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.

1. Grand Final is singular.
   There are multiple quarterfinals and semifinals, and the finals as a whole can be plural, but there is only one final.
2. “Bottom of the barrel” does not mean the bottom of any list.
   Bottom of the barrel more accurately describes something least desirable, or something of last resort. “We’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel if we use carpancake as a stand-in.”
3. “Saving grace” does not mean a hopeful thing in a bad situation. More appropriate would be “silver lining.” “Saving grace” refers to a redeeming quality.
   “Bushmustache is a huge feeder, but his saving grace is he’s fun to play with.”
4. “Ae” in words of greek origin is generally pronounced with a long “ee” sound. Aegis, aether, aeon, algae, are some examples. An exception is if the root is aero-, as in aeroplane. Then it may be pronounced as in “air.”
5. “Consolation final” refers to the match to determine third/fourth placement, especially in single elimination. It is also called a third place playoff. It is not the same as the losers bracket final in double elimination.
   

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
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• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.