The Heroes in Dota 2 - An Introductory Guide for Riki

Introduction

Dota 2 has many iconic heroes that are very famous, even among people that don't really play the game. Some of them are one of the fiercest carries, whereas others are the "Gods" of supporting. 

With that said, today, we will take a look at one hero that is very versatile and can be played in pretty much any position. Riki is the type of hero that is able to carry his team while also being one of the best roaming supports in Dota 2. Let's take a look and see what do we need to know about this hero.

Basic information about Riki

Riki, also known as the Stealth Assassin, is a melee agility hero that can literally be played in every single position possible. In fact, the hero constantly changed his role throughout the yeas. Although he definitely shines the most when he is playing as a carry, Riki can easily be played as a support, offlaner, or mid lane, depending on the situation and the hero he is facing.

Riki is capable of doing insane amounts of damage, especially if he gets a couple of items. However, he is also very fragile and can be easily killed in pretty much any disable. That's why if the hero is played as a core, players tend to buy defensive items on him a lot.

Let's take a look at what are Rikis' abilities and what how can you make the most out of them:

• Smoke Screen is an amazing ability that can completely turn around a team-fight when it's used properly. This annoying AoE spell causes the enemies to be silenced and also provides a 55% miss chance on attacks. In other words, it can completely disable certain heroes from doing damage during fights.
  One of the most popular combinations with this ability is to buy a Diffusal Blade. When you use it while your enemy is inside the smoke, they will be trapped there at least for a couple of seconds. This should be enough to score a kill against the target.
• Blink Strike is a very powerful, engaging, and disengaging tool that can be used either on your enemies or allies. It has a pretty big range, which allows Riki to jump from a distance. Unlike other blink mechanisms in Dota 2, this one has two charges, which makes it very efficient because Riki can necessarily blink in and out from a fight.
  When this ability s used against enemies, it does 50 bonus damage, which is also pretty cool.
• Tricks of the Trade is yet another AoE spell that can cause havoc during team fights. Although it might not seem as strong at first, once Riki gets a couple of damaged items, this can be an absolute game-changer. Apart from hitting your enemies for free, you are also going to fade away from the game, which means that you can't be targeted by no spells or attacks. This means that you can use this spell defensively when you want to avoid kind of AoE spells or attacks. 
• Cloak and Dagger is the ability that defines this hero. This ultimate makes Riki permanently invisible when he is not attacking a unit. In other words, he can freely roam around, and the enemy won't be able to notice him unless they have some sort of detection. In addition to all that, this ability also increases Riki's damage, which is very important if he plays as a carry.
  Throughout the years, this spell was moved from being an ultimate, but it seems like Valve likes it to be here. 

Counters and Items

As we mentioned earlier, Riki is a very squishy hero, which means that he can easily die against every hero that has some sort of burst damage. However, having a free invisible, as well as a way to fade away from the game, makes him pretty damn versatile. That said, every single hero that has some sort of detection can potentially be a counter to Riki. Here are a couple of examples that can make his life a living hell:

• Lifestealer is a very strong hero against Riki because he can just use his first skill and kill him in the duration. 
• Slardar is one of the most significant counters to Riki because his ultimate can completely ruin his invisibility. After all, that's one of the biggest strengths of this hero.
• Bounty Hunter is also another very common pick against Riki. Similar to Slardar, his Track gives True Sight vision over Riki, which makes it impossible to hide. 

When it comes down to the item choice, it all depends on the position of the hero. Needless to say, this will vary a lot of he is a carry or support. Having said that, here are a couple of items that nearly every player that picks Riki tends to buy:

• Diffusal Blade is by far one of the most reliable items for Riki, regardless of his position in the game. It provides a lot of damage and slow, which is precisely what this hero needs in order to shine.
• Basher into Abyssal Blade is also a trendy item because it gives Riki a guaranteed stun. When you combine this with a Smoke Bomb + Diffusal afterward, it is nearly certain that you will be able to score a kill.
• Sange and Yasha is a very cool item that gives Agility, Attack Speed, and Strength, which are all stats that are very important for Riki. To make things even better, this item is reasonably cheap, so you can buy it early on and do a lot of damage.