Do you want to learn how to play and win games by playing Ember Spirit in Dota 2?
Among the most demanding heroes in Dota, Ember Spirit has quite a high Skill-Cap and is unpopular because of this. Even though he has little presence at Low MMR Brackets, his potential as a Midlaner is arguably untapped. Besides this, his versatility in playstyles makes it a must to learn how to play Ember Spirit in Dota 2.
His versatility in both his items and playstyles allows him to adapt to most, if not any, draft he faces. Moreover, he has both magical and physical damage and useful Lockdown available in his flexible skillset. Ember Spirit can also effectively influence fights because of his large amounts of Crowd Control and Creep Clear.
Like the other Spirit Brothers, Ember Spirit is highly mobile and can move around the map at an incredible pace. Being able to fight at any part of the map instantly allows Ember Spirit to be greatly proactive. Resultantly, he can Farm and Push Lanes quickly, allowing him to apply pressure everywhere. This is another reason to play Ember Spirit in Dota 2.
Due to his adaptability, he can work well with most heroes in the game as they can all assist him. Heroes in this category include but are not limited to Magnus, Keeper of the Light, and Enigma. In contrast, enemies he can counter due to low mobility include various heroes. These heroes are Terrorblade, Crystal Maiden, Templar Assasin, and Zeus.
Ember Spirit’s Abilities
Searing Chains; his first ability is a way to lock down two enemies at once while also damaging them. Ember Spirit releases chains that can root enemies at a place for three seconds, dealing 110 damage per second. Apart from dealing decent damage, this ability also has minimal costs, with only 110 Mana and a ten-second cooldown.
Ember Spirit’s second ability is the Sleight of Fist and deals with Physical Attack Damage in a target radius of 550. On its use, he dashes around in a circle up to 650 units away and damages each unit in it. Moreover, the ability also grants Ember Spirit with 150 bonus damage whenever he attacks a hero. It consumes just 50 Mana and is quite efficient.
Another great way to Farm or deal massive damage in an AoE radius is the Flame Guard. From its name, one can guess that the ability also protects Ember Spirit. This is true as it defends him from up to 400 Magical Damage that enemies can dish out. The spell lasts for an outrageous twenty seconds, and also deals a max of 55 damage per second.
The key to his mobility and the reason for Ember Spirit being everywhere is his ultimate ability; Fire Remnant. This ability is also a key reason why one should consider learning how to play Ember Spirit in Dota 2. With it, he gets three charges of Remnants that he can move to at 250% of Ember Spirit’s movement speed.
Fire Remnant’s second aspect is Activate Fire Remnant and does exactly what it states. With a cooldown of 38 seconds, Ember Spirit can place three remnants at one time. These Remnants last for 45 seconds, and Ember Spirit can dash to them globally.
How to Utilize his Abilities
As Searing Chains has such a low cooldown for its damage, it is a great tool in the Early Game. It is also worth noting that this ability chooses targets randomly and can even trap Creeps. As a result, players must take care to use it only when there are minimal units present around the target. It also prevents enemies from teleporting out or using items.
A tool to harass enemies, finish off kills, or just Farm up Creeps, Sleight of Fist has many use cases. Another one of its uses is to dodge projectiles or spells that enemies use on Ember Spirit. One should also know that during Sleight of Fist, Ember Spirit can use any items or other spells. This makes it easy for him to combine the spell with other escapes.
In the Lane, Flame Guard is truly terrifying, and against heroes like Templar Assassin, it can be devastating. This is because it is a constant source of damage and helps Ember Spirit get easy Last hits. However, it has quite a long cooldown, so one should conserve it. Using it at only the right moments is integral to winning the Lane.
Fire Remnant has only a few charges without its Aghanim’s Sceptre upgrade, and thus, one should use it smartly. This means that, firstly, there should be a Fire Remnant in the Fountain at all times. This allows Ember Spirit to flee from situations and go to a safe place. Moreover, he should place one remnant whenever he teleports somewhere.
In addition, one should try not to waste Remnant charges in initiating fights. Instead, Ember Spirit should let someone else initiate and save the charges for secondary damage output. Dashing to these remnants also deals burst damage.
Item Build
Ember Spirit is actually quite strong early on, as he has decent damage and can get Last hits with his abilities. He should start with Healing, a Magic Stick, and a Quelling Blade. Next, he builds a Bottle, as it is essential in winning the Midlane. The second item he pursues after his Phase Boots is the Maelstorm.
The Maelstorm provides him with enough damage and attack speed to farm efficiently. Next, it depends on whether Ember Spirit goes for a Physical or Magical Build. For a Physical Build, he can go for a Desolator and Daedalus to accelerate his damage massively. A Black King Bar is also essential to ensure he can fight effectively.
As for a Magic Build, he can firstly complete his Glepnir, as it provides him with immense Lockdown. After this, his Aghanim’s Shard and Aghanim’s Sceptre are a must to succeeding with Ember Spirit. He can also go for an Orchid Malovalence at this stage. A Black King Bar is also essential for the Magic Damage to build.
Laning Stage and Gameplay
In the Laning Stage, Ember Spirit constantly looks forward to his massive power spike with Fire Remnants. Before this point, he needs to make sure not to die and get XP as fast as possible. To do this, he needs to stay on his side of the river while making sure to get the Last Hits. Denying creeps is also a great way to make his enemy Midlaner fail the Lane.
Once he does get level six and can use his Fire Remnants, he should start being more aggressive in Lane. He can afford to do this as he has a Remnant in base to get back to if in danger. Trying to destroy the Mid Tower as soon as possible is also among his main goals. Apart from this, using Remnants to gank other Lanes is the best possible move.
After he gets rid of the Mid Tower, he can move to other Lanes to help them destroy their towers. While doing this, he should be proactive in invading enemy jungles to locate and bully enemy Cores. Doing this puts Ember Spirit’s team in a perfect position. He should also abuse his mobility to apply pressure to Lanes and push Towers easily.
Though quite unpopular in Low MMR brackets, Ember Spirit is a menace to face. With the right draft and enough practice, he can be key in demolishing one’s competition. For this reason, it is crucial to learn how to play Ember Spirit in Dota 2.
