Slardar is one of the best disabler tanks in the Dota 2 game, which in good hands can also do good damage from the hand thanks to its ultimate ability. If you collect suitable items for this hero and choose the right buildup, then in a one-on-one battle Slardar will not leave anyone even the slightest chance of victory. To learn how to play for “Herring” will help the guide below on Slardar in “DotA 2” (7.20). If you do everything right, then you can demolish the enemy throne in 20 minutes.
Why will Herring always be in meta?
Before moving on to the guide to Slardar (game version 7.20), let's figure out why this hero is constantly in the meta? After all, "Herring" is actively pickled both on the professional stage and in a regular pub? It's all about the unique abilities of the hero, which allow for a long time to incapacitate any opponent. And given the fact that both the camp and the microstan do physical damage, it will not work to block the attack with the help of BKB.
Also, do not forget that the “Herring” is quite simple to manage, so you won’t have to learn to play for it for too long. It is enough to penetrate the center of the battle with the help of Sprint (first ability) or Daguerre (acquired artifact for teleportation) and squeeze the second skill. In addition, Slardar is a hero who completely hides invisible characters who are so fond of picking at a low rating. Only the Bounty Hunter can compete in this plan for the “Herring”.
As for the professional scene, in most cases, Slardar is taken as a support initiator who is able to quickly remove the enemy damage from the game and absorb a lot of damage from abilities due to a good health reserve. Of course, some teams take “Herring” to the first position, but this is extremely rare, since in the later stages of the game, Slardar does not beat very hard. Although this does not mean that in good hands it will not work out a good carry.
Description of abilities
If you looked at the guides on Slardar (1.6.83), then you are unlikely to see serious differences in the description of abilities. This hero is one of the oldest in the game "Dota 2", but his skills have never undergone global changes.
Even in the guides to Slardar on "DotA 1", you can see a familiar description of the character's abilities, which remain unchanged:
- Sprint - the first skill of the hero, which is activated without the use of mana and gives Slardar additional movement speed. However, when the “Herring” is in the form of “Sprint”, all damage taken increases by 15%, so this ability should be used wisely.
- Slithereen Crush is one of the best camps in the game, which, in addition to a few seconds of stunning, also imposes a debuff on the target in the form of slowing down the attack and moving speed. Damage from an ability cannot be blocked by magic immunity.
- Bash is a passive skill of Slardar, which is triggered with a probability of 25%. During the operation, the “Herring” does not hit the enemy with the blade of the blade, but with a hilt, which stuns any target for 1 second and deals additional damage, depending on the level of ability.
- Amplify Damage - a nightmare of all characters using invisibility. In addition, the ultimate imposes a debuff on the target in the form of reducing armor, as a result of which all physical attacks on an enemy creature are more effective. Can be dispelled using BKB.
As you can see, Slardar has quite good abilities, which in skillful hands can become a serious weapon for killing. The ultimeit deserves special attention - try to use it on all enemies as soon as a rollback occurs, and be sure to use heroes with invis so that they can’t hide from you.
Hero Benefits
Starting with version 1.6.83, the guides on Slardar have undergone significant changes. This is due to the fact that the characteristics of the character were slightly fixed. For example, the initial health reserve was cut, as well as the increase in mana with the level. However, such fixes do not interfere with picking “Herring” in pubs and rating matches day after day. A similar trend is due to the following advantages of the hero:
- one of the best standers and disables in the game with a passive tower;
- the ultimate ability does not allow invisors to get away from the ganges;
- high mobility, helping to escape from the enemy or to catch up with the victim;
- dangerous at all stages of the game, except for deep leit;
- quite convenient animation for finishing creeps;
- good survivability compared to other carry.
Of course, you can find fault with each of these points if you wish. For example, a tide hunter can stun an entire enemy team in one ultimate, and his passive defensive ability can withstand much more damage from enemies. However, does Tide have the same speed of movement as the “Herring”, and can he farm as successfully on the line as Slardar? Of course, you can find a more successful hero for the role of Kerry, however, the peak frequency statistics speak for themselves.
Hero flaws
Despite the fact that Slardar has a number of undeniable advantages, we all well know that each hero has his own shortcomings that can be used against him in battle. "Herring" in this regard is far from an exception.
