Magina(Anti-Mage)

Who is Magina?

Through different levels of play and different versions of DotA it has been observed that Anti-Mage can be played in multiple ways. Pubs have always put bashers on Anti-Mage and higher level games have seen the mek/linkens and soulbooster days. The way you are playing him depends on your line-up and match-up, and of course the level of the game.

In my view Anti-Mage can be played in two ways. Firstly, you can play him as a secondary carry who ganks and carries the team later because upon analysing Anti-Mages spells you will see that his spells are most effective against heroes and are stronger early game than late game. He is not meant to farm all game and carry. Alternatively, you can play him as a tank who absorbs all enemy spells thrown at him because of the magic reduction of Spell Shield and the escape from Blink.

Remember to pick Anti-Mage if the opposing line-up is mainly nukers as they are food for Anti-Mage late-game.
This guide will analyse all his skills and give guidelines on how to use him. I will also provide strategical advice and hopefully this guide will aid you in gaining experience in playing Magina and DotA in general.

Abilities Discussion:

Mana Break:
Mechanics: the damage is normal [(Mana Burnt x 0.6) damage] and it can be blocked by Vangaurd, reduced by armor and magic immunity prevents the mana burn so no damage will be dealt. May be disabled by Doom (like most spells QQ).
Strategics: this is both an offensive and defensive ability. This disables the enemy preventing them from using their spells when they are low on mana and it also deals 38 damage each attack which synergises with your ultimate. This is an orb effect so you will not be buying any orb effect items for him.

Blink:
Mechanics: it has 200 minimum range and 1000/1075/1150/1150 maximum range but if you click past the range you will Blink to around 800 range. Unable to teleport to areas that you have not explored.

Strategics: the most important spell that makes a good Anti-Mage player. You can use it to travel, you use it to escape and you can use it to chase. This will be discussed more in the techniques section.

Spell Shield:
Mechanics: heroes start with 25% magic resistance and magic resistance stacks with diminishing returns, so you do not get a direct 40% spell reduction.
Strategics: this allows you to tank spells like Laguna Blade and shrug them of.

Mana Void:
Mechanics: 600 casting range, has a mini-stun and is reduced by magic reduction. The formula for calculating Mana Void’s damage is [Mana Missing x 0.6/0.85/1.1 x 0.75]
The damage is dealt before the animation is complete.
Against BKB - Stun but doesn’t deal damage
Against Linken - Damage but doesn’t stun

Strategics: use it to stop channeling spells if you need to, but mainly use it to finish off heroes once you have burnt enough mana. Use this spell decisively and don’t regret it if it doesn’t kill your target. The main problem for Anti-mage’s mana is Mana Void which needs to be used wisely as you want to be able to use it whenever it is ready so remember the mana cost (175, 225, 275) and save your mana for it.

Skillbuild and Justifications:

There are mainly two skillbuilds for Anti-Mage but many factors can affect when you get skills.

Against an Easy Lane:

Level 01 - Blink
Level 02 - Mana Break
Level 03 - Mana Break
Level 04 - Blink/Spell Shield
Level 05 - Mana Break
Level 06 - Mana Void
Level 07 - Mana Break
Level 08 - Blink/Spell Shield
Level 09 - Blink/Spell Shield
Level 10 - Blink/Spell Shield
Level 11 - Mana Void
Level 12 - Blink/Spell Shield
Level 13 - Blink/Spell Shield
Level 14 - Blink/Spell Shield
Level 15 - Attribute Bonuses
Level 16 - Mana Void
17 to 25 - Attribute Bonuses

Maxing Mana Break early is necessary because it is your main damaging spell and also your main lane controlling ability.

A level of Blink is gotten first because you will might need it for escape. Now the branching occurs with wether to get Spell Shield or Blink. Max Spell Shield first against a caster lineup and max Blink first if you are not going to gank casters by level 10.

Mana Void should be taken whenever available because it is your finishing spells and saves you having to chase past towers and such.

Against an Aggresive Lane:

Level 01 - Blink
Level 02 - Spell Shield
Level 03 - Spell Shield
Level 04 - Mana Break
Level 05 - Spell Shield
Level 06 - Mana Break/Mana Void
Level 07 - Spell Shield
Level 08 - Mana Break
Level 09 - Mana Break
Level 10 - Mana Void/Mana Break
Level 11 - Mana Void
Level 12 - Blink
Level 13 - Blink
Level 14 - Blink
Level 15 - Attribute Bonuses
Level 16 - Mana Void
17 to 25 - Attribute Bonuses

This build is constructed for surviving an extremely deadly or aggresive lane like Lina/Sven/Leshrac.

