Hero roles
This is probably the most well understood concept in DotA by the community. Ignoring the fact that people can disagree on what
heroes fill what roles (silencer, necro, etc), most new people get the idea pretty quick.
Map awareness
The common comment is "just glance at the mini-map a lot" or "check the mini-map all the time" or whatever. You really need to
know what you are looking for and when to look;
Positioning
Hardest to understand, hardest to execute, biggest impact throughout the game. Getting a feel for where to stand in skirmishes
really requires you to know a lot about the game; the ranges and cast times of all spells, the mobility of heroes, who to focus
down, who on your team to protect
1 - Typically the hard carry. Almost always in dual/tri lane
Goal (hero role):
- Obtain critical mass of item/levels and join the team to push/fight when appropriate (certain heroes
reach a critical core mass of items which you should learn)
Method (map awareness):
- always aware of where the entire enemy team. Do not farm where you think you can get ganked when
there are missing heroes. Always try to have an ally between you and where you think the gank may
come from.
Team fights (positioning):
- Stay with your team. You probably don't have great burst and will need your team to help you live and
apply damage. Chasing is BAD. Try to find a position where only one enemy hero can apply damage to
you.
Analogy:
American football:You are the quaterback. Not in the sense that you are calling the shots but in the sense that
they are trying to sack you. You require the rest of the team to help
Football: you are the scoring attacker on your team. they put their best defense on you. they may even double
team you. Use your team to open the field for you, give you space, and set you up to score. If
Basketball: You are a scoring guard, you are probably good at one method of scoring (three pointers (think
sniper), shooting from the field (think anti-mage), driving to the basket (luna), or posting up (think chaos night)). Not matter who
you are you need your team to help you set picks and screens. You can't be predictable because they will find you and stop you.
1
razor
lycan
Terror blade
Phantom lancer
Lone druid
luna
medusa
Drow ranger
clinkz
AM
bs
ursa
timbersaw
sven
Hero roles
This is probably the most well understood concept in DotA by the community. Ignoring the fact that people can disagree on what
heroes fill what roles (silencer, necro, etc), most new people get the idea pretty quick.
Map awareness
The common comment is "just glance at the mini-map a lot" or "check the mini-map all the time" or whatever. You really need to
know what you are looking for and when to look;
Positioning
Hardest to understand, hardest to execute, biggest impact throughout the game. Getting a feel for where to stand in skirmishes
really requires you to know a lot about the game; the ranges and cast times of all spells, the mobility of heroes, who to focus
down, who on your team to protect.
2 - Typically the solo/dual mid. Occasional solo safe lane.
Goal (hero role):
- Get early levels and run the mid game. create space for your carry while killing theirs. Be mindful of the
enemy #2, you are playing man-to-man
Method (map awareness):
- Understanding your early game match up is very important. You need to know when and who you are
strong against and how you are strong. Who will win a match up depends heavily on levels and items (if
you don't know this then you need to learn it). You need to contest runes. Some heroes are better than
this at others. You need to be aware of where your enemy mid is so you can counter gank his ganks or
warn your teammates. You need to watch the minimap for when towers are being dove. When enemies
over extend you need to punish them with ports (the tower does not need to be dove, sometimes a tp
gank is extremely effective as you arrive before they expect). You need to note when enemy offlaners
are missing and be conservative. You need to maximize the teams advantage. Sometimes that means
ganking with a rune, sometimes that means tp ganknig, sometimes that means staying put and getting a
core item up. This needs to be communicated with your team.
Team fights (positioning):
- You are probably the main source of damage for most the game. Typical AoE damage. The enemy will
try to isolate you and go after your carry. Odds are you will be able to make the biggest plays at the cost
of big risk. These risks are typically calculated and it is a learning process. You should be far ahead of
everyone except the enemy mid. You need to understand how to use your advantage.
Analogy:
American football: You are the running/full back. If they can isolate and shut you down then they only have to
worry about the quarterback. It is up to you to learn the right routes to run. If they have an allstar linebacker and/or tackles stop
trying to go up the middle and consider running to the outside. You block for your QB when the play calls for it. If you make a
good run, and into the clear, and have a good block or two, you can typically take it all the way. You are also the line backer,
looking to sack the opposing QB and tackle the opposing RB in the back field.
