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Gondar - The Bounty Hunter

Gondar in DotA 2

Guide Version looks much better than the Forum Version

Changelog
28/10/2011- Guide started as a draft
17/11/2011- Guide completed, awaiting publishing
21/11/2011- Guide Published
29/11/2011- Additional information added
22/12/2011- Some Vlad infos and Core 2 build fully implemented
31/12/2011- Updated as of 6.73b
14/01/2012- Updated slightly


Foreword
This guide is strictly for Public games and is in no way for any sort of organized games.
Public game is a game where you play with strangers who don't give a damn about your role. It doesn't matter if your a carry, supporter or a ganker, they will steal your farm and worst yet your kills. You cannot rely on this strangers to back you up in a gank or a push, they will die, blame you and/or the lag and leave. In this wasteland where every INT hero scrambles for a Dagon to ks you, even support heroes show their carries their support by dagon-ing an enemy to death. You must take it upon yourself to destroy your opponent or die trying.


Contents
1. Pros & Cons
2. When to Pick
3. The Bounty Hunter
4. Alt-Tab Guide
5. Skills & Skill Build
6. Items
7. Gameplay
8. Synergies & Counters
9. Credits & Closing Words

1. Pros & Cons


Pros:
[+]- High base Movement Speed
[+]- Relatively high damage nuke with Mini Stun
[+]- 3rd highest AGI gain
[+]- Natural escape mechanism
[+]- Counters invisibility
[+]- Can carry if necessary
[+]- Low Cooldowns
[+]- Receives gold from hero kills even without last hitting
[+]- Gondar's target model is the smallest in the entire game, which makes him a nightmare to heroes with targetable spells.

Cons:
[-]- Terrible base STR and terrible STR gain results in Gondar being squishy
[-]- Early game Mana issues
[-]- Partially countered by invisibility detection
[-]- Very easily outcarried

2. When to Pick
Questions we must ask ourselves

Enemy has a lot of Burst damage spells
Enemy has a lot of disables
Enemy has a lot of AOE spells
Enemy picks Slardar
Enemy picks Void
Enemy Picks Tiny
Enemy full of tanks
Team needs a tank
Team needs disablers

Don't pick if you answered mostly YES to the above.

Team needs a reliable ganker
Team has enough disablers
Team has a tank
Team goes for a gank strategy

Pick if you answered mostly YES to the above.

3. The Bounty Hunter

Statistics


Strength Agility Intelligence

17 + 1.8 21 + 3 19 + 1.4


AdvancedStatistics
Affiliation: SentinelAttack Animation: 0.59 / 0.58
Damage: 45 - 59Casting Animation: 0.3 / 0.51
Armor: 5.94Base Attack Time: 1.7
Movespeed: 315Missile Speed: Instant
Attack Range: 128 (melee)Sight Range: 1800 / 1000

Trivial Info

Bounty Hunters like Gondar do not play by the rules. His ideal attack pattern is to initiate from the shadows and stab you in the back. He'll keep this up if unchecked, and carries deadly Shurikens to deal high ranged damage as well. He also learns Jinada, which allows him to deal critical damage while slowing his prey down, allowing his strength to match his cunning later on. What sets him aside from any other killer, however, is that he doesn't work for free. Gondar can Track his targets, lowering their armor, monitoring their location, making them easier to chase, and providing a hefty gold reward if the poor sap winds up dead--which he makes often the case.


Gondar is a Draenei that is often called upon for his superior skills. Not much is known about his past, but his capabilities are extraordinary. Some believe he learned from a ninja clan while others say he was born with his amazing abilities. He is able to throw shurikens with extreme accuracy and has the strength to strike down any foe with his two swift blades. His agility is matched by none, and his stealth is inferior only to few. He is interested in the conflict for money alone, and is promised a large reward.


Small History of The Bounty Hunter


- Track gold bonus for Bounty Hunter increased from 75/150/225 to 150/200/250

- Base intelligence increased from 16 to 19

- Base HP regeneration increased from 0.25 to 0.75
- Jinada cooldown decreased from 15/12/9/6 to 12/10/8/6

- Track team bonus gold from 50 to 50/100/150 (this is still considered Reliable Gold)

- Increased Track's movement bonus aoe from 800 to 900
- Increased armor by 2
*Added a -bounty command to see the total gold gain by Track

- Jinada cooldown from 21/16/11/6 to 15/12/9/6
- Track now gives 50 bonus bounty to all units affected by the track aura of that target
- Track bonus gold is treated as Reliable Gold

- Tracked targets now have a visual effect above their head that is only shown to Bounty Hunter's allies. Neither the target nor any enemy can see it.

