Storm

[BurritoCarcass]

I would like to learn how to play storm, but I have no idea how, anyone have suggestions?

[NutzSucksHard]

What is about the suggestion main topic, item to pick/how to use him/how skill working ?

[BurritoCarcass]

Everything, I hav no clue and want some opinions.

[NutzSucksHard]

Well, storm is a great mid game hero/late game support. He's kinda good earlie for gank... But he need some manapool/regen.

Reason is this, he have a ult without cd. The ult is more distance you travel with it, more the place you will hit as last will have dmg. Everything you will hit while balling will get dmg*distance traveled. When you're in bubble, you're invincible. Like axe hunger, you ball out for 5 sec (in ult mode 5 sec). During these 5 sec, hunger doesn't hurt you.

Ok now the skill one by one:

Static Remnant
. This skill create an image of storm on the field. This image, when hurt by ennemies unit, do dommage. The dommage is listed like this grow : 140 Damage/180 Damage/ 220 Damage/ 260 Damage. Mana cost is 70/80/90/100. Count down : always 3.5 second. (an other reason why regen mana is need, you can cast often your skill).

Electric Vortex:
This skill is very usefull when up level 2 +. He pull the unit to your direction. The distance increase (the pull action) and the time of the pull too (disable time in end). So you can do this skill, and static remnant to dommage. CAREFUL, this skill slow storm MS hardly for a brief period. Dont use this then try to run. Instead, use ult

Overload :
. There's a way to stack it. Everytime you cast a spell, you gain a ''blaster'' hit. If you cast three spell, you still have only one ''blaster'' hit. So you need to do : cast/physical punch/cast/physical punch. as much possible. So you do more dommage. Also, it slow the ms of the unit getting it. The hit of the ''blaster'' is splash. And have a AoE of : 275
30 Damage/ 50 Damage/ 70 Damage/ 90 Damage.

Ball Lightning:
This ultimate have no countdown. Still, it drain a lot of mana, very quickly. But get over this now, this ball lighting make storm invincible while balling. He can travel everywhere on the map if he have the mana for doing it, he can travel map entirely. Every time he cast ult, even for a little move, it give a overload it (blaster). So again, use it properly to stack much possible the blaster it. If you ball, pull, remnant then punch... You lost two bonus of 90 Damage if the Overload is last level. So 180 dommage.

Well get to the dommage of ult :

Level 1 : doing 8 damage per 100 units traveled at 1250 movespeed.
Level 2 : doing 12 damage per 100 units traveled at 1875 movespeed.
Level 3 : doing 16 damage per 100 units traveled at 2500 movespeed.

**Note for the ult :
• If the Storm Spirit runs out of mana while traveling he will stop immediately.
• Mana cost per 100 units traveled: 10 + 1% of total mana pool.
• Instant cast abilities can be used while traveling.• This ability destroys trees.

Item recommended :
These are luxury, but for earlie game. Take manapool/regen as much possible.



This one I put it apart (if you have an other aoe nuker, that can buy it, let him do)

So for the earlie, you go stuff you will use later : Like if you orchid, get some sobi mask with Rob Of Magi. Persv on a side. With mystic staff. Ultimate orb etc etc.

Hope this could help you out! Storm is way OP when well played. With him alone, I could handled a pushing team 1v3. Ult is great for that. You can defend your mid, then ult to top/bot lane. Really mobile hero. Nice positioning is important.

Enjoy!

[BurritoCarcass]

When I played him, I am not used to playing such a close ranged intelligence hero that has such little hp. I think a bloodstone is vital primarily so that you can live for more than 2 seconds. Give, the first real time I tried him was in the game that dropped, so I didn't get to see him in the late game.

[NutzSucksHard]

Yea, he is... Kind of squishy. That's why I've set BloodStone / Heart / Shiva's (hp/regenhp/resist). But honestly. The hp isn't need that earlie. Be aware of gank. With high mana and a nice regen of it, you can get out of any situation with ult. Since you're not silenced. If you're facing some silence hero, you need BloodStone or anykind of HP (change the tread to strengh if need etc).

