Playing a support role in "Dota 2" requires a masterful skill. Throughout the years, this position has shaped the game to a huge extent to the point that it dictates the tempo of the game for every team fight.
Out of all the support heroes in the game, Earth Spirit appears to be one of the least played in pubs because of the very high mechanical skill that it requires for every player. However, he excels mainly because of his all-around moves that immobilize the opponents even from a distance.
If you want to master this hero, here's a quick guide to get you started.
Why Should You Pick Earth Spirit?
(Photo : Dota 2)
Here's how to play Earth Spirit effectively in "Dota 2."
Personally, Earth Spirit is my favorite hero in "Dota 2." I'm fond of playing positions 4 and 5, but most of the time, I stick to the former.
Playing Kaolin has always had a special place in my heart. He has almost all the tools you need to ace a clash against the enemies. He could stun, slow, silence, and even nuke you. He's also a great vision provider thanks to the shard upgrade for its remnants.
Aside from that, he's a great rescuer for the squad thanks to his Boulder Smash. It can either save your teammate or kick your enemy during the team fights.
You should pick Earth Spirit because he's a 4-in-1 guy. However, I just want to warn you that he's a very complex hero to master so you need to practice harder if you want to use him efficiently in "Dota 2."
It's good to pick him when your team lacks crowd control or a good roamer. If you still needs a brief stun, it's ideal to lock him in your lineup.
Best Allies and Enemies of Earth Spirit
Although he has a great strength gain and is a very tanky hero for support, he falls short against some enemies. Some good heroes compliment his skills, but some can rip him off easily.
Earth Spirit is good against:
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Tinker - jumping into Tinker in the early game is easy. Once you roll towards him, you can perform Boulder Smash and Grip right away to render Tinker useless.
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Templar Assassin - Templar Assassin's Refraction will be wasted once Earth Spirit places his Magnetized remnants on the team fight. Just be mindful if your opponent has Black King Bar.
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Pudge - Earth Spirit can disrupt Pudge when he's dismembering your teammate. This is a good disable for spells with long stuns.
Other than that, squishy heroes such as Crystal Maiden, Rubick, Shadow Demon, Shadow Shaman, and more are easy targets for Earth Spirit.
Unfortunately, Kaolin is bad against the following:
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Lycan - Although he's a very mobile hero, Earth Spirit could not survive Lycan's Shapeshift during a chase. It will even get harder when this wolfman has already BKB.
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Clockwerk - Many times, I've seen myself struggling against Clockwerk. When I roll immediately, he will just cast Battery Assault and imprison me inside the Power Cogs.
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Abaddon - Another hard counter against this hero is Abaddon. Since the Lord of Avernus is too difficult to deal with because of his high armor, you cannot kill him easily in one go. His Aphotic Shield can easily dispel Earth Spirit's skills in an instant.
Other notable additions include Weaver, Puck, Ember Spirit, Void Spirit, and Timbersaw.
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Earth Spirit Tricks and Itemization
Since I'm more inclined in using Kaolin as soft support, it's just my personal choice to use him as position 4. For another option, you can use him as position 2, but that's out of my knowledge already.
When playing with him in the early stages, start with Tangoes, Salve, and Mango just in case you run out of mana. Your goal, in the beginning, is to disturb every lane, especially the mid-lane.
Continue ganking the opposing mid laner by setting up a Rolling Boulder-Boulder Smash Combo. Successful early kills will dictate how well the game goes from mid through the late game.
Regarding itemization, there are a lot of choices you can explore. It still depends on the situation. Take a look at these.
Spirit Vessel - to add damage per second to the opponent/ sustain allies during team fights.
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Dagger - for extra escape and initiation
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Force Staff/Glimmer Cape - another pair of items for escape. You can also save your dying teammates by using these.
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Guardian Greaves - this is a good pick-up if your team lacks sustain and dispel.
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Eul's Scepter of Divinity - good against heroes with silence
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Pipe of Insight - if your opponents are reliant on magic, this is a good item in your inventory
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Aghanim's Scepter and Shard - Shard is perfect for providing extra vision to your team while the Scepter can allow you to save your teammate or kick an opponent towards your team. It instantly turns the unit into an animated Remnant for three seconds.
For the tricks in playing it, you can cast Rolling Boulder, then quickly put a Stone Remnant to execute your Boulder Smash-Geomagnetic Grip combo.
You can also do Boulder Smash first, then pull out the Remnant through Grip. After that, perform the roll on your opponent.
During team fights, look for the most squishy heroes. You can also target enemies with AOE (area-of-effect) skills and interrupt their spells.
Once you roll your way towards them, immediately drop the Remnant then click Magnetize.
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This article is owned by GameNGuide
Written by Joseph Henry
