Pugna
More souls for the master!
Why pick Pugna?
Positives
| -Strong against nukers |
| -Team hero |
| -Good pusher |
| -A lot of fun |
| -Great early and mid game |
| -Effective AOE |
| -Versatile laner |
| -Nice attack animation |
| -Easy farmer |
Negatives
| -Low hp |
| -Not a carry |
| -Im brain dead |
Hero Introduction
Pugna is a fragile yet versatile spellcaster. Due to his massive base intelligence and high gain per level, he has plenty of mana to cast his spells as much as he wants. Nether Blast is his primary method for dealing damage, and its large area of effect, high strength, and low cooldown make it good for harassing enemy heroes and killing creeps. In addition, Nether Blast also deals damage to towers, which makes Pugna a powerful sieging hero with Nether Blast alone. Pugna's Decrepify spell is useful in several ways. It functions as a decent movement speed slowing spell for catching fleeing enemies, and also amplifies spell damage against the target. Decrepify and Nether Blast make a powerful combination. Decrepify can also be cast on allies, and since it prevents the target from being hit by physical attacks, it gives clever Pugna players a way to deal with potentially troublesome physical attack oriented heroes by either Decrepifying the enemy hero (which prevents them from attacking), or an allied hero to prevent them from being attacked. Decrepified enemies can still cast spells, but with Pugna's Nether Ward placed they will be struck by bolts of lightning whenever they use a skill. Finally, Pugna's natural fragility is somewhat mediated by his Life Drain spell, which rapidly heals Pugna while dealing a lot of damage to his target. Pugna is especially effective at shutting down enemy spellcasters with his Nether Ward, but his versatility makes him good in any situation.
Background Story
Forcefully raised from the dead with little memory of his former self, Pugna is truly a terrible sight to behold. Retaining traces of necromantic magic, this shamble of bones finds sadistic pleasure in temporarily sending his enemies into a tormented dimension and greeting their return with a blast of unholy energy. Those who survived an encounter with the horror often recount with fearful eyes of how the Oblivion literally drains life from his enemies, giving him a brief, but satisfying, taste of the living.
Basic & Advanced Statistics
Affiliation: Scourge
Attack Animation: 0.5 / 0.5
Damage: 45 - 53
Casting Animation: 0.2 / 0.51
Armor: 1.24
Base Attack Time: 1.7
Movespeed: 315
Missile Speed: 900
Attack Range: 600
Sight Range: 1800 / 800
Skills
Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Area
Ability Hotkey:
B
Creates a blast of exploding pulses from the Nether Plane, dealing damage to units and buildings.
Level 1
Cooldown 5.5
Mana Cost 85
Effects Deals 100 Damage (40 to structures)
Level 2
Cooldown 5.5
Mana Cost 105
Effects Deals 175 Damage (60 to structures)
Level 3
Cooldown 5.5
Mana Cost 125
Effects Deals 250 Damage (80 to structures)
Level 4
Cooldown 5.5
Mana Cost 145
Effects Deals 325 Damage (100 to structures)
Notes
- Damage type: magical
- Damage is delayed by 0.9 seconds.
Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Units
Ability Hotkey:
C
Pugna casts a powerful banishing magic on a unit. The unit is sent to the ethereal plane for a small period of time, reducing its movement speed by 50% and rendering it unable to attack. Units under the effect of Decrepify take 40% extra damage from Spells
Level 1
Mana Cost 100
Cooldown 13
Casting Range 550
Duration 2
Effect Affected unit takes 40% extra damage from Spells
Level 2
Mana Cost 100
Cooldown 11
Casting Range 600
Duration 2,5
Effect Affected unit takes 40% extra damage from Spells
Level 3
Mana Cost 100
Cooldown 9
Casting Range 650
Duration 3
Effect Affected unit takes 40% extra damage from Spells
Level 4
Mana Cost 100
Cooldown 7
Casting Range 700
Duration 3,5
Effect Affected unit takes 40% extra damage from Spells
Notes
- Only magical and pure damage can harm units under the effect of Decrepify.
- Echo Slam and Heat Seeking Missile will not damage a Decrepified target, even though they deal magical damage.
- With Maelstrom, Mjollnir or Stygian Desolator, Pugna is able to attack and damage ethereal units.
Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Instant
Ability Hotkey:
W
Summons a Nether Ward that prevents enemy heroes from regenerating mana and can cast Mana Flare, which deals damage to enemy heroes as they cast spells. Lasts 25 seconds. Each level increases the area of effect of the Ward's Mana Flare, the Mana Flare damage, the negative mana regen and the hp of the ward.
