Strategy Guide for Atropos the Bane Elementalby ReflectionBasin (as of v6.60)

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Base Stats:Str, 18 +2.1Agi, 18 +2.1Int, 18 +2.1

SKILLS:

EnfeebleGreatly reduces an enemy unit's ability to participate in combat. Reducing its damage.

Lasts 20 seconds. Level 1 - Reduces attack damage by 30% Level 2 - Reduces attack damage by 60%Level 3 - Reduces attack damage by 90%Level 4 - Reduces attack damage by 120%This skill is annoyingly usually either 'over-estimated' or 'under-estimated'... Players max it first (oh please don't do that, I beg you) or they skip it entirely (also very bad) I shall teach you how to correctly utilize this godsend of a skill.Cooldown: 15 seconds.Mana Cost: 125

Brain SapFeasts on the vital energies of an enemy unit, absorbing some of its hit points.

Level 1 - Absorbs 75 hit points. Level 2 - Absorbs 150 hit points. Level 3 - Absorbs 225 hit points.Level 4 - Absorbs 300 hit points. This skill does percise damage! It isn't reduced my magic damage reduction! This skill saves lives (meaning yours) and kills people. It is also a very effective tool at playing mindgames with the so called 'heroes' of the sentinal.Cooldown: 20 seconds.Mana Cost: 125/150/175/200

NightmarePuts another unit into a fitful slumber, filled with horrifying nightmares. It takes 20 damage per second. If that unit is attacked while it slumbers, the attacking unit comes under the effect of Nightmare.

Level 1 - Lasts 4 seconds. Level 2 - Lasts 5 seconds. Level 3 - Lasts 6 seconds.Level 4 - Lasts 7 seconds. Four second disable at level 1. However it's mana cost is fairly steep and you should not use Nightmare to harrass or spam it early game.Cooldown: 15 seconds.Mana Cost: 165

Fiend's Grip [Ultimate]Uses dark magic to grip a target enemy unit and damage it heavily. It cannot move or attack.Lasts 5 seconds.

Level 1 - Deals 100 damage per secondLevel 2 - Deals 155 damage per secondLevel 3 - Deals 215 damage per second Five second disable which does damage. You will use this to take out every single enemy which pursues you. But it will mostly be used to disable the enemy carry in team battles while your allies pound on his face.Cooldown: 120 seconds.Mana Cost: 200/300/400Transfers 5% of enemy's max MP per second to you.

SKILL ORDER:1: Nightmare2: Brain Sap3: Brain Sap4: Stats5:Brain Sap6: Fiend's Grip7: Brain Sap8: Stats9: Stats10: Stats11: Fiend's Grip12: Enfeeble13: Enfeeble14: Enfeeble15: Enfeeble16: Fiend's Grip17: Nightmare18:Nightmare19: Nightmare20-25: Stats

Skill Explanation and Justification:

One level of Nightmare is gotten at level one because a four second cyclone is infinitly useful

and level one brain sap does almost nothing. When you aproach level two Brain Sap I do not recomend that you use it to harrass but insteed use it to replenish your health. During early game depending on if you are soloing or not you will be more or less reliant on it to replenish your health depending on the intensity of enemy harrassment.

Use Nightmare only if it will save you, save an ally, or net you or your teammates a kill. It isn't meant to be spammed. And getting more than one level of it can be dangerous because if you are killing someone and you Nightmare them to catch up to them you are giving the enemy team seven seconds to get there, and even if they don't get there in time to save their ally they will sometimes get there in time to stop you from retreating. This is bad, your objective is to get in and out of there as fast as possible with exception to team pushs in which case you should be the last one out so you can sleep anyone chasing your carry.

Stats are gotten at a few early levels because you need them and the alternatives are not as good at the time. You should start leveling Enfeeble at level 12 and have it maxed at 15 because that is when it starts to shine. It is forever valuable when being chased or for diminishing the damage or the enemies carry in a team battle. Use it and abuse it. Finally after you have gotten some Stats and maxed all of your other skills finish maxing Nightmare so your can sleep the enemy disabler for a longer period of time.

ITEM BUILD:

Sobi Mask, the mana regen helps indefinitly because of your solid Int gain and the Int you gain from Necronomicon.

Boots of Speed, everyone else has them and so should you.

Point Booster, is gotten in place of the economically inefficient 4x Bracers strategy. And you can turn this into a Skadi if the game continues to late.

Necronomicon, your minions attacking a griped hero involves minimal microing and burns away the enemies mana while they are disabled.

Boots of Travel, You NEED these they are a must. You push with them, gank with them, chase with them, your are nothng without them. And you require them to farm.

Necronomicon level 3, upgrade your necro ASAP now for better minions, more mana, and more health. To help you utilize your minions to their full potential I highly recommend you read -Might-'s Necronomicon guide at this link:http://forums.dota-allstars.com/index.php?showtopic=162566

Situational Items:

Black King Bar, you might need this much earlier if they enemy has tons of disable, but only buy it if you have nothing else to buy or if you 'need' it.

Eye of Skadi, if your team is low on slows, if your have extra gold (which you should with thsi minimal item build) or if you just want to be stronger. Get it, it's awesome.

Guinsoo, get this depending on the need for extra disables on your team. Be flexible, you aren't a very item dependent hero so make sure you bend to whatever your team needs.

STRATEGY AND COMBOS:

Using your skills in conjunction with each other is a large part of your existance as Bane. Try and calculate how many seconds of Grip you can achieve before you will run out of mana to Brain Sap. Count in your head how many seconds have past when you Nightmare someone so that you will be extra prepared to attack/Grip/Brain Sap them when they awake.

Here is a in-game example of Brain Sap's maximum range:

It is important to know how much damage your Brain Sap+Grip combo does so you can know at what point in the game you need help from allies to kill someone. Here is the information: [HotClaw]6. (Brain Sap+Fiend's Grip =) 600 damage7. 675 damage11. 881 damage16. 1106 damage

Once again a reminder that Brain Sap does percise damage, which means it does 300 damage and heals you for 300 damage The key to playing well with Bane is Map Awareness you need to always be there in a team battle, gank, scirmish, or handshake that takes place between you

and the enemy team.

Also remember that you with fully upgraded Necro, BoT's and a point booster are very difficult to kill if you use your skills correctly. This means the enemy team will almost certainly be incredibly aggrivated with you by mid-game since you have wreaked havoc the entire game and only died once (or not at all if you are lucky). And when you use Enfeeble, Enfeeble the right hero... When you are being ganked by CM and Razor, don't Enfeeble CM. Sleep CM before she slows you then Enfeeble razor while you either teleport away (because Razor has no disable) or run to an allie to help you kill Razor. And if your health gets too low while he chases you just Brain Sap him. Be strategic, be smart, think ahead, and be aware.

ExamplesIn these slides you will notice Axe not running away when he sees four enemies, big mistake. I decided not to give him any time to reconsider.

My allies found the five seconds of complete focus fire I gave them useful, and brought his hp to low, granting me a kill.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Here is a example of a one-man gank against Ursa (consisting of me)

Now I sleep him so I can catch of and attack him a couple more times, this is what Nightmare is for.

I successfully tanked him and his creeps long enough to kill him and escape.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------I am now being chased by Naga Siren as I have a little more than 100hp, this is not a good thing.

I am now netted in place, this should mean certain death...UNLESS

I Brain Sap to heal myself and run for refuge behind my tower, surviving.

That is how you use your skills to kill/survive in a game.

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