Devourer – Hero Guide by Delfofthebla Part 4

V. Items

You need to stay on top of your farm so that you can rush your core build. Health regen and magic armor directly synergize with Decay, and allow him to tank better as a whole. Devourer also has fairly slow base movement speed, so getting boots early is needed for efficient ganking.

Starting Items

Before the Core

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Before you pick your core build, this is what you want your items to look like. You will need these items before you start "Hardcore Ganking". You can mitigate a decent amount of damage with vestments, and bottle+power supply will sustain you in between each gank.

Choosing Your Core Build

There has been a lot of debate lately on what exactly is the most effective "Core build" for Devourer. I've done extensive testing on different builds and have been unable to decide one way or the other. Due to my inability to "chose" the proper build, I've decided to let it boil down to personal preference.

Core Build 1

Shaman's Headdress – 2,050g Plated Greaves - 1503g Bottle - 600g Homecoming Stone - 135g Power Supply - 606g Total Cost – 4395g Headdress has always been an effective item for devourer due to the massive magic armor and health regen. This combined with Cadaver Armor (Level 4) gives you 53.9% magic reduction! Plated greaves are taken for survival purposes. They give you everything you need. They give you some stats and a ton of armor. They're also the fastest boots excluding Post-Haste.

Helm of the Black Legion - 2,225g Plated Greaves - 1,503g Bottle - 600g Mystic Vestments - 400g Homecoming Stone - 135g  Power Supply - 606g Total Cost - 4,870g There has been a lot of speculating and theorycrafting done with this build. It is entirely dependent on the fact that you keep mystic vestments throughout the entire game. This build mitigates more damage than Core Build 1 in all  situations. The drawbacks are that it costs 575 more gold than Core Build 1, and it requires one extra inventory slot. Once lategame rolls around, you may want to consider disassembling your HotBL and building Headdress/Behemoth's heart out of the pieces. This allows you to make use of an item that would otherwise be worthless late game. Details on the Core Builds Both core builds are completely valid, and each have their drawbacks/perks. Some people prefer headdress, and others swear by HotBL. I personally, prefer Core Build 1 over Core Build 2. Losing that extra inventory slot from Core Build 2 doesn't matter much mid game, but once you work towards late game it starts to hurt. Numbers don't lie though, and Core Build 2 does make you a better tank. (Yes, even when the enemy team has a lot of magic damage.) You can see all the mathcraft and gritty details in the "FAQ's and Debates" section near the end of the guide.

Honorable Mentions

These are items you want to purchase for specific situations. Some could be bought before you finish your core, and others should be put off until after. Strictly speaking you should almost never need to buy these items, they're completely situational.

Ward of Sight – 200g You shouldn't ever really need to purchase wards. There are better heroes that are less item dependent, and they should be buying these instead. Nevertheless, some support heroes just don't do there job right, and spending a mere 200g can give you sight of a good portion of the map, and provide you with even more ganking opportunities.

Barbed Armor – 2,200g If you're actually being focused a lot, this may be worth a purchase. It gives some OK stats and can often ensure you and your "new best friend" aren't interrupted by his pesky teammates. It's also a great counter to many of the heroes that counter you. (Bloodhunter is one example.)

Portal Key – 2,150g There are heroes that require this item to initiate properly, but devourer isn't one of them. He can initiate with hook just fine; and while portal key can help you hook heroes into some secluded locations, he just doesn't need it. Though, if you're having a hard time getting hooks off, this item can really help you still be useful to your team. You can blink in and ult, then hook them as they run away instead. -I haven't used this item enough to really see it's full potential. If you have a replay showcasing the "true power" of Portal Key, please let me know!

Tablet of Command – 2,040g I find the actual "push" of Tablet to be rather weak. It's hard to find situations where I'd rather use tablet instead of simply hooking them instead. In every case that I've purchased Tablet, I was only able to utilize it for chasing purposes. -I haven't used this item enough to really see it's full potential. If you have a replay showcasing the "true power" of the Tablet of Command, please let me know!

Late Game Luxury Items

Choosing a late game item is very important, and you must judge which one is best suited for the game you're in. If you've had a good early-mid game it's more than likely you'll be able to squeeze in one-two of these items. Try to decide what your team needs to win the game, and rush it as fast as you can.

Barrier Idol – 3,653g (1,603g Upgrade from Headdress) If their team has a lot of AOE damage, this is an amazingly smart purchase to make. You could save your team as well as yourself. It gives you a little bit more health regen, and a nice 400 magic damage shield for 8 seconds. Using this in the middle of a teamfight will give your team quite the edge.

Staff of the Master – 4,300g While Barrier Idol is a much better "support" item for your team, Staff of the Master allows you to become a beastly tank. Due to the items required to make this item, you can keep your health and mana stats rising throughout the game; sustaining your early game edge. Strictly speaking - the major reason I buy this is for effect on your ultimate. It allows you to become a tank that is able to heal a quarter of his health every 30 seconds while their carry is busy being burned down to nothing. Hands down this is my most preferred late game item.

Behemoth's Heart – 5,500g This is usually what I go for if the game continues after I've finished my core build and obtained a Staff. You get a major boost to your HP, more ult damage(assuming you have a staff), and a 0.75% hp/s regen. If you haven't had a particularly "great" early game, it can be difficult to farm this item due to the expensive parts. If you plan to use Behemoth's as your first late game item, it is important for you to make sure that you can actually farm the item. Unlike other late game items, the components required to make behemoth's heart can't be acquired easily as the game progresses.

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

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