Push and Pull: A Guide to Earth Spirit (WIP)

Introduction

Earth Spirit is the latest Strength Hero and possibly the most unique among them.

With Potential to be one of the best Carry's out there and equipped with a stun and silence he is a potent hero built to change the tide of battle. You'll find him best equipped with holding down the lane or pushing them and is able to change the tide in almost any team fight.

Note: This is a Work-in-Progress and I will be constantly updating it as I play Earth Spirit more.

Pros / Cons

PROS

Versatile
Has both a stun and silence
Durable
Does't need to spend points on Stone Remnants
Great Team Fighter and Carry
Gank potential

Somewhat micro heavy
Item reliant
Mana intensive
Not great in 1v1 situations
Weak against Disablers
Not great in close quarter combat (especially for a melee hero)
High Intelligence hero (not necessarily a con, but kind of awkward for a strength hero)

Invisible Heroes
DoTs
Ganks
Lion

Skills

Push & Pull Concept

This is the basis of his game. Using his Q and E to lock down a lane and his ultimate to lock down their whole team in a fight.

I wouldn't recommend becoming aggressive until level 6, just because there's no point to waste mana early on and by that point you should hopefully have your boots and wand.

Earth Spirit is all about rinse, recycle, and repeat.

LANE FIGHT
In a fight the best way to start things off is by placing a Stone Remnant behind them and then using GEOMAGNETIC GRIP to pull it towards you, stunning the enemies as it passes through. Remember timing is key here: The next thing to do is use BOULDER SMASH to pass through them just as the stun is about to wear off so that they're silenced as soon as it hits and can't react first. Finally, use ROLLING BOULDERto finish things off and by that point your GEOMAGNETIC GRIP should be ready to use for a kill or stun running enemies.

TEAM FIGHTS
Again, use the same concept as a lane fight but make sure to place as many stone remnants as possible around the enemy team, and try to get at least one enemy hero silenced and stunned, when this happens initiate your ultimate.

Team Work

Earth Spirit works best in either of the side lanes but preferably the safe/long lane because he needs a good start to perform as desired. I know the short lane might seem like a better choice since he is closer to Secret Shop, and if pushed can also access their Side Lane Shop but seeing how you don't know what heroes they'll have matched against you and how aggressive/experienced they are means that it's going to be better to play it safe than sorry for an item dependent hero such as Earth Spirit.

So that leaves us with one question: What heroes should you lane with and what heroes should you avoid in combat?

As I've mentioned above, Earth Spirit's biggest enemy may very well be Lion. Why? Lion's Mana Drain ability can allow an easy kill against an early game Earth Spirit.

FRIENDS
Shadow Shaman - Considered by me and many others to be one of the best Lane Supports in the game: In this case he's capable of pushing lanes with Earth Spirit and disabling any potential counters to him and allowing him better positioning in the lane.

Crystal Maiden - Not only is her passive Earth Spirit's best friend but her other abilities also make her a capable partner

Death Prophet - Great for putting the situation back under your control, Death Prophet is perfect for relieving the stress and deterring aggressive heroes.

Bounty Hunter - Earth Spirit can prove to be an excellent initiator when paired with this skilled assassin, he's also a perfect for the item heavy Earth Spirit has his ultimate and potential and aggressive play style allow for some easy fresh blood.

Puck - Puck's ability to dish out damage, disable, and stun makes him a suitable partner for Earth Spirit's play style, especially her ult.

Keeper of the Light - Last but not least, Keeper is a major bonus with dealing with Earth Spirit's mana intensive playstyle and allows the two of them to easily hold down or push a lane.

ENEMIES

Lion - His mana drain makes him possibly the worst matchup for an early game Earth Spirit and unless your partner is able to counter him; you'll find yourself open to a lot of attacks and unable to do anything.

Alchemist - Definitely don't want him in your lane as an ally or foe. His farming makes him a horrible pal for a item reliant Earth Spirit and a devastating enemy capable of controlling any lane he's in.

Riki - This close quarters pest is the bane of the mid-ranged abilities of Earth Spirit. Unless you have wards or a gem of true sight, his ult won't be your biggest concern but is still an issue but what you must watch out for is his silence as Earth Spirit is helpless, especially if slowed by any means.

Bounty Hunter - Just as he can be a great friend he also proves to be a nasty enemy. his high damage, invisibility, and stun makes him a great harasser against Earth Spirit.

Invoker - Invoker is arguably the highest potential hero in the game but against Earth Spirit your main concern is his EMP which can put you out of a fight before it even begins.

Puck - Again another friend turned enemy. Puck's abilities are well-rounded counters to Earth Spirit.