Would you like to learn how to play Dazzle in Dota 2?
Though not as popular in the current meta, Dazzle, the Shadow Priest, is still a solid hero with valuable abilities. One of the most iconic supports in the whole game, Dazzle is a hero who destroys enemies without needing items. Moreover, his balance of healing and damage makes learning how to play Dazzle in Dota 2 extremely lucrative.
Spells that are not only key in saving individuals but also important in entire team fights make him incredibly useful. Moreover, he has one of the higher Intelligence and Strength gains in the game, leading to further independence from items. In addition, his spells also help him farm up lane creeps or neutrals camps with ease.
Over time, his impressive Attack Range and special Damage allow him to be an absolute nuisance in the Lane. Dazzle’s core capabilities are enabling his cores with both the ability to play aggressively while saving them in emergencies. These are just some attributes that make playing Dazzle in Dota 2 vital for all Support Players.
Due to his multiple saves, there are quite a few heroes that Dazzle directly counters with his defensive arsenal. Some of these heroes are Necrophos and Clockwerk, who fail to finish off enemies due to Dazzle’s saves. As for heroes, he works well with allies like Huskar and Troll Warlord, who become more lethal at lower health.
Dazzle’s Abilities
Poison Touch is an incredibly simple ability, but it is as deadly as it is simple. This is because this spell damages and slows any enemies under its effect. Making it even more annoying is the aspect that with every hit that Dazzle lands, the duration refreshes. Moreover, it can affect up to eight targets in a max distance of 500 units.
His second ability is perhaps one of the key reasons that Supports want to learn how to play Dazzle in Dota 2. Shallow Grave puts any allied hero under Dazzle’s protection, making them unkillable for 5.5 seconds. While this ability is active, the hero’s health regeneration also increases depending on how much health they are missing.
Dazzle’s primary healing ability; Shadow Wave, sends out a wave that bounces between allies and heals them. In addition to healing up to six allies for 140 health, it damages any enemies near the allies he heals. Another added benefit is that Shadow Word always heals Dazzle as well. Moreover, it only has a measly cooldown of just nine seconds.
A bit confusing, Dazzle’s ultimate ability has two parts. The first of which is Good Juju, a spell that reduces the cooldown of any ability unavailable by two seconds. This, however, is subject to Dazzle casting another spell which is the trigger for the cooldown reduction. Lastly, this ability also has an Aghanim’s Sceptre upgrade that makes it active.
The second part of his ultimate ability, Bad Juju, is a spell that destroys enemy defenses. Bad Juju achieves this incredible feat by reducing enemy armor by three, each time Dazzle’s spells hit them. Furthermore, it deals damage or heals enemies based on the number of stacks it has when made active.
How to Utilize his Abilities
Poison Touch is a ruthless tool that destroys enemies in the Lane, making it hard to even the Last hit. Continuously spamming this ability while ensuring to hit them to refresh its duration is key in harassing enemies effectively. It is also worth noting that a long cooldown means that using it to get kills periodically is optimal.
Shallow Grave has very simple uses but is the best available spell to achieve that purpose. One should always stick to their Cores as a way to make sure that they are easily savable. It has a relatively lengthy cooldown of eighteen seconds, so it is important to choose the right target to save.
Like Poison Touch, Shadow Wave is most favorable as an ability that Dazzle constantly uses. This is because he can use it to supplement his Core’s fighting potential while outputting stable damage. In addition, the ability always heals Dazzle, so one should never use Shadow Wave on Dazzle himself.
Good Juju is a passive ability that is as simple as it gets. Every time Dazzle casts an ability, and he reduces the cooldown of any ability that is already off cooldown. Consequently, one should keep this in mind and not use their abilities sparingly. Dazzle has a duty to utilize his abilities at every chance possible, which is what one should do.
Bad Juju is another passive ability with an active aspect, making it important to understand its uses. One should always try to use Dazzle’s abilities as much as possible in team fights. This ability also combines with active items, so one should purchase active items like Scythe of Vyse.
Item Build
In the Laning Stage, Dazzle loves hugging the trees and harassing enemies from out of vision. To accomplish this, he needs some stats and healing items to trade effectively. Resultantly, he should look into buying Tangoes, Enchanted Mangoes, and Clarities, as well as Iron Branches, to become even more durable.
Another item that suits his aggressive nature brilliantly is the Orb of Venom. In combination with his Poison Touch, the damage that the Orb of Venom can output is insane. At such an Early Stage in the game, few can be as annoying or daunting to face. Moreover, it amplifies the Slow that Dazzle already possesses.
From the Early to Mid game, there are a few things that every Dazzle should have. These include a choice of Boots, most popularly the Arcane Boots and Magic Wand. Both of these items help him always stay ready for fights. While the Arcane Boots also provide him with integral mobility that he can use to reposition himself.
An item that almost no Dazzle game is complete without is the Aghanim’s Shard. Since the Aghanim’s Shard has become available at the 15-minute mark, few match Dazzle’s fighting Potential. The Aghanim’s Shard allows Poison Touch to Hex every target it affects, providing a very beneficial Disable to Dazzle.
Laning Stage and Gameplay
Like most supports, Dazzle heads into the Lane with just one primary goal, to help his carry get Farm. To enable his Core to do this effectively, he must control the Creep Equilibrium very well. Ensuring the lane is under the tower to get as many Last Hits as possible is optimal.
To achieve this, Dazzle needs to make sure to pull the wave or even deny the ranged creep. Moreover, another step to ensure a proper Lane is to drag enemy Lane creeps from under their towers. This resets the pushing of enemies, while also helping one’s core get the adequate amount of Farm.
After the lane, Dazzle’s game is quite simple. He usually sticks with a Core like the offlane and favors the Sidelines. Along with doing this, he should also aim to buy as many Smokes of Deceits as possible. This item allows him to invade the enemy jungle and gank their heroes repeatedly easily.
Dazzle is an amazing support lacking the correct buffs to become the menace he truly is. Most Supports fail to recognize that he can easily turn the game with his saves and heals. This aspect of his arsenal makes him unpredictable and terrifying to face. It is also another reason to learn how to play Dazzle in Dota 2.
