DOTAFire is a community that lives to help every Dota 2 player take their game to the next level by having open access to all our tools and resources. Please consider supporting us by whitelisting us in your ad blocker!
Want to support DOTAFire with an ad-free experience? You can support us ad-free for less than $1 a month!
Go Ad-Free
Town Portal Scroll
ClarityClarityClarityClarityClarity
Tango
Iron BranchIron BranchIron Branch
Soul Ring
Boots of Speed
Aghanim's Scepter
Eul's Scepter of Divinity
Boots of Travel
Scythe of Vyse
Octarine Core
Bloodstone
|
|
1 | 3 | 5 | 7 |  |
|
9 | 12 | 14 | 15 |  |
|
2 | 8 | 10 | 13 |  |
|
6 | 11 |  |
|
4 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
You suck at Techies. That's a fact, and it's not a pleasant one. But so do I. And that's okay though, because everybody does. In fact, except for a select few, everybody sucks at DOTA 2, too, so all things considered, it could be worse. The thing about sucking at Techies, however, is how obvious it is that you suck at Techies.
But let's just say you want to suck at Techies on a level that still makes you better than others (which is, quite frankly, why you looked up a guide, and why you're playing Dota 2 in the first place). I just might be able to help you with that.
As Techies, you can get reported for simply picking him in a public unranked match. So Techies has one piece of strategy that no other hero that I know of needs.
Disclaimer: Since 6.84, Techies has been so buffed that this usually doesn't happen anymore. People will still beg you not to pick Techies in ranked, which is unavoidable. People hate Techies.
How do you get people to let you play Techies? It's not an easy question to answer.
There have been pub-matches where, simply because I chose Techies, a player on our team simply right-clicked the other players base and fed for 25 minutes straight.
People have reported me for "intentional ability abuse" because I didn't suicide as a gank initiate.
Heck, I've been reported for simply *picking* Techies. So how do you get around that?
Simple: until you get good, you simply don't. Don't play ranked until you can consistently pull a high KDA out of your hat. You're going to have to learn to live with the abuse, because Dota 2 can be a wonderful community. And if you're learning a hero, you're going to be bad at it.
"But TC," I hear you say, "couldn't I play bot-matches?"
You could. It'd be as useful as learning how to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble-gum, but you could.
But let's say you have a KDR over 2, which is when you start getting useful (though, theoretically, everyone in a given match could have a KDA of 5 and only die once, but those odds are astronomical). Techies has the third lowest KDA of all heroes, hovering around 1.6. Let's say you're at 2.5, putting you above the average Pudge, Sniper, Bloodseeker, Axe, all the "easy" heroes. Now, you can go ranked.
"Report Techies plz."
I make a deal with my team. "Give me ten minutes," I'll say. "Ten minutes. If I haven't fed the enemy team, and my kda is over 1, don't report me. Otherwise, go nuts."
That tends to work. Calmer players will encourage you on, and calm down the more... hot-headed players. You'll find your own way, of course, but it's important to know that the first thing you need to conquer is your own team. Then, the game starts.
Techies gets first blood. Unless your team is terrible, doesn't communicate, or simply doesn't speak your language, Techies takes first blood. Because Techies is Batman. Techies is prepared.
Personally, I prefer the hard lane. The shorter your lane, the more your enemy will get comfortable and roam around. So how does Techies start? With a ton of clarity potions and a scroll of teleportation, that's how. When the match starts, you need to buy your items in seconds, then teleport to your lane. You can pick your mine-skill while teleporting. Then, you rush to place your mines.
"Ah," I hear you think, "I know this one. At the lane-shop, right?"
Wrong. Everybody knows that's where Techies puts his mines. So don't put your mines there. What you *can* do is place a little sign. It'll make the other team think you're an incompetent techies, something you can definitely use to your advantage. It's actually the core of Techies play, and I'll get into in a sec. For now, just place your little sign, and, depending on your lane, go place your mines here
or here
Update: Since 6.84, only three mines are required. Techies is now a killing machine. Place your second batch of mines on a path where you'd expect a gank to come from. You'll get a random kill 6 minutes in.
It's not that hard to bait enemy heroes into it but for goodness' sake be careful! Techies is not only the thirstiest, but early game also one of the squishiest heroes there is. If your team is of the cooperative sort, ask them to bait enemy melee heroes into it. They'll often follow a hero if they think they've got an easy kill. It's something you can do yourself, but many more experienced players will be more on their guard when playing against techies. The best thing for you right now is to not have them realize Techies is already on their lane. Early game, you don't want to get seen.
After that, go mine behind the forest on the other side of the lane, where enemy ganks are likely to happen. Take care not to lure creeps into your mines because you can't afford to lose that much mana early-game. After that, I suggest staying in-lane and try to last hit (nigh-impossible. You do less damage than creeps) or build up enough mana to plant a mine in the middle of some melee-creeps and still have enough mana left for a self-destruct (also nearly impossible because you have no mana). Almost all of your early-game farm will come from hero-kills, so be careful.
You'll quickly see your opening. Try to run for the side-shop in a really obviously "stealthy" manner, to have the enemy try to rush in for a quick kill. They'll often hit your little cluster, and your first blood is cemented. A double or triple kill at the 30-40 second mark is not unheard of.
Get your Soul Ring asap. It's what's going to keep you useful for a whole long time.
Also, your team will chide you for not mining the runes. Except for mining it after you've placed your first cluster, before the enemy has fully realized there even is a techies, this is generally not worth it. It'll net you a single kill, after which the enemy will ward the rivers constantly. While it's fun that they are wasting valuable resources on this, it's actually a detriment to your team. Let them guess where you'll place the mines. They are predictable. You can't be.
