creeps and hero harasses.




Your Basic means of Sustainability.
You will have sometime in lane so any form of sustainability is needed.
While some of it mainly the Clarities are gonna be used in jungle.

Items ( Mid Game )



Vladmirs is a must have for Lycan.
Gives Health and Mana Regen.
Has Lifesteal for you, your wolves, and other allied units or heroes.




Power Treads the most versatile pair of boots in Dota 2.
Because of the options of Tread switching.
This boots gives the stats needed in a specific situation.
You need mana in jungle switch to INT treads.
Need abit of tankiness early game switch to STR treads.
Armor go for AGI treads.




Urn of Shadows not many may consider it because it slows your farm.
But you will stay in the jungle and probably your towers will still be up.
You will have to defend it and in the process can kill the would be pushers.
Charges can save yourself after a long chase or teamfight.
It can help in regen to push after a fight.
Gives Health and Mana Regen.




Skull Basher works well with your ultimate
Helps in chases
A few Bashes and Mini stuns can guarantee a kill.
Gives Damage and STR




Aegis of the Immortal
I have learned from experience that any good team will focus you down before the others. They would use everything they have to bring kill you.
Stuns, Slows, Nukes, Ultimates.
And thanks to Aegis after all their skills are used and now on cooldown you reincarnate and kill them.
Gives second Life after died / Reincarnation

Item ( Late Game )



Stuns, Slows and Nukes are the Bane of your Existence.
A Lycan stunned and cant attack is useless.
A Lycan slowed and cant chase is worthless.
A Lycan nuked down and killed is dead.
BKB or Black King Bar is a solution for this problem because of Immunity.
Gives Immunity to mostly all skills in game but not all.
Gives STR and Damage.




Need raw pure Health Points to tank damage ?
This item makes you Beefier to chew down the damage.
This is great to a diver / chaser hero like you.
It can help newer player to over extend or chaser a hero to far without being punished by it to much by the enemy team.
Gives a huge 40 STR points and a raw health point of 300.




Really unlucky in bashes given by Skull Basher?
Well with this you will have more chances to bash an opponent to make a kill.
Gives Damage and Attack Speed.
Please note that the 100 damage given for a successful bash is MAGICAL




Just unlucky at bashes?
This item ensures that your target stays stills.
I highly recommend this if your enemies are AM, QOP or other heroes with any form of escape.
Gives STR and Damage
Added ability " Overwhelm " Stuns the opponent for 2 seconds
Stun is Physical.
An Upgrade of Skull Basher

Items ( Situational Items )



Want to prove your Micro skills?
This gives you 2 more summoned units to control
Summons 1 melee and 1 range unit.
Abilities given by this units are True Sight, Mana Burn, Attack and Movement Aura and Last Will for Melee Unit.
" Last Will " when the Melee unit dies damage is dealt to the killer.
Why is this such a great item for Lycan because of the great synergy of his skills to it.
Namely Feral Impulse and Howl.
Gives STR and INT points, added ability of Summoned Units.




This Item is a double edge sword.
I only Highly only recommend getting this item if your winning and confident about the game or If your desperate and losing hard.
I personally call this the game changer or the make or break item of the whole game.
Every hero needs damage this item gives the user damage beyond reasoning and Lycan is not exception.
Gives a total of 300 raw damage.
Only Droppable when the user dies.
Please note this is a very sensitive item you could win or lose with this item.




I higly dont recommend desolator because it only gives damage.
There are other better items if you want damage.
But any items giving a huge amount of damage is always good.
Gives 60 Damage and Passive " Corruption "
" Corruption " reduces armor by 7




If there are many casters / nukers in the enemy team you could get this.
Only get this if their are specific targets in the enemy team that may counter you via skills and If you could farm this without slowing your farm.
Gives INT points, Mana Regen, Attack Speed and Damage.
Gives Active Ability " Soul Burn " silences and amplifies damage for 30 % in 5 seconds.




This item is a good for Lycan because Lycan is a Diver / Chaser and the longer the chase the more damage will be dealt by the Burn Damaage.
It is also a good source of damaage.
Gives 60 damage and a Passive " Burn Damage " deals 50 damage per second on a radius of 650.




This is still an experiment but I think this is a good Item for Lycan if and only if you can get this early in the game without slowing your farm.
Because of the added stats ( STR, AGI )it makes you more active in the early to mid portion of the game.
The slow from Sange helps to in chases early.
Gives added points to stats ( STR, AGI ), Damage, Attack and Movement Speed.
Also adds Passive " Greater Maim " gives a chance for an attack to slow for 4 seconds

Early Game ( Sideline to Jungle Transition )

First of make sure that you will lane in either Bot if Radiant or Top if Dire.
You should always go to where the your jungle is.
Your laning buddy should be able to go solo after you transition to jungle.
It may sound awkward but during your time in sideline you are the one whose gonna pull the creeps.
During the pull auto attack and kill fast the neutrals so you can also farm the incoming wave of enemy creeps near your tower.
Its is important that you get the lasthits for more gold and exp.
After you get some of the Vladmirs parts you need ( especially the Basilius ) and got some levels you can now go to jungling.
Leave your lane buddy so he can have a solo lane.

Remember this :

1.You need Farm ( a lot of Farm )

2.Only go out of the jungle if no one is defending the tower.

3.Only go out of the jungle if you can kill a hero with the help of your lane buddy.

4.Only go out of the jungle if you can pushout the tier 1 tower.

5.If you did push the tier 1 tower Do Not Over Extend.

6.After pushing the tier 1 tower Go Back To Jungling.

Mid Game

As Mid Game starts you should have you Power Treads and Vladmirs up.
It is a good thing if all the other tier 1 towers of the enemy are destroyed or low of health points for an easy push.
If you dont intend to push the tier 1 towers and you leave the pushing to your allies you could go and Kill Roshan or continue to farm at jungle.


How to help without leaving the Jungle :

There is also a way for Lycan to contribute even if your off jungling.
Be aware to any kills or teamgfights occurring. ( Map Awarenss )
You can help by casting howl to increase the damage of all allied units and heroes.

Late Game

This is where you truly are best.
By this stage of the game your inventory should have :
Power Treads
Vladmirs
Basher or Abyssal Blade
Urn of Shadows ( If possible )
and any of the 3 ( Heart, BKB, MKB )
If you have farmed well and gotten a few kills early to mid game.

My personal Favorite is :
Power Treads
Vladmirs
Basher
Black King Bar
I usually go BKB next after Basher without upgrading it to abyssal because in this stage people even newbies will try and focus you down with spell and other things.


You can experiment and change what over item you need according to the situation of the game. Be versatile think of items which will benefit you and be a counter to the enemy.

After having built your items through farm and kills.
All you have to do is push which technically you are good at.
When pushing always summon your wolves and add in howl for damage.
With this the tower will crumble easy like a cookie.
Before you know it.
Its already time to say GGWP.

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