*GUIDE INCOMPLETE, STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION*
Changelog
23/8/09: Posted incomplete guide
24/8/09: Added Hero Statistics, Other Items, Self-Intro sections. Started working on General Walkthrough section.
24/8/09(2): Expanded General Walkthrough section.
Self-Introduction
Greetings. This is my first ever attempt at a DotA guide, so it probably won't be very good. I enjoy writing guides, and I've always wanted to make a cool-looking wall-of-text DotA Guide. So, I decided to make one, based on one of my favourite heroes, Crixalis, the Sand king.
That being said, I'm not that great of a player, nor am I the best Sand King player you'll ever see. I only play pubs, so this guide may not be suitable for higher level play (Heck, if you're not playing pubs, you shouldn't be reading this anyway... Unless you like reading guides or something). Despite all of that, I play a pretty decent Sand King, and if you're new to the hero, I hope this guide helps you out a little bit. Keep your expectations low, though.
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.
Hero Introduction
Crixalis is an amazing hero. He has an excellent skillset, and most of his skills have multiple uses. He has an AoE stun which doubles as a pseudo-blink for initiation and escaping. He has a DoT spell that allows him to go invisible, which means he has a 2nd escape mechanism that also allows him to dodge many spells. Caustic finale, a great farming tool, also allows him to quickly rip through enemy creep waves; An invaluable ability during mid to late game pushes. Last, but not least, he has one of the best ultimates in DotA, capable of unleashing massive amounts of AoE damage (Think Laguna Blade, but AoE).
In the right hands, Sand King can be a deadly hero. That being said, mastering Sand King and all of his skills will take quite a bit of practice, but the outcome is definitely worth it.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Cons:
Hero Statistics
Strength: 18 + 2.3
Agility: 19 + 2.1
Intelligence: 16 + 1.8
Damage: 43-59
Armor: 0.7
Movespeed: 300
Attack range: 128 (melee)
Skills
Burrowstrike (active)
The Sand King burrows into the ground and tunnels forward, impaling everything above him, then resurfaces.
Level 1 - Deals 100 damage and stuns for 1.65 seconds
Level 2 - Deals 160 damage and stuns for 1.65 seconds
Level 3 - Deals 220 damage and stuns for 1.65 seconds
Level 4 - Deals 280 damage and stuns for 1.65 seconds
Mana Cost: 140
Cooldown: 11 seconds
Range: 400/500/600/700
AoE: 175
Sand Storm (active)
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.
Level 1 - Deals 20 damage per second. 0.6 second delay before Sand King is revealed
Level 2 - Deals 40 damage per second. 0.9 second delay before Sand King is revealed
Level 3 - Deals 60 damage per second. 1.2 second delay before Sand King is revealed
Level 4 - Deals 80 damage per second. 1.5 second delay before Sand King is revealed
Mana Cost: 60/50/40/30
Cooldown: 40/35/30/25 seconds
AoE: 300/350/400/550
Caustic Finale (passive)
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.
Level 1 - 90 damage
Level 2 - 120 damage
Level 3 - 170 damage
Level 4 - 220 damage
Duration: 0.25 seconds
AoE: 400
Epicenter (active)
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.
Level 1 - Emits 6 pulses. Each pulse deals 110 damage and slows by 30%
Level 2 - Emits 8 pulses. Each pulse deals 110 damage and slows by 30%
Level 3 - Emits 10 pulses. Each pulse deals 110 damage and slows by 30%
Mana Cost: 175/250/325
Cooldown: 140/120/100 seconds
Duration: 3 seconds
AoE: 300/350/400/450/500/550/600/675/700/725 (each pulse)
Skill Build
Level 1: Burrowstrike
Level 2: Sand Storm
Level 3: Burrowstrike
Level 4: Stats
Level 5: Burrowstrike
Level 6: Epicenter
Level 7: Burrowstrike
Level 8: Caustic Finale/Stats
Level 9: Caustic Finale/Stats
Level 10: Caustic Finale/Stats
Level 11: Epicenter
Level 12: Caustic Finale/Stats
Level 13: Stats/Caustic Finale
Level 14: Stats/Caustic Finale
Level 15: Stats/Caustic Finale
Level 16: Epicenter
Level 17+: Whatever's left, max out Sand Storm at level 23-25
Skill Build Justification
Burrowstrike is maxxed out first, since it's your main stun/nuke early game. One level of Sand Storm is taken at level 2, since it grants you invisibility at a low mana cost, allowing you to escape unexpected ganks and survive near-death situations. It's not maxxed however, because it's an unreliable source of damage overtime. It's a channelling spell, and does damage in a fixed radius. Nothing's stopping enemy heroes from moving out of the AoE, and nothing's stopping them from using an AoE silence or stun to cancel the channelling.