You need maxed Spell Shield early to survive their combos and only one level of Blink to escape. Against such a fearsome lane you will not hav a chance to be aggresive so Mana Break will be levelled later. Get Hood when facing this lane.

Mana Void is not effective until you have more levels of Mana Break so it is gotten at 10/11. But If you think you will have a chance to use it then get it earlier.

Itembuild and Justifications:

I have created a very affordable item build which is also very flexible.

Survivabilty is a major problem for Anti-Mage during early-game and you also want to gank with your allies which includes being hit by creeps and tower-diving. The answer can be found with items that provide regeneration and damage reduction like Vangaurd or Hood.

Build order is: Circlets/Tangos/RoR/Branches > Vangaurd/Hood > Boots > Wraiths > Treads > DPS Item

Starting Items - any starting items work on Anti-Mage. Get RoR if you plan to get Hood or get Circlets for your Wraiths. If you want to follow the league players then start off with RoR and a set of Tangos.

Vangaurd - beneficial to Anti-Mage because it provides damage block against creeps and hp regeneration for an extremely low price. Each of its components help Anti-Mage in the survival department.

Hood of Defiance - if you are facing heavy magic damage or against an aggresive lane then Hood will provide more benefits to Anti-Mage with its magic reduction and higher regeneration.
If you want to play Anti-Mage as a tank then you can grab both Hood and Vangaurd.

Power Treads - it provides everything you need after you have fixed your survivabilty problems with IAS and movespeed for an affordable price. The recent buff to treads means that you also have the ability to change the +10 attribute, I suggest you keep it at str at the start and change it to agi later when you have more hp. Remember to buy TP-scrolls.

Wraith Bands - I have chosen Wraiths Bands over Bracers because they provide a little IAS and damage but if you are facing survival problems then feel free to get bracers instead.

Butterfly - the best damage item for Agi heroes at this current version. It has everything Anti-Mage could ever want (evasion, IAS, damage). Magina’s source of damage comes from his Mana Break and attack speed synergizes better than pure damage. The evasion combined with Spell Shield (plus possibly Hood and Vanguard) makes Magina almost unkillable. The only negative side to this is the cost of it but upon completion the bonuses will be worth the cost.

Extended Item-Discussion:

In this section I will mention some of the good and bad items for Anti-Mage. I will discuss when and why to buy some of the items and why other items are complete no-nos. The red items are the ones I don’t suggest.

Monkey King Bar - with the new way to build this item I find it to be the best alternative to Butterfly and easier to build. I suggest you buy this if you are unable to farm a Eaglehorn.

Linken’s Sphere - this item is actually pretty good and could be called amazing but it is only necessary in some games. The spell-block was buffed to 40 seconds and Ultimate Orbs are now cheaper than before but you only need spell-block if the opposing team has many single target disables, which is not as common as aoe ones. Get this if you are finding single-target stuns a problem.

 

Black King Bar - even though you are immune to spell damage, being disabled the whole battle isnt helpful so get this if you are facing heavy disables. You also don’t need this if you hav an Omniknight in your team.

 

Assault Cuirass - the attack speed and auras are really helpful to your team so get this if no-one else is. The high EHP is really nice and get this if your cashflow is good.

 

Radiance - Radiance’s immolation provides crazy farming and Magina will be chasing his targets quite often and the sparkles can kill your target without you having to attack. The bad part is that it is more effective if you rush it because the immolation is strong when the enemy has smaller hp pools and lower regen and you need survability early so it will not be as effective because it will be delayed. Get this if you are farming like crazy and can get it within 30 mins after your survivability.

Buriza-do Kyanon - the criticals are really nice but the item itself is hard to build up compared to MKB and to be honest I have never had the chance to buy this for Anti-Mage. The criticals are only good after you have high base damage so get it after your main dps item.

Heart of Terasque - high survivabilty is gauranteed by this item and I suggest you get this if you want to tank it up later.

Boots of Travel - This is a really good item with the TP but I only suggest getting this if you are a confident farmer, you will be spending half the game with only boots and you will not be upgrading until after your other dps items.

Battlefury - the cleaving is really amazing for farming and that is why many players buy this, but the damage is much lower than many other dps items and the mana regeneration is not necessary. Only get this if you have an ally magnataur to suck the enemies in for you or if it is very late into the game and you really need to kill creeps fast to defend your base.

