Dazzle is still a warder and babysitter in the early game, his role in team battles, i.e. the mid to late game, has completely changed. As I have seen only a few guides outlining the new Dazzle, I decided I wanted to write one and share my experience with him.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Item independent (really only needs Shoes, Mekansm and Mana Regen to have a large effect)
Very high intelligence gain (second to Pugna and tied with Enigma) and as a result, high base damage
Pretty high stats (64 points) and stat growth (6.95 points per level)
Able to semi-carry in a pinch
Versatile and very spammable skill set
Cons
No disables (Poison touch is a bit more like Purge than an actual disable, though it does ministun)
Low health
No nukes
Reliance on Physical Damage (which has declined a lot)
Requires heavy spell spam, which eats mana
Requires teamwork and coordination to play well; as a result, Dazzle is a poor choice for pubbers
Statistics
Range: 500 | Move Speed: 305 | Primary: Intelligence
Str: 16 + 1.85 | Agi: 21 + 1.7 | Int: 27 + 3.4
Damage: 41-59 | HP: 454 | Mana: 351 | Armor: 2.0
Backstory
Little is known to the Shadowtooth Clan, likely because this group of shadowy trolls never unveil the secrets of their mystifying sacrament. Nevertheless, the Loa they worship is much more powerful than most elementals, thus their favors must be kept in confidentiality. In return, these Primal Gods granted these trolls the power over paralyzing toxins, life-bending voodoo, and even endowment of life beyond the grave. A living eternity of death and misery, Dazzle now marches within the ranks of the undead, announcing the apocalypse of the Scourge that may lead them to much anticipated ascendancy.
Skills
Poison Touch
A poisonous magic is placed on an enemy unit causing it to move slowly becoming paralyzed. The longer the poison takes to set in, the slower the unit will become. After the poison sets in, it takes physical damage per second for 7 seconds. Target moves slower per level.
Level 1 - 7 damage. Takes 1 second to set in.
Level 2 - 14 damage. Takes 2 seconds to set in.
Level 3 - 21 damage. Takes 3 seconds to set in.
Level 4 - 28 damage. Takes 3 seconds to set in.
Cooldown: 15/13/11/9
Manacost: 100/115/130/145
Level 1: 100 mana, 15 sec cooldown.
Level 2: 115 mana, 13 sec cooldown.
Level 3: 130 mana, 11 sec cooldown.
Level 4: 145 mana, 9 sec cooldown.
Dazzle's most important tool in ganking. Poison Touch slows its target to stop at level 3 and 4 which allows you and your teammate(s) to catch up to almost anyone. The low cooldown allows you to cast it many times in battle, especially after Weave, which of course amplifies the damage. The two small problems with Touch is the mana cost (it builds up very quickly to you having no mana) and the minimal effect it has at levels 1 and 2 (level 2 does have a little more of a slow). It should be known, lastly, that Poison Touch does not slow for the duration but rather it slows over the first 1-3 seconds and the damage begins after the initial slow. A very good skill that makes Dazzle a good lane partner.
Shallow Grave
Shallow Grave prevents any damage from killing the targeted hero for 5 seconds.
Level 1 - 90 Cooldown. 400 cast range.
Level 2 - 70 Cooldown. 600 cast range.
Level 3 - 50 Cooldown. 800 cast range.
Level 4 - 30 Cooldown. 1000 cast range.
Cooldown: 54/40/26/12
Manacost: 140/130/120/110
Level 1: 140 mana, 54 sec cooldown.
Level 2: 130 mana, 40 sec cooldown.
Level 3: 120 mana, 26 sec cooldown.
Level 4: 110 mana, 12 sec cooldown.
While the old Shallow Grave was incredibly powerful, this spell has also proven itself to be quite a handful. This can save heroes getting ganked or prolong a carry's life so he can finish his job. While the concept is similar to something like Borrowed Time, Shallow Grave has a small visible animationsplaced on the unit (I am not 100% sure but if there are buffs, they are quite hard to see) so enemies will not always be aware that they are targeting a Graved hero. A very good skill for the end game.
Shadow Wave
Sends forth a Shadow Wave to heal a few units. Healed units also damage a small area around them for the same amount. Dissipated damage is Physical.
Level 1 - Dissipates 80 damage. 3 targets.
Level 2 - Dissipates 100 damage. 3 targets.
Level 3 - Dissipates 120 damage. 4 targets.
Level 4 - Dissipates 140 damage. 5 targets.
Cooldown: 12/10/8/6
Manacost: 80/90/100/110
Level 1: 80 mana, 12 sec cooldown.
Level 2: 90 mana, 10 sec cooldown.
Level 3: 100 mana, 8 sec cooldown.
Level 4: 110 mana, 6 sec cooldown.