Epicenter will rip your enemies apart if successfully casted, so it should be gotten whenever possible. After maxxing burrowstrike, you have a choice between getting Caustic Finale or pumping up stats. This is entirely up to you. However, in general, get stats over Caustic Finale if you see yourself roaming a lot, or if you find yourself dying too quickly. Get Caustic Finale if your team needs some pushing power, or if you find yourself laning quite a bit.
Items
Core Items
Bracers (510 gold)
Cheapest items early game that'll give you everything you need. Extra STR for HP and damage, INT for more mana, and some AGI for a slight armor and attack speed boost.
Phase Boots (1550 gold)
Phase Boots are the best choice of boots for almost any ganker, Sand King included. Gives good movement speed, armor (which Sand King severely lacks) for higher effective HP, extra damage, and best of all, the Phase ability, which gives +10% ms and lets you move through creeps. An invaluable ability to a ganker, both for chasing and escaping.
Bottle (600 gold)
As a ganker, Sand King will have to move between lanes frequently and have mana to spare everytime he participates in ganks. Early game, due to his small mana pool, it usually takes a maximum of 2 ganks before he runs out of mana. Bottle solves that. It gives great burst HP and mana regen, and Sand King can definitely utilize the bottle's rune capture ability as he will be moving in between lanes a lot, and will thus come across runes pretty often.
Kelen's Dagger (2150 gold)
Blink dagger is GODLY on Sand King. It allows you to position your burrowstrikes with ease and catch up with enemies that are too far. Escaping with dagger is a piece of cake for Sand King (provided the enemy team doesn't come prepared with invisibility counters). He just needs to Sand Storm, wait for dagger cooldown, and blink away. But the best thing about Blink Dagger on Sand King is that it allows him to safely channel his ultimate at an area away from where a team clash is occuring, then blink in to wreak havoc. I will explain this in more detail later in the guide.
Other Items to Consider
Magic Stick (200 gold)/Magic Wand (484 gold)
Some would consider this item core on Sand King, but in my opinion, it's situational. If you're facing a team with a lot of casters, get it. It gives you that extra HP and mana that might just change the outcome of a battle. Getting it against a team of point-and-click carries is just stupid (almost as stupid as the all-carry team).
Aghanim's Scepter (4300 gold)
Aghanim's is definitely something that you shouldn't aim to farm up in a game. Yes, you have a great farming tool, but you're not supposed to farm all game. The Aghanim's buff on Sand King's ultimate isn't that spectacular, either. However, if you do have excess gold and are not sure what to do with it, Aghanim's wouldn't be a bad choice. Not so much for the extra pulse (an extra 110 damage, whoopee.), but rather for the nice stats it gives, and the 20 second cooldown decrease on your ultimate. It also has a pretty nice buildup, consisting of items that would be useful to you (Ogre Axe for HP, Staff of Wizardry for more mana, and Point Booster for both). Take note that if you're getting it, go for Staff/Ogre, never for Blade of Alacrity. The +10 AGI won't benefit you much.
Boots of Travel (2700 gold)
There are a several reasons you get Phase Boots over Boots of Travel. Phase Boots are a lot cheaper, and come in small, useful, farmable pieces. The Phase ability, as I've already said before, is something all gankers need, and can give higher ms than Boots of Travel. Also, early game, BoT can be substituted with TP scrolls. If the game gets dragged on for too long however, and you find yourself having to move from lane to lane quickly (something TPs can't do now that most towers are destroyed), it's a good idea to sell off your Phase Boots and get Boots of Travel.
Black King Bar (3900 gold)
Once again, you're not a farmer and shouldn't be farming your ass off for a BKB. It's an item to consider only when you have excess gold. More often than not, a Blink Dagger is enough for you to ensure your ultimate is channeled successfully. Nevertheless, If you find yourself getting focused with nukes and dying too quickly after blinking in with Epicenter, then you can opt to go for a BKB. Another reason you might want to get it is if you find it difficult to position yourself with the Blink Dagger, or if the opposing team somehow finds a counter to your Blink + Epicenter combo (e.g. Radiance prevents you from blinking).
