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Notes
Notes
Aghanim's Scepter : Grants the Burrow ability.
Notes
Impale feels the same but has a new mechanic that changes how it can be used to consider. Essentially, closer enemies are damaged for more while further enemies are stunned for longer. So, you can choose between which is more important in a fight with your positioning. While the stun is definitely nicer, the slower travel speed can make it harder to hit from far. Early in the game, the higher damage makes him more dangerous in melee combat but if he wants to use it to farm, he has to step up so can be punished. Overall, this should justify the change from long ago when it could no longer directly target units like 
Earth Spike, as well as differentiating them both better.
Mana Burn feels similar too with an extra effect. Now called Mind Pierce, it still burns away mana and deals damage albeit to a lesser extent. To make up for this, all other damage he deals to it for a short duration will be massively increased. This lends very well to his assassin burst gameplay. This is especially powerful when used at the start of a fight to maximize the damage of all his other abilities, but opening without a stun can afford enemies more time to react. Nuking items like 
Dagon 5, 
Ethereal Blade and 
Meteor Hammer become even more potent. This extra effect also gives an option to cast it on a hero without mana, but keep in mind it still wastes the other effects.
Vendetta is a cool sounding ultimate but mechanically its just 
Silver Edge. Its interaction with 
Spiked Carapace is interesting but that has less to do with the ability itself. However, I know letting a hero with innate invisibility have stuns, one of which can be used without breaking it, is very strong. So, I want to build upon what already makes it stand out without making it too powerful. First, let it last longer early game as the definitive highest duration invisibility. Second, let him cast any basic ability without ending it. Only the first one though, so he has to choose well. Perform the same combo with E but with more commitment? Open with W to maximize the lowered bonus damage? Q definitely works well but remember the slower travel speed makes it easier to dodge despite the surprise. So, casting it closer to the target is more reliable but stuns for shorter so there is a tradeoff.
Burrow changes. The current version is alright but I think the bonuses to his abilities could be more interesting in a meaningful way. Personally, I do not like that the current Spiked Carapace completely changes into another ability while burrowed. It works and makes sense in context, I just want it to retain its current function. Now, it works the same so you can still protect yourself and deal damage while burrowed. Since it will last longer, he can then unburrow to make full use of the bonus. While the extra duration is long, remember that enemies can still only be affected once per cast. Instead of making Impale longer, it can now be cast like 
Wall of Replica and 
Burning Army which technically does extend its reach. But the important part of this is the immediate ranged stun to replace the old E interaction. Since it is vector targeted, you can cast it in a way such that the start of the line spawns directly on top of an enemy. Remember again that the stun is lower the earlier along the line it is so the instant stun won't be as good. The Mind Pierce augment is simple but primarily allows him to stack the damage amplification, preparing an enemy for an assured death. Aghanim's Scepter is, so it now has to compete with the Impale cooldown reduction that used to be on the upgrade itself. It has always felt weird to me that Vendetta's Break could be dispelled when Silver Edge's could not. It does pierce spell immunity as an advantage, but it's an ultimate! So here is a talent that circumvents this like 
Corrosive Haze. Meanwhile, the later but larger spell amplification talent lets him retain his burst potential as the game goes on. The level 25 Agility talent may have been nerfed mainly to make the unobstructed pathing more attractive, but it's not too bad since Mind Pierce will make up for this.DOTAFire is the place to find the perfect build guide to take your game to the next level. Learn how to play a new hero, or fine tune your favorite DotA hero’s build and strategy.
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