Shadow Wave is probably Dazzle's most versatile spell. It allows you to simultaneously heal, push and farm. The low cooldown ensures that it will be cast many, many times. Also Weave boosts the damage quite a bit if cast correctly.
Weave
A powerful shadow magic used to increase or decrease defenses over time. Changes armor by 1 every second. Affects allied and enemy heroes in a 600 AOE.
Level 1 - Lasts 12 seconds.
Level 2 - Lasts 18 seconds.
Level 3 - Lasts 24 seconds.
Cooldown: 40
Manacost: 100
Level 1: 100 mana, 40 sec cooldown.
Level 2: 100 mana, 40 sec cooldown.
Level 3: 100 mana, 40 sec cooldown.
Ah, Weave. The skill that makes me love Dazzle so. Originally, Weave targeted one unit and allowed Dazzle to be somewhat of a carry by giving him retarded amounts of armor or making a carry seem much weaker. Now, as his ultimate, Weave targets an area of 600 (a little bit more than Dazzle's attack range) and has a casting distance of 2000. This second fact is not well known I feel because I see many Dazzles run into battle and then cast Weave to target themselves. You do not need to Weave yourself. You do not even need to Weave your teammates. Weaving 3 enemies can usually be enough to get three kills for your team. In addition, because this skill changes armor, it makes Dazzle's damage go up quite a bit because he deals purely physical damage with his skills and is still very relevant in the late game unlike other intelligence nukes. Because of its long range, it allows Dazzle to stay out of the middle of the battle when larger AoEs are being cast so he doesn't take much damage or get disabled and he can swoop in with Grave, Touch and Wave to pull his team back from near death.
Item Build
Required:
Optional:
There is not a whole lot to justify for Dazzle's item build. He is a babysitter and a warder. He loves to have a courier bring him his items so he can spend as much time in lane. He spends most of his time healing/boosting his allies or weakening enemies so his allies can kill them. Unlike other spell spam heroes (like Akasha or Nerubian), he has a very large mana pool and does not need a Bottle/Guinsoo/Ring to prolong his staying time. While I agree there are other possibilities for Dazzle's items, I feel that these have the best effect in a competitive game where you have teammates you can communicate with.
Mekansm is very good on Dazzle. He can make the money to build it pretty easily (I have gotten it in under 8 minutes when being in a solo lane) and it gives more armor and health to his allies and gives him a little extra survivability. However, Dazzle should be trying to build Mek first in addition to buying consumables. You can buy shoes between Headdress + Buckler and Mek recipe, but you definitely want a Mek before you start building other items (like Bracers.)
Obviously Dazzle isn't always the best hero to be warding or getting a courier, but he sure is a good candidate. At the very least, if you have another warder on your team, Dazzle can buy the courier (or vice versa)
Bracers are obvious on Dazzle. He doesn't have great health and Bracers give him 114 a pop. Two will put his health between 800-1000 in the early game, which will give you more mana to Wave and Grave your teammates when you don't need to place it on yourself.
You are probably puzzling over why I recommend Healing Salves. Salves don't cost mana and they heal you. Dazzle has the ability to take a lot of damage but not quite die and using a Salve will prevent you from getting ganked (or ganked again) or needing to return home. In addition, Salves can also be used on teammates quite easily. Salves allows Dazzle to conserve 100-200 mana easily at the cost of 100 gold (not that hard to make for him). I recommend having a Salve or two on hand at all times.
As a no brainer, you should always have a Scroll of Town Portal ready after level 8 or 9.
Luxury Items
Once you have your Mek, next should be a Boots upgrade. I used to be partial to Treads. Dazzle has very high base damage throughout the whole game and Treads only makes that damage go up. It also lets you jungle more efficiently. Because of the incredible boost they provide, I would recommend Phase Boots because it protects you from regular attacks better and you will always out run other gankers with Poison Touch. I wouldn't buy Travels unless you have nothing else to buy.
Dazzle is already a pretty heavy support hero and these items will only make the job easier. I highly recommend Guinsoo's as it will cause Dazzle to have infinite mana between his already high intelligence and the large regen bonus. Shiva's Guard should be gotten when there is no other hero that can buy it (this almost never happens) and Necrominicon should only be gotten when there is no other that can buy it AND there is a need for true sight. I have recently added Khadgar's Pipe of Insight because it a very obvious choice on Dazzle. I would highly recommend this when you are looking down many heavy gankers (Zeus, Nerub, Potm, Puck). Dazzle is a perfect bearer. Just toss a bracer in place of this beauty.
While I highly doubt the game will ever come to the point where Dazzle will need any of these, he does have enough base damage and attack speed (with Treads) to be an effective Semi-Carry. Orchid or Stygian can both be purchased but I don't recommend it unless you really need a semi-carry.
