Who is a DotA player who does not know about Pudge? This one-of-a-kind Strength Hero is arguably one of the most stable heroes in DotA 2. With the intent that all the capabilities of Pudge in DotA 2 are rarely touched by Valve in any updates aimed at stabilizing the game as a whole.
Throughout the history of Dota 2, there is only 1 significant update for Pudge. Of course the update in question is a change related to the Fountain Hook combo utilized by the Na'Vi team at The Internationals 2013. For years, Pudge has always occupied the number one position in the list of the number of games played every day on Dotabuff. Not only that, Pudge also has a fairly stable Winrate diangka 52-53 percent, which can be considered quite high compared to some other heroes.
Just like other heroes, Pudge has advantages and disadvantages as well as a unique strategy. Curious what does Pudge have? Let's see everything in this article!
The Advantages Of Pudge
In general, Pudge is played with a role as roaming support whose main task is to ensure the welfare of core players in their respective lanenya. This is certainly due to the skill of Meat Hook and Rot which gives Pudge a big potential kill on any lane he singgahi. So it certainly can help the core players to be more flexible to dominate the lane.
Not only brilliant as roaming support during early game, Pudge also has the ability to disable for 3 seconds on the target spell immunity, as in the example of the hero wearing BKB, rage, bladefury. And can add the duration is doubled with the talent he can have at level 25.
Pudge also has a very large HP especially after reaching level 25 and choose the talent +2.0 Flesh Heap Str. Although without talent and even then, Pudge already has a fairly large HP when compared with other heroes. Make Pudge one of the most popular hero because it is difficult to be killed by other players.
Disadvantages Of Pudge
As roaming support, indeed kill potential Pudge is very high and can not be doubted. But there are some things that Pudge does not have as a roaming support, for example in the ability to snip the courier opponent in the early minutes of the game. Roaming support such as Bounty Hunter, Riki, Earth Spirit and Tusk can sniping courier in the early minutes with ease.
But not the case with Pudge, the reason is the base movement speed is low, the attack animation is bad enough, and no skill to pursue courier at the initial level. Although at level 6, Pudge can catch a courier for 3 seconds with his ultimatial skill that is Dismember which also does not give any damage to the messenger.
Another weakness that Pudge has at level 1, where Pudge can not both skill is Meat Hook and Rot at level 1. So it is quite difficult for Pudge to do ganking to midlane with only one of the two skills above. Never to get a kill, Pudge can not even be able to zone out midlaner enemy with only one skill. It is back again to our initial problem, that is movement speed and no skill to chase the opponent well.
Strategy Game Pudge
As a roaming support, Pudge must have a clear goal since the beginning of the game. The first step has been started since the picking phase, which determines the main target in the early phase of the game. For example, if your midlaner chooses Invoker and midlaner opponents to choose Shadow Fiend, your priority is to help Invoker win the midlane against Shadow Fiend, so in the early minutes of the game you will try to complicate the game from Shadow Fiend.
Do not forget to always check one of the power rune spots or bounty rune spots are there, prioritize bounty rune spots located on the enemy's map. Try to reach level 2 as soon as level 2 is Pudge's first power spike, which has a Meat Hook and Rot which is very useful to help your team. After having the Meat Hook too, picking up runes is not a big deal for Pudge, especially with his last update that will restore which one used for Hook when Pudge managed to hook a rune.
Watch the three lanes, observe the enemy's support movement and try to anticipate all their movements. If you see the movement of enemy support and predict the enemy will do the gank on your midlaner, hiding behind the trees near your tier 1 midlane tower is a brilliant anticipation step.
The 4th minute, the first night time, is a pretty good time to smoke pie for Pudge. Vision of the enemy is limited, so regarding the enemy hero using the Meat Hook becomes much easier. Then after the laning phase, try to do the gang with your team and prioritize to gran an important hero in the opposing team. For example if the opposing team has Medusa, generally he becomes the team's game center. So menggag Medusa will greatly benefit your team.
Pudge is one of the heroes that can create different kinds of items and get great value. For example, making Eul on Pudge and Rod of Atos both makes Hook easier, but both have their respective advantages under different conditions. Focus on your build items to help the core players in your team and make it harder for the opposing team.
