Swim with the Tide

Introduction

Welcome to my hero guide on public play for Leviathan, the Tidehunter. At 5,532 words, it is quite long but very detailed. I haven't played any competitive or clan matches in Dota 2 yet, so I can't give any advice on those types of matches. The guide is focused mainly on starting in the short "suicide" lane, but also works well for the long lane. The guide also talks fairly exclusively about Build 1 since I added Build 2 as an option later. I have seen a Tidehunter go mid, but feel like he lacks the lane/rune control to be effective at it. A note on the purchase order. I have everything listed in the order I would buy them from left to right(except the situational category). This is my first guide, and all feedback is appreciated. I hope you enjoy reading this guide and playing as my favorite hero, Tidehunter.

I wanted to make this guide mainly because of the lack of initiators and poor building styles of them in public play. I hope to clear up some misconceptions and get people wanting to be the initiator as much as I do. First, I must warn you, this is not a carry build whatsoever. You do not output a high amount of damage, but when combined with a willing team, you will rack up more assists than any support. The text in this guide will serve as a means of reasoning my decisions on certain items or play styles, so it isn't necessary to read everything in the guide, and I'll warn you before I go into a massive lecture on how I would like to see people playing. Hope you enjoy!

Skills

Tidehunter's Q skill Gush is an effective active skill throughout the entire game. Do not neglect the potential in this skill. It has a 40% slow, armor reduction, high damage at level 1, and moderate damage at level 4. This skill is your second most important skill. It is what makes you a good roamer, but not a harasser. I repeat, do NOT harass with this skill. I don't know how may times I've seen a Tidehunter fire this ability off randomly at level 1 and force me to facepalm so hard. Tidehunter starts the game with 208 mana, and Gush always cost 120 mana. Casting this skill once makes you useless. Save it for when you can really use it to either escape or attack. You will be surprised at just how effective it can be for ganking. Max this first for the nuke and ganking/roaming potential.

Tidehunter's W skill Kraken Shell is a passive that reduces damage taken by 7/14/21/28 and removes debuffs after damage exceeds a constant 600 threshold. Early game, this skill is near worthless. Tidehunter doesn't even start with 600 health. Don't place a point in the skill until at least level 10 where it can be used effectively. Obviously, this skill makes you consider obtaining more health is a priority on Tidehunter. While it definitely should be considered, this skill has a cooldown between activations. In most team fights, this skill will only activate once, so having huge amounts of health won't technically cause this to activate more often, especially if focused. It also doesn't stack with the stout shield (or Vanguard) so once you place a point in this skill, you should sell your stout shield. Another choice is to pick up Vanguard and leave this at level 1 and place points in stats instead. I'll explain this later. Max this last as it is most effective late game.

Tidehunter's E skill Anchor Smash is another active that does surprisingly high amounts of damage when used properly. With a 40% 6 second damage reduction, short cooldown, small aoe, and low mana cost, it can be your spammable farm tool. It's main use is using it after using Gush on an opponent, because it deals physical damage and therefore is aided by the armor reduction of Gush. While useful throughout the match, this skill is more effective early in the match (the damage reduction only reduces base damage) and should be maxed after Gush.

Tidehunter's R (ultimate) skill Ravage is what makes him an excellent initiator. Massive aoe damage and stun, not much to explain here. Use it after blinking into the enemy team. The sooner you use it after you blink, the less chance for them to stop you. Get your team to follow up on your initiation and there should be no reason to lose that fight. Note the cooldown isn't short by any means at 2.5 minutes, and it shouldn't be wasted on a single opponent unless you can guarantee the kill on a high priority target or know it will save your life. Mana cost is high for your low mana pool, so be sure you have enough to cast it and your other skills.

Basic lecture on initiating below.

Now, you want to know how to use his skills effectively right? Well, it is actually easier than you think. After blinking into the middle of the enemy team (you want to hit as many as possible with your ultimate), quickly hit Ravage. Now, pick out their support or carry and Gush him/her/it. Quickly move towards the gushed/stunned support/carry and hit Anchor Smash while trying to hit as many enemies as possible with it as well. Make for a quick exit toward your teammates and hope that once the enemies come out of the stun that they chase and attack you assuming your teammates haven't already dealt with them. We Gush before Anchor Smash because Gush reduces armor and Anchor Smash deals physical damage. That's all their is to it really. If Ravage is on cooldown, skip that step but do the same thing (just don't hope to take on the entire enemy team like this). Remember that Tidehunter is mana hungry! Don't blink into a crowd to find you are 6 mana short of using Ravage.

