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Sage's Mask
Animal Courier
ClarityClarity
Clarity
Clarity
Sage's Mask
Observer Ward
Boots of Speed
Clarity
Clarity
Soul Ring
Mask of Madness
Shadow Blade
Phase Boots
Observer Ward
Point Booster
Eye of Skadi
Aghanim's Scepter
Vladmir's Offering
Sange and Yasha
Assault Cuirass
Black King Bar
Linken's Sphere
Sentry Ward
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11 | 12 | 16 |  |
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Maybe you have seen him, then again maybe it is just a myth. After all shadow priests are not meant to be seen.
Before we begin allow me to state why this guide is out. I am Macgyver and have also played under the name of /\/\120N3T\/\/0 and have an absolute love for Dazzle whom makes up about 1/8 of all my games played. I have seen and used many different Dazzle builds and decided after seeing enough of what I can only describe as "less then dazzling" Dazzles this guide needed to be made.
Your team will not like the way it looks. People will say "a MoM???!" "R U SERIOUS" and "GG" but if you play your game and do your role I promise you it will work.
This guide is not recommended for first time Dazzle users. Nor is it intended for inexperienced players. The line between life and death is very thin and walking it requires team awareness and perfect timing.
58162958 Here are a few Matches for you to look up.
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Note* Like all builds this can go horribly wrong. It is highly best to play this style with a Drow,
Spirit Breaker, 
Vengeful Spirit, or a Beast Master. The passive auras they have will only help you.
Also this is not a carry build... Though by late game you will be ****ing scary you are NOT a Carry.
Unconventional at best. He is one of the few Heros often over looked, that is your biggest strength.
Dazzle is an intelligence support hero as he is classified, but if Chuck Norris is Omni then Dazzle is Mr T. His stats grow very nicely gaining virtually 7 stat points each level. He is a spell spammer and is very fragile. Against good teams you will be one of the main focuses to eliminate. His ability to keep allies alive for 5 additional seconds can spell victory/defeat in many team composites. He can solo a lane, support a lane, and in rare occasions carry teams. I have seen and used him as a ward *%$&# and a healer... this is not dazzling. Where you should expect to be is weaving in and out of chaos turning the tides of battle, saving your allies, chasing down strays and eliminating supports and ranged damage carries. But as you play him you will begin to understand why great Dazzles are never seen. Keep in mind that as you build your Dazzle your job and team comp. will change over time.
I will explain your leveling structure, items and team roles. But first you must understand that he can not be played against anyone or with everyone. As I said the balance between life and death is a fine line.
Before I explain who can hurt the Dazzle, or who you can own, you need to know whom you can help. Just about the only thing I will not play Dazzle in is the Mid. As Dota 2 correctly states he is Support. Your best friends are your hard damage carries. People that can win games by standing and cranking out damage. Axe, Drow, Viper, Huskar, SpiritBreaker, Blood Seeker, Clinks, Lone ect. (you should check various abilities of character to know how they stack) Anytime you see them you should know that they are priority one. Unless you are farming or solo top you should always be close by. After all it is always better to save your friends.
Always know who is ganking you!!! As the shadow priest it is your job to walk the shadows and know the scary places. Stay away from hard stuns as they will disable and eat you alive. Lion, Nyx, SandKing, SkeleKing, Lina ect. can end a performance before it gets going. Gankers like Night Stalker, Lycan, Storm and other "cats" (people that chase you down) are also very dangerous for a Dazzle. In the end there are three Heros if played like a pro you should never play against as Dazzle, you are their food. Natures Prophet, Outworld Destroyer, and Templar Assassin. If you need to know why do yourself a favor and stop reading this guide.
Now who you want to play are melee heavy teams. If they require farm early game and are melee then you can take them. It will be difficult for hard carry melees to get going laned against a Dazzle But you must be cautious not to push the lane as your partner needs farm. I will explain your roles early game later.
