7Prophetic's guide to the Sand King

Stats

18+2.3

19+2.1

16+1.8

Advanced Statistics

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I.Hero Introduction
The Sand King emphasizes area of effect damage more than most. All four of his abilities can damage multiple foes at once. Burrowstrike, his mainstay, damages and stuns targets in a line. In addition, when using this ability, the Sand King burrows to the target location which sets him up for additional attacks or spells. This can get him into trouble though, and to help evade counter attacks Crixalis uses Sand Storm. While active, this ability makes the Sand King invisible in the middle of a swirling storm of dust. Although he is unable to move while remaining invisible, nearby enemies will take damage as long as they remain in the storm. The Sand King can finish off groups off units with his Caustic Finale passive skill, which causes a deadly explosion every time he kills a unit with his physical attack. Epicenter, arguably Crixalis' most deadly ability, creates a pulsing earthquake centered on his location. When combined with Burrowstrike, this ability is often fatal to fragile heroes, and leaves tougher enemies wounded and limping for safety.

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II.Background Story
A guardian of the ancient Nerubian Kingdom of Azjol-Nerub, Crixalis fled to the deserts of Kalimdor in an attempt to escape the genocide of the Lich King. The harsh climate transformed this warrior into a master of the earth, able to tear the skin off his foes with vicious sand storms. Those unfortunate to succumb to his potent toxins are condemned to violently burst apart in a cloud of noxious fumes. Sensing his growing power, the Lich King sought out Crixalis and, unable to sway him, slew him in battle. Summoned to aid the Undead Scourge, the heart of the Sentinel quivers each time the ground trembles beneath them.

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III.Pros and Cons

Pros
[+]Great ganker
[+]Item independent
[+]Huge AoE damage
[+]Can turn the tide at teamfights
[+]He has 2 escape mechanisms

Cons
[-]Low starting strength
[-]Low armor and HP
[-]Mana dependent
[-]Has 2 channeling spells

For complete information on Sand King, visit his Hero page here.

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IV.The Skills
1. Burrowstrike

The Sand King burrows into the ground and tunnels forward, impaling everything above him, then resurfaces.

Notes

• Damage type: magical
• Hit units will fly for 0.52 seconds before the real stun is applied.

2. Sand Storm

Sand King creates a fearsome Sand Storm. The storm blinds his enemies and he becomes invisible to them. The storm also causes his opponents to take damage.

Notes

• Damage type: magical
• Sand Storm is considered a channeling spell.

3. Caustic Finale

Each of the Sand King's attacks injects a deadly venom that causes the target to explode violently on death, dealing damage in an area.

Notes

• Damage type: magical
• Exploding units leave no corpse.
• Caustic Finale places a buff on the attacked unit that lasts 0.25 seconds. If a unit dies with the buff on it, it will still explode, regardless if Sand King delivered the killing blow or not.
• Does not work on denies (the buff is not placed on allied units).
• Caustic Finale is an Orb Effect.

4. Epicenter

Sends a disturbance into the earth, causing it to shudder violently. All caught within range will take damage and become slowed. The closer to the epicenter, the more damage taken.

Notes

• Damage type: magical
• Sand King channels for 2 seconds before activating this skill. Stopping the channeling will waste the cooldown and mana required for the skill.
• The pulses are centered on the Sand King's current location, not where he first casted the spell.
• The AoE of the pulses is 275 / 325 / 375 / 425 / 475 / 525 / 575 / 650 / 675 / 700 / (775 / 825*)

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V.Skill Build
Level 1- Burrowstrike
Level 2- Sand Storm
Level 3- Burrowstrike
Level 4- Sand Storm
Level 5- Burrowstrike
Level 6- Epicenter
Level 7- Burrowstrike
Level 8- Sand Storm
Level 9- Sand Storm
Level 10- Caustic Finale
Level 11- Epicenter
Level 12- Caustic Finale
Level 13- Caustic Finale
Level 14- Caustic Finale
Level 15- Stats
Level 16- Epicenter
Level 17+- Stats

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Skill Build Justification

We max out Burrowstrike for leveling it up increases the damage and range. Next, we max out Sand Storm because it reduces the cooldown and it can be used to go jungling. Take Epicenter at every chance you get to increase your AoE damage output. Finally, we max out Caustic Finale so to increase your farming potential and if you can micro well during teamfights, you could do some damage as well.

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VI.Skill Usage

~Using Burrowstrike~