Pros / Cons

Pros

Great initiator
Passive damage reduction and debuff remover
Good Strength gain
Good movement speed
Good roamer
Needs small farm

Cons

Mana hungry
Rather useless after initiation
Silences, bkb, and magic immunity shut him down

Items

Note: This is the lecturing section. I feel like it is worth reading, but I told you I would warn you.

Starter
The starter items are fairly self explanatory with one exception. The Stout Shield is a debated item on Tidehunter. After vigorous testing, I find it to be a cheap Kraken Shell that not only aids you defensively but offensively as well in lane. Early game, it basically makes you fairly immune to ranged harass and keeps your health high when taking creep aggro. Early ganks are highly successful if you initiate because the creeps deal almost no damage to you and the enemy heroes can't deal enough damage to kill you before you and your ally kill them. If you have to pick up the courier, you can either delay the Stout Shield or forget it altogether if you feel like you don't need it. Once you pick your second level of Kraken Shell sell this as they do not stack and it will become fairly useless.
Cost: 590 gold

Laning Phase
You are going to want to grab those Boots of Speed as soon as possible. Tidehunter is already fairly quick (310 base movement speed) and getting boots fast really helps in bad situations or when chasing. It can really determine whether you die or get a kill early game. Then, you are going to finish up your Bracer, grab a Magic Wand, and pick your boots. We get the bracer because it provides good stats as well as being useful in building into the Drum of Endurance. The Magic Wand proves priceless for quick mana and health in a pinch (you will accumulate plenty of points for it as the main initiator) and will save your life at times. Now for the topic of the boots. Personally, I prefer Arcane Boots but it depends on the game. If you already have a somebody with Arcane Boots that will share the mana when you need it, grab Power Treads. If you are having to use your skills often and find mana an issue, grab Arcane Boots. If the enemy is dieing quickly or aren't harassing and mana is plentiful, get Power Treads. This is one decision I can't make for you, chose based on the game. You can't go wrong with either choice, but one can be more beneficial than the other in some games. After you get your boots, you should start roaming for your team.
Cost: 2884 gold

Core Items
This should resemble your inventory after you have been roaming for a little while and possibly starting to get into some team fights. You want that Blink Dagger as soon as possible so your initiations are nearly unstoppable. As the roamer, you should get some Observer Wards, especially if nobody else is. I'm no professional at warding, but I place wards depending on the situation. Warding is more of something you learn from experience and not instruction in my experience. Somebody can tell you where to place wards, but if you place them at the wrong time, they are useless. The only fairly safe bet for ward placement any time is rune watching.
Cost: 2350 gold

Luxury
The first item in my luxury section is a recommendation for purchase order, but it can be swapped with the second. The Cloak is a cheap way to give you a nice defensive boost, but I can't justify getting it before your Blink Dagger, so I would purchase it immediately after you pick up Blink Dagger. Then, I would get the Drum of Endurance because of the stats, passive, and active. It is extremely helpful at giving your team that movement speed edge to just get away or follow up one of your initiations and it is fairly cheap. After the drum, build up to a Pipe of Insight. Just make sure your support knows you are building the pipe and not them. I am one of those people who hates when a support builds both a Mekansm and Pipe of Insight because when they die (supports are often targeted first) you lose two excellent actives. I feel like Tidehunter synergizes with Pipe of Insight like no other. By the time you get this item, you should always be with the team and be able to use this item to the fullest. Just remember to use the active before or immediately after initiating. The last item I tend to get is Shiva's Guard. However, you can swap this out with Veil of Discord as a cheaper alternative. Shiva's Guard is another item I feel that synergizes with Tidehunter like nobody else. The intelligence gain pretty much gives you infinite mana and the armor is great in those late game battles for durability. I personally find the active invaluable in team fights. Immediately after you Ravage, hit Shiva's Guard active and continue your initiation while trying to catch as many opponents in it as possible (which should be fairly easy since they are all stunned). It is excellent for completely shutting down everyone on the enemy team as it is like hitting every single enemy with a Gush as well as reducing their attack speed.
Cost: 9528 gold

Total cost: 15352 gold ( Shiva's Guard)
Total alternate cost: 13752 gold ( Veil of Discord)