On a side note (When laning with Huskar your leveling priorities change dramatically!!!!)*
Level 1
Shadow Wave (Your basic spam spell) Your healing light Heals your allies for 160 Health but it also damages any enemy unit touching it for that same amount. See that enemy hero farming your three creeps 480 nuke em!!!
Level 2
Poison Touch (Your escape and gank tool) Although you will lvl this at 2 you should not use it unless it is an emergency!!! Your very mana dependent early and you would much rather keep a nuke or heal in you pocket. This ability is virtually but not entirely useless until you get it to lvl 3.
Level 3
Players Choice!!! Here you can level any of your three abilities. Maybe your in lane carry is playing risky for you go ahead and level your Shallow Grave.(Note, your Shallow Grave will only work in Close Proximity at low Level so unless you have Husk this is highly UN-RECOMMENDED!) Your enemies are melee and still get last hit??? Level your Shadow Wave and make them feel it. Or maybe they are squishy and you want them dead early. Grab Poison Touch and position yourself for Dazzling!!
Level 4
Continue to LvL either Poison Touch or Shallow Grave either is fine.
Level 5
This had better be your stun!!! You should have a level 3 Poison Touch and a Level 2 Shadow Wave. You now have the powers to alter the lives of both you allies and enemies. Casting a poison touch and healing a blinkstriking riki, or anitmage, or just an engaged melee hero will spell death for any Hero your playing against.
Level 6 - Level 10
You can start your ult or can continue leveling your damage or even start Shallow Grave. The only thing I would not do is lvl your poison touch anymore. You have a slow that stuns and damages you don't need anymore for a while. I tend to max my Shadow wave ASAP at this point b/c a heal is better then a five second delay of death in may instances, most the time your allies will die before they make it to the tower if your getting ganked but it is really your call. But either route you take Shadow Wave or Shallow Grave need to be maxed by 10 you can go 3 and 3 but it doesn't matter. There are pros and cons to each you can either not save an ally b/c of range issues or miss a gank due to lack of damage that is up to you.
Level 11
If you dont have your Ult, Weave, at this Point get it. It can ensure a successful tower dive or stop one cold in its tracks you now have plenty of mana to use it before all teamfights and even for ganks. This is also very useful for delaying enemy progression. As by now they have come to fear the Dazzle let them know your around and they wont be taking any of your homies with them. Or do it out of site and let them pound your tank as he shrugs off the damage.
After 11 It is really your choice. As long as you are not LvLing your stats. You abilites are too fantastic to put stats ahead of them beside the enemy still has problems locating a Shadow Priest.
* I always Max Shallow Grave asap when laning with Huskar. The reduction in mana cost is critical to keeping husk alive. Plus the increased range lets you hide in saftey. Huskar is the only player when laning with the Dazzle should not be aggressive. That job is done better by Husk.
Before we talk about how your going to Dazzle lets talk what will allow you to Dazzle. You are a spam healer which means you eat mana. So you will require a means of doing that.
Starting Items-
You should always buy either a Courier or if your team has one Wards they either enable your team and you to avoid ganks and stay in the lane as you need these and you are support you must buy one. NOT BOTH!!!
Also buy a Sage's Mask to replenish your mana and two Mana Potions. Tangos and Health Potions are unnecessary, as Dazzle will constantly heal himself.
Once you start learning how to move and avoid damage you may want early game mobility if you have a courier and your lane partner has wards Boots of Speed and 2 Mana Potions will work too.
***THESE ITEMS ARE NON NEGOTIABLE***
As the game progresses in early stages you will either need more mana or more speed. You will build your Sage's Mask into a Soul Ring or if your still holding a mana potion Boots of Speed as soon as possible.
So far everything is pretty expected... Time to get DAZZLING.
