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Riki is one of the most formidable carries in Dota 2, mostly due to the fact that he has great scaling potential, as items pump more and more agility into his backstab multiplier.
Having permanent invisibility from level 1 made him a viable support back in the day. Naturally, that was all before 7.23, the major Dota 2 patch in 2019, which made it so "Cloak and Dagger" is now his ultimate ability. No more cheesy courier-camping shenanigans behind the enemy T2 at early levels, when they perambulate at a slow pace.
That said, the Aghanim's shard upgrade introduced with Dota 2 patch 7.29 has, once again, turned him into a strong position 4 pick. Situationally, it can be a game-winning counter. If not, it is still an extremely fun and mobile alternate playstyle for Riki.
Soft Support Riki in Dota 2 7.29d
What makes Riki a good support pick in the current Dota 2 patch? A series of stat reworks have buffed Riki’s laning by a good deal. He has a decent movement speed of 320, so he can chase down the pesky enemy supports even without boots.
In addition, the base 4.3 HP regen and 6 armor makes him more survivable in lane. The main reason, however, is the "Sleeping Dart" spell introduced via Dota 2 7.29 shard upgrades, and its synergy with Meteor Hammer, which turns Riki into a highly versatile disabler.
When is position 4 Riki a good pick? The general rule of Dota 2 drafting is to primarily look at what kind of utility or disable a hero brings to the table. Riki’s kit features a good AoE silence that lingers for 6 seconds. Thus, he is a good pick against heroes with escape spells: Faceless Void, Ember Spirit, Storm Spirit, Queen of Pain, or Anti-Mage to name a few.
Unlike a traditional Dota 2 support, though, Riki has no reliable disables in the early game. The lane/team comp should compensate that with other disabler heroes, as another general rule of Dota 2 drafting.
Skill Build
As for ability points, the first skill should always be W (Blink Strike). Thanks to the two charges, Blink Strike is a catch that also doubles as a disengage. From there on out, the skill progression depends. If the enemy carry is an escape hero (like Faceless Void or Morphling), and there is a strong offlaner (like Centaur or Axe) that can set up a kill, Q (Smoke Screen) will help secure it.
In general, at least one value point should be invested into E (Tricks of The Trade), which is an excellent escape that can disjoint spells. 1-1-1 on level 3 is a good build. Afterwards, the player should max W first for shorter charge replenish times, and then max Q, skilling the ultimate (Cloak and Dagger) whenever possible.
Item Build
The absolute essentials for a position 4 riki are Meteor Hammer (2350g) and the bread-and-butter Dota 2 7.29 item: Aghanim’s Shard (1400g) . Ideally, Riki will have them both at minute 20. The combo is to press Sleeping Dart on the target, which will give Riki enough time to channel Meteor Hammer. Cumulatively, it is a ~5.5 second disable.
Note that the Sleeping Dart disable expires preemptively if the target takes more than 200 damage, so one should just start channeling the Meteor Hammer immediately without hitting the sleeping target.
The rest of the itemization is, as expected from a game of Dota 2, situational. The early game boots of choice are Tranquil Boots for the sustain and speed, or Phase Boots if the lane is going really well. Orb of Corrosion is also a good item if there is constant fighting. Depending on the opponent lineup, here are some potential item choices.
- Spirit Vessel
- Heaven’s Halberd
- Solar Crest
- Lotus Orb
- Diffusal Blade
- Eul’s Scepter / Wind Waker
- Mage Slayer
- Aether Lens / Octarine Core
One ought to also remember that Dota 2 roles are not set in stone. If the game requires it and Riki gets rich from early ganks, he can also transition into a semi-core/offlane position. This allows for greater build variation and more expensive utility items.
- Gleipnir
- Scythe of Vyse
- Ethereal Blade
- Nullifier
- Boots of Travel (for split-pushing)
The Laning Stage
A position 4 Riki plays much like a Treat Protector. On account of his melee range, he cannot easily harass the carry. Instead, Riki does best what a slippery high-damage gap closer in Dota 2 does: pose a threat to the opponent position 5.
When not trading with the enemy pos 5 or messing with their pull, Riki can also pull the offlane camp if the creep equilibrium is tucked away too deep. As a roamer, it is also Riki's duty to stake out jungling cores or to gank mid when the moment is opportune.
The Mid Game
In the Mid Game, Riki can be an effective scout and ward carrier, thanks to the permanent invisibility. With the Dart-and-Hammer combo, Riki can set up pick-offs or stall the target when necessary. The Meteor Hammer also helps clear waves and push towers, essentially turning Riki into a better version of Treant Protector for the purposes of ratting and cutting waves.
The Late Game
In the late game, there are more 5v5s than rune scuffles and pickoffs. It is often unsafe to channel the Hammer in the middle of a teamfight. One should instead focus on disabling key targets with Dart.
Dota 2 7.29d Riki actually has much more to offer beyond a Sleeping Dart. Smoke Screen becomes an extremely disruptive tool in the later stages thanks to the talents. Kitted out properly, Riki has a 550 AoE silence and 65% miss chance debuff with only a second of downtime.