- Jinada cooldown improved from 22/17/12/7 to 21/16/11/6

-Reworked Jinada
Old Jinada:
==========
Passive.

Crit: 1.25/1.5/1.75/2.0x
Crit Chance: 15%

Evasion: 5/10/15/20%


New Jinada:
===========
Passive. Adds a critical strike and small maim to your next attack. Has a cooldown.

Critical Strike: 1.4/1.6/1.8/2.0x
Maim: 25% MS/AS for 3 seconds

Cooldown: 22/17/12/7


I encourage everybody who read this, to finish reading it and give it a rating.

4. Alt-Tab Guide
Skill Build
LVL 1: Wind Walk
LVL 2: Jinada
LVL 3: Shuriken Toss
LVL 4: Shuriken Toss
LVL 5: Jinada
LVL 6: Track
LVL 7: Jinada
LVL 8: Jinada
LVL 9: Shuriken Toss
LVL 10: Shuriken Toss
LVL 11: Track
LVL 12: Wind Walk
LVL 13: Wind Walk
LVL 14: Wind Walk
LVL 15: Stats
LVL 16: Track
LVL 17-25: Stats

Item Build:
Starting Items:


Core:
/

or

/

Luxury:


Never forget me, I'm kind of a big deal


5. Skills and Skill Build

Skills

Shuriken Toss
Level 1 - 100 Damage
Level 2 - 200 Damage
Level 3 - 250 Damage
Level 4 - 325 Damage

Mana Cost: 90/115/135/155
Cooldown: 10 seconds at all levels

This skill is a generic ranged nuke with a bonus Ministun attached at the end.







#Usage
In a gank, this can be used to finish off fleeing enemy. In a team clash this skill can probably be used only once or twice due to its cooldown, so use it wisely. Don't use this skill unless you are certain you are going for it, because it is quite Mana intensive on Gondar's pitiful Mana pool; especially early game.


Skill Build:

LVL 1: Wind Walk
LVL 2: Jinada
LVL 3: Shuriken Toss
LVL 4: Shuriken Toss
LVL 5: Jinada
LVL 6: Track
LVL 7: Jinada
LVL 8: Jinada
LVL 9: Shuriken Toss
LVL 10: Shuriken Toss
LVL 11: Track
LVL 12: Wind Walk
LVL 13: Wind Walk
LVL 14: Wind Walk
LVL 15: Stats
LVL 16: Track
LVL 17-25: Stats

Justification
Wind Walk is taken at level 1 to avoid first blood attempt against you, Jinada is taken at level 2 to make last hitting in lanes easier. Shuriken Toss is leveled twice for the damage. Jinada is maxed next as you peak in mid game. Shuriken Toss is maxed for it gives more damage than Wind Walk and Wind Walk is maxed last for more damage and duration. Track is taken whenever possible and Stats are taken last.

FAQ about this Skill Build

You: Why is Wind Walk taken at level 1?
thedune: This should be pretty obvious, but anyways Wind Walk is taken at level 1 to avoid being first blooded. Think of it this way, you are a hero who relies on damage essentially you are somewhat a carry. The more items and levels you can get the more effective you can be. And if you are first blooded, you will lose gold both gold and experience, this deprives you of both things that makes you a who you are. So, it is a must to take Wind Walk at level 1, unless you are ganking and a 25% 3-second maim will make a gank (Jinada) then you should skill it first, though this is still not recommended as Jinada is not the most reliable pseudo-disable.


You: Why is Jinada taken at level 2?
thedune: Honestly, for level 2 it should be pretty obvious to take Jinada to enable you to last hit easier. Hypothetically, if you were playing in a pub game where people don't care about your role as a carry and you are laning with an equally skilled Pudge, you would lose every last hit to him due to his high base damage. To prevent that, skill Jinada at level 2.Plus, you won't be doing much ganking/ or none at all during this time so Shuriken is somewhat wasted, unless you need some damage to pull of a kill in the lane then go for a Shuriken Toss.