You will want to continue to ward the entrance to the jungle from the lane being sure not to rune your creep spawn unless your in the suicide lane. This requires only a single ward the other lane is not your worry. It is too costly and you will need your farm to become a Skull face painted mo-hawk rocking purple gangster that is the Dazzle.
Your next item is a Morbid Mask!! A lot of people will bring up mana issues but unless your on a mana ***** team you should not ever build Mana Boots. Dazzle gains more then 3 intelligence every level and a mask will allow you to use your ring whenever you want.
Start thinking escapes the enemy does not like facing you because you are a turd that wont flush. You hurt them and keep them from killing your team they will target you at every chance they get so dont give them one. As always carry a TP as you can shift the fight anytime you show up. DONT JUMP IN ALONE!!!
Since you have a life steal it is important to build damage and speed. Depending on how comfortable you are get a MoM,(Mask of Maddness) everyone has one, or a Shadowblade, if your worried about ganks. Here is the difference, if you are staying in your lane b/c your laning partner is on roam get a ShadowBlade, Claymore first (the delay on a Shadow Pendent makes it a useless escape). A MoM does two things it makes you fast, and it increases your damage it also give you the ability to Jungle at will so when your on roam take your enemies creeps and ward it. If you get a MoM first grab some Phase Boots it will increase your escape ability and serve as a movement buff so you can save your MoM for battles and ganks. I will discuss why it is important to roam later.
*** I know what your are thinking *** WTF is this BS. Having a lifesteal on dazzle especially a MoM that increases damage taken is a huge risk. But... with a lifesteal you can replenish your mana as fast as a Soul Ring will Allow. Jungling and Roaming allows you to replenish your mana level and farm... AT THE SAME DAMN TIME. Meaning, you always have mana for your spells enabling your Dazzle to be more effective.
As expected Grab your Shadow Blade next it is a much needed escape ahead of a force staff and since Dazzle wont need the extra mana cuz you can replenish get the Shadow Blade. As no one expects Dazzle to have a Shadow Blade it is perfect for initiating, buffing, and disappearing until your carry needs you. Your mask and Phase Boots will allow you late game to chase and disable any enemies making a break for it or you yourself running for the hills. It also allows you to focus your ult to your carries. And... since nobody really cares about Dazzle as he is a worthless support only good for saving lives the other team will not be getting gems or wards to hunt you down, they simply wont see it as worth while until its too late.
That is your core. They are the items that make this play style possible. The rest of the build are often uncompleted or are situation based.
You can replace your Soul Ring into a Perseverance. To build into a Linkins Sphere
Or you can build a Black King Bar either will help you avoid stuns and disables in order to aid your team. The BKB will further increase your damage or a Linkins will keep you RtR, Ready to Rage at all times. As a side note you can not save your self with a BKB thats what your ShadowBlade is for.
If your team is Squishy build Aghamins Scepter starting with a point booster. This will make you more durable and your team and allows spam your ult more freely.
If you are playing a hard carry like Phantom Assassin it is a good idea to invest in a Eye of Skadi your team will suffer from missing their Dazzle due to farming but at this point your fast get there. Think of this as an insurance policy against hard carries. It will also not interfere with your MoM. If you have the bread it doesnt matter what you start with.
If you have both a Scepter and a Skadi and the game is still going get Blademail your buff now it will hurt them.
If you are fighting against escape heros dont rule out an orchid of malevolence. It will keep them around till your homies can kill them. It will stop a tide or sk ult dead in its tracks and keep their disables at bay.
If your team is full of melees that failed to get lifesteals or simply believe they dont need one dont hesitate to grab a Vlads. Yes you already have a lifesteal but it is relatively inexpensive and everyone can benifit from extra damage, mana, and armor.
Now let me tell you how to destroy your enemies.
Early Game Dazzle.
If you are still reading this its because you have no idea how your able to get this farm or how to play with it.
