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How to carry any safelane: Rikimaru gameplay

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7 min read
Riki is a forgotten hero who is now gaining momentum. The meta is moving in the hero's direction as the developers increase the power of his abilities from patch to patch. Increasingly, we can see Riki in public. What prompted the hero to return, and why should he be picked now? We will learn about it in this article!
How to carry any safelane: Rikimaru gameplay

Historically, a few players have Riki in their draft pool, so one of its main advantages is that it is unlikely that opponents will be ready to confront you. Yes, of course, everyone has long known that such items as Force Staff and Dust of Appearance are good against Riki, but more is needed to resist the hero fully. Since Riki is a weak hero, the likelihood is that you will perish if you are discovered and rendered helpless. You may blink in to engage in combat with an additional charge, and if things get out of hand, you have an additional charge to blink away. Cyber-sport.io describes a short review of this hero, with the help of which you will better know the pros and cons of this character.
 

Is Riki a good hero?

Riki is a very situational hero. If we are talking about position 1, it's better to draft him at the second stage or last pick because many heroes complicate his game - Naga Siren, Bloodseeker, Bristleback, Specter, and others. As allies for Riki, any support will be relevant because he is pretty independent - he has high armor and base damage. For other positions, you can take active heroes who, together with Riki, will be able to impose aggression on the map, they should be front laners.

 

How to carry any safelane: Rikimaru gameplay

 

Rikimaru Dota skill build

In the initial purchase, we are interested in a quick purchase on the Wraith Band, that is, Circlet and Slippers of Agility, then Quilling Blade, Tango, and 2x Iron Branch. You should skillfully realize your starting indicators on the lane: actively attacking the enemy and exchanging resources in the right situations. Riki's skill build will always remain the same - priority on Blink Stike in all situations (2-3-2-3-2), you can also take Smoke Screen not at the fourth level in individual matchups.

 

How to carry any safelane: Rikimaru gameplay

 

Rikimaru Dota item build 

Riki has always had a canonical build that will remain relevant to this day. After purchasing the Wraith Band, Riki players purchase Power Treads. If necessary, you can bring the Magic Stick and the Magic Wand. 

 

The main item on Riki is Diffusal Blade, as it dramatically increases the hero's kill potential and perfectly synergizes with the agility multiplier of the ultimate ability. Often the following item is Manta Style because these are also stats for the ultimate ability, as well as an additional escape because Riki is tied to snowball mechanics, that is, we shouldn't moderate it. 

 

The next step is a little more complex, choosing between Skull Basher, Aghanim's Shard, Black King Bar, or Aghanim's Scepter. At this point, it is essential to analyze the situation: we take Skull Basher against heroes with magical invulnerability, Aghanim's Shard if we need to turn off a hero from a fight that can interfere with us, Black King Bar if opponents have a lot of control that prevents us from entering the fight, Aghanim's Scepter in situations where we want to split lanes.

 

How to carry any safelane: Rikimaru gameplay

 

Rikimaru Dota gameplay

After the laning stage, we usually have the goal of buying Diffusal Blade; for this, it is advisable to take the lane and just farm, in case of an attack, our abilities will help In general, Riki's mid-game solo ganks have a lot of power, so don't forget to keep your advantage by killing Roshan or destroying the tower. 

 

At level 10, it's always worth picking up the +60 Smoke Screen AoE talent, as the other talent buffs the hero less noticeably. At level 15, both skills are promising, but more often, players prefer 8% Cloak and Dagger Movement Speed because Smoke Screen's cooldown talent will often lack mana. At level 20 -4s Blink Strike Replenish Time. At level 25, -4s Tricks of the Trade Cooldown will be more relevant.

 

How to carry any safelane: Rikimaru gameplay

 

Summary

Riki is an exciting and active hero. In skillful hands, he is a machine for killing opponents, especially at low and medium ratings. Try to master this hero in your games! Share your minds with Cyber-sport.io. Subscribe and follow the latest eSports news! 

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