Throwback Discussion of the Week: Goblin Techies (April 5, 2012)

Squee, Spleen and Spoon, the Goblin Techies

This team of tiny Goblins provide the oddest gameplay style of any hero. Relying almost entirely on hidden traps and mines, the Goblin Techies rely on planning and strategy to defeat their enemies. Land Mines, Stasis Traps, and Remotes Mines all must be placed ahead of time to be used effectively. Nearly useless in combat, the Goblin Techies sole offensive ability is suicidally exploding with the hope of taking an enemy with them. However, attacking a base defended by the Techies is extremely difficult, due to the inevitable myriad of invisible traps scattered across the battlefield. Some method for detecting invisibility is a must for outwitting these sly Goblins.

Lore:

Devilishly clever, the goblin techies, despite their small physical presence, are a force to be reckoned with. In line with their goblin brethren, the techies have the skill of laying mines in the earth, invisible to the naked eye. Also, after extensive training with the Orcish voodoo priests of Kalimdor, the Techies are adept at laying paralysis-inducing traps along with their potent explosives. Wary be the foe who takes these three lightly.

Strength	Agility	Intelligence
17 + 2	14 + 1.3	22 + 2.9
Damage	Armor	Movespeed
29 - 31	1.66	270
Attack Range	Base Attack Time	Missile Speed
650	1.7	900
Animation	Icon	Fan Art

Land Mines

Plants an invisible mine that explodes when an enemy nears. The explosion deals less damage if the target is farther away. You may only have 20 mines placed at a time.

Level	Mana Cost	Cooldown	Casting Range	Area	Duration	Effects
1	125	25	100	N/A	200 Full damage AoE / 500 Half Damage AoE	N/A
2	150	20	100	N/A	200 Full damage AoE / 500 Half Damage AoE	N/A
3	175	15	100	N/A	200 Full damage AoE / 500 Half Damage AoE	N/A
4	205	12	100	N/A	200 Full damage AoE / 500 Half Damage AoE	N/A

• Damage type: mixed
• If destroyed by attacks the mines will still explode.
• When a 21th mine is placed the oldest will explode.
• The -stats (-st) command can be used to know how many of your mines are placed on the map.

Stasis Trap

Plants an invisible Stasis Trap that stuns nearby enemy units when detonated.

Level	Mana Cost	Cooldown	Casting Range	Area	Duration	Effects
1	80	20	150	200 Activation AoE / 450 Stun AoE	3 seconds (stun duration) / 2.70 seconds (ward duration)	Stuns all enemy units in the AoE
2	110	16	150	200 Activation AoE / 450 Stun AoE	4 seconds (stun duration) / 3.00 seconds (ward duration)	Stuns all enemy units in the AoE
3	140	13	150	200 Activation AoE / 450 Stun AoE	5 seconds (stun duration) / 3.30 seconds (ward duration)	Stuns all enemy units in the AoE
4	160	10	150	200 Activation AoE / 450 Stun AoE	6 seconds (stun duration) / 3.60 seconds (ward duration)	Stuns all enemy units in the AoE)

• It takes 2 seconds for a triggered Stasis Trap to activate.
• Stasis Traps destroy all other Stasis Traps in their AOE when they activate.

Suicide Squad, Attack!

Sacrifice yourself for the greater good. Deals massive area of effect damage.

Level	Mana Cost	Cooldown	Casting Range	Area	Duration	Effects
1	100	180	100	200 Full Damage AoE / 500 Partial Damage AoE	N/A	Deals 650 full damage / Deals 350 partial damage
2	125	170	100	200 Full Damage AoE / 500 Partial Damage AoE	N/A	Deals 850 full damage / Deals 400 partial damage
3	150	160	100	200 Full Damage AoE / 500 Partial Damage AoE	N/A	Deals 1150 full damage / Deals 450 partial damage
4	175	150	100	200 Full Damage AoE / 500 Partial Damage AoE	N/A	Deals 1550 full damage / Deals 500 partial damage

• Damage type: mixed
• Techies' death time is halved when he uses this skill.
• Using this skill counts as a suicide, which does not give normal gold or experience to the enemy team.
• Destroys trees in its area.
• When autocast is enabled, the Techies will use this skill instead of attacking on a right-click.

Remote Mines

Plants an invisible mine that will only activate when triggered. Doesn't damage buildings.

Level	Mana Cost	Cooldown	Casting Range	Area	Duration	Effects
1	200	10	500 (700*)	400/410*	480 seconds	Deals 300 (450*) damage when activated
2	240	10	500 (700*)	410/425*	480 seconds	Deals 450 (600*) damage when activated
3	300	10	500 (700*)	425/425*	480 seconds	Deals 600 (750*) damage when activated

• Damage type: magical
• Can be improved by Aghanim's Scepter (* shows the improved values).
• If destroyed by attacks the mines will still explode.
• Has a cast time of 1.5 seconds.

Check out a pro game in which Puppey plays techies with Kuroky as Tiny.

As always, check out Last Weeks's discussion of Goblin Shredder or the complete Hero Discussion archives.