Items at the start



Cheap stats items, with you anytime, anywhere. These are usually the foundation of your conquest of the mid lane. They are chosen because they are cheap, effective at early game where slots don't matter that much, and their effects can match up to the early levels of the spells being thrown about. Now, I almost always grab stats, but what I get depends on what I think I'll need. Say, if I'm playing Lion and want to focus on heavy lane control and keeping the opponent down, I'd focus on Mantles, in order to make the most mileage out of my early game mana and damage, and since I have a disable I can be aggressive and not worry about my health so much, or should there be situations when those little tid bits of strs wouldn't have mattered regardless. It's about reading yourself and your opposition. Since you are mid-laning, you should always try to predict what hero your opponent's getting, and how to imply your superiority over that hero, if you have a distinct advantage, or retract from dying and getting acceptable results only, should the situation is reversed. As I always say, being predictable is probably the last thing you'd want to do. Stats are, of course, permanent items and stick with you after purchase, so you should not have much problem with their usage in general.



Regeneration items are also of important, although the quantity of them that you bring is mostly up to personal standards. If you're looking to frequently trade hits with enemy heroes, then perhaps Tangos are of better choice. If you are some with good range and an escape mechanism, then Salve might be superior. Clarity should only be bought at the start if you're aiming for heavy spell spamming. Since you're mid, you usually are someone who would require exp and not spam your spells so much, then clarities might become a waste. A Zeus would do fine with a rushed bottle (not purchased first hand) than a clarity. It also depends on how you want to handle your mana, since it's a pretty expendable and easily managed resource.



A courier for the mid lane is CRUCIAL if you're planning on heading out. Check your gold and always spare the cash to buy the chicken, if your team is being dickheads and not getting you one. To quote:


Wards are, usually, not really your range of must-get items, but they are rather popular. Planting them on places to spy on your opponent as well as rune spots would give you direct vision (although not true vision, as buying 2 set of wards then heading out is stupid), preventing you from falling to non-smoke ganks and generally have a better idea of what the opponent's trying to do. Be informative is mostly the point, as a ward uphill helps many, many heroes. Sentry Ward is only to be bought when you think you'll face Brood, or when you're Brood and think they'll buy Sentries to counter your lane. It's extremely arbitrary and should be avoided, however.



Permanent items like these are usually only fit for a specific group of heroes, and should only pick up one of these to suit their needs. All of these are cute, but be sure to not blow your money off on them, because they aren't quite cost effective at this stage of the game, unless you are planning to upgrade them really soon.



Midas first? Otherwise fuck you.

Remember, you are NOT required to spend all of your money prior to heading out. In fact, I almost NEVER do this, instead settling with cheap stats items and a set of regeneration, and aim for bigger items right off the bat.

Items to ferry out

These items' hotkey should be memorized for quick access, since one of the things I hate most is having to move my mouse to access the shops and buy its item while my hero basically afks. It wastes time, and time is more gold.



[S]
Yes, Boots, usually one's bread-and-butter item, should be the first one to be brought out. Now, unless you've burned off all your regeneration, Boots is a priority in a lane that you're either doing normally or great, since it adds a lot of advantage to your mobility in general and the ability to simply out speed the opposition at some point. It should be added to your inventory ~ 1 minute, really, it's not that expensive.



[B]
Bottle is either my first or second choice of items to get. It gives you a lot of immediate regeneration, and quick as well. This is prioritized over boots if you've burned your other regen items in the early of the match (and hopefully not dying) to instantly refill your needs. It also offers the ability to store runes, which boots will ironically help you control better. Regardless, bottle is excellent for those in need, even though this might not always be true, it is most of the time. If you find yourself short on health ONLY if you're not mana intensive, then you might opt for Salve [V] instead to simply fill up your needs, considering you're not getting anything from the mana regeneration, and Salve + Boots costs as much as a Bottle anyways.



AA or S
Only buy this if it's an upgrade from items you previously owned at the start of the match. It helps melee heroes immensely (sometimes ranged Agis all the same) against creep attacks and random harass. It should ONLY be bought for that however, and usually is the first item to come out if you haven't burned through regen yet but is constantly being poked.




These, in turn, should also only be bought for the upgrading items you've previously acquired, but is different from PMS in a way that it beefs you up generally instead of defensively. It is also one of the quick routes to ensure you're ready to aim for really big item rush right after the laning phase.



Tranquill Boots is in a league of its own, considering how powerful the regeneration it provides is, the free bonus ms that defies explanation, and the easily and cheap build up. You can get this almost immediately around ~2 mins if you're actively saving your cash. Actually, here




[M]
I wonder does it count as cheating if I quote so much?


These are what you should aim for if you're opting for Phase Boots/Power Treads early (after your boots). Glove of Haste first is as stupid as ever, of course.



When you don't need the Tranquil so much that you want the utility these two items offer instead. Phase Boots gives you excellent burst speed for impending mobility and tower dives, while Treads is great for stats cycling abuse with Bottle, and is usually better than Arcane Boots at this.



This is what you always need, regardless of games. Maybe you wouldn't need to buy it so early, but should you feel like there's an engagement waiting to happen somewhere that requires your help, being prepared really doesn't hurt anyone.



If you want to use Bottle Crow.
On that bright note, No.Fucking.Comment