Sniper - Hard Carry

Thanks! It's my first of probably not many :D

Nice Guide !

Even at mid lane, I'd be getting 3 Wraith Bands before I hit level 6 which is usually when I go for the ganks. With the extra damage I can kill most heroes in 6-8 hits. If you struggled for farm early my build is utterly useless. After the ganks and a tower push I'm usually set for boots. I've tried going for 4 and I don't think the payoff is there time wise even with every last hit. 3 definitely works for me a large amount of the time. I find with desolator theres always a better option. I wouldn't replace boots/Mjollnir/lifesteal/daedalus/butterfly for it. Last slot potentially could be used, but other items like Monkey King Bar or Abyssal Blade are going to get you more damage and/or have a fantastic active ability. It is cheap though...

Wraithbands are a very good cost efficient item, so your reasoning is solid, however I think I should ask: don't you think that with 3 of them you delay your core too much?
As a hard carry your role should be to come online as soon as possible (highlighted because of course no build is perfect and one must always adapt to the circumstances).

I must point out that probably I'm a totally different kind of player from you. Even playing as a hard carry I have a very passive behavior in the laning phase (for instance I ALWAYS buy at least tango + salve at start, even if I bought courier + wards when playing as Witch Doctor) and prefer to keep farming and let the enemy go back to base and waste time instead of trying to chase them after harrasment at low levels (of course this doesn't mean I'm not trying to kill them if there is a good opportunity).

Also I'm a pretty inexperienced player and never tried Sniper outside bot matches, but I fought against and with him a lot.
The most similar hero I play usually is Luna: Squishy as hell, very good harrass potential (at least against melee) because of the high damage from Lunar Blessing and Lucent Beam.
Sniper has (a lot) more range, but Luna has the highest movement speed in the game, also their standard builds are pretty similar.
With her I usually start with Tango, Healing Salve, 2 Iron Branch and 2 Slippers of Agility to maximise early damage if I'm not expecting too much harrasment.
Otherwise, for a more conservative approach, I buy Tango, Healing Salve, 3 Iron Branch and a Circlet, build only the Ring of Aquila and go directly to Power Threads.

With this kind of hero I usually don't partecipate in teamfights or ganks before level 6 unless strictly necessary, and even then I don't feel like I'm contributing properly ( Eclipse + Lucent Beam does its job, but it's not the sheer awesomeness of 3 Lunas bouncing glaives all over the enemy team when she gets Manta Style).

I think I can make the same speech for Sniper: Assassinate + Headshot does its job, but it's not the sheer awesomeness of one little dwarf melting an entire enemy team one at a time when he gets Desolator (I suggest you to put this on the situational items, since Mjollnir and Maelstrom are more farming oriented. Even if they stack with Lifesteal, sometimes it will just not be enough to save you especially during late game teamfights)

The point is: you need that first big item to become really effective, is it worth it to wait when you can still do considerable damaage and remain safe even without the 3 Wraith Band?

Magic wand is definitely an option, I just never really need that much health before I get Morbid Mask. In reality the WB's add up to 36 stat points and 9 damage for a low low price of 1455 gold and that's why I go a bit overboard, that and you have them at about 5 minutes. And if your in a lane against a squishy hero they can really feel the hits. I'm going to add it into the guide though, in the right situation it's a great move.

In my opinion you should exchange one slipper for 3 branches.
For only 9 gold they offer the same +3 agility of the slippers but with +3 strenght to boost your survivability (also +3 int but that is useless since you don't level shrapnel).
They also can be either sold later for space or turned into a Magic Wand.
The 3 bands are overkill in my opinionand the burst heal of the wand can really make the difference on a squishy hero like Sniper.

I know a lot of people are going to think its a crazy start. I just find the bonus stats and damage really effective at the start.

What I do know is that starting with 3 Wraith Bands isn't exactly how you would want to start your game.

And Shrapnel is a nice skill, I don't think skipping it for stats is worth it. The vision alone is a great addition to Sniper's (honestly kind of miserable) kit.