How to play on Invoker in Dota 2

Invoker is a universal ranged hero, most commonly played as a midlaner. He possesses a vast arsenal of abilities, allowing him to adapt to any situation. He can deal massive magical damage, control enemies, and support allies, but he requires a high level of skill and experience to use his spells effectively.

When to pick Invoker:

Invoker shines in teams with strong initiation and AoE control, which will allow Carl to use his abilities effectively. He is also strong against heroes vulnerable to magical damage and those who suffer from burst damage. It's worth noting that the Elitist facet is much more popular than Agnostic.

However, he struggles against heroes with high magic resistance, strong mobility, and multiple disables. Read more about Invoker counterpicks here.

Invoker Features:

• Tornado dispel buffs from enemies, similar to Eul's Scepter of Divinity or Nullifier, making it a strong counter against heroes reliant on buffs. This also allows you to dispel power rune effects.
• Forge Spirits reduce armor with each attack, similar to The Swarm from Weaver. An enemy hit multiple times by forges becomes significantly weaker and easier to kill.
• Each Quas sphere grants the hero additional health regeneration, Wex provides additional movement speed, and Exort increases the hero's attack damage.
• When you purchase Aghanim’s Scepter or Aghanim’s Shard for Invoker, you can choose a buff for one of the Spheres.

What to buy on Invoker:

• Blink Dagger/Boots of Travel - For increased mobility.
• Witch Blade/Parasma - Witch Blade pairs well with Cold Snap, and Parasma increases the magic damage dealt to the victim.
• Orchid Malevolence/Bloodthorn/Scythe Of Vyse - For additional control.
• Shiva`s Guard - Increases survivability, reduces enemy regeneration and increases magic damage.
• Black King Bar/Linken's Sphere/Force Staff - Items for save.
• Hand of Midas, Spirit Vessel, Eye of Skadi, Daedalus, Gleipnir, Eul's Scepter of Divinity, Refresher Orb, Octarine Core, Nullifier, Mage Slayer - Situational items, acquired only when needed in specific game situations.

How to play Invoker:

Early game:

Due to high variability, your gameplay on Invoker can differ from match to match right from the first minutes. There are two main skill builds: Quas-Wex (QW) and Quas-Exort (QE). In any case, Quas is usually takes only up to level 4 (Tornado with Quas at level 4 has an optimal duration for comfortable spell usage. Additionally, level 4 Quas is required to summon an extra Forge Spirit). After that, preference is given to Wex and Exort, often at the cost of talents. Your skill build will directly affect your gameplay in lane. When playing QW Invoker, you can harass enemies with Tornado and E.M.P., as well as join early ganks on other lanes. This build is considered less greedy and will be effective if you have a passive carry who needs space to farm. On QE Invoker, you focus on farming until you acquired key items and can help teammates on lanes using Sun Strike, which grants experience regardless of distance when securing a kill.

Mid-game:

In mid-game, your play style will also vary, depending on the strategy you choose. If your team has good AoE control, which will allow you to effectively use Sun Strike with Aghanim's Scepter and other abilities, it's worth looking for a teamfight. If you're not strong in a teamfights - switch to finding and killing single targets. To top it all off, Invoker is a great split-pusher.

Late game:

In the late game, Invoker remains powerful, capable of turning fights or quickly eliminating key targets. It is important to play around your abilities and purchase the necessary items, based on the enemy draft and their item builds.

Basic Game Principle:

Invoker requires a high level of skill and experience. A well-chosen playstyle, proper spell usage, positioning, and target selection in fights will unlock the hero’s full potential and significantly increase your chances of victory.