Football: You are the center midfielder. If they control you they control the game. You have to find a way to work
to your advantage. You can be a great attacker, you can be a defensive stopping power at center field and keep the pressure on
them.
Basketball: You are the small forward. You can do it all but you have a great supporting cast that does each one
job better than you do. (Think kobe, pierce, etc who are paired with nash, howard, garnett, rondo, etc) As soon you as you start
scoring and passing well everyone else does as well. Your defense is important as your offense.
2
sf
Death prohet
viper
DK
Arc warden
tinker
mirana
huskar
Quen P
invoker
storm
Od
puck
sniper
TA
Hero roles
This is probably the most well understood concept in DotA by the community. Ignoring the fact that people can disagree on what
heroes fill what roles (silencer, necro, etc), most new people get the idea pretty quick.
Map awareness
The common comment is "just glance at the mini-map a lot" or "check the mini-map all the time" or whatever. You really need to
know what you are looking for and when to look;
Positioning
Hardest to understand, hardest to execute, biggest impact throughout the game. Getting a feel for where to stand in skirmishes
really requires you to know a lot about the game; the ranges and cast times of all spells, the mobility of heroes, who to focus
down, who on your team to protect
3 Typically the solo off lane. Occasional jungle
Goal (hero role):
- Do not die in early game. Be available to support your carry. Be the thorn in the side of the lane
opponents. Be prepared to push towers. Obtain supportive items. CS is not as important as levels
(unless maybe you are the jungler intended to push).
-
Method (map awareness):
- Try to stop the farm of the opponents. If you are in a 1v1 that is straight forward. If you are 3v1 then
ward their jungle and be a pest. Be aware of where the supports are standing and when you can get
closer for last hits/exp. You need to have an early tp and be available to your team wherever/whenever.
You can turn around fights with a well placed TP. Contest runes with your mid, consider ganking mid. If
they gank, be available to counter gank. They might push your tower, do not sweat it. If your team is
unavailable to contest, your team may be able to trade.
Team fights (positioning):
- You might be an initiator. You least have some form of semi-reliable initiation or counter initiation. Your
skills are usually timing/skill dependent. You cannot afford to get caught out. Your job is to land your
spells and find a way to manipulate the enemy team.
- Team fights initiator/ counter initiator
- Breaking enemies connecting initiation
-
Analogy:
American football: You are the special teams. You plays are huge though not common. You can run a kickoff
back for a run and really hurt the team (think getting a kill vs a trilane). You are important but your 1 (QB) and 2 (RB) take
priority. You save their ass with a field goal when they can't bring the ball home.
Football: you are the goalie. You are going to be under pressure from the attacker for most the game. When the
enemy is cherry picking (supports being bold with positioning) call it out. When they are trying to spread the field (roaming) call it
out. When they make a mistake and you can drive with the ball, you take it. A good punt/goalkick/throw (supportive TP and
pushes) can win and lose games.
Basketball: You are the center. You post up when you need to but your power is the rebounds and defense. If
you can't hustle across the court (tp support) you will have bad defense.
omni
mk
earthshaker
Nyx assasin
Omni
axe
tidehunter
void
batrider
clockwerk
underlord
bristelbback
Tiny
Chen
LC
Hero roles
This is probably the most well understood concept in DotA by the community. Ignoring the fact that people can disagree on what
heroes fill what roles (silencer, necro, etc), most new people get the idea pretty quick.
Map awareness
The common comment is "just glance at the mini-map a lot" or "check the mini-map all the time" or whatever. You really need to
know what you are looking for and when to look;
Positioning
Hardest to understand, hardest to execute, biggest impact throughout the game. Getting a feel for where to stand in skirmishes
really requires you to know a lot about the game; the ranges and cast times of all spells, the mobility of heroes, who to focus
down, who on your team to protect
4 The roaming support. Either in the trilane, dual mid, or 3+4 dual lane
Goal (hero role):
- You don't needs items to reach critical mass. Your power comes from levels. You almost always have
reliable forms of CC. If not you probably have a heal. You are actively involved in what is happening on
the map. Your priorities are gank/counter ganks. This means maintaining vision and close proximity to
teammates. You try to squeeze out XP/gold with creep pulling and ganks.