The core of Techies play. Techies is the one hero (that I know of, and I don't know all that much, to be honest), that relies as much on headgames as he does. Techies requires intimate knowledge of the map. Of the average player and how he moves. Gank paths. Player reflexes. Hero-skills. Observe thy enemy.
Techies has to look like what people expect from Techies players. You're going to stumble around the back of your creep-lane, trying to last hit, while placing a really obvious mine from time to time. In the meantime, however, you've mined three possible routes to gank you, and every one of them ought to be explosive enough to instantly kill a fed Pudge (your teammates will probably feed Pudge. We learn to live with it). Three mines early-game, and add a fourth one at your discretion. It depends on how often Zeus/whoever has died yet. When you get your ultimate, place three or four in the middle of your lane and whatever you do don't get spotted doing so. People don't like Techies. Techies doesn't get picked. People forget what Techies can do. People don't ward. People step on Remote Mines and people explode. They will do this at least twice. At that point, you move to another lane. If they're not that clever, and you have time and mana, place four or five, and try to get two players to step on it. A double kill is a great way to get your team to believe in you. After a while, they will ward, which takes all the fun out of things, and you're better off switching lanes (after communicating with your team, of course).
Go to the other lane. Place pockets of mine slightly off-lane and don't get spotted. You want them blissfully ignorant of the fact that they can no longer escape through the forest. If you get the chance, mine the stairs to the river. Four mines at the least, but more is better. There's no kill like overkill where techies is concerned. On that note: Buy Aghanim's Scepter. I can not stress this enough so BUY AGHANIM'S SCEPTER. It'll turn your bombs into nukes. Your range will be huge, so you can use it to turn teamfights around in a heartbeat. Triple and quadruple kills can easily happen if you have a minefield in the enemy lane. Just keep your mines out of obvious places and away from enemy towers.
The key is to not get spotted, and make every kill seem like dumb luck. They'll keep falling for it. Later game, an arena will develop. You know what I mean. There's always that spot where everything happens, over and over again. It can be Dire's Secret Shop. It can be the middle of the map. Middle lane is always moving. So mine the damn thing. If your teammates have trouble defending their lane, a few mines will usually deter the enemy.
Mid-to-late game, Techies is about two things.
Mid-to-late game, Techies has a dual role. First and foremost as the nuker of your team. You should have some of your items by now, giving you a nice mana regen of 10-24 mana/second, depending. So you can place mines willy-nilly, usually in paths where you expect heroes to be (Runes, stairs, middle, your towers (take into account the enemy team's composition. If they have a lot of ranged heroes, place a few remote mines around the area where you expect them to stand if they attack your tower, and detonate when you're sure of a kill), etcetera).
Be patient. This is important. It can be very tempting to blow up Rubick again, but you might be better suited to wait until Drow and Anti-mage come up that same lane. Rubick will be charging and backup will be... scattered. Communicate with your team. Have them lure heroes onto your mines, or chuck one in the middle of teamfight to turn the tide (ilu Tiny <3). Lots of assists for you, and thanks from your team. While you're at it, you can afford to spam your stasis mines on escape-routes for your team. A failed team-fight, your team may have to escape quickly. They'll be grateful if there's a few stasis-mines for them to run through. It'll give them precious seconds.
But that secondary role is equally important, and harder to fill. Techies can play mindgames. So don't be scared to do so. Place remote mines everywhere on the map. Rosh's pit. Lanes. River. Creep camps. When an enemy hero is close enough, detonate. This won't kill them, because you can only place so many mines. But here's the thing: you still want them to think you're an incompetent Techies. What I've noticed is that people think you're going to detonate every mine they step on. So what if you've mined further in that lane? A single remote mine can break an enemy lane-push simply through fear. They can't scatter into the woods. Might be mines. They can't push. Might be mines. A few heroes will almost invariable retreat to their tower.
Bonus points if you've mined their route back. Told you to be patient. There are few things as funny as blowing up a hero who is absolutely certain they're in the clear.
Adapt.
This is the toughest piece of advice, and it holds true for any hero, but it needs to be said nevertheless. Techies benefits greatly from you observing enemy heroes. You're going to mine the river a whole lot more if there's an enemy Pudge mid. Plan. Have contingency plans. Escape plans.
Do not suicide with very few exceptions. There is literally no other reason to. Mid-game, it may get you a double or a triple-kill, but don't forget that you do lose money. It's up to you to judge if it's worth it. Late-game, it does not do enough damage to warrant being out of the fight for thirty seconds.
It's going to take a whole lot of matches played as Techies to know your enemy, of course, but in my experience, definitely worth it. Most players play heroes by the same or similar guides, anyway.
Techies is universally reviled. Your team will assume you suck. The enemy team will assume you suck and you will get used to the "cyka"s when you start getting kills. Don't worry. It's a term of endearment. And you're going to prove them wrong, over time.
It's important to realize that Techies changes the dynamic of any game you're in, and you're going to have to consider what that means for you. Games will easily last longer than an hour. There might be more vitriol (though there might not be. It really depends on players). It's going to be harder to stay alive, get last hit or even farm. It's a dangerous and difficult game. To me, it's the most rewarding one.
Now go forth, my disciple, and tear **** up.
DOTAFire is the place to find the perfect build guide to take your game to the next level. Learn how to play a new hero, or fine tune your favorite DotA hero’s build and strategy.
Copyright © 2019 DOTAFire | All Rights Reserved
Quick Comment (14) View Comments
You need to log in before commenting.