Situational
These items can prove useful in different games depending on the situation. Power Treads are explained above in the "Laning Phase" section. Veil of Discord is explained in the "Luxury" section. Blade Mail can be used effectively after initiating if the enemy focuses you. Just know that using the active on Blade Mail has one of two effects. You get focused hard anyway and still possibly die. You successfully deter their attack, but instead they redirect focus on somebody else (assuming this is a team fight). Since Tidehunter can usually take a beating and live on, I prefer not to buy Blade Mail because I can handle damage better than a carry or support. While some consider the Refresher Orb luxury on Tidehunter, I find the mana cost inexplicably high after testing. Often times after initiating fully and using the Refresher Orb, I lack the mana to cast Ravage a second time anyway. Not to mention the price tag on this item. I don't find it nearly as useful as Shiva's Guard and you don't even need the +40 damage it comes with. Heart of Tarrasque isn't my favorite item on Tidehunter. Hell, I don't even think it is good on him. But it is on the list because it will give you insane health and health regeneration allowing you to initiate relentlessly if the match ever reaches this point or you are somehow extremely fed. Assault Cuirass is a late game offensive substitute for Shiva's Guard. While good on Tidehunter, I feel like some of its potential is wasted on him. I will make a direct comparison between Shiva's Guard and Assault Cuirass below.

versus versus
Cost: 3100 | 4700 | 5350
Armor: 5 | 15 | 15
Passive Aura: NA | -25 attack speed (enemy) in 1000 radius | +20 attack speed (ally), +5 armor (ally), & -5 armor (enemy) in 900 radius.
Active: Discord | Artcic Aura | NA
Other: +12 intelligence & +5 health regeneration | +30 intelligence | +35 attack speed

While definitely close, I don't see much use from the +35 attack speed on Tidehunter while the +30 intelligence can really help mana problems late game. I don't see it justifying the higher price, but it is definitely a viable option. Veil of Discord proves to be a viable option if you find the gold hard to come by.

A note on Blink Dagger. I don't see a reason to ever not buy this item. Even if your team is getting destroyed and you have just enough money to buy it, go ahead and get it. You aren't going to win by buying that Drum of Endurance early or even Pipe of Insight. A strong initiation on the cocky enemy team might be enough for your team to wipe them out and turn the tide of the battle (if done successfully a few times). I have done it before, but am open to suggestions if you think a late game Blink Dagger is a bad choice.

Items to Avoid

These are items I see built on Tidehunter that I feel really shouldn't due to incompatibility, being overpriced, or fairly useless.




If you didn't read it anywhere else, read it here. Vanguard's damage reduction does NOT stack with Kraken Shell in the same way Stout Shield doesn't. if Vanguard doesn't block, then kraken shell will. However, why waste over 2,000 gold on some health, health regeneration you will already receive from Pipe of Insight and damage block you already receive from a skill. Placing 3 points in Kraken Shell guarantees -28 damage per attack and saves you 2225 gold. Do not build that Stout Shield into Vanguard! The only possible reason to get this on Tidehunter is for the +275 health. I wouldn't pay 2250 gold for that.

You shouldn't be blowing your Gush as a nuke for harass, ever. So, you don't need a Soul Ring. The last thing the team wants is a Tidehunter who harms himself and lacks the health to initiate and tank.

Perseverance is here because I tend to see a Tidehunter build it before blink dagger probably because he is either mana starved or building it into a "fast" Refresher Orb. Sadly, I have yet to see that strategy work out successfully unless heavily carried. Most of the time they can't get the gold to finish the Refresher Orb because they die too often. This puts them on a plateau that is difficult to get off of. Cheap effective items to aid you and your team are more effective than a "fast" expensive Refresher Orb.

Oh, and don't pick up Aegis of the Immortal. What is the best you could possibly do with it? Respawn, Gush and Anchor Smash. Give it to somebody else.

