We have previously discussed the Wraith King but limited the analysis to that hero's counter-measuring; this time we delve into the intricacies of Invoker - another famous hero. Let's expand on each analysis segment to understand the complex hero. Invoker is challenging to master, and this article will assist with that.
Lore
As rich and varied as his gameplay, the Invoker has lore to match. He once called himself Carl but has worn many titles and names in the years since. He is a masterful wizard of unsurpassed intelligence and power who claims to have magicked together every combination of spells known to uphold attacks at the last count. While many of his kin specialise in one element of magic, Invoker builds up a broad array of spells and combinatorial abilities, thus making him one of the most significant magical forces in the world. This power is so great that it marks his intelligence and the centuries of life he has been able to practice and perfect his skills. His thirst for knowledge and power brought him to places few would dare to look at, making him a powerful combatant.
Latest Updates
Patch 7.34 brought significant changes to Invoker in Dota 2, reshaping his role and the strategies around him. He was reworked from a hero who scales only off intelligence to a Universal hero, which gave him a new dimension of late-game scaling and allowed him to come even more on par with physical damage heroes.
This did not make a massive difference in how Invoker is played, but it opened up another kind of difference between the item builds and the hero's style.
The Invoker's stats were balanced in line with Universal heroes. Qujson, Wex, and Exort give 1/1/1 point of strength, agility, and intelligence per level, respectively, not two. The abilities relating to these elements were balanced as well.
He can no longer increase attack speed but reduce cooldown from 1% to 7% per orb.
Export now grants spell amplification per orb from 1% to 7% instead of attack damage. Invoker's talent tree has also undergone further adjustments. The Tornado Cooldown Reduction talent is now at level 10, and the Cold Snap Cooldown Reduction talent has been moved to level 15.
That reduced the HP and Mana Regeneration values of the spell Ghost Walk and turned off the regen buff in the case of Invoker taking player-controlled damage in the last 3 seconds. Invoker’s playstyle may remain somewhat static with an emphasis on spellcasting. However, considering the Universal attribute scaling, he stands to add more right-click damage to his arsenal.
Those updated abilities come with a right-click build, like Phase Boots, Rod of Atos, Blink Dagger, and Dragon Lance, along with other essential mobility and sustainability items according to which way you'd like to play. These changes also emphasise Invoker's synergy with Spirit Vessel and, in essence, turn it into a core item for him, probably just in about every game. Hand of Midas became more situational, and the item build can change significantly with how Invoker will have to play the game.
Players are advised to try the build and see which best fits them while playing Invoker in the current meta.
Abilities
At the very heart of eccentricity and versatility lies the stability of that hero. He is able to cast 10 spheres in total as well as three elemental orbs simultaneously. including Quas (ice), Wex (storm), and Exort (fire). Each enhances Invjson attributes, with Quas boosting health regeneration, Wex boosting attack and movement speed, and Export boosting attack damage. To properly execute these spells, including crowd control and others that unleash some of the most severe burst damage in the game, there is a need for correcting combination and timing in utilising these orbs.
Benefits and Downsides
But let's look at Invoker more thoroughly.
Benefits:
Adaptability: Invoker can adjust his role to fit the team's needs, making him a flexible draft pick.
Skill Reward: A high skill ceiling means dedicated players can significantly impact the game.
Combat Prowess: Invoker can dominate team fights with the right spell combinations.
Downsides:
Complexity: His high complexity makes him less accessible to beginners.
Squishiness: Enemies can easily pick off Invoker without proper positioning and support.
Dependency on Levels: A slow start can hinder Invoker's effectiveness throughout the game.
Hints and Tips to Master Invoker
To master Invoker, one must understand deeply every matchup when to exactly go for Quas-Wex or Quas-Exort builds, and most importantly, how to control the laning stage. Beyond this, mastering Invoker involves:
- Practice spell combinations to ensure fluid execution in high-pressure situations.
- Develop map awareness to capitalise on global spells like Sun Strike.
- Utilise Invoker's versatility to adapt to the game's ever-changing dynamics.
- To add that extra sheen to your game, it's indispensable for your Invoker game to be filled out with a multidimensional approach beyond basic gameplay mechanics and spell combos.
Here are the tips and advice for the aspiring Invoker adept:
Advanced Micro-management Mastery: Invoker's Forge Spirits and other summonables provide more than additional damage. They are used for scouting, rune control, and even stacking the neutral camp in the jungle. When your micro-management is perfect, you scout more expansive areas and accumulate additional resources.
Ghost Walk: This is the spell one would never want to use for an escape. Use it for positioning before a fight, scouting enemy movements, or tricking the enemy team with a scam when your team is coordinated and in the correct positions. Slowing down during team battles or chasing down the enemy can be crucial.
Advanced Spell Sequencing: Getting the basic combos down is essential. But the rapid-fire switching of spells on the fly, in the heat of battle, will set Invoker masters apart. Practice changing between the spells smoothly, adapting to any situation with the perfect spell. Tornado as a Setup Spell: The Tornado is not just a spell by itself right from the start, but a fantastic setup for many other spells by Invoker. Use it to lift enemies into a perfectly placed Sun Strike, Meteor, or Ice Wall.
Timing is critical, so learn the lift duration to maximise your spell impact.
Agha Nim's Scepter and the Power Spike:
Getting an Aghanim's Scepter will significantly reduce the cooldown of Invoke and thus allow the player to cast several spells within a tiny time frame. Understand the power spike this item provides and adjust your playstyle accordingly; read and be more aggressive in the game once obtained.