You: Why is Shuriken Toss leveled only twice? aren't you supposed to max Toss before Jinada?
thedune: You'd think so but as I've explained a few times in the comment section, its better to max Jinda first and keep Toss at level 2. Adding more levels to Toss will increase the mana strain on Gondar who already has an incredibly small mana pool.
Shuriken Toss:
LVL 1- 75 damage / 90 mana
LVL 2- 150 damage / 115 mana (+75 damage / +25 mana)
LVL 3- 187.5 damage / 135 mana (+37.5 damage / +20 mana)
LVL 4- 243.75 damage / 155 mana (+56.25 damage / +20 mana)

Note that the damage increases more in the first two skilling (lvl 1 and 2, +150 damage) the the last two skilling (lvl 3 and 4 +93.75 damage) yet the mana scales at about the same rate.

Now assume you took Jinada at the levels I suggested;
Note that Gondar has a base damage of 52 ((45+59)*1/2)

Jinada:
LVL 1- 27.5 bonus damage (At level 2)
LVL 2- 48 bonus damage (At level 5) +20.5 damage
LVL 3- 70 bonus damage (At level 7) +22 damage
LVL 4- 91.25 bonus damage (At level 8) +21.25 damage

All this numbers are at the assumptions that Gondar has no items on him. But by level 8 you should have at least picked up something namely your boots Power Threads/ Phase and probably a Wraith Band. Note that this damage is free without any need to disperse mana.

w/ Power Threads at level 4
Bonus 101.25 damage

W/ Phase Boots at level 4
Bonus 121.25 damage

So let's take Gondar with a Phase Boots for our example (73+24 damage)
Damage calculations
Damage calculation formula:
Wind Walk backstab + Gondar's damage+ Jinada critical bonus + Shuriken Toss
If you maxed Toss first (Lvl 8)
30+97+72.75+243.75= 444.35
Mana Cost= 50+155= 205

If you Jinada first (Lvl 8)
30+97+121.25+150= 398.25
Mana Cost= 50+115= 165

At this point you are sacrifising 40 Mana to do 46.1 more damage, that's a terrible tradeoff considering Gondar has some early game Mana issues. That's not all at Lvl 4 Jinada's cooldown is almost half of the cooldown for Toss, which is only 6 seconds giving it more chance to proc twice in one gank. whereas Toss has a static 10 second cooldown and if he did cast it twice Gondar's mana would be empty. That's not all, the -Armor from your Ult will increase the damage of Jinada.

Let's calculate the Mana consumption
At level 8 Gondar's mana is 374.4
Executing his Combo if you maxed Toss:
50+155+70= 275 Mana (WW+Toss+Track)
50+155+155+70= 430 Mana (WW+Toss+Toss+Track)

Executing his Combo if you maxed Jinada:
50+115+70= 230 Mana (WW+Toss+Track)
50+115+115+70= 350 Mana (WW+Toss+Toss+Track)

If you took my suggestion you can Toss twice but if you went and maxed Toss first you only can Toss once.
Damage calculation if you Toss twice using my build:
30+97+121.25+150+150= 548.25

You can do more damage by using my build and have less strain on your mana, because very often you have to perform WW twice or Track twice or gank without full mana. Additionally, Jinada will make him last hit more effectively, thus making him have more items for when he peaks in mid-game.


You: Why do you wait so long to max Wind Walk?
thedune: Gondar peaks at mid-game when his damage is high, so if you take Wind Walk that does a relatively small amount of damage, you would be severely reducing his damage output. At level 2 Shuriken Toss does more damage than a level 4 Wind Walk, at mid-game most of your damage will come from Jinada so we must prioritize maxing that too over wind walk. Additionally a 15-Wind Walk would normally suffice for a gank and its cooldown is a static 15 seconds so you won't benefit much from skilling it any more.


6. Items



Starting items are normally about personal choice so I advice you stick with what works out best for you. A decent combination of these items should do the job.



Here's my personal Build:


This build makes last hitting very easy. You aren't very item independent, so normally you shouldn't be the one buying the Chicken, but in pubs, people hardly buy a Chicken and if they do buy it, they normally refuse to share it. If and only if they don't buy a Chicken or Bought a Chicken but refuses to share it, then you get a Chicken. But this build has non-existent upgrading potential.

But if you are determined to go for a wand and have good judgement in using it. Then this build should work out well for you.



Don't be hesitant to sell your Ironwood Branch if you need the space, they're very cheap.