Refresher Orb Thoughts

I will not deny, the thought of a refresher orb Tidehunter is scary. So why don't I build it as core or luxury in my build? Well, hopefully I will shed some light on this misconception. First, where are you going to take the time to farm it and fit it into your inventory? It costs a staggering 5300 gold and each component is relatively expensive. I tend to see people getting Perseverance before even finishing their boots. While it seems like they have the potential to roam sooner than either of my builds, they have lower health, less damage resistance, and less nuke potential (they tend to place a point in Kraken Shell early, delaying their other skills). The chance of them dieing actually becomes evident, regardless of their mana and health regeneration. Since they die often, their build is delayed or utterly stopped. They tend to be rather useless mid game because of the farming required while my build is effective throughout. But let's assume they don't have any hitches and build up normally. By the time they finish their boots and refresher orb (assuming Arcane Boots), they have already spent 6800 gold. In my build, you would have your core inventory + Cloak and money to spare. No blink dagger means poor positioning in team fights for Ravage most of the time. Poor initiations can result in failed team fights. You can see where this is going.

Now here is a direct initiation comparison (level 16+) for you if still not at least reconsidering Refresher Orb.
My build has all items (no situational).
Refresher Orb build has Blink Dagger, Arcane Boots, Drum of Endurance, Pipe of Insight, and Refresher Orb.
Item use will be marked yellow, skills red, gained mana blue.
All damage is assumed to be reduced 25%, even physical. All 5 enemy team members are assumed struck with large aoe attacks (only 1 by Anchor Smash).
My build mana cost: -75, -325, -100, -120, -60, +110 = -570
My build damage: -338*5, -150*5, -195, -169 = 2804

Refresher Orb build mana cost: -75, -325, -120, -60, +110, -375, +110, -325, -120, -60 = -1165
Refresher Orb damage: -338*5, -195, -169, -338*5, -195, -169 = 4108

Obviously, the Refresher Orb build costs more mana and deals more damage. The ratio of mana used to damage is better in my build. After initiation ends, in the refresher orb build, most enemies comes out only damaged with no debuffs. In my build, they all have -25 attack speed and -40% move speed, allowing my teammates more opportunity to attack with less risk while also keeping the enemies from easily regrouping or retreating. Overall, I find the Refresher Orb an effective, but no doubt a situational item. If you somehow find the mana to spare for this type of initiation, you will devastate the competition. However, you may want to overlap Ravage (by less than 0.5 seconds) to ensure they do not use a Black King Bar or other forms of magic immunity to negate your second strike.

Vanguard

Here I will explain why I think Vanguard is an unnecessary item for Tidehunter. Let's start with a player who decides to get both Vanguard and Kraken Shell level 4.

>>+6hp regen, +275 health, -40 damage 70%, -28 damage (30%)

70% of 40 is 28, so in a perfect world, you will average 36.4 points of damage reduction.

Now we will see a player with level 1 Kraken Shell and Vanguard and instead places points in stats.

>>+6hp regen, +275 health, -40 damage 70%, -7 damage (30%), +6 str, +6 agl, +6 int

70% of 40 is 28, so in a perfect world, you will average 30.1 points of damage reduction. As you can see, the difference in the two is miniscule in terms of damage reduction. I would justify the cost in damage reduction is worth the health and mana gain.

Now we will look at my build, where we place Kraken Shell to level 4 and skip out on Vanguard.

>>-28 damage (100%), +2225 gold

While again a cost in damage reduction, we see something different here, a gain in gold. With this gold you can buy something like a Drum of Endurance which is much more beneficial to the team than vanguard and still have gold to spare. So, let's look at replacing vanguard in this next build and see what happens.

>>-28 damage (100%), +500 gold, +9 str, +9 agl, +9 int, +9 damage, +5 attack speed, +5% movement speed

You gain 3 more stat points than skipping out on leveling Kraken Shell. You and your team move 5% faster (15% when you use the active). This still leaves you with about 210 less health than Vanguard and 6 less heath regeneration, but the extra gold will almost purchase the Cloak for you on your way to building the Pipe of Insight.

Now obviously you have a choice. You can either gain some minor damage reduction, health regeneration, and health with Vanguard, or you can help your team with movement and attack speed boosts from the Drum of Endurance. The main reason I hear people taking Vanguard is for the bonus health (with the aim towards more procs from Kraken Shell. What they don't realize is that there is a cooldown on Kraken Shell. In most team fights, it will only activate once. You really only ever need enough health to initiate and break free if they manage to stun/nuke you. You lack this health early game, which is why we skip placing a point in Kraken Shell until your nukes are maxed first. So in summary, I feel that Kraken Shell is essentially a Vanguard replacement so gold spent on purchasing it is redundant and instead should be used to aid the team.

