Hero Discussion of this Day: Gyrocopter (18 July 2013)

Aurel Vlaicu, the Gyrocopter

So much for being retired...

The Gyrocopter is a hero who is focused on dealing damage, but also got some potential to disable or slow enemies. His array of very different offensive spells give him the ability to deal a lot of damage in any situation, which makes him a strong laner, but also a potential carry. Rocket Barrage, his first skill, shoots rockets at random targets around Gyrocopter, which makes it an exceptionally strong ability against lone enemies. With the low cooldown, short duration but high attack frequency it can easily decimate an enemy's HP in the early stage of the game... if you manage to stay in range. The Homing Missile is his second ability. It creates a missile that chases an enemy until it hits him or is destroyed, dealing more damage the further it flies. While less powerful in a stationary fight, this ability is a mighty asset in chases and on the lane. With the stun it works well with Rocket Barrage and Calldown. Flak Cannons is an ability based on attacks, enabling Gyrocopter to attack all enemies in a certain area around him at once for a few attacks. Since the amount of targets is not limited, this ability is effective for farming and countering strong pushes. A Gyrocopter with a good selection offensive items standing amidst a group of enemy heroes can deal a devastating amount of damage with Flak Cannons, but that also makes him the main target of his enemies. Last but not least, his ultimate is Calldown. Gyrocopter shoots two rockets into the skies which come down in the targeted area one after another, dealing damage and slowing the enemies. While it is relatively difficult to hit, a well-placed Calldown can easily decide a fight with the powerful AoE slow and the synergy with his other abilities. With Aghanim's Scepter, the range gets upgraded from 1000 to global. This is not only useful to finish off enemies who barely escaped a fight, but can also be used to push, defend and farm on any lane while Gyrocopter is somewhere else. Gyrocopter can deal vast amounts of damage in any stage of the game and in any situation, but his lack of defensive abilities also make him easy to bring down.

Lore

After serving through a lifetime of wars, upheaval, riots, and revolutions, the brass figured Aurel had seen enough. But in addition to a few trinkets and his considerable pension, the erstwhile engineer left with something far more interesting: a long-forgotten, incomplete schematic for a Gyrocopter, the world’s first manned, non-magical flying device. Retiring to the tropical obscurity of the Ash Archipelago with little else but time and money, he set to work building the device. As the years wore on and the remains of failed prototypes began to pile up, he began to wonder if mechanical flight was even possible. A decade and a day after his retirement, on a sunny afternoon with a southerly breeze, Aurel sat in his latest attempt bristling with indignation and expectant failure. With a grunt of effort he pulled the ignition cord and covered his head, waiting for the inevitable explosion. However to his great surprise he began to lift and, following a few panicked adjustments, stabilize. Within an hour, he was ducking and weaving with the breeze, level with the gulls, and Aurel found himself filled with the breathless wonder of flight. As dusk settled in he set a course back to his workshop, but no sooner had he turned his craft when a cannonball tore through his tailfin. Disentangling himself from the wreckage, he swam toward the nearest piece of land in sight, and cursed to see the ship responsible for the cannonball collecting the debris. Days later, when Aurel returned to his workshop, he set to work on yet another gyrocopter, this one capable of carrying a much heavier, more dangerous payload.

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Roles: Initiator, Nuker, Semi-carry, Semi-support, Disabler

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Strength: 18 + 1.8

Agility: 24 + 2.8

Intelligence: 23 + 2.1

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Damage: 41-51

Armour: 4.36

Movement Speed: 315

Attack Range: 365

Base Attack Time: 1.7

Missile Speed: 3000

Sight Range: 1800 (Day) / 800 (Night)

Turn Rate: 0.6

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Spells

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Rocket Barrage

Launches a salvo of rockets at nearby enemy units in a radius around the Gyrocopter. Lasts 3 seconds.

Level	Manacost	Cooldown	Casting Range	Area	Duration	Effects
1	90	7	N/A	400	3	Releases one rocket every 0.1 seconds (if an enemy is an radius) dealing 11 damage (30 max rockets = 330 max damage)
2	90	6.5	N/A	400	3	Releases one rocket every 0.1 seconds (if an enemy is an radius) dealing 15 damage (30 max rockets = 450 max damage)
3	90	6	N/A	400	3	Releases one rocket every 0.1 seconds (if an enemy is an radius) dealing 19 damage (30 max rockets = 570 max damage)
4	90	5.5	N/A	400	3	Releases one rocket every 0.1 seconds (if an enemy is an radius) dealing 23 damage (30 max rockets = 690 max damage)

• Magical Damage

• The rockets only hit units Gyrocopter can see

Aurel's new craft has an increased payload for rockets, enhancing their rapid-fire capabilities.