Method (map awareness):
- You always need to know what the area around your carry is like. If you are not impacting the enemy
positioning you are not being effective. This means creep pulling when appropriate. This means
harrassing enemies in lane. This means pushing towers. This means roaming to gank. You are also
playing man-to-man with the enemy supports or enemy laners. You need to know where they are so you
can make the right play. Are they contesting the rune? Go contest the rune
Team fight (positioning):
- Buddy system. You need to be with someone almost all the time. That doesn't mean holding hands
while you walk from your trilane to gank mid. This just means you have no business farming solo. You
need to always be in close proximity to a teammate or on your way to a teammate. Don't get caught on
moonlight strolls in the river. Your goal in fights is to get your CC off, if you get your CC off and a couple
right clicks, then you have done your job. Everything else is icing on the cake. Don't underestimate the
power of your right clicks. This does not mean suiciding to apply your disables, it just means you need
to apply your disables in such a way that your team can benefit from it.
Analogy:
American football: You are a wide receiver / def back / utility player. You can make a big play with one catch.
You can make great tackles. You can make great blocks. You can impact the game with the smallest of plays. Your plays are
consistent and necessary for the team.
Football: You are a field player. You know how to spread the field well. You know when to cross the ball. You
know when to make a through pass for your attacker. You fill in for your defense when they play aggressive. Your plays hold the
team together.
Basketball: You are the power forward. You spread the field. You need to be able to score so they are forced
defend against you. You are reliable and when they don't keep you in check you start to rack up points
4
Nightstalker
tusk
Ogre magi
Natures prophet
Tiny
Sand king
venomancer
slardar
slinencer
kunka
bh
enigma
Hero roles
This is probably the most well understood concept in DotA by the community. Ignoring the fact that people can disagree on what
heroes fill what roles (silencer, necro, etc), most new people get the idea pretty quick.
Map awareness
The common comment is "just glance at the mini-map a lot" or "check the mini-map all the time" or whatever. You really need to
know what you are looking for and when to look;
Positioning
Hardest to understand, hardest to execute, biggest impact throughout the game. Getting a feel for where to stand in skirmishes
really requires you to know a lot about the game; the ranges and cast times of all spells, the mobility of heroes, who to focus
down, who on your team to protect
5 The hard support
Goal (hero role):
- You are typically the most powerful hero on the team for the first few minutes. You need almost no
items. Your carry is your buddy. You play like the 4 but you are kept with the carry when the dual lane is
run. Your job is to maximize the farm of the carry. This means defending him with vision. Harrassing of
the enemy in lane. Creep pulling to make farming easier. Putting pressure on the enemy to give your
carry space (best defense is sometimes a good offense)
Method (map awareness):
- You control the vision of the map. Vision is the most important resource in DotA and you control it. This
most the time means wards and sentries; but don't forget your hero also offers vision. That being said it
is smart to stay in the fog when not applying pressure in lane. The uncertainty puts the enemy on edge
and provides the extra vision.
Team fight (positioning):
- You play like the 4. You give extra attention to your carry. Dying for the cause can be worth it but don't
throw your life away. A well placed disable changes fights
Analogy:
American football: You are the blind side tackle. You protect the QB. You also pull block on runs. You are also
the defensive end; you swat balls out of the air, you pressure the pocket, you stop the run.
Football: You are the defense. You try to keep the ball on the enemy side to help attack. You communicate well
with the team. You are able to see a lot of things the attacker cannot. You control the ball from coming to your side and keep the
pressure on.
Basketball: You are the point guard. You control the field (with vision). You are focused on making sure your
teammates can do their jobs with great control and passing.
Anyway, feel free to steal the content, IDC. I was hoping to put a little fun analogy on roles to something that people may
understand (I grew up playing sports so the analogy works for me)
5
rubick
Shadow shaman
disruptor
jakiro
dazzle
oracle
bane
Winter wyvern
Elder titan
undying
AA
bh
What to practice
1.
