A look at DOTA 2’s newest hero, Skywrath Mage!

So DOTA 2 got its latest hero in. The winged wonder, Skywrath Mage! I thought I’d give him a few playthroughs to figure out his strengths and weaknesses, and then give a summary. What I didn’t expect was to have a blast with this guy. He’s one of the best nukers I’ve come across in DOTA 2, and his voice actor delivers his lines very well.

Skywrath Mage’s Abilities

• Q: Arcane Bolt. Deals a large amount of damage to a single target, and gains bonus damage equal to 1.6 times his Intelligence stat.
• W: Concussive Shot. Seeks out the nearest enemy hero, dealing damage, slowing, and splashing damage to nearby targets.
• E: Ancient Seal. Deals no damage but silences target enemy and increases the magic damage taken by the target.
• R: Mystic Flare. Skywrath Mage’s Coup de Grace. Deals heavy damage to all enemies, distributed evenly.

Skywrath’s Strengths

So like I said, this guy is one heck of a nuker. Everything about him is dealing damage, and making sure people can’t deal it back. Between his E and his Ultimate, he can unload a large amount of damage on enemy. He’s also one of the only heroes with scaling on his spells, and come end game his Q packs a mean punch!

Skywrath’s Weaknesses

Well, there’s the obvious one first. Being an Int Hero, Skywrath can’t take much of a beating from early to mid game. I tend to build him relatively tanky to counter this. But you have to make sure to get a decent amount of Int and mana on him, as his other weakness is massive mana costs. His ultimate has one of the highest base mana costs in DOTA 2 once it’s maxed out, topping off at 800 mana per cast.

Build Suggestions

There’s quite a bit that you can grab for Skywrath Mage. Grabbing a null talisman early is nice, as you can turn it into a Dagon later for the int bonus and extra burst. Personally though, I prefer to rush a Perseverance, later turning it into a Bloodstone. Anything you can do for extra Int and mana regen on him is generally a good idea, and building survivability too.

In closing, Skywrath Mage is a solid addition to any team. He brings a little utility, and a LOT of damage. Not to mention he’s really fun to play! Unloading everything on an unsuspecting hero from great range feels great, and doing the same on an unsuspecting carry in the middle of a teamfight just as good.