Positioning and Movement: Generally squishy and an easy target for ganking. Move and position in a game according to items and priorities that show survivability. Items like Blink Dagger or Force Staff can help you position yourself in a fight, casting your spells from a safe distance more freely.
High-Level Play Teaching:
Watch replays of professional Invoker players. Please pay close attention to how they play in the laning phase when fighting versus farm, and how they progress with their items and control the orbs. This may be mimicked through high-level player decision-making and might not be an insight easily found through solo practice. The best advice to get good with the Invoker is practice, practice, and practice. Emphasis is put on custom games, allowing you to train your spell combinations and creeps last. Regular matches will help you fine-tune your understanding of matchups, team fighting, and game sense.
Resource management: Every one of the Invoker's abilities is mana-intensive. Therefore, heading into a deciding fight without the mana pool to fight means heading into a sure loss. Some popular items include even more mana, such as Eul's Scepter of Divinity and Scythe of Vyse, with additional utility.
Game State Adaptation: Be flexible in your build and approach. Quas-Wex might be suitable for the games where you control and need utility, while Quas-Exort may ensure you get more damage output. It should primarily guide your game needs, your team composition, and what your enemy is weak against.
Master these advanced strategies with an ever-improving mindset, and your game on Invoker will flourish: good enough to take over games based on skill and adaptation.
Counters and Synergies
The heroes he faces on the battlefield significantly affect how the Invoker plays. He does relatively well against Medusa and Spectre, where a good variety of his control and burst damage can keep them in check from snowballing to their late-game potential.
In contrast, he struggles very hard against heroes like Broodmother and Bristleback, who can either overpower him with their units or tank through his burst damage, respectively.
Synergistically, Invoker shines best with Faceless Void's Chronosphere to set up his spell combos, where a well-positioned Meteor or Sun Strike can do devastating damage. Understanding such interactions is very important for a player to maximise the output of Invoker in games.
Recommended Allies
This Invoker does well in compositions that set him up his spells and allow him to take full advantage of the chaos he creates. Such compositions get even better with strong initiation heroes and great group crowd-control heroes, such as Enigma or Tidehunter, who bunch enemies up for their area-of-effect spells.
On the other hand, protection supports may function as a safety net from swindles, enabling him to cast his spells from the safely built backline.
- Faceless Void
The perfect setup for Invjson-area-of-effect (AoE) spells like Meteor, Sun Strike, and Deafening Blast is Faceless Void's Chronosphere. That combination can cause wins that are ruinous in team fights should the enemies caught within the Chronosphere be easy pickings for the spell combo of Invoker.
- Magnus
Another powerful initiation tool from Magnus, Reverse Poljsonctrity, clusters the enemies together. This gives Invoker room to follow up with a sequence of AoE spells. Besides, it buffs the damage output on Invoker and lets his right clicks with Alacrity be way more menacing.
- Enigma
The only difference between multiple heroes in Enigma's Black Hole and Faceless Void's Chronosphere is that they affect the same spot. Combined with this synergy, Invoker can unleash the entire arsenal of his spells on hapless foes, most likely to change the tide of a team for the whole game through a well-executed combo.
- Sand King
Sand King is strong in initiation and control, with his Burrowstrike and Epicenter to enable easy setting up of Sun Strike, Meteor, or any other damage spells of Invoker on the group of controlled enemies. This ability of Sand King to disrupt enemies' positions goes well with the needs of Invoker to place his spells effectively.
- Vengeful Spirit
Vengeful Spirit comes in with a reliable stun from her Magic Missile and an ultimate Nether Swap that will either start fights or help save Invoker from bad situations. The aura of Vengeful Spirit also adds damage to Invoker, thus making him even more deadly in fights.
- Oracle
Oracle can give incredible save potentials to Invjson through False Promise, ensuring that Invoker stays alive for a good time in fights to cast a few spell rotations. Moreover, Oracle's Fortune's End can root enemies to a fixed location for easy targeting with Invoker's combos.
- Spirit Breaker
Spirit Breaker's Charge of Darkness gives the Invoker a global presence that can involve chaos and distraction, which gives him the space to start picking off targets or setting up his spell combos. Besides, the bash from Nether Strike also sets up a guaranteed Sun Strike for Invoker.
- Tidehunter
Tidehunter brings tremendous control for team fights with Ravage, letting chances for the Invoker to hit his key spells without bothering. Also, the Gush ability from Tidehunter reduces the armour of enemies, making them vulnerable to physical hits by Invoker, buffed with Alacrity.
- Alacrity
The hero combinations are known to be strong when combined with Invoker and have a strong synergy when enhanced by the 15-20 minutes of the game time. Understanding the strengths and timing of the latter is essential to wringing every bit of their potential while simultaneously on the battlefield.
Summary
In conclusion - the top 10 players who like Invoker
- AR.Somnus
- AR.天命
- NOUNS.Gunnar
- Hijodeputa
- Untitled
- TSpirit.Yatoro
- TLN.Mikoto
- Trump[Style]
- 野贝贝
- Leoric
It is said that the pursuit to master the Invoker tests a player's commitment, mechanical skill, and strategic analysis. Daunting as it may be, becoming proficient at helping Inv brings many benefits, such as the ability to influence games in ways few other heroes can. Only the most arcane of wizards could unlock this delicate hero's full potential. Only with practice and updated reads on game changes and the intricate mechanics behind the hero could you unleash this delicate hero's full potential and turn the tides of battle in your favour with a flurry of well-placed spells.