General Walkthrough
At the Start (level 1)
Items
Following the item build above isn't mandatory, it's just the starting build I find most effective. A couple of branches and a gauntlet for survivability, 2 clarities so that you don't run out of mana too quickly (which you will, if you don't get the clarities), and tangoes and a salve for some HP regen because you'll definitely get harassed a lot early since you're melee and you have pretty crappy armor. If you don't think you need as much regen as my build suggests, you could substitute some regen with stat items instead. Getting a magic stick at this point is also viable, but like I said before, it depends on the lineup you're facing.
Walkthrough
Right, so you've bought your starting items. Now it's time to pick a lane. Sand King is a melee hero with poor armor, meaning he should NOT solo. Ever. Your best bet is to go to a side lane with a partner, preferably one with range (Sand King's not the best harasser in the world) and a nuke/disable to compliment yours.
Early Game (level 1-9)
Items
As a general guideline, these are the items you should have by the end of the early game phase. Keep in mind, though, that it's not always necessary to upgrade your gauntlet/sell off your branches to get bracers. It depends on how well you're doing. If you find yourself racking up a lot of kills during this phase and will soon have enough gold to get... Say Phase Boots or even Blink Dagger, then it's not a bad idea to save up. Also, if you're going for stats over Caustic Finale early, then the bracers are not that necessary. Get the bracers if you're not farming or ganking too well. Otherwise, just a few un-upgraded stat items should suffice.
Walkthrough
The early game phase is an important one for Sand King. *unfinished*
Mid Game (level 9-16)
Items
Walkthrough
*unfinished*
Late Game (level 16 and beyond)
Items
*unfinished*
Walkthrough
*unfinished*
Crippen Presents a Hero Guide to:
"What's done is done"
"What's done is done"
Changelog
23/8/09: Posted incomplete guide
24/8/09: Added Hero Statistics, Other Items, Self-Intro sections. Started working on General Walkthrough section.
24/8/09(2): Expanded General Walkthrough section.
Self-Introduction
Greetings. This is my first ever attempt at a DotA guide, so it probably won't be very good. I enjoy writing guides, and I've always wanted to make a cool-looking wall-of-text DotA Guide. So, I decided to make one, based on one of my favourite heroes, Crixalis, the Sand king.
That being said, I'm not that great of a player, nor am I the best Sand King player you'll ever see. I only play pubs, so this guide may not be suitable for higher level play (Heck, if you're not playing pubs, you shouldn't be reading this anyway... Unless you like reading guides or something). Despite all of that, I play a pretty decent Sand King, and if you're new to the hero, I hope this guide helps you out a little bit. Keep your expectations low, though.
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.
Hero Introduction
Crixalis is an amazing hero. He has an excellent skillset, and most of his skills have multiple uses. He has an AoE stun which doubles as a pseudo-blink for initiation and escaping. He has a DoT spell that allows him to go invisible, which means he has a 2nd escape mechanism that also allows him to dodge many spells. Caustic finale, a great farming tool, also allows him to quickly rip through enemy creep waves; An invaluable ability during mid to late game pushes. Last, but not least, he has one of the best ultimates in DotA, capable of unleashing massive amounts of AoE damage (Think Laguna Blade, but AoE).
In the right hands, Sand King can be a deadly hero. That being said, mastering Sand King and all of his skills will take quite a bit of practice, but the outcome is definitely worth it.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Has an AoE stun/nuke.
- Burrowstrike acts a pseudo-blink, great for chasing and escaping.
- Ability to go invisible.
- Has a great farming/pushing tool.
- Has a game-breaking ultimate, capable of dealing very high AoE damage.
Cons:
- Melee.
- Small mana pool early game, yet mana-dependent.
- Epicenter has a 2 second channelling time, meaning it can be cancelled by a stun/disable.
- Poor starting stats and armor.
Hero Statistics
Strength: 18 + 2.3
Agility: 19 + 2.1
Intelligence: 16 + 1.8
Damage: 43-59
Armor: 0.7
Movespeed: 300
Attack range: 128 (melee)
Skills
Burrowstrike (active)
The Sand King burrows into the ground and tunnels forward, impaling everything above him, then resurfaces.