Match Overview

Most games are played fairly similar as Tidehunter, so a general guideline can be constructed to help those new to him. As stated in the introduction, this build focuses on Tidehunter starting in the short "suicide" lane but can also be used for the long lane. Just be sure to give the carry a lot of farm. Attempt for last hits, but don't try to steal them from the carry. I focus on getting denies until my lane partner gets slack on last hitting which happens rather soon in the suicide lane due to harass. Be very mana cautious. Do not ever use your Gush on creeps. Only use Anchor Smash on creeps when mana isn't going to be an issue. Your early game items are cheap, so a small amount of farm and an assist on a kill should push you into being able to roam ~level 7. If you use Build 2, you are able to roam sooner because of the Urn of Shadows. Do not focus on kills, your abilities are much better off used to start a fight rather then end it. You are not a carry.

Grab some wards, and start roaming once you get your upgraded boots. Gank a lane and take a tower or two with your team. Your ganks should always be successful unless the enemy has a great escape mechanism. If the match is going very slowly, you aren't getting much gold/xp, and your carry isn't farming the jungle, you can kill an easy creep camp or two. Simply walk up to it and repeatedly Anchor Smash while auto attacking. This will keep the damage on you really low and allow you to kill the camp rather quickly. Don't waste your ultimate on one player unless you can guarantee the kill and nobody else can. I have only even done this a few times. Killing their carry early like this can prove to be beneficial. Team fights will start happening, so be ready to absorb damage and Ravage and remember to make use of your Magic Wand. Work on getting Blink Dagger.

Start initiating team fights with a good blink & Ravage combo followed by Gush and Anchor Smash while trying to grab that Cloak quickly for added defense. Pick up the Drum of Endurance and work on the Pipe of Insight with the money you should be raking in from assists in team fights. While dieing after initiating is anything but uncommon, make it sparse. Dieing will undoubtedly happen, but you want to survive if possible since you aren't getting tons of gold from kills or farm. Don't hang around and auto attack an enemy after your initiation. High tail it toward your team and come back with another Anchor Smash and auto attacks after your teammates start fighting. Catch the fleeing foes with another Gush to ensure your team can finish them off. While you do want them to focus on you, you don't want to be focused so much that you die repeatedly. Figure out how much of a beating you can take before having to retreat and keep the enemy crowd control in check. If all goes well, your carry should be fairly well fed and you should end the game with 20+ assists, a few kills and a few deaths.

Now I will elaborate an initiation with items for those who may be confused. First, spot your target (typically 3 or more enemies) and make sure your team is ready to follow up your initiation. Activate Pipe of Insight (and Veil of Discord if you have it) and then quickly use Blink Dagger to blink right into the middle of them and Ravage so thy are all affected. Once Ravage ends, activate Shiva's Guard and Gush their support or carry followed by an Anchor Smash on the same target and all nearby foes. Now quickly run towards your team to keep some of the pressure off of you and activate Blade Mail if you have it. If you forgot to activate Pipe of Insight do it when you are near your teammates. If you have Refresher Orb don't run back to your team, simply refresh and repeat for huge damage all around.

Friends & Foes

I'm going to list a few I find extraordinarily good or bad for Tidehunter.

Friends

Any carry.
Anyone with aoe nukes.


Your Ravage gives his Chain Frost some time to bounce around before the enemy can even move. Devastating on damage and enemy morale. All they will want to do is run away from each other after this combo.


If you feel like your team needs more aoe initiation, look no farther than Sand King. Have him follow up right behind you for guaranteed massive damage to multiple targets. Your opponents will be afraid whenever they see any of your teammates because one of you could be lurking nearby (or worse, both of you).


His aoe nukes wreak havoc when the enemies can do nothing but watch. His Requiem of Souls also synergizes well with Ravage.



His ultimate inside of yours guarantees huge damage to several opponents.


Similar to Pudge's Meat Hook, her Nether Swap can place you right at the center of the enemy team. However, she is more likely to start a team fight than Pudge so she is actually fairly useful when on your team. Her Vengeance Aura also proves useful in those large team fights.


Your initiation gives him a nice opening to destroy multiple opponents at once due to God's Strength and Great Cleave. After your stun ends, he can Storm Hammer and continue.

Foes

Long stuns or silences.
Enemies with magic immunity.

doom bringer
Doom isn't your best friend. He can farm good items scary fast, and tends to have high aoe damage/regeneration. Try and shut him down early, he has no escape mechanisms.