Level 1
Mana Cost 80
Cooldown 35
Duration 25
Area Of Effect 700
Effects Ward has 75 HP. -1.5 Mana regeneration to enemies. Mana Flare deals 0.75 damage per each point of Mana
Level 2
Mana Cost 80
Cooldown 35
Duration 25
Area Of Effect 1000
Effects Ward has 150 HP. -1.5 Mana regeneration to enemies. Mana Flare deals 0.75 damage per each point of Mana
Level 3
Mana Cost 80
Cooldown 35
Duration 25
Area Of Effect 1300
Effects Ward has 225 HP. -1.5 Mana regeneration to enemies. Mana Flare deals 0.75 damage per each point of Mana
Level 4
Mana Cost 80
Cooldown 35
Duration 25
Area Of Effect 1600
Effects Ward has 300 HP. -1.5 Mana regeneration to enemies. Mana Flare deals 0.75 damage per each point of Mana
Notes
- Damage type: magical
- Mana Flare is triggered when an enemy casts a spell and the damage is based on the spell's mana-cost.
- Mana Flare deals the damage before the actual spell is cast, so if the target dies the spell will have no effect.
- Nether Ward can be targeted by Decrepify.
Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Unit
Ability Hotkey:
D
Pugna summons a very powerful draining magic that absorbs the life essence of an enemy unit. Lasts 9 seconds.
Level 1
Mana Cost 125
Cooldown 22 (0*)
Duration 9
Effect Drains 95 (150*) HP per second
Level 2
Mana Cost 175
Cooldown 22 (0*)
Duration 9
Effect Drains 140 (200*) HP per second
Level 3
Mana Cost 225
Cooldown 22 (0*)
Duration 9
Effect Drains 185 (250*) HP per second
Notes
- Damage type: magical
- Life Drain is a channeling spell.
- HP drained depends on the actual damage dealt, so Decrepify increases it and spell reduction reduces it.
- Will continue to drain as long as the target stays within 850 range from Pugna.
- If the target is an illusion it's destroyed on the first damage tick.
- Can be improved by Aghanim's Scepter (* shows the improved values).
Skill Usage
This spell could be one of the reasons why you picked pugna, to push towers. It is used to harass, farm and push lanes. Pugna has the ability to push a tower on his own, after he brought his own lane down he moves to another lane and helps to push the tower there. Best used in combination with other push heroes and spells. Ofcourse its also a great spell to defend towers with.
When using this spell try to hit as many things as possible, it is an aoe blast which you should try to make maximum use of. Try hitting all the creeps, tower and enemy hero all at once. My positioning is bad in this picture and i didn't hit a hero.
This spell is the main reason why people pick pugna, the ward! Pugna is the ultimate counter pick to a caster line up. The ward will zap everyone to death that dares to cast his spell. It is one of the best spells available in team battles. Here are couple of things you should / could do to maximize the wards effect. First of all try placing it before a fight starts, this might sound stupid but what i mean is, if es has a dagger, try to predict wether or not he is going to jump soon. Because he might kill you or stun lock you before you get a chance to place your ward. The second point is positioning, try not to place right in the middle of the battle field but somewhere between the trees where they don't see it can't get to it. It has 1600 range on level 4, which is a huge aoe. And last but not least, they will try to kill your ward, decrepify works on your ward this way they can't attack it, if you play it this way you can actually use your ward as bait, and kill the heroes that go for it.
One last trick with the ward, which can be a bit tricky! Use it to block the path of heroes. Run into a tight spot of the jungle or somewhere in between the trees and drop the ward behind you so you block the path. This way you either protect yourself to keep them out, or you can use it to trap the enemy. This trick can also be combined with decrepifying the ward.
If you are being ganked on the mid lane, run here and place a ward. It traps you, and keeps the gankers out.
If you are getting ganked on a side lane you can run here place a ward, cut some trees and escape in the back. Might be smart to decrepify the ward.
You can place the ward when the enemies are pushing the mid tower. It is out of sight and behind the tower. This way the ward is somewhat protected. However ranged heroes might be able to kill it from the hill besides it. Just an example.
If you are getting ganked you can run here, place the ward, decrepify it, run futher to the back and tp out of there.
Another choke point, now you are trapped, could work well against melee enemies on the lane, however you are also 1 tree cut away from escaping it.
When you are being chases by the scourge and you are running towards base, use the ward to block the path you just came from.
General Conclusion
I have given a few commonly used examples of the ward blocking a path. There are many many more and it is very situational. Don't be afraid to experiment it could be a life saver.
Not a reason this hero is picked, but none the less a usefull spell. As mentioned earlier, you can use it on your ward. It amplifies magical damage so it works well with a hero like lina. More importantly I think the best way this spell is used, is to counter a carry. If naga uses here net on a teammate, simply cast decrepify on your teammate, problem solved. You can also use is on your enemy and disable him from attacking anyone, but beware if they have a manta, or images, you might be better off casting it on teammates.
Special Mention
Decrepify is a bad spell against viper. If you decrepify yourself the damage from viper's ultimate will be amplified, if you decrepify viper, he can still orb walk you 2 death. However you do slow his movement speed.
Decrepify can be used to counter veno's ultimate. You have to cast decrepify on a ally hero who has been hit by veno's ulti. Make sure to do it when your allies have been hit and not before. If you cast decrepify before veno's ultimate the damage will be amplified.