Level 1 - Deals 100 damage and stuns for 1.65 seconds
Level 2 - Deals 160 damage and stuns for 1.65 seconds
Level 3 - Deals 220 damage and stuns for 1.65 seconds
Level 4 - Deals 280 damage and stuns for 1.65 seconds
Mana Cost: 140
Cooldown: 11 seconds
Range: 400/500/600/700
AoE: 175
Sand Storm (active)
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.
Level 1 - Deals 20 damage per second. 0.6 second delay before Sand King is revealed
Level 2 - Deals 40 damage per second. 0.9 second delay before Sand King is revealed
Level 3 - Deals 60 damage per second. 1.2 second delay before Sand King is revealed
Level 4 - Deals 80 damage per second. 1.5 second delay before Sand King is revealed
Mana Cost: 60/50/40/30
Cooldown: 40/35/30/25 seconds
AoE: 300/350/400/550
Caustic Finale (passive)
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.
Level 1 - 90 damage
Level 2 - 120 damage
Level 3 - 170 damage
Level 4 - 220 damage
Duration: 0.25 seconds
AoE: 400
Epicenter (active)
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.
Level 1 - Emits 6 pulses. Each pulse deals 110 damage and slows by 30%
Level 2 - Emits 8 pulses. Each pulse deals 110 damage and slows by 30%
Level 3 - Emits 10 pulses. Each pulse deals 110 damage and slows by 30%
Mana Cost: 175/250/325
Cooldown: 140/120/100 seconds
Duration: 3 seconds
AoE: 300/350/400/450/500/550/600/675/700/725 (each pulse)
Skill Build
Level 1: Burrowstrike
Level 2: Sand Storm
Level 3: Burrowstrike
Level 4: Stats
Level 5: Burrowstrike
Level 6: Epicenter
Level 7: Burrowstrike
Level 8: Caustic Finale/Stats
Level 9: Caustic Finale/Stats
Level 10: Caustic Finale/Stats
Level 11: Epicenter
Level 12: Caustic Finale/Stats
Level 13: Stats/Caustic Finale
Level 14: Stats/Caustic Finale
Level 15: Stats/Caustic Finale
Level 16: Epicenter
Level 17+: Whatever's left, max out Sand Storm at level 23-25
Skill Build Justification
Burrowstrike is maxxed out first, since it's your main stun/nuke early game. One level of Sand Storm is taken at level 2, since it grants you invisibility at a low mana cost, allowing you to escape unexpected ganks and survive near-death situations. It's not maxxed however, because it's an unreliable source of damage overtime. It's a channelling spell, and does damage in a fixed radius. Nothing's stopping enemy heroes from moving out of the AoE, and nothing's stopping them from using an AoE silence or stun to cancel the channelling.
Epicenter will rip your enemies apart if successfully casted, so it should be gotten whenever possible. After maxxing burrowstrike, you have a choice between getting Caustic Finale or pumping up stats. This is entirely up to you. However, in general, get stats over Caustic Finale if you see yourself roaming a lot, or if you find yourself dying too quickly. Get Caustic Finale if your team needs some pushing power, or if you find yourself laning quite a bit.
Items
Core Items
Bracers (510 gold)
Cheapest items early game that'll give you everything you need. Extra STR for HP and damage, INT for more mana, and some AGI for a slight armor and attack speed boost.
Phase Boots (1550 gold)
Phase Boots are the best choice of boots for almost any ganker, Sand King included. Gives good movement speed, armor (which Sand King severely lacks) for higher effective HP, extra damage, and best of all, the Phase ability, which gives +10% ms and lets you move through creeps. An invaluable ability to a ganker, both for chasing and escaping.
Bottle (600 gold)
As a ganker, Sand King will have to move between lanes frequently and have mana to spare everytime he participates in ganks. Early game, due to his small mana pool, it usually takes a maximum of 2 ganks before he runs out of mana. Bottle solves that. It gives great burst HP and mana regen, and Sand King can definitely utilize the bottle's rune capture ability as he will be moving in between lanes a lot, and will thus come across runes pretty often.
Kelen's Dagger (2150 gold)
Blink dagger is GODLY on Sand King. It allows you to position your burrowstrikes with ease and catch up with enemies that are too far. Escaping with dagger is a piece of cake for Sand King (provided the enemy team doesn't come prepared with invisibility counters). He just needs to Sand Storm, wait for dagger cooldown, and blink away. But the best thing about Blink Dagger on Sand King is that it allows him to safely channel his ultimate at an area away from where a team clash is occuring, then blink in to wreak havoc. I will explain this in more detail later in the guide.
