Semi-daily hero tips. Day 61: Nyx Assassin

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.

Nyx Assassin

Notes:

• Dagon is very situational. I can't tell you how much it hurts your team if you can take down every enemy support but the enemy carry has free reign, when you could be getting better initiation and/or more disables on said carry (Aether lens, Aghs, Blink, Sheep, etc).
• If you do want to get dagon first to snowball, please leave it at dagon 1 and get better initiation/more disable first.
• Always line up during vendetta so you can get the crit AND a multiple hero impale (if you don't have blink).
• Mana burn has a really low cooldown, but still, prioritize mana dependant heroes that don't get +mana items.
• Combo early game: Vendetta crit, impale, mana burn, carapace if necessary
• Level 18 vendetta has longer duration than cooldown. Use it wisely.
• Try to be visible as little as possible so the enemy feels unsafe to farm.
• Good versus: KotL, Lich, Tinker, CM, Jakiro (Heroes that have trouble controlling where their own damage goes), Medusa (mana burn), OD (high INT, squishy), Timber, Necrophos, Invoker (Mana burn, easy carapace)
• Counters: Lifestealer, Jugger (can easily dodge your stun), TA (refraction), Lycan, Brood, DK, Beastmaster, DP (Strong pushers), Night Stalker (aghs + gem)
• You can vendetta during TP
• You can use carapace and deny runes and items without breaking vendetta (/u/MiloTheSlayer)
• You can stun heroes like Centaur by attacking them and Razor by using mana burn while you have carapace on.
• Similarly you can deny the damage of the melee necro warrior like this.
• You can do a huge chunk of damage by blinking with carapace on after you got ruptured.
• Versus: You really do need sentries everywhere and/or a gem, all the time
• Nyxnyxnyx

Role: support, offlane

Item build:

• Support items: Arcanes, Aether lens, Aghs
• Offlane items: Wand, Arcanes, Blink, Aghs
• Situationals: Dagon, Sheep, Blink, Aether lens, Midas, Urn, Force

Skill build: Impale --> Mana burn <-> Carapace

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
• Lycan
• Magnus
• Medusa
• Meepo
• Monkey King
• Morphling
• Naga Siren
• Nature's Prophet
• Necrophos
• Night Stalker