[Tascar]

You might also not be properly laneing Storm. Try jungling with storm using a bottle. He's arguably one of the best at it. Level up the image skill and aoe burst and you are golden. Plus you can help rune control and tank unseen with this setup

[zerodenies]

with your ulti, you shouldnt be taking any focus fire. you can dodge a lot of projectiles (most ranged right clicks, projectile nukes like vs stun, leoric stun) and you can zip away to position yourself outside of melee right click range. a fully farmed storm is very very hard to catch and kill unless you perma stun him. a blink dagger costs over 2k gold... why is it priced so high? because in Dota mobility means everything. you can prevent gold loss and dying with mobility. and you can catch up to finish off weak heroes with mobility. and by the way, in the old version of dota, blink dagger did not disable ever even if you took damage. Icefrog nerfed this because heroes would be fighting in team fights and than use blink dagger to bail out to safety. Basically no one ever died lol. so if Icefrog nerfed the old blink dagger because he thought it was imba... what does that make storms ulti? think about it!

I think the best way to learn how to play a hero is receiving a visual aid. Advice thrown in forums can be helpful but its easy to say what to do in forums without knowing what that looks like. so here are two matches i would suggest watching

this is a game between two pro teams (LGD.sGty vs EHome) and sents play storm and necro as hard carry. and storm carrys hard against a sniper and sf.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBU97rLOU-k

watch legendary dota player Yaphets himself play storm. this is in first person meaning it will only follow storms movements so u can skim around the replay and watch every move he does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFoDD5xHFYA

[NutzSucksHard]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFyOH_ByCCs

go to 4 min, start watch it. Look is positioning and how he used ult. Perfect. He didn't used pull, he waited tc to cast stomp. When he try to do it, he pulled it. So cancel the skill. Great way to use storm.

[BurritoCarcass]

Thanks guys, I will continue to practice him, but he might not cooperate with my play style.

[QTriNitY]

For competitive playing, Storm pickers go for the following in order of core:
Players who excel in Storm Spirit - SingSing DotA2
You may wish to find his replays. Requires Dexterity to pull off his skills and items usage.

1. Bottle rush (Sell to free up inventory)
2. Power Threads (Sell to get Boots of Travel)
3. Magic Stick (Sell to free up inventory)
4. Point booster > Blood Stone
5. Orge Axe > Black King Bar
6. Ultimate Orb > Scythe of Vyse
7. Orchid Malevolence or Shiva's Guard
8. Shiva's Guard or Heart of Tarrasque (Final Item)

[Spectre]

The most important thing is when would You pick storm :+)

Pick it when enemies got at least 2-3 semicarries, or when u play vs heroes like mort, alleria, ench, sniper and any glass cannons.

When not to pick storm?

Never never never never ever pick storm if u face traxa, krob, bala, or team with chains of 5-7 sec stuns, special mention to nortrom,he will make You cry. Dont pick storm if u have to face non-dodgeable stuns and heavy mana drainers.

Skillbuild?
my favourite is:
vortex
overload
static
overload
overload
ball
overload
vortex
vortex
votrex
static
ball
static
static
static
stats
ball
This skill build gives You a LOT of quick dmg, while utilizing minimum of Your mana, alternatively u may max vortex before overload.

Items? Depends on enemies,

start: 3 branches, few tangos, few clarities, mby chicken

early core: Bottle, boots and upgraded magic wand

core: linkens or bloodstone, if they got few direct dissables like hex, storm bolt, magic missle and so on u may consider linkens as Your core item, else go for bloodstone.

If i am having a good farm i try to get fast euls, it;s cheap provides You some more survivality, and not bad mana regen.

Boots extensions: arcane when u go for bloodstone, else arcane or phase - i find phase as a rily good choice, since they allow You to save some mana chasing Your enemy.

Core extensions: BKB if u need it, and got bloodstone alrdy. Else go for sheep stick or shivas - i prefer shivas it gives You some armor u alrdy lack.

Other: Orchid - it's a briliant item for 1v1 gank with Your core and orchid u will grab a kill in 9/10 situation.

Orbs: If u are considering orbs it means u got good farm and nice score - go for: skadi, eventualy for deso, but most of games i'd skip orb.

Skills:
overload: it's your bread and butter skill - abuse it all the time! whenever You got full mana, use static to get overload and harras/grab lasthits
vortex: Main dissable that pulls Your enemy towards You, be careful it's tricky cos it slows You down! It's a perfect tool for chasing enemies.
static: Your secondary source of dmg, incredible effective when farming @ lane/woods.
Ball: Your most important skill, it allows You to pop in, pop out. Initiate, flee, finnish off, and juke.
The best ball is 800-1200 units long, it gives you most dmg per mana spent. Be careful it EATS your mana, so use it only when u rly need it. Mind that u may use some items during ballin :+)

What else? Practice.