Judging by the guides on Slardar from version 6.83, “Herring” is very dependent on the items, and this is true. Without Armlet or Daguerre, this character is pretty useless even against support. Then why would he need Dagger when there is a Sprint ability that provides additional movement speed? Sprint best shows itself as a skill for escaping or capturing a runaway target. There will be only one problem in a batch of such an ability, since during its use our hero takes 15% more damage.
Also, do not forget that Slardar shows his potential only until the late stage. Even if you manage to get all the necessary items, the hero’s abilities will become pretty useless over time. “Sprint” will not let you catch the enemy with “Tranquils”, “Bash” is unlikely to often fire on enemies with dodging, and you can easily protect yourself from “Crash” with the help of “Lotus”, but reducing armor from ultimate will seem just ridiculous some Juggernaut with fifty units of dexterity. The increase in strength at Slardar is quite good, but it can not be compared with the increase in the main attributes of other carry (Phantom, Antimag, DK and so on).
What items do Slardar need?
If you believe the Dota 1 guides, Slardar is one of those heroes who are very dependent on objects, but at the same time, 2-3 expensive artifacts will be enough to kill almost any enemy carry in the initial stages of the game. If you decide to collect the “Herring” into the initiator, then first of all you will need a “Daguerr”, which will give Sldard the mobility that he lacks at the beginning of the game. As for the starting items, you can take an hatchet, shield, "Flask" and "Tango".
By the middle of the game (up to 20 minutes), your hero should have the following artifacts:
- Power Treads
- Magic Wand
- Blink Dagger.
These items should be enough to kill most of the enemy support and weak Kerry. In the case of kneading, the “Magic Stick” will show itself especially well, which will allow you to instantly restore about 30% of your health and more than 50% of the mana, which is sometimes so badly lacked by Slardar. As for further assemblies, they are quite variable and depend on the enemy pool of heroes. However, most players like to collect Slardara "Armlet", "Mjelnir", "Lotus", "Cuirass" and "Munchard" - in general, all objects that at least somehow increase the attack speed and the damage done by hand. Also "BKB" looks pretty good on Slardar, if there are many magicians playing against you. Well, near the end of the game it will be possible to collect the “Heart of Taraschi”.
Level Up Abilities
Many guides on Slardar (version 6.83 and higher) say that pumping abilities should be strictly situational. In part, such a statement is considered true, but only for the professional scene, since the players there are able to calculate all the options a few steps forward and adjust the skill build to the abilities of enemy heroes. If your analytical thinking is poorly developed or you don’t know how to adapt to the situation, then you can use our guide, which is focused on pumping Slardar into a carry-initiator.
So, from the first level it is strongly recommended to pump the camp, which will allow you to defend yourself in case of a gang on the line or pick up a golden rune before the gong. In addition, even at the first level, Slithereen Crush does pretty good damage, so you can use it from time to time to keep the enemy away from creeps.
At the second level, it is recommended to take "Sprint" to be able to get away from the sudden gang or catch up with a target that is running away from you. In combination with a powerful camp, these two abilities will not allow anyone to leave the battlefield alive. As soon as you upgrade the third level, take the second ability once more, and after that take the Bash once.
As for the further skill building, you need to maximize exactly Slithereen Crush - this ability does not increase mana cost with the level, but increases the stun duration and the damage done. It will be enough to give the camp a couple of times per fight - and there will be no trace of the enemy team. Then we pump to the end of "Sprint", which does not require mana at all, but increases the speed of movement with an increase in the level of ability. Well, in the last turn you should download “Bash” - this skill very much depends on the attack speed, so maxing it at the beginning of the game will be extremely unprofitable.
Talent tree
Starting with the game version 7.06, the guides on Slardar have undergone major changes. Now, instead of passive stats (“pluses”), a branch of talent has appeared, which allows you to strengthen the existing abilities of the hero or add new features without buying any items.
In the following instructions, we will analyze each of the talents in more detail and explain why some of them will be extremely disadvantageous in any case:
- 10 level. The first talent can be taken by players already at level 10. The choice is given +6 to health regeneration and +25 to damage. Here the choice becomes almost obvious. Slardar does not have a high attack speed so that 25 points to damage seem effective. But additional health regeneration will be quite out of place, since the stock of HP in "Herring" is quite large.