You are Dazzle read his info. You are a guide to the spirit realm. You are to harass every enemy hero in your lane. Keep them off your carry. You have great range and good early damage use them. You are to move constantly do not stay stagnant a Shepherds work is constant. See your creep of yours straying to far ahead? Deny him. That hero moving in for a last hit? Infuse your solider with Shadow wave and zap him. Make them scared to hit your creeps and make them pay for it. Stay with or behind your own creeps any time a enemy hero moves to attack, Dazzle him with Shadow Wave in the middle of your creeps. Remember keep your lane partner alive he is your best friend. Anytime a hero engages him attack them, if they are melee Dazzle them. As long as they can not stun you, feel free to move as you like. Weave around you minions fighting in the front and Shepparding them on to the life beyond. If your lane partner can not last hit a creep take it. From Healing your troops you will take a lot of gold so try not to take your allies farm. Use your abilities sparingly as you are not trying to push the lane just harass them into their role as the dominated.
Make sure you are checking in the jungle to make sure you are not the target of the gank and so they do not see you always. Your abilities have a lot of range so dont be scared to heal from the jungle. Pull your creeps and offer lane control to your lane so that your enemies cant Tower hug. You are the Sheppard.
Also keep your eyes on your mini map you never know when an ally will require the Shepard.
This stage will end sometime between the levels of 5-7. Do not leave your lane until you have Boots of Speed a Soul Ring, a Ward, and a TP Scroll.
Once you get your MoM expect to be around, everywhere. Your role is still the Sheppard but now you are where needed. When you are not needed you are scouted and farming your core. Allow your carry in you lane some alone time. They will need the levels. You should be starting fights with your Poison Touch debuffing them with your weave and finishing them off with your MoM if you are not the target of your enemies attacks. Dont take all the kills but dont worry if you get some you need to be fat and you need them dead. While fighting continue to heal your allies and save them in the process. DO NOT CHASE DOWN THE BAD GUYS YET!!! If they run farm the creeps push the lane. And remember you are support even in the Gank. Your job is keeping your friends alive.
After your shadowblade and your phase boots you will be in the teamfight stages of the game. You can scout your enemies making sure they dont see you. You can ward behind enemy lines and set up ganks. Never use an ability out of your shadowblade you lose your crit. Also turn your mask on before shadow blade if a fight is coming it will double your crit. Dont always fight out of the shadowblade, as you can fight pull focus and pop your shadowblade to lose focus only to reappear in time to pick of a straggler in the retreat with poison touch and chase down low health enemies. Dont focus tanks stop channeling spells with your stun, scare supports off, and farm of enemies like brood and undying if they got little buddies around. Stay in the middle of your team or out of sight occasionally fighting from behind your troops or in the surprise position behind them. You are the shadow priest fog of war is your friend.
If you lane partner is support then stay in you lane tower hug and farm your jungle. Get fat and push the tower if your enemies dissapear. You have a MoM eat those towers.
After your fourth item no matter which you choose you are now an official purple BAMF rocking a Mo-Hawk and skull masked pimped out in pink light. Dont second guess ambushing the guys solo pushing your tower. You have five seconds to kill him. Your damage is through the roof and if you have the BKB, Skadi, or Scepter you have great hp, damage, and durability. You will be the most feared ***********er on the Map and even Huskar will run from you. You can disappear, out run, and out damage nearly any carry. Your pink light will show you which image you should be attacking and your allies have stopped screaming save me dazzle cuz they know you will. You should still never be out alone. Remember that you are a support and the more homies you have with the the more powerful you be come. You pink light heals and damages the more people you have around you. Shallow grave bales your hard carries out of trouble enabling them to deal out damage and wasting ults like linas and lions. If you did play an OD then your mana regen and intel is too high for him to stop you. There will absolutely no carry able to stand with you. You can be silenced but you have plenty of item tricks, You can be stunned but you can cast your grave. You are the Dazzle and they wont find you or know where you are. Welcome Shadow Priest Rise from the grave and destroy your enemies.
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