This is your safety line, your last resort, the spell you cast when all others are on cd. Early on its not very usefull, the lifesteal isnt that strong, its single target damage and pugna is an aoe monster. However in mid and late game it can literally save your life. Its very important that during your ulti you don't get disabled, it's also used ofcourse to heal yourself when you are damaged. Therefore you need to use it when most spells are cast. You can combine this spell with decrepify, but make sure you see who you are fighting against, if you are fighting against bloodseeker alone, you can use decrepify on him. If you are surrounded by naga and bs, you might be better off using decrepify on yourself and then ulti on bloodseeker.
Life drain has a range of 850, which is pretty big as you can see. Just wanted to mention that you should always cast the ward even before the fight, followed by decrepify blast and lifedrain. But what i wanted to say is that blast has a 0.9 sec delay it. What this means is that u can cast your ulti even before the blast has gone off (if you are nooby fast). You don't have to wait for the animation of the nether blast, if u clicked it, it will come.
Skill Order
1
Nether Blast
2
Nether Ward /
Decrepify
3
Nether Ward /
Decrepify
4
Nether Blast
5
Nether Blast
6
Nether Ward
7
Nether Blast
8
Nether Ward
9
Nether Ward
10
Life Drain
11
Life Drain
12
Decrepify
13
Decrepify
14
Decrepify
15
Stats
16
Life Drain
Justification
Its pretty logical, your ultimate isnt that strong early on and you are a team hero and aoe monster. You need to max your ward as fast as possible so you are ready for team fights, which you force by pushing towers with your nether blast. One level of decrepify to slow enemies and / or save your allies.
Laning
I need to say a thing or two about laning, because the lane you play on will also determine the role you are going to play. And since the next topic is items, i need to explain it a bit. Pugna can play both solo and on a tri-lane. I have little experience playing him on a dual lane and I also don't recommend it. Why does he work on a tri-lane? He is ranged, so he can harass and deny, he has an aoe nuke and a nether ward which works best in team fights. Another reason why you may want him on your tri-lane is a push strategy. Why would you want him on a solo lane? Because he can also push a tower on his own and you want have him level up quickly so he can help push other lanes even faster. You also have an early advantage in teamfights with a high level pugna. However you do not want him facing a tri-lane on his own, therefore its best if you have him on the mid lane.
Items
*The following items are ment for a solo pugna, with the exception for the support items.
This is your best bet. You need hp so you can survive team battles, you are a fragile hero and to upgrade your hp. It's that simple.
I have to say I have little experience using arcane boots, i guess it could be an option if your team needs one. It could be usefull in a pushing strategy. However this does not give you any hp which i still value over a huge mana pool. Mana can be provided in other ways.
Pugna does have a nice ms and with this it will be pretty high, it will improve your positioning and your last hits early on. However you are going to miss the hp again, and later on most of your farm will come from nether blast anyway.
Very expensive, very usefull. If you can get, get it. It's gonna be usefull in a pushing strategy this way you have more map control. Either way the tp is vital for pugna since you shouldn't miss a single team fight, pushing strategy or not.
Yes, i have listed 2 expensive items as the core items for pugna. This does not mean you have to get both of them. I usually get linkens as the first item, simlpy because it gives your more survivability. You get hp and mana regen, some stats and prevents single target disables, combined with a mid and late game ulti this drastically improves your chances of surving team battles. Guinsoo simply because you are a solo int hero, you need to be responsible for disabling the enemies carry. It should not be a problem to get these items, since you are playing on a solo lane and pushing towers, forcing team fights, these are you strenghts and all of them generate gold.
I can't stress it enough! This is the best item there is! Being with your buddies when the shit hits the fan is the most awesome and important thing in dota! I usually buy them in stacks of 2-3 when i have +- 400g.
Allies & Enemies
Jugger's blade fury works on decrepify and gets amplified damage, pugna's decrepify also slows the enemy drastically, but not for a very long time.
Can you imagine the spells of these heroes, being amplified by 40%? However you may want to use amplify after the stun is over, this way you maximize the stun and slow. During the stun you can hit the enemy and slow after the stun is after to finish the enemy with your spells.
I mentioned viper under the spell usage of decrepify as an enemy, but ofcourse it can also be used to it's advantages by having him on your team.
Multicast amplified by 40% and ignite combined with slow from decrepify.
His arcane orb works on decrepify and amplifies both his orb and his ultimate.
Combine decrepify with cold feet and ice vortex, and you will not only amplify the damage but also guarantee to disable the enemy for 3,5 seconds depending on the level of cold feet.
One of the strongest and one my favourite nukers in the game. Amplify works wonders in combination with zeus.
Overall Conclusion
Pugna is a hero best used in team concept. I dont really recommend this hero for a pub, you'd be better off picking sniper or bone for that matter. However once picked and played in a team game this truely is an amazingly strong and also very FUN hero! I hope you enjoyed reading the guide, learned the basics, or maybe learned a thing or 2 here and there.
Replay
This replay is from a clan war, I am playing obisdian destroyer but my clan mate zero is playing pugna. Because i currently do not have a pugna replay this will have to do for now. Besides watching pugna it is a very great game to watch. I do not fully agree with everything zero does with pugna this game.
http://www.playdota.com/forums/50551...naga-es-combo/
Pugna the Oblivion