At night, his Crippling Fear and Void combo can make you useless really fast. That 8 second silence is almost as bad as Doom. Keep wards up to warn your team if he is attempting a gank.


Last Word ruins your chain casting, especially if you have Refresher Orb. Global Silence, if timed correctly after you blink, can leave you stuck in the middle of the enemy team with no way to use Ravage. A very bad moment indeed.

Honorable Mention

While neither an amazing friend or scary foe for Tidehunter, I feel like mentioning how an enemy Pudge can actually aid you and your team. If he manages to hook you into his team, take advantage of this opportunity to Ravage if your team is attempting to come to your aid. You can turn a Meat Hook initiation into his worst nightmare. However, if he is alone or you are, weigh your odds. Kraken Shell will purge you off of his ultimate after 600 damage so you may be able to simply walk it off. Pudge isn't your best friend as a teammate because his initiation relies on pulling one enemy to your team. While this may turn out great with the enemies running right into your ready Ravage, most of the time nothing comes of it. Plus, using your Ravage during Dismember cancels it(ally).

Countering Tidehunter

Like most skill reliant heroes, Tidehunter is completely shut down by being silenced. However, this is only if you can silence him before he is able to use his skills. Silencing him after his combo is a waste. If possible Doom him before he can can initiate with blink & Ravage. I haven't tested it myself, but I read that the passive Kraken Shell can be activated by Doom and effectively remove it early. Once doomed, be quick to act and try and defeat him before it wears off. Other than that, Black King Bar is also extremely useful against him. You will be protected against his Ravage and Gush which means he basically can't even hurt you. There doesn't seem to be an easy way to counter Tidehunter's initiation due to his typical blink/stun combo. Deny his early farm as best you can, that really slows down his mid game roaming but doesn't make him useless.

What to do when Tidehunter...

...charges me in what seems to a 1v1.
It depends on the circumstances. Do you know where his teammates are? Does he have blink dagger? If you can clearly see all of his allies in separate lanes, trade blows with him if you think you can defeat him. Just know he won't die fast and he has a decent nuke combo. In most situations however, run away quickly. Chances are, he is planning to initiate on your team (or kill you) and his team is right behind him waiting to assault.

...just initiated on my team!
Do not fight him. Attempt to regroup or attack their carry or support depending on the damage to your team. Chasing him to the enemy team will likely result in him surviving and you dieing. He has a passive damage reduction and debuff remover. He also tends to build defensive gear. Chasing him down and defeating him will take longer than expected and he can't deal any significant damage after his initiation.

...isn't roaming on my team.
Try and see why first. If he doesn't have Power Treads, Arcane Boots, or Urn of Shadows he really shouldn't be roaming yet. He needs some farm to be able to roam effectively, give him some time or help him out.

...is dieing often after initiation.
This one is situational. Is he initiating properly but you (and your team) lack the backbone to fight after the initiation? Or is he blowing all his mana on creeps and failing to initiate properly. Give him tips, not rants. While some people don't like to be told what to do, I know others will listen and attempt to apply any tips given.

...is using skills on creeps.
Check his mana. If you are his enemy and he is low on mana, set up a gank to take him out. He is almost worthless with no mana. If you are on his team, tell him to stop or buy Arcane Boots.

Conclusion

As you can see, Builds 1 & 2 are very similar. In Build 2, you are simply able to roam sooner than Build 1, but you are set behind slightly on building the Drum of Endurance. You can still pick up the Magic Wand in Build 2, but remember that it sets you farther behind on your other items. I hope you liked and learned something about Tidehunter from my guide. If you didn't(or did!), leave a comment below with reasoning behind your thought. I will read feedback and incorporate ideas I deem worthy. Tell me what you want to see: another build, more chapters, elaborating certain areas. I may write another guide someday if I get good feedback from this one (I lack motivation). Thank you for reading.

Update Notes

June 2, 2012 - Added Build 2 and redesigned purchase order for clarity of both builds.
June 3, 2012 - Added "Refresher Orb Thoughts" and "Friends & Foes" chapters.
June 10, 2012 - Added "Vanguard" chapter.
September 3, 2012 - Watched Dota 2 2012 International, going to start playing Dota 2 again. Expect this build to be revised in a couple weeks. Some revision may have no reasoning for the time being.