Tessar by FangzofFuzzy

What does 'His spells can be cast around these targets' mean?

• Detonate is his primary nuke and crowd control ability, similar to Flamebreak. Maxing it first is a great way to deal as much damage early on but comes with a higher cost, so the one level value point can be just as good if you just need the displacement. Place it near him to shove enemies away or place it behind enemies to push them into his team’s waiting arms, though the latter is harder to achieve due to the cast range.
  
  
• Warp gives Tessar as a ranged hero low cooldown mobility, pretty good considering how disruptive he can be. However, it comes with both a short range as well as a delay, keeping its power in check. Leaving it up as an escape tool in a pinch is great but engaging with the slow can help him a lot. Since it can be placed on a unit to follow them, he can coordinate with allies for even more plays or directly target an enemy to guarantee the slow at the risk of letting them control your movement.
  
  
• Barrier is a versatile spell that can impede enemy movement either from reaching or escaping him. Placing it well is great for control but committing to stay near the wall greatly increases his damage output, so firing and forgetting can be detrimental. Be careful of how you place it though as while Tessar can blink over it, a bad wall can harm allies like Fissure.
  
  
• Polarity through Aghanim’s Scepter is a cool pickup for a more supportive playstyle, opening up the option for even more mobility. The movement speed is simple, requires coordination but is rather easy to achieve. When combined with Warp, he can help allies initiate or even escape from a fight. If another ally has Boots of Travel, he can Warp to them with the marked ally in tow to suddenly bring in multiple people. This plus the move speed bonus has the potential to effectively relieve the need for that ally to purchase boots, freeing up an item slot.
  
  
• Tag is an exceptional ultimate that seems standard at first until you realize how many paths it opens up for him to use his other spells. Using Detonate to pick enemies out of position becomes much easier, as well as securing kills with its damage after they leave the fight. Warp suddenly gains massive range to engage with, or even as a slick escape in certain situations. Barrier extends its possibilities to cut off access points, but placing it further away can make it harder to access the attack speed. Polarity can also mark allies from further range and since the effect radius is so large, can still let them benefit from the speed and teleportation. The bonus attack range and reveal just help facilitate this, but are not weak either. With this passive, he has the choice between continually attacking the same target to keep up the duration or to spread its effects to as many targets as possible.
  
  
• His spells can work together to great effect. Push enemies into a tight spot with Detonate and then keep them in there with Barrier, or place down a Barrier first and then Detonate to knock nearby enemies over the wall to the other side. Warp in aggressively to slow enemies before landing an easy Detonate, or Detonate enemies into a guaranteed hit from Warp. Confuse enemies by remaining mobile and out of reach with a combination of Warp and Barrier, throwing Detonate into the mix whenever you can.
  
  
• Overall, Tessar’s kit grants him immense safety and playmaking. Though as a carry, his damage is definitely lacking and as a support, he does not have as many ways to benefit allies. His playstyle allows him to either reserve his spells for saving his life or to set up enemies for their demise, so build accordingly for which situation he will be needed for most. As a carry, focus on building a lot of damage to take advantage of his high attack range. Durability and safety items aren’t as needed due to the nature of his spells. As a support, acquire more utility items to set up more kills or save his allies. His costs aren’t too high given their cooldowns and his respectable Intelligence, so he will usually have enough mana to spare. Similarly, select talents that faciliate his intended playstyle. The left side of the tree focuses on improving his own power while the right side offers more utility options. Level 25 is especially interesting, choosing between super boosting Barrier's attack speed for himself or letting it affect allies.