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Homing Missile

Fires a homing missile to seek the targeted enemy unit. The missile gains speed over time, and deals greater damage the farther it has traveled and stunning the enemy when it hits its target. Enemy units can destroy the missile before it reaches its target.

Level	Manacost	Cooldown	Casting Range	Area	Duration	Effects
1	120	20	1050	N/A	2.2	After 3 seconds, the missile starts moving towards the target gaining speed as it moves and dealing a minimum of 50 damage, a maximum of 110
2	130	17	1050	N/A	2.4	After 3 seconds, the missile starts moving towards the target gaining speed as it moves and dealing a minimum of 50 damage, a maximum of 220
3	140	14	1050	N/A	2.6	After 3 seconds, the missile starts moving towards the target gaining speed as it moves and dealing a minimum of 50 damage, a maximum of 330
4	150	11	1050	N/A	2.8	After 3 seconds, the missile starts moving towards the target gaining speed as it moves and dealing a minimum of 50 damage, a maximum of 440

• Magical damage

• Towers do half damage to the missile. The missile can only be destroyed by heroes and towers

• Enemy gains vision over the missile 1 second after it starts moving

• The crosshair over the target is visible to allies only

• Maximum damage is reached when the missile is 1500 units away from the point where it started

The biggest missile Aurel could possibly attach to his craft, The Bomb™ has carefully calculated aerodynamics and explosives for maximum impact.

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Flak Cannon

Gyrocopter's attacks hit all enemy units in an area around it for a limited number of attacks. Only the main target of attacks will receive attack bonuses such as Critical Strike. Lasts 15 seconds or until the attacks are used.

Level	Manacost	Cooldown	Casting Range	Area	Duration	Effects
1	50	30	N/A	1000	3 attacks or 15 seconds	When Gyrocopter attacks a target, he attacks everyone in a 1000 radius around him
2	50	30	N/A	1000	4 attacks or 15 seconds	When Gyrocopter attacks a target, he attacks everyone in a 1000 radius around him
3	50	30	N/A	1000	5 attacks or 15 seconds	When Gyrocopter attacks a target, he attacks everyone in a 1000 radius around him
4	50	30	N/A	1000	6 attacks or 15 seconds	When Gyrocopter attacks a target, he attacks everyone in a 1000 radius around him

• Physical Damage

• Gyrocopter's attack range remains 365

This newly revamped Gyrocopter has attached enough armaments to assault in a 360 degree radius.

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Call Down

Ultimate

Call down an aerial missile strike on enemy units in a target area. Two missiles arrive in succession, the first dealing major damage and minor slow; the second dealing minor damage and major slow.

Level	Mana Cost	Cooldown	Casting Range	Area	Duration	Effects
1	125	55	1000 (Global *)	450	2/3 seconds	After casting, a missile hits the targeted area for 250 damage slowing enemies hit by 20%, after another 2 seconds, another missile hits the same area for 100 (175*) damage slowing enemies hit by 50%
2	125	50	1000 (Global *)	450	2/3 seconds	After casting, a missile hits the targeted area for 300 damage slowing enemies hit by 20%, after another 2 seconds, another missile hits the same area for 150 (225*) damage slowing enemies hit by 50%
3	125	45	1000 (Global *)	450	2/3 seconds	After casting, a missile hits the targeted area for 350 damage slowing enemies hit by 20%, after another 2 seconds, another missile hits the same area for 200 (275*) damage slowing enemies hit by 50%

• Magical Damage

• This ultimate can be upgraded by sceptre, (*) shows the upgraded effects

• The duration column show: First rocket/second rocket

• The visual warning indicator is visible for allies only. The enemies can see the rockets fly out of you though.

'Bombs away!'

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Recent Changes from 6.78/6.78b/6.78c

• Flak Cannon cooldown increased from 20 to 30

• Attack range reduced from 375 to 365

Recent Changes from 6.77/6.77b/6.77c

• None

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Tips:

Use Homing Missile hidden, so the enemy don't see it coming and run away (also so they don't have a chance of killing it while it's stationary).

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Posts are every two days now, again.

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Important Slardar tip/s of last thread by 25thskye:

Remember to spam your Amplify Damage on everything. Also remember it pierces BKB, and so does your bash. That Ult is no joke, it's saved my life and teammates lives more than a couple of times as it turns almost any enemy into a piece of paper.