At one point, a normal chicken just won't do...upgrade that chick!


7. Gameplay

Early Game / Laning Phase (LVL 1-6)
Buy your starter items, go in a lane (preferably the longer lane; bottom for Sentinel, top for Scourge). Hopefully you went into the lane with a competent ranged partner, a baby sitter would be icing on top of the cake but is really not necessary. Your main objective is very simple, last hit and deny as much as possible and don't push the creep line to far, if that happens go pull some creeps (you went to long lane right?). Hopefully by the end of the laning phase you were able to complete your Threads/Phase Boots and started working on your Deso or Battlefury


Laning against 2 Meele Hero:
This is the best possible scenario for your laning phase, you should play aggressively and harass them if they get close to your creeps. Hopefully your partner is competent enough to harass the enemy from afar.

Laning against 1 Meele Hero and 1 Ranged Hero:
You and the enemy are on even grounds now, you and the opposing Meele Hero is gonna take the heat from the harassment of the respective opposing Ranged Hero. If you are good enough with your last hit and don't need your Jinada, you can always use it to harass your Meele opponent.

Laning against 2 Ranged Hero:
At this point, if the opponent is competent enough you will be forced to play passively as you are the easiest target for harassment. Always agro creeps by right clicking a enemy hero and moving backward so the enemy creep will attack your ranged creep while you can safely last hit some creeps.


Heroes to look out for:
Babysitters:

Gondar being a meele hero with a poor health pool is very susceptible to harassment, Babysitters will help your laning phase by healing you.

Lane Dominator:

These guys are gonna make your laning phase exceptionally difficult with their constant harassment especially if you are laning with an ally meele hero.

Dual Stunners:

Stunners; specifically those who have it available before level 6, these heroes won't be a pain when there's only one of them laning against you, but when two stunners are laning against you, you can bet that you will die a few times (unless they're noobs). Most stuns come attached to a nuke and Gondar is extremely susceptible to nukes especially early games. What's worse than getting chain-stunned for 5 seconds? Getting nuked twice and chain-stunned for 5 seconds... not a fun way to die. Spam the "W" button and pray for a miracle (or lag).

Pugna:

I feel this little skullhead deserves a special mention for his signature Decrepify+Nether Blast combo, that combo is gonna hurt like a bitch especially on you.


Progress:
Skills:
LVL 1: Wind Walk
LVL 2: Jinada
LVL 3: Shuriken Toss
LVL 4: Shuriken Toss
LVL 5: Jinada
LVL 6: Track

Items:/


Early Mid-Game (LVL 6-11)
If you did fairly well in the laning phase, you should have completed your Threads/ Phase Boots. Now it's time to start ganking, if you feel you lack damage or need more HP don't hesitate to grab 1 or 2 Bracers/ Wraith Band
or an Urn.

Ganking Etiquette:
Scout a target, preferably a lone wolf without an escape mechanism that decided it would be a wise decision to farm a lane while the enemy's heroes is missing.

Wind Walk next to your target, if you went ganking with disablers, let the disablers throw their disables at the target. Next, you break your invisibility with a devastating Jinada, track the target. His life should be fairly low now so keep attacking him and when the time is right use Shuriken Toss for an easy kill. *Note: It's advisable to let your Wind Walk finish its cooldown or almost finishes its cooldown before breaking invisibility because sometimes you might get counter ganked and you have to save yourself.*


Progress:
Skills:
LVL 7: Jinada
LVL 8: Jinada
LVL 9: Shuriken Toss
LVL 10: Shuriken Toss
LVL 11: Track

Items:/

Optional:


Late Mid-Game (LVL 11-16)
Halfway through the Mid-Game you should finish your Deso or Battlefury and should be working on your Vlad/ MoC and/or a Luxury item. If you went with Deso, you should concentrate more on ganking than farming, but if you went with Battlefury, you can be a late game monster with enough farm, so concentrate more on farming. This doesn't mean you should completely ignore ganking or farming altogether, balance is important. At this point your team probably really needs you in clashes to dish out heavy damage.