Dazzle can pick up almost any item, but I would highly recommend the following for his end game:
Skill Build
Walkthrough
1 Shadow Wave (1)
2 Poison Touch (1) /Shallow Grave (1)
3 Shallow Grave (1) /Poison Touch (1)
4 Poison Touch (2)
5 Poison Touch (3)
6 Weave (1)
7 Poison Touch (4)
8 Shadow Wave (2)
9 Shadow Wave (3)
10 Shadow Wave(4)
11 Weave (2)
12 Shallow Grave (2)
13 Shallow Grave (3)
14 Shallow Grave (4)
15 Attribute Bonus (1)
16 Weave (3)
17-25 Attribute Bonus
Starting Items
If you are the warder, start with:
(200) (200)
x 2 (100)
/ (90/100)Otherwise:
x 2 (106) x 1-2 (90-180) x 1-2 (100-200)
x 1-2 (150-300)Levels 1-6/7
Starting the game, you want to pick up bottom lane in Sentinel side or top lane in Scourge side along with a carry or a strong lane controller so you can pull the Neutral Camp. This will allow your carry to get more experience and prevent you from pushing too far into the lane. The best carries to lane with are those who normally have a poor early game or can't farm well (Riki, Mortred, Spectre are pretty good examples). If you are with a strong lane controller (PotM, NA, Rhasta), you can probably take first blood very quickly. Another good option is to take a dual mid lane so you can control the river better. Dazzle and a teammate can steal runes from a Tinker/Zeus/Nevermore to prevent roaming easily.
When you are in lane, last hit and deny frequently and try to help the carry last hit (auto-attacking a fresh enemy wave to knock some health down makes it easier for the carry to get last hits without getting denied if you coordinate). Remember that Shadow Wave at level 1 will prevent last hits and denies from the enemies.
Harass with your regular attack often. It is quite strong and you can get many hits in on melee heroes, which can give you an easy first blood. You can also take a lane with someone who has slows or disables and get a pretty easy first blood on a squishy heroes without escape mechanism or disables of their own.
Feel free to leave your lane once you have your 3 level in Poison Touch so you can gank. You can easily take down low health heroes with a little help to put some pressure on the other team.
Lastly, don't be afraid to pull enemy creeps closer to the tower by attacking enemy heroes. This will bring you closer to your tower and make it harder for enemies to get gold and xp.
While Dazzle can solo, he is much more suited to a dual lane. If you are forced to solo or wish to for some reason, you do not have to make any changes to your item or skill build. Make sure to apply the same tactics as the dual lane but try to pick up as many last hits and denies as you can and do not auto-attack creeps as you have no carry to pick up last hits. Dazzle has a very nice attack animation and good damage so you should be able to pick up a decent amount of cash.
Once you have Weave, you can move around and use your spells to support your team. Remember to let your allies know when you want to Weave so they can act accordingly.
Levels 8 +
By the time you are 8-10 (probably 12-15 minutes in), you should have Mekansm or you could be about halfway to Orchid if you are attempting to rush it. Therefore, you should be pretty mobile and helping your team get kills and pushing out lanes. Dazzle's game is pretty static after level 8. Once he leaves his lane, he will be doing the same thing for the whole game. Make sure you get Wards and Salves to gain more control. If you find that your enemies have a very large amount of nukes and you are getting ganked and dying, get some Bracers. By the time you hit 11, you really will need to pick up a Voidstone if you don't have an Orchid so you do not have to go back to base at all.
Dazzle does not need to spend a lot of time farming; if his team takes towers and pushes well, he will have all the money he needs. If you find yourself strapped for cash, you can farm neutral creeps in addition to the lane creeps. One finally consideration is to buy Dust/Gem for invisibility heroes. Dazzle is a good candidate for this because chances are that he will not be hit by large disables like Ravage or Overgrowth if he is careful and he can come in to reveal anyone in waiting.
If you are really making large amount of cash in the later part of the game (15+), Guinsoo's is your highest priority item because it will give you a disable. You should have gotten the Voidstone already if you aren't building Orchid, so slowly buy the other components while picking up wards/dust, consumables and scrolls. If you built Orchid by now, start on that Guinsoo's or Eul's if you can't make money.
The use of Dazzle's spells does not change much throughout the game so here are some tips that will help you place them better:
Using Poison Touch
Poison Touch gives you the ability to both save allies and stop enemies. However, it is very strenuous on your mana to spam it endlessly, so don't use it to harass. On a Weaved hero, it becomes a very dangerous nuke, generally dealing 200-300 damage, which can pick up kills on heroes with escape mechanisms.