Cranium Bashers - every single pub games get this item and theres a good reason for that, this item owns with high attack speed. The only problem is if you’re in a decent game you don’t have time to farm up bashers becaus they dont provide much damage or survivability. It also costs 3k and that’s almost an eaglehorn already.

Guinsoo’s Scythe of Vyse - The disable is great, mana regeneration is not bad for unlimited blink, eul could be good but… It’s too expensive for bonuses you don’t really need. I suggest you get this in games where there are not enough disables in your team or a high evasion hero difficult to deal with.

Hand of Midas - Sure transmute is nice but the 2k spent on this item does not pay itself back due to shorter game times and you need to farm the other items, which are much more important. There are only a few good reasons to get Midas, if you are confident with your last hits and will be able to get it within 20 mins or so after your Vangaurd then get it.

Vladmir’s Offering - I see many players get this and I find it useless compared to other items as it does not provide any solid bonuses while you build it up. You don’t need Basilius and you can’t hold a Mask of Madness because it ruins your Mana Break so I would toss this in the junk section.

Mekansm - is a really bad item for Anti-Mage as it adds even more mana problems to your low mana pool and you will need linkens to solve this mana problem, which you either complete it too late and have low dps or finish it and realise you spent too much money on survivability. The reason why many of the older competitive replays had mek/linkens was because Vangaurd and Hood had not been implimented and now Mek’s survivability cannot be compared to them.

Anti-Mage Techniques:

 

Blink-Break:

Blink-break is your main harrasing skill, you either run up and try to get a few hits (2-3 attcks) and then Blink back or you Blink behind your opponents to get maximum hits in (only do this when you are sure you will get the kill) and then hit them until they either run or run out of mana and void them.
Why behind? because you will be blocking their path of escape and they will physically have to walk around you to escape.
Use this wisely as you are effectively letting your opponent know that you have no escape until your Blink is finished cooling down. When chasing do not Blink too far ahead of the enemy or they will try to juke you.

Blink-Fake:

Play mind games with your opponents by using Blink and cancelling it (press ’s’) so that they can never expect where you will Blink to.

Blink-Dodge:

Use Blink to dodge spells and projectiles. You can dodge projectile spells by Blinking just before it hits you so that it will hit the ground. This requires extreme reflexes and the price is high if done wrong. Remember to Blink out of big AoE damage spells like Epicenter.

Blink-Block:
Your ally is being chased by an enemy with the intent to kill. What do you do? Blink in front of the enemy and press ‘h’ like hes a creep. This is sure to get on his nerves and save your ally. You can also use Blink-Block to slow down and enemy so your ally can catch up and use a spell on them.

Fog-Blink:

This is very simple but it will save your life many times. Blink into a spot your opponent cannot see and escape or TP away.

Cliff-Blink:

This is similar to Fog-Blink, but if your opponent still has vision on you (Track, Amplify, Thirst) then you will need to Blink into an area that requires your opponent to walk the longer distance.

Valley-Blink:

Note this only works against melee heroes, when escaping from them Blink into a valley or a bunch of trees and TP away. Your opponent will be unable to do anything but QQ and watch you TP away.

Void-Stop:

Use Mana Void to cancel channeling spells like TP or Ultis (Freezing Field/Black Hole). Use this if necessary even if you will not deal maximum damage.

Spell-Break:
When you see an opponent about to cast a spell and he is low on mana, attack him and it will cancel the spell because he does not have enough mana. Finish him with void just to piss him off.

Animation-Cancel:

Anti-Mage has a very obvious attack animation where he jumps and spins after an attack. This animation can be cancelled by issuing another command after his first whack (look at the gif for a better idea). Use this to save time during chases, Blink-Break and last hitting in laning phase so you don’t expose yourself too much near creeps.

Mana-Check:

Anti-Mage players are probably one of the most mana aware players there are. Even though Magina doesn’t have high mana cost spammable spells with low cooldown, players should know the opponents mana at all times. When you plan a kill or a gank, you check the enemies mana to plan how many hits you need to get in and calculate how much damage your mana break will deal to them and if your void can kill them once they reach 0 mana.

Your enemies will fall into differnet caregories because of their hero-type and how you plan your attacks will fall into these categories:

- Int heroes will fall the fastest to your Mana Void because of their naturally high mana pool, with carefully planned Blink-Breaks you will be able slowly deplete their mana pools until they either have to go back or heal, if they stay then proceed to attack and void them for a kill.
Int heroes fear a good Anti-Mage because they will be rendered useless if they do not play carefully and this is why you need to master Blinking techniques.