- 15 level. What to take - 75 additional damage from "Bash" or 300 health points? It is worth looking at the situation. If your team has characters that can poke enemy damage at yourself, then get ready for damage and take the left branch of the tree. If there are no initiators among your peak, then this role will have to be fulfilled by you, so health will be very good.
- 20 level. Here you can choose from 30% vampirism and +1000 night vision. Quite a difficult choice. If you previously collected items for damage and attack speed, then 30% of vampirism will be very effective. However, if there are heroes such as Luna or NS in the enemy team, you should take +1000 to the radius of the night vision to protect yourself from sudden attacks.
- 25 level. The most interesting thing in the end: +1.25 seconds to the duration of the stun or the inability to dispel Corrosive Haze. The choice is pretty obvious. From the ultimate by the end of the game, there is practically no benefit, but the longer the enemy hero is kept from Kerry, the less damage your team will receive during the battle.
By the way, all talents are combined with purchased items. For example, if you take the ability of vampirism and at the same time acquire the "Dominator", then your character will absorb as much as 55% of physical damage. Add to this value a couple of objects for attack speed and damage - and your hero will receive unprecedented power!
When is Slardar relevant at the peak?
Since the time of the Dota 1 guides on Slardar, players have become accustomed to the fact that the Herring is rushed against characters who rely on the ability to become invisible in battle. It is against such heroes that Slardar will show maximum efficiency. Here are just a few examples:
- Riki
- Baunty hunter;
- Clinkz etc.
Also, do not forget that some heroes do not have the ability to invise, but love to buy a “Lothar” (Shadow Blade), which gives them this opportunity. Be sure to pick Herring if Sniper, Furion, Trucks or Ursa is playing against you.
Which heroes counter Slardar?
Now a few words about when it is best not to pickle “Herring” so as not to complicate the game. On the whole, there is no pronounced contrast to Slardar, but Silencer is a very unpleasant character against him. The thing is that our task is to give as many mills as possible during the fight and make sure that all opponents are under the influence of the ult. The Silencer Global and Silence itself can seriously ruin our plans.
Also for "Herring" can become quite unpleasant opponents melee characters who can reset themselves with debuffs using abilities or various items. For example, by the middle of the game, Anti-Mage will simply drop our ultimate “Manta”, causing illusions that can burn mana well. The same goes for magicians who like to buy Yuul.
Game tactics for Slardar
As mentioned earlier, Slardar can act as a support, initiator and carry. Each of these roles requires special tactics to help you and your team demolish the enemy throne:
- Initiator tank. It is best to go farming on a difficult line so as not to interfere with your carry. Slardar feels rather well in hard, so you should have no problems even in the case of a solo line. Instead of the camp, it is best to maximize Sprint, and for the first money, be sure to purchase Tranquills to restore health, which you will have a lot of.
- Support. In most cases, Slardara in this role can be seen on the professional stage, however, in the games on the rating, the Herring in the role of support is very popular. Just drive away the enemy hardliner with your powerful attacks and provide Kerry with optimal conditions for farming. You can make a few taps to farm and gain experience. As the first items, it is recommended to purchase Force Staff in order to have additional mobility.
- Kerry. The most optimal role for Slardar. Just purchase items from the above guide and do not get distracted from the farm at the beginning of the game. Your task is to buy as many artifacts as possible, increasing the base damage from the hand and attack speed.
By the way, some professional players sometimes take Slardar as a mid-player, however, we highly recommend against using such tactics in the game. Remember that if you lose the center line, then the team will blame you for the defeat.
Video and conclusion
Have you decided to learn how to play like the Dandy from Navi? Guide to Slardar on "DotA 2" will help you achieve your dreams. However, there are many difficulties ahead that must be overcome. Therefore, constantly improve your skill. To do this, you can read about the relevance of various assemblies, follow the game of professional players or watch various training videos, one of which is presented below.
We hope this guide to Slardar (7.20) helped you understand that in the capable hands Slardar can become a rather unpleasant character for most enemies. If the “Herring” acquires a “Dagger” at the initial stages of the game, then it will be quite difficult for him to resist. Learn to analyze the game by the actions of opponents and always remember that even from the most hopeless situation you can get out if you try hard.