Other Items to Consider
Magic Stick (200 gold)/Magic Wand (484 gold)
Some would consider this item core on Sand King, but in my opinion, it's situational. If you're facing a team with a lot of casters, get it. It gives you that extra HP and mana that might just change the outcome of a battle. Getting it against a team of point-and-click carries is just stupid (almost as stupid as the all-carry team).
Aghanim's Scepter (4300 gold)
Aghanim's is definitely something that you shouldn't aim to farm up in a game. Yes, you have a great farming tool, but you're not supposed to farm all game. The Aghanim's buff on Sand King's ultimate isn't that spectacular, either. However, if you do have excess gold and are not sure what to do with it, Aghanim's wouldn't be a bad choice. Not so much for the extra pulse (an extra 110 damage, whoopee.), but rather for the nice stats it gives, and the 20 second cooldown decrease on your ultimate. It also has a pretty nice buildup, consisting of items that would be useful to you (Ogre Axe for HP, Staff of Wizardry for more mana, and Point Booster for both). Take note that if you're getting it, go for Staff/Ogre, never for Blade of Alacrity. The +10 AGI won't benefit you much.
Boots of Travel (2700 gold)
There are a several reasons you get Phase Boots over Boots of Travel. Phase Boots are a lot cheaper, and come in small, useful, farmable pieces. The Phase ability, as I've already said before, is something all gankers need, and can give higher ms than Boots of Travel. Also, early game, BoT can be substituted with TP scrolls. If the game gets dragged on for too long however, and you find yourself having to move from lane to lane quickly (something TPs can't do now that most towers are destroyed), it's a good idea to sell off your Phase Boots and get Boots of Travel.
Black King Bar (3900 gold)
Once again, you're not a farmer and shouldn't be farming your ass off for a BKB. It's an item to consider only when you have excess gold. More often than not, a Blink Dagger is enough for you to ensure your ultimate is channeled successfully. Nevertheless, If you find yourself getting focused with nukes and dying too quickly after blinking in with Epicenter, then you can opt to go for a BKB. Another reason you might want to get it is if you find it difficult to position yourself with the Blink Dagger, or if the opposing team somehow finds a counter to your Blink + Epicenter combo (e.g. Radiance prevents you from blinking).
General Walkthrough
At the Start (level 1)
Items
Following the item build above isn't mandatory, it's just the starting build I find most effective. A couple of branches and a gauntlet for survivability, 2 clarities so that you don't run out of mana too quickly (which you will, if you don't get the clarities), and tangoes and a salve for some HP regen because you'll definitely get harassed a lot early since you're melee and you have pretty crappy armor. If you don't think you need as much regen as my build suggests, you could substitute some regen with stat items instead. Getting a magic stick at this point is also viable, but like I said before, it depends on the lineup you're facing.
Walkthrough
Right, so you've bought your starting items. Now it's time to pick a lane. Sand King is a melee hero with poor armor, meaning he should NOT solo. Ever. Your best bet is to go to a side lane with a partner, preferably one with range (Sand King's not the best harasser in the world) and a nuke/disable to compliment yours.
Early Game (level 1-9)
Items
As a general guideline, these are the items you should have by the end of the early game phase. Keep in mind, though, that it's not always necessary to upgrade your gauntlet/sell off your branches to get bracers. It depends on how well you're doing. If you find yourself racking up a lot of kills during this phase and will soon have enough gold to get... Say Phase Boots or even Blink Dagger, then it's not a bad idea to save up. Also, if you're going for stats over Caustic Finale early, then the bracers are not that necessary. Get the bracers if you're not farming or ganking too well. Otherwise, just a few un-upgraded stat items should suffice.
Walkthrough
The early game phase is an important one for Sand King. *unfinished*
Mid Game (level 9-16)
Items
Walkthrough
*unfinished*
Late Game (level 16 and beyond)
Items
*unfinished*
Walkthrough
*unfinished*
Crixalis the Sand KingAuthor: Crippen
Map Vers.: 6.61c
The Sand King
The king of more than just sand.
Last Comment:01/07/2010
Total Votes: 0
Current Rating: 0.00
Views: 8703
