The Godlike RIKI Build (All Game Carry)

Introduction

Riki, there are people calling him SA because this is one of his name in DotA 1, Stealth Assassin. Thus, Riki and SA are both referring to him. He is well known of being able to invisible all the time, and this is what make him unique. He can be a carry, ganker and be a moving ward. He is easy to play but yet a strong hero with the right item build and play style.

Pros and Cons

Item Recommanded

Early Game (0 - 20 min)
- Iron Branch > Magic Wand
- Wraith Band
- Boots of Speed > Phase Boots or Power Treads
- Town Portal Scroll
- Tango / Healing Salve
- Poor Man's Shield

Mid Game (20 - 40 min)
- Mask of Madness (Preferred) / Helm of the Dominator / Vladmir's Offering (Not Recommended)
- Skull Basher (A Must)
- Diffusal Blade (You can buy this but however I'm not recommended this, will talk about this later)
- Yasha > Manta Style (Preferred) / Sange and Yasha
- Desolator (Not proferred)
- Black King Bar

Late Game (40 - 60 min)
- Abyssal Blade
- Butterfly
- Daedalus
- Manta Style
- Boots of Travel
- Satanic (Only If you think it's necessary)
- Monkey King Bar
- Divine Rapier (Only If you think it's necessary)
- Assault Cuirass (Prefer Butterfly than this because it give more damage for the backstab)
- Heart of Tarrasque

Early Game

Your starting item that I'm recommanded will be 2 Slippers of Agility and 1 Tango or Healing Salve. Get a Stout Shield as soon as possible to combine into a poor man shield, which you will be able to purchase near the side lane shop(top lane or bottom lane). It can block some amount of damage in the early laning stage which might help you to survive from the harassment. Furthermore, it do provide some agi/damage which will help you in the early laning stage, you may get a Magic Stick if there are a lot of skill heroes in the other side.

Mid Game

The sequence of the items should be getting the Power Treads first, go for Mask of Madness later and buy Skull Basher at last. Try your best to get them within 20 - 25 minute, if you can make it, no body gonna beat you in the 1v1 situation, trust me. Even your predator - Bounty Hunter can be your prey (get a Dust of Appearance). With these items, you can roam around and kill anyone in the 1v1 situation or team fight. What you have to do will be, go behind your prey, open your smoke screen and then active your Mask of Madness, after all just chase him like no tomorrow. I don't think anyone could survive, squishy target will be your priority aim. Whoever inside your smoke screen couldn't win you in mid game unless they have purchased Black King Bar or Monkey King Bar which is quite rarely to have them at mid game. After that get a Yasha, for a better moving speed, damage as well as attack speed.

Late Game

With your CRAZY owning of Mid game, your opponent might purchase Sentry Ward. Dust of Appearance, and Gem of True Sight. In order to survive, you will need a Black King Bar, try to get it in around 30-35 minutes. After you got a Black King Bar, you can play just like what you did in mid game again, the one who is holding the gem will be your priority target. With the latest update, the Gem of True Sight CD has been increase to 10 minutes, enemy will think twice before holding it/buying it. But at the same time, it cannot be break now, so make sure to clean up 1 slot for the Gem of True Sight in case you or your teammate could take down the Gem of True Sight holder. After Black King Bar, get a Manta Style which will help you in pushing and confusing your opponent. Furthermore, you may get Abyssal Blade if there are someone who bought Ghost Scepter or some late game hero which you have to take him down quickly. Butterfly is the best item for Riki, but I don't buy it in the early game because it doesn't really help you owning in the early game. Butterfly give the most agi among items, and with the evasion given and your smoke screen, they got literally no chance to hurt you unless Monkey King Bar is bought. Furthermore, Butterfly will increase the damage of the backstab skill too.

Super Late Game

If and only If the game has reach this stage, which is after 60 minutes. You may consider to upgrade your item build.

First of all
- The first item that you might want to change will be your Power Treads, replace it with Boots of Travel due to some urgent defend and pushing.

2nd
- You can get a new BKB because your old BKB might has down to 4 seconds, a fresh new BKB will helps a lot in team fight, especially against a team with a lot of disable skills and items.

3rd
- You may consider Monkey King Bar replacing the Manta Style if enemy would have buy Butterfly or their skill with evasion, for example: Phantom Assassin, Brewmaster, Windranger etc. (ONlY If you think it's needed but not recommend because Manta Style is working well for Riki and it's good for pushing.)

4th
- You could replace your Mask of Madness to Satanic because the Mask of Madness effect might not be that effective in later game anymore and Satanic will give u a better survivability and you can active it for 3.5s for life steal up to 175% which will helps you to sustain throughout the fight.

5th
- Daedalus may be considered if you wanna try your luck with the Satanic 175% life steal for 3.5s.

6th
- Divine Rapier can be consider too since the game has dragged that long, buy it only if you think you could hold it well. Get the Aegis of the Immortal before going for this, if the Divine Rapier is drop, it will most likely cost you the game. Thus, think twice before going for this.

How to Counter RIKI?

Well, it's not hard to counter Riki. What you need to purchase will be a Ghost Scepter, it helps you to escape when you are under his smoke, after you run out from the smoke, you can fight him fairly. Never fight a Riki under his smoke screen unless you are having Black King Bar or Monkey King Bar. The another item which could counter Riki will be Force Staff, what have makes Riki imba will be the smoke screen which is having the big AOE of silent, make your attack miss up to 70% and some slow effect. No matter who, Carry/Support/Ganker, the second you are under his smoke screen you are actually useless. Eul's Scepter of Divinity may be consider to counter Riki too, if he have Black King Bar then you just Eul's Scepter of Divinity yourself, if he don't then Eul's Scepter of Divinity Riki.

Conclusion

I'm sure many of you will ask why I'm not using Diffusal Blade, instead I'm going for Mask of Madness and Skull Basher? Diffusal Blade is actually Early - Mid Game build, it's not really works well in late game because you wasted a slot for just Purge/mana burn, and the charges is limited. Do you think 16 charges (after upgrade) are enough for you until late game? It doesn't worth as Mask of Madness and Skull Basher which is actually working well even for late game.

Diffusal blade combo
Open Smoke, purge the target and kill him under the smoke screen. Single target with 8s CD

MoM/Basher
Open smoke screen and Mask of Madness, the target might run out from the smoke screen with red hp if you aren't lucky(didn't bash). But then you are running faster than him ( Mask of Madness effect), you will still able to kill them. On the other hand, with your Mask of Madness you can chase your opponent 1 by 1 in team fight ( Mask of Madness effect for 12s) with your Blink Strike, it's easy to get a double or triple kill.

Lastly, if you buy Diffusal Blade, you will need a Vladmir's Offering for late game which is wasted 1 slot and once you near your creep, the enemy can see the aura.

Wonder if my guide works? There are some game I tested with the build of Mask of Madness and Skull Basher
For more information, you may go to LINK to see the Riki replay that I have play. (I might not be the best Riki player but I suppose I'm quite good with it.)
Hope you enjoy =)