I’m going to begin a series of posts which will cover ideas that I wish my teammates understood. I am not claiming that the ideas presented are the only way to play, or even the best way to play; but it will be Dota according to BoX.
1. Warding. I believe the warding support holds a lot of responsibility and power. It may not take a lot of mechanical skill, but solid warding is the mark of serious and conscientious player.. or in other words, a “try hard.” The information provided by vision clarifies all decision making and changes the game. If you are not personally skilled enough to utilize the vision, be assured that others are and do.
So how to ward? First, you should have them on you. They should not be in stock and they should not be in your stash. Where do you ward? Imagine a curve connecting the points where the creep waves are meeting in the 3 lanes. As a rule of thumb, you should ward along that curve. You should ward where you are playing. It’s little use to have vision deep in the enemy jungle if you are stuck near your base, and vision in your own jungle is worthless in a winning game where all your lanes are pushed. Central wards are also better. Wards behind outer tier one towers are great in a tier one fight… but otherwise not as useful. Try to ward in non-obvious spots, and change it up. It’s okay to refresh a good ward before it has expired. You also generally shouldn’t go on warding adventures out of position. Have them on you, and place them where you’re playing.
2. Courier Use. This one applies to everyone. Stop using auto-grab and deliver. When the courier is home, remind your teammates to all use it together.
3. Positioning. In old RTS games, from which mobas derive, they had an option to toggle “formation.” Formations would keep your melee units in front, and ranged units in back. It would prevent faster units from charging ahead of slower ones. As a support, you should generally be positioned close enough to react, but not so close that you are easily initiated on. A good support should be able to get two rounds of spells off in a fight. When a fight breaks out, don’t immediately join the front line. Think ahead! Take cast range talents (Warlock!), and consider move speed talents.
4. You don’t “need” farm. What you need is to do your job so your team can do well. If your team is doing well, you will have what you need. If your team is not doing well, your “farm” isn’t going to help you. However, in my opinion it’s great for supports to take kills. Let the carries hit the creeps, and supports can take some of the kills.
5. Don’t be a play-maker, and don’t split push. It’s best to remain tethered to a carry or your team. If you’re not sure, ask. If you’re a weaker player on the team, be hesitant to take the initiative. Ask yourself, “where should I be?” If you don’t know the answer, ask.
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