- Str heroes are the hardest opponents to kill for you as their low mana pools prevent your mana break doing full damage to you and their high hp prevents them from dying to Mana Void.
But, due to their low mana pools you still want to get a few hits on them during battles or before to disable them as many of them have powerful ultis like epicentre, reverse polarity, overgrowth and ravange.

- The heroes you want to have mana are Agi heroes, as they hav low hp and mana usually and most of them do not have deadly spells so you want them to have mana for your mana break damage to take effect. You will soon learn that am Agi heroes with no mana is a hard enemy to kill as they will also have high damage and you will have no advantage over them.

Mind-Games:
Anti-Mage can play amazing mind games with his opponents through the use of Blink. Opponents can never expect when you will appear because of Blink and chasing you is difficult because of jukes and cliffs. Combine the techniques above with juking and you will be unkillable.
Watch both this and this for some amazing blinks and jukes. (warning some of these may be too risky to try but are quite rewarding if you make it work)

Anti-Mage Strategies:

Laning - Magina is a weak solo hero because he does not have any lane control until he maxes out Mana Break. Therefore, you should lane him with a good babysitter hero like warlock/viper (good lane controllers) and if you cannot get one then atleast a hero with a disable, preferably a ranged hero. Establish lane control by using Blink-Break wisely, if done properly the opponent will not have mana to harass you.

Soloing - If you are forced to solo, hope that you are laned against a melee hero because creating lane control against a ranged hero will be tough. Get Spell Shield early if you are facing heavy nukes or stunners and play safely until you have a few levels of Mana Break. The good thing about being Anti-Mage is that you have a reliable escape with Blink. Once you have maxed Mana Break and Void you can try to be aggresive and go for a kill.

Getting Ganked - Escaping ganks is easier with Anti-Mage than most heroes because of Blink and his naturally high movespeed. If you see an opponent acting more aggresive than usual then it might be a sign that his ally is a around and is planning to gank you. Do not get lured into using your Blink early when escaping ganks and try to Blink into areas that the enemy will have a hard time tracking you after you have escaped.

Ganking - this depends on how you started the gank and also the level of your Blink. Always be the last into the battle because you do not have initiating spells. When your ally throws a disable at the enemy, get as many whacks in before they are able to run because the only thing your opponent can do without mana is to run or fight with only normal attacks. You may or may not want to start the gank with Blink because you will have to wait for the cooldown which could affect your chase.

Farming - as Anti-Mage has no farming spells all you can do is last hit. Target the range creep first because it is the only creep with mana and dies to your Mana Break easily. Do not try to kill neutrals until you have your Vangaurd because you are fragile without regeneration or damage block. Use animation cancelling to last hit as Magina’s model has an unncessary spinning animation which you can cancel.

Pushing - without any farming spells pushing is slower with Anti-Mage than other heroes. To push faster always kill the range creep before you target the other creeps. Anti-Mage has high dps so killing towers isn’t that hard.

5v5 Battles (defensive) - When defending your base always remember the one rule (always be the last one to enter the battle). Once the enemy team enters your base and your allies have initiated, Blink in to attack when the enemy is distracted and deal as much damage possible (Always go for the Int heroes as they are food for you and usually are unable to stop you killing them in 3 seconds) Burn the mana of the heroes with game-breaking ultimates (Omniknight/Sand King/Treant). After the battle do your job of chasing the enemy and finishing them off.

5v5 Battles (offensive) - Before the big battles always try to find the initiaters and mass disablers and burn their mana so that you will have the upper hand in the following battle. If your team is pushing the enemy base remember to hang around behind the team to check if there is going to be an ambush and then Blink in to kill any low hp heroes. After a chase just Blink out and repeat the process until the enemy team is dead.

Fun-filled-facts:

The model of Magina is based on the demon hunter Illidan before he transforms into his current model with wings and is horny. The only similarity he has with the demon hunter is his Mana Burn spell.

Anti-Mage replaced the old hero, Eul the Mageslayer who was named after the creator of DotA. Eul had Blink and a weak mana burn and no finishing spell so all he could do was chase the opponent to death.

Magina also has the same voice as the demon hunter model and after multiple clicks you can hear him say “I like my enemies dead, and my blades flaming.”

This entry was posted on Monday, March 31st, 2008 at 10:49 pm and is filed under Guides and Technique, Magina. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.