Using Shallow Grave
Shallow Grave is a difficult spell to place right. You do not want to waste any of its time to maximize its use, but it has a .5 second cast animation so you do not want to wait till the last second. In addition, don't be afraid to use it on yourself; it can allow you to get away from some very dangerous enemies that would normally be inescapable with only Poison Touch (Broodmother and Krobie come to mind pretty quickly). This will also prevent sudden death from a Necrolyte.
Using Shadow Wave
Shadow Wave is Dazzle's bread and butter so it should be used whenever an ally gets into orange or below health. Try to use it on stunned heroes that are surrounded or on creep waves to pick up last hits. Make sure to spam Wave during Weave if people are tightly engaged in melee to deal 200 per bounce.
Using Weave
Weave costs 100 mana, making it Dazzle's least expensive spell. Therefore, I encourage that people use it regularly on allies and enemies. If your team has a lot of physical DPS (Rexxar, Juggernaut), try to hit large groups of enemies boost DPS. If you are facing a large number of farmed carries who have mostly physical DPS, try to hit your entire team so you can shake off the damage while you Wave and Mek your allies back to full. It is always a good idea to open with Weave when you see a group of heroes before your initiator goes into the fray.
One of the most difficult things about Weave is that it requires planning to have the largest effect. Simply placing Weave on a group will not guarantee a kill or safety of an ally. You will need to be able to communicate well with your team so they are aware of when and where you Weave so the armor reduction can be take advantage of fully.
Other General Advice
Even without mana, Dazzle can still be a good supporter. Learning how to hero block is very important for Dazzle because he is quick enough to get in front of many heroes to stop them from getting into attack range without putting himself in danger when Poison Touch isn't an option.
General Warding
Any competitive player should know how to ward properly and I'm sure almost everyone has read the guide to proper warding on DA.
Armor and Stygian Desolator
Weave reduces armor; therefore, we have to consider how an item like Stygian will change Dazzle's damage.
While I will not go into this much detail, I can say that the statistics that are relevant to armor loss for Slardar are the same for Dazzle. Considering that Dazzle's armor reduction is slightly more than Slardar's, we can use his expanded table in that section to see that the inclusion of a Stygian is most effective against heroes with 21 armor (-24 + -6 = -30). Heroes who reach that much armor consistently are vary greatly based on hero; therefore, you should evaluate carefully whether or not Dazzle should pick up Stygian if he is the only possible bearer.
In most games, Weave alone will be sufficient, but there are always situations that arise where the extra reduction will help make a difference. However, I strongly urge that you pick up Guinsoo's before Stygian as Hex is usually more game breaking than -6 armor.
As a last comment to Dky's calculations, the armor reduction array represents what is known as a Gaussian or Bell Curve and the Malus of armor corresponds to a shift in the maxima position and height. This means that as armor reduction increases, it will have the largest noticeable effect on heroes with higher armor than on lower armor but it should also be noted that more lost armor will always result in more damage. Therefore, Stygian is an good item on Dazzle assuming he is the only possible bearer or there is a strong need for a semi-carry.
Other Heroes
Best Allies
As I said before, Dazzle very much depends on teamwork and coordination; therefore, there are some heroes that can take advantage of his skills (specifically Weave and Poison Touch) much more than others.
Armor reduction is great for Carries because they deal physical damage for the most part (Enchantress and Silencer can be excused from this). Weave is one of the best armor reduction spells, which can boost physical damage significantly for carries. In addition, Poison Touch and Shallow Grave will make it easier for them to squeeze every last hit point out of the other team.
Dazzle is primarily a support ganker after he hits level 8, so he should be roaming and helping heavy gankers get kills. Try not to ks your teammates, you don't need much money. 2 or 3 kills at most in the laning is the best you should hope for.
Disables are an important part of the game and granted every hero benefits from them, but being able to get many free hits on standing heroes allows for Weave to have a greater effect by killing heroes faster than they can fight back. The ability to group together also allows abuse of Shadow Wave.
More armor reduction means more damage, thus, the more the merrier. Lanaya and Slardar tend to be two common Stygian bearers (actually, lately everyone can pick up a Stygian, but these guys have more than just Stygian in their pack); pairing up with one of them will allow you to form a very deadly duo which can take down almost any hero in the mid game thanks to very long periods of slow and disables.
Worst Enemies
Dazzle is a squishy hero, there is no doubt about that. As a result, heroes that can deal 700-1000 damage quickly can knock him out. These heroes will enjoy relentlessly ganking you in the mid game, so find a friend to follow around so he/she can protect you in exchange for your help in some ganks of their own.
Anti-Mage will be able to drop Dazzle very quickly thanks to his large mana pool in many points of the game. If you aren't careful, a single Mana Void will kill Dazzle almost instantly.
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