Rework Idea: Wraith King

Ostarion, the Wraith King went completely untouched during the span of TI7. Though IG does run the hero with BurNIng playing it safe lane from time to time, I still think this hero needs a big change.

In my opinion, Wraith king's abilities are extremely bland. He has one target stun (that's disjointable) and 3 passive abilities. His passive life steal aura helps him in a death ball push lineup and his passive crit helps him deal with enemy summons. I think we can try to maintain his strong qualities but spice it up a bit. Here are some fun suggestions to make Wraith King more exciting to play!

 

1. Wraithfire Blast

I would keep this ability the same except for a slight buff. If Wraith King attacks an enemy that is affected by the burn, Wraith king will crit for 150% on every attack (200% for non-hero units) This change will help us replace his passive with another ability while still keeping his strength as a single target right clicker.

 

2. Phantom Reich

This will be an AOE active ability. Once activated, all friendly creeps in a 900 radius of Wraith King will gain a buff that grants them +25 attack speed, 10% movement speed, 35% lifesteal, and the ability to move through units (phase). This buff will last for 8 seconds.

Visually: Buffed creeps look vicious and ethereal as if possessed by deadly ghost soldiers. Not only will this change increase Wraith King's potency as a pusher, I also think it's only fitting that a ghost King should have a ghost army.

 

3. Soul Bleeder

This one is straight up stolen from Maliken (HoN hero), but let's be real, his toggle sword was BADASS. Soul Bleeder is a toggle ability. Passively, Soul Bleeder will give Wraith King life steal on every hit (15%/20%/25%/30%). On active toggle, Soul Bleeder gives Wraith King extra bonus damage per hit (15/30/45/60) while also receiving magical damage to himself per hit.

Visually: Wraith King has some of the sickest sword cosmetics in Dota. I think it's a waste if they don't at least light up on green fire. Come on Valve. Step it up!

 

Ulti. Vengeful Resurrection

Ice Frog has been trying to rework this Ulti for the last few patches with no real success. However, I think Ice Frog made a really cool mechanic with his Aghs upgrade. This is a tweak of that idea.

Once Wraith king is slain, he is immediately turned into WRAITH FORM and have his death delayed for 6/8/10 seconds. In Wraith Form, Wraith King becomes a revenant of terror, a force of pure evil.

• Wraith king is kept alive with a minimum health of 1 hp
• Gains +75 movement speed and bonus damage
• Gains unobstructed movement, allowing WK to move through units and trees and over cliffs
• All of WK's cool downs refresh at the start of the ulti
• Wraith King can still be attacked and targeted by spells regularly, making it possible to disable WK.

At the end of the duration, WK will come back to life in full health ONLY if he directly killed an enemy Hero during the ulti duration. If he fails to kill an enemy hero, the hero will die once the duration is over. A Soul for a Soul - a Life for a Life.

Visually: Wraith King's transformation has to strike absolute fear in the enemy. In Wraith Form, He will no longer walk on two legs but phase through the air as His cape creates a trail of energy. WK's ethereal skin melts to its skeletal base, showing his true self.

 

TLDR: I wanted to suggest some changes to WK as currently he is very boring. His strengths of single target right-click, pushing, and killing summons are still maintained. My change to his Ulti will decrease his longevity in team fights but will make his gameplay more exciting to play with and against.