Progress:
Skills:
LVL 12: Wind Walk
LVL 13: Wind Walk
LVL 14: Wind Walk
LVL 15: Stats
LVL 16: Track

Items:/
Working on: and a Luxury Item: //


Late Game
Now, everyone should be sticking with each other, you are no different. Stick with your team, push a lane and finish the game. If an opportunity to gank approaches, you must consider its worth because, chances are the whole team is going to gank one or two unfortunate hero at the cost of a lane getting pushed back. At this point team clashes should occur pretty close to towers so be careful because of the true sight the tower provides.

Alternatively, if you went with Battlefury there is this fun pushing tactic you can try; pick an empty lane and start pushing after you've pushed past the halfway point everytime you clear a creep wave cast Wind Walk. After you've meet with the next enemy creep wave scout out the location before pushing. Rinse and repeat. You always cast wind walk to prevent getting ganked, never do this if the enemy has bought gem, dust are still fine though.

Progress:
Skills:
LVL 17-25: Stats

Items: Completing another Luxury Item// or saving for Buybacks.


8. Synergies and Counters


Synergies

And I'm here to talk to you today about a wonderful new synergy.

Chasers

You won't particularly like them, but they will love you for the MS bonus. If you notice, I didn't include Lycan because he doesn't need anyone's help to achieve maximum movespeed.

Armor Reducers

Especially in Mid-game to late game where your Jinada is gonna start to hurt, they will make it hurt more.

Disablers

Should be obvious, love them on your team. Hate them on the opposing team.

Invinsible Heroes

Fellow Invinsible heroes makes the ultimate Counter Gank team, its bad enough to miscalculate one invisible hero in the other team. This synerdy Can easily turn around a 2v1 gank to a 2v3 Counter gank. You can be sure the enemy will get a gem though...cos' you know two birds with one Gem.

Counters


IT IS SUPER EFFECTIVE!

Disbalers

Should be obvious, love them on your team. Hate them on the opposing team (sound familiar?).

Silencers


Being caught without your Wind Walk will not work in your favor!

Burst Damage

If they are able to connect their combo, you are most definitely dead meat.

True Sight

Messes up your escaping mechanism and surprise factor, tell your fellow pubbers to take down gem holders. (what are the chances they will actually cooperate?)
When it comes to items, in pubs people normally go for dust during the early to early-mid game. If you become a hassle (which you should) then they will start getting Gems, that's why you have to constantly check your opponent's items because as I seen to many times in pubs; an invisible-able hero dying and then saying "wtf" only to realize a few seconds later that the enemy has a gem. GET CHECKED BEFORE ITS TO LATE! About wards, these are the hardest to set up because you never know when a Gondar will come and go but if your enemy will be able to land it, it will become the most dangerous among the Invi-detectors because you will never see it coming (but people in pubs never buy wards)


The Cliche

14 second shutdown...not fun...

Earthshaker

Famously known for "Oh, you were there, I didn't notice but I killed you anyway". In the right hands, he can land all 3 of his Skills on you even if you are invisible. Basically any AOE hero will be a pain in the ass neck but normally won't kill you unless you are caught out of place.

Bloodseeker

The recent buff towards his Bloodthirst makes him especially more dangerous to invisible heroes. Now, Bloodseeker completely reveals invisible heroes when their HP dips below 20%. Its noteworthy that Bloodseeker is a frequent carrier of the Radiance which is quite a bitch because you don't like heroes with AOE presence.

Faceless Void

Some heroes can tank through 5/6 (with Scepter) seconds of Chrono, but Gondar is not one of them. Chrono reveals invisible units in its aoe. If he is properly fed, you are doomed.

Tiny

Frequent carrier of Blink dagger and Dagon, his surprise stun and Dagon combo, will normally kill you instantly.

Anti-Mage

If you go one-on-one against him, immediately spam the "W" button. You don't stand a chance against him, if he is fed.

9. Closing Words and Credits

Closing Words
Gondar has been quite an under-picked hero in my opinion, so I hope this guide has helped you understand him and take an interest in him. Additionally, I hope this guide has helped improve your proficiency in playing Gondar. Lastly, Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Credits
Myself for taking the time to write this.
No_Worries for pointing out some flaws
Cannibal- for pointing out an "essential" Pros
arisinhell for pointing out that Vlad aura doesn't work when in Wind Walk.





Gondar the Bounty Hunter
Author: thedune
Map Vers.: 6.73b

Gondar for Pubbies

Gon-thefuck-ar

Date Posted: 10/27/11
Last Comment:01/05/2012
Total Votes: 27
Current Rating: 7.49
Views: 67729



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