Semi-daily hero tips. Day 51: Lycan

PREVIOUS HEROES

• Abaddon
• Alchemist
• Ancient Apparition
• Anti-Mage
• Arc Warden
• Axe
• Bane
• Batrider
• Beastmaster
• Bloodseeker
• Bounty Hunter
• Brewmaster
• Bristleback
• Broodmother
• Centaur Warrunner
• Chaos Knight
• Chen
• Clinkz
• Clockwerk
• Crystal Maiden
• Dark Seer
• Dazzle
• Death Prophet
• Disruptor
• Doom
• Dragon Knight
• Drow Ranger
• Earth Spirit
• Earthshaker
• Elder Titan
• Ember Spirit
• Enchantress
• Enigma
• Faceless Void
• Gyrocopter
• Huskar
• Invoker
• IO
• Jakiro
• Juggernaut
• Keeper of the Light
• Kunkka
• Legion Commander
• Leshrac
• Lich
• Lifestealer
• Lina
• Lion
• Lone Druid
• Luna

DISCLAIMER

A lot of you probably know about the weekly hero discussion, but that often ends up in a meta discussion (whether or not the hero needs buffs, etc) or a meme war than actual tips to play, itemize and build the hero.

This is what I'd like to do. Please discuss any notes I made and possible improvements while also giving tips of your own if you have them.

The roles, skill builds and item builds, as well as a lot of the notes are my opinion on matters and should not be seen as a must do or don't. Also remember that almost every single build or role is situationally possible.

A lot of the tips on heroes were also mentioned in tsunami's amazing hero tips series he did over the last couple of years.

Lycan

Notes:

• Level 4 wolves have 460 MS and permanent invis, easily one of the best scouting tools in the game
• Use wolves for runes, blocking/stacking camps, body blocks, stalking the enemy cores (follow is M + left click)
• Howl is insane. At level 4 it gives every ally a free demon edge for13 seconds with a 27 second down time.
• Friends: Heroes with summons, Troll (Howl)
• Good versus: Silencer, Abaddon, Veno (no real disables. Lycan doesn't care that much about slows), Pudge (hard to hook with wolves), Arc Warden (can chase and out-right click AW)
• Counters: PA, Sven, Troll (can 1v1 him), PL, Naga, CK (no illusion clear), Slardar, Bristle (tanky, armor reduction)
• Versus: Kill the wolves if you see them, they are squishy
• Versus: Pay attention to the howl debuff. Don't go and fight if you see it. Also, lycan may be doing roshan

Role: Carry

Skill build: max wolves > Feral impulse > howl. Get howl earlier if your team has other summons or good pushers.

Item build: RoB, treads, vlad's, (basher, BKB, aegis, Necro, echo sabre, deso, HotD), AC