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Top 10 Position 3 (offlane) Heroes

By Anthony Onica

Offlane heroes know the wily ways of escape and ambush.Image used with permission by C-HaoArt @ http://c-haoart.deviantart.com
Offlane heroes know the wily ways of escape and ambush.Image used with permission by C-HaoArt @ http://c-haoart.deviantart.com /
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5. Centaur

Once he starts running, he just don’t stop. At least not until he’s trampled you with stampede. If burst heavy heroes are on the opposing team, hood of defiance is a great idea to give the beefy Centaur a little extra durability. Undying, Dazzle, and Witch Doctor should be approached with care when you’re stampeding around. These heroes have a solid track record countering Centaur.

Two of those and you can buy something off the value menu.
Two of those and you can buy something off the value menu. /

High winrate items on Centaur:

  • Radiance (75.92%)
  • Assault Cuirass (74.38%)
  • Heart of the Tarrasque (74.35%)
  • Mjollnir (69.54%)
  • Pipe of Insight (62.60%)
  • Heaven’s Halberd (62.05%)
  • Blade Mail (54.77%)

4. Elder Titan

Elder Titan’s Astral Spirit makes him particularly strong in the role of offlaner. He can send it out to take a peek in jungle then double back to wreck havoc with enemy heroes and troops. Clarity potions and some salve are almost necessary unless you want to hug the tower, but after this initial buy you’ll probably want to go the Magic Stick/Wand route. Three common heroes Elder Titan struggles with include Lich, Wraith King, and Silencer.

High winrate items on Elder Titan:

  • Guardian Greaves (72.34%)
  • Assault Cuirass (71.73%)
  • Solar Crest (66.05%)
  • Aghanim’s Scepter (66.04%)
  • Heaven’s Halberd (62.77%)
  • Crimson Guard (62.47%)
  • Drum of Endurance (56.74%)

3. Timbersaw

A durable, nuking, escape hero? Yes please! Since his Timberchain ability relies on trees, you’ll have to learn how to jockey with enemy heroes to line up the most effective use of this skill. Once you master it, you’ll be able to link it together with your other abilities to devastating effect. Timber is frequently log jammed by the heroes Silencer, Ogre Magi, and Zeus.

Lumberjacking is a time honored tradition.
Lumberjacking is a time honored tradition. /

High winrate items on Timbersaw:

  • Octarine Core (70.23%)
  • Heart of the Tarrasque (66.92%)
  • Shiva’s Guard (66.33%)
  • Guardian Greaves (63.39%)
  • Linken’s Sphere (60.95%)
  • Scythe of Vyse (59.71%)
  • Bloodstone (54.42%)

2. Bounty Hunter

Gondar the Bounty Hunter is a little more specialized than most of the heroes on this list. He’s limited mostly to the roles of escape and nuker, but when he nukes, it hurts. Poor Man’s Shield, Urn of Shadows, and Bottle (for sure) are early game items that can help you survive the savagery of the offlane. When playing BH, watch yourself around Chaos Knight, Bloodseeker, and Shadow Shaman.

High winrate items on Bounty Hunter:

  • Assault Cuirass (71.66%)
  • Abyssal Blade (70.19%)
  • Butterfly (70.02%)
  • Linken’s Sphere (65.97%)
  • Guardian Greaves (65.96%)
  • Monkey King Bar (60.58%)
  • Vlad’s Offering (56.49%)

1. Nyx Assassin

A ruthless nuker, a disabler, a solid initiator as well as an escape, Nyx Assassin is the perfect candidate for us to put at #1 offlaner. The stat bonus of an early Null Talisman is not only nice, it’ll provide a little extra mana for your sick abilities. Every little bit of intelligence can make a difference, especially if you plan on spamming your ult, your abilities stun, your mana burn, and following up with Dagon – a combination that is often lethal early game.

That bling was only affordable thanks to feeders like you.
That bling was only affordable thanks to feeders like you. /

High winrate items on Nyx Assassin:

  • Guardian Greaves (69.49%)
  • Ethereal Blade (65.92%)
  • Linken’s Sphere (65.44%)
  • Scythe of Vyse (64.43%)
  • Aether Lens (58.82%)
  • Dagon (58.15%)
  • Desolator (57.91%)

Honorable Mentions:

Beastmaster

Beastmaster’s Call of the Wild, especially when paired with a Necronomicon, is almost unfair. It’s such a good combination, we couldn’t leave him off this list. With the generally accepted strat of using the supplemental units from Call of the Wild and Necro book, aura items, especially Drums of Endurance, should be prioritized.

High winrate items on Beastmaster:

A tale as old as time.
A tale as old as time. /
  • Assault Cuirass (70.61%)
  • Heart of the Tarrasque (69.21%)
  • Refresher Orb (69.24%)
  • Aghanim’s Scepter (61.80%)
  • Pipe of Insight (59.48%)
  • Necronomicon (58.28%)
  • Heaven’s Halberd (58.13%)

Batrider

The Batrider deserves a place among the honorable mentions of strong offlane heroes if only because he’s one of the few on our list that is also a strong jungler. It doesn’t hurt at all that many of the pros prefer this hero, either. Batrider can have some difficulties Luna, Venomancer, and Lifestealer, so be on your A-game if when playing against them. Magic Stick/Wand and Urn of Shadows a strong early game items, and Force Staff can help you squeeze the max damage possible out of Flamebreak and Firefly.

Firelight dreams...
Firelight dreams… /

High winrate items on Backrider:

  • Octarine Core (74.20%)
  • Shiva’s Guard (69.06%)
  • Scythe of Vyse (62.32%)
  • Linken’s Sphere (62.30%)
  • Aghanim’s Scepter (63.03%)
  • Aether Lens (56.61%)
  • Pipe of Insight (54.28%)

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