Build Skill
Actually Skill Build from Pudge is quite diverse, considering the conditions in each game is very different. However, it is mandatory for you to maximize your 1-Meat Hook skill and also your 2nd Skill Rot first before taking your 3rd skill Flesh Heap. So if there are two alternative skill builds that you can use up to level 9.
The same can also be applied to Talent from Pudge, where you should take talent which you think will be useful in game or talent that can support your playing ability. Suppose you lack a hero who can lock down, it's good to take talent for the addition of duration Dismember. However, following our recommendation for Roaming Support Pudge:
Item Build
For Item Build you can customize with the needs and other hero-hero items from your team while playing. But if you play Roaming Support Pudge, we have a few Item Build recommendations that might help you play:
** Starting Item : **
** Early Game : **
After this, all the items you have to buy will match the needs of your own team. If you lack lock down, Rod of Atos, Blink Dagger, and Eul Scepter will help you. If your team has very high pitching ability and your team has not made Drum of Endurance, you can make it too. Other items like Glimmer Cape, Force Staff, Pipe of Insight and Spirit Vessel are still relevant for you to make while playing Pudge with Roaming Support build.
Well for Late Game, you will again see the needs of your team, as well as your own needs by adjusting your opponent. Items like Aghanim's Scepter, Black King Bar, Scythe of Vyse, Blade Male, or Shiva's Guard may also be used. So your ability to identify the needs of your team will be able to build you into a better Pudge player. We recommend not to be tied to one or two specific build items, given that Pudge is a hero that relies heavily on the player and his choice of items.
Common Errors
Many Pudge players who think Pudge can only do gank in midlane and must continue to roaming. In fact, there is no harm Pudge started the game from safelane to help carry players kill offlane enemy (of course with the help of other support) if hero carry used has a high kill potential at level 1 like Chaos Knight or Juggernaut. Just imagine your team consists of Juggernaut, Tinker, Brewmaster, Pudge, and Rubick and offlane your opponent is a Timbersaw. If you are too focused on midlane, of course Timbersaw will dominate the lane, gain experience and complicate your carry game. So, doing a gang on the Timbersaw with the heroes your team has is a wise decision.
A fairly common mistake also from Pudge players is to take skill at level 1 before needed. Under certain conditions, you will need a Meat Hook to kill at level 1, although in general Rot is more useful. Suppose you do not have any ability to thwart teleport enemies that you guys gank at level 1, of course leaving the ability point is very useful in such conditions. After all, there's no point in taking Rot if you do not use it directly.
Too eager to kill is also commonly done by the Pudge players. As a hero with a very high kill potential in early games, Pudge players sometimes act beyond her hero capacity. Keep in mind, Pudge has a low armor and base movement speed. So doing a diving tower in the early minutes is not a wise thing unless you already take into account the possibilities that can harm you and your team, such as the arrival of enemy support or offlane opponents do the rotation.
Tips & Trick
Pudge is arguably the one good opponent for Faceless Void. In addition to attracting friend heroes trapped inside the Chronosphere, Pudge can also mengkill Void with relative ease compared to other ganker. Even if Void makes BKB or Linken, Pudge can stay ahead by just using Force Staff and also Dismember well.
Pudge also has a good synergy with Bloodseeker that need not be clarified anymore in the form of Rupture + Meat Hook combo, so any thick hero will still feel how painful this combination.
In the pursuit of one enemy hero, directing the Meat Hook in the opposite direction of the hero movement that you are pursuing is usually successful, because a reflex experienced player will move in the opposite direction from his motion when Pudge cast Meat Hook on the situation .
If you are pursued in a sufficiently dying condition, but still hesitate to use the Suicide Rot, you can use the Soul Ring first before using Rot to make sure your Suicide succeeds.
Meat Hook on the right timing can help your friends to return to the fountain for a split second and come back again in an instant. For example when your friends want to refill the bottle or pick up an item in the fountain, be prepared to do the hook from a minimum distance of about 900 range. Just before teleport is done, do Hook to your friends, so your friends will arrive at the fountain for a split second to refine the bottle or pick up the item, then back to the original position.
How about DOTA 2 Guide for Pudge this time? About what other heroes do you want to be guided by Brott? Write in the comment field below yes!
