How to play on Monkey King in Dota 2

Monkey King is a melee hero of agility, most often acts as a midlaner or carry, but sometimes used as a fourth position support. He has high mobility and can deal a huge amount of physical damage. Can be active in the early stages and is quite strong in late, but is dependent on a good start and items.

When to pick Monkey King

MK is extremely comfortable playing against melee characters who can't hold position. Thanks to his abilities, Sun Wukong can easily overwhelm almost any melee character. Having low-mobility heroes on the opposing team and those who can't hinder Monkey King in the early and mid game are the best conditions for Monkey King's pick. On top of that, it will be a plus if you have heroes with AoE control (like Magnus or Enigma) on your team that will not allow enemies to escape from MK's ultimates. Note that the Simian Stride facet is much more popular than Wukong`s Faithful.

The problem will be characters who have a lot of control and magic damage, or who can easily escape MK Ultimates, quickly break distance, and destroy trees. Read more about Monkey King's counterpicks here.

Monkey King Features:

• Despite being a melee character, MK's attack range is almost as good as some ranged heroes, such as Luna or Templar Assassin (without Psi Blades).
• Unlike, for example, Phase Shift Puck or Manta Style, timely use of Mischief will only save you from incoming damage, but will not protect you from negative effects (slow, stun or silence).
• Soldiers from Wukong`s Command do not get bonuses to attack speed and have a fixed attack interval, although they can apply any attack modifiers and their damage increases depending on the damage of the MK itself. With Aghanim's Scepter, soldiers gain the Jingu Mastery ability.

What to collect on Monkey King:

• Orb of Corrosion - Gives MK the necessary attack speed and slows down opponents.
• Maelstrom/Battle Fury - Popular farming items for MK.
• Echo Sabre - Hepls stack Jingu Mastery effects faster and slows enemies down a bit.
• Harpoon - To quickly shorten the distance or prevent the enemy from escaping from Monkey King Ultimates.
• Black King Bar/Linken's Sphere - Items for save.
• Diffusal Blade/Disperser/Skull Basher/Abyssal Blade/Eye of Skadi - For additional control of the opponent.
• Monkey King Bar/Daedalus/Butterfly/Nullifier/Satanic/Silver Edge/Swift Blink/Mage Slayer/Manta Style/Sange and Yasha - Situational items, acquired only when needed in specific game situations.

How to play Monkey King:

Early game:

At the laning stage, against most melee heroes Sun Wukong will feel great and can play aggressively. With a tough lane at mid or fourth position, you can help your team and effectively gank your opponents with Tree Dance. In a difficult game on Monkey King-carry you should buy an item for farming as quickly as possible and wait for key items to appear. It should be noted that MK usually use non-standard skill-build for most characters. Instead of ultimate, the first and third abilities are favored (Tree Dance is taken once at level 3-6, but in hard games it can be maxed to speed up farming), and Wukong`s Command is taken later, for example, when the first key artifact appears.

Mid-game:

In mid-game, stick to the strategy you chose in the early game: either play aggressively, setting the tempo and putting pressure on the enemy, or farm and connect to the team when there is an opportunity to realize your items and timings. In combat, it is important to choose a good moment and position to use Wukong`s Command, and to first kill heroes that can hinder you, such as those with a lot of control.

Late Game:

In late Monkey King-support loses its relevance, while MK carry can still be extremely effective. Try to force the enemy to accept battles in your ultimates, as Wukong`s Command gives a big advantage, especially with Aghanim`s Scepter. Don't forget to buy the necessary items in time, based on the enemy's pick and the artifacts they have acquired.

Basic Game Principle:

Monkey King is a pretty universal hero, which will allow you to choose the most effective play style depending on the game situation. But at the same time he requires a high level of skill and experience. The right strategy and its competent implementation will significantly increase your chances of winning.