Dota 2 Items - Shadow Blade vs Blink Dagger

Introduction

Dota 2 is a game where we can choose between 120 different heroes and items, each of which is unique. While it's sort of easy to learn when to pick certain heroes, we definitely can't say the same about buying the proper items. However, this is something very important if you want to have success in this hard game.

Purchasing the right item for the situation can make all the difference in the world. Sadly, new players are always struggling with this and they end up gettings items that are just not worth it for the situations. Don't get us wrong, every single item has its ups and downs but not each of them is good in every situation.

Having said that, let's take a look and see when should we buy a Shaodw Blade, and when a Blink Dagger

SB vs Dagger 

These items are often compared against each other because they are very similar. However, making the right choice can be very difficult because bot items have their ups and downs. Apart from the situation you find yourself in,  it also depends where you actually play. Generally speaking, if your enemies are good, Shadow Blade won't be that good. However, if you're facing enemies who won't buy any detection, you will be nealry immortal.

So, you should buy a Shadow Blade when:

• Your hero requires it (there are heroes which are very hard to do anything without this item)
• The enemies aren't that good
• You buy the item very fast

On the contrary, Blink Dagger is one of the most popular Dota 2 items. Regardless of the skill bracket you're in, there is always someone that buys this item becase it provides amazing positioning. However, using it is a lot trickier bacuse once you take damage from the enemies, the item will become unusable for three seconds.

The best scenario for a Blink Dagger is when:

• The hero needs it to positon properly
• There is already a hero that has some sort of invisability. In this case, buying a Shadow Blade makes no sence because your team will have two invis heroes, which can easily be countered.
• Lastly, a Blink Dagger is needed in order to execute certain hero combinations, e.g. Magnus + Tidehunter, etc.