Invoker Overview

Lore & Bio

"I am a beacon of knowledge blazing out across a black sea of ignorance."

Magic was primarily the art of memory in its earliest, and some would argue most potent, form. It required no technology, wands, or accessories other than the magician's mind. All of the trappings of ritual were merely mnemonic devices designed to help the practitioner recall in great detail the specific mental formulae that unlocked the power of a spell. The greatest mages in those days had the best memories, but the invocations were so complex that all wizards were forced to specialize. In a lifetime, the most devoted might hope to remember three spells—four at most. Ordinary wizards were content with two, and it was not uncommon for a village mage to know only one, which required him to consult grimoires as a preventative measure against forgetfulness on the rare occasions when he might be called upon to use it. But there was one exception among these early practitioners: the Invoker, a genius of vast intellect and prodigious memory. In his youth, the precocious wizard mastered not four, not five, not even seven incantations: he could command and cast no fewer than ten spells. Many more he learned but found useless, and would practice once then delete from his memory for good to make room for more practical invocations. The Sempiternal Cantrap was one such spell—a longevity spell so powerful that those who cast it in the beginning of time are still alive today (unless they have been crushed to atoms). Most of these quasi-immortals live quietly, afraid to reveal their secret: Invoker, on the other hand, is not one to keep his abilities hidden. He is ancient, learned beyond all others, and his mind still has room to hold an enormous sense of his own worth...as well as the Invocations with which he amuses himself during the world's dying days.

Attribute & Stats

Level: 0 1 15 25 30

Health: 200 1220 1940 2220

Health regen: +0.25 +2.05 +5.41 +9.01 +10.41

Mana: 75 255 1023 1719 2019

Mana regen: +0 +0.75 +3.97 +6.87 +8.12

Armor: 0 2.33 6.77 11.93 13.85

Damage Block: -        

Magic Resistance: 25%    

Status Resistance: 0%    

Damage: 29-35 44-50 108-114 166-172 191-197

Attack Rate: 0.59/s 0.67/s 0.83/s 1.01/s 1.08/s

Attack Range: 600 (800)

Attack Speed: 100 (1.7s BAT)

Attack Animation: 0.4+0.7    

Projectile Speed: 900

Movement Speed: 285    

Turn Rate: 0.6    

Collision Size: 24    

Vision Range: (G 1800 • 800    

Legs: 2    

Gib Type: Default.    

Ability Upgrades:    

• Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter - Invoke - Sun Strike.

• Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard.- Chaos Meteor.

Abilities & Talents

Skills building guide

Level 1 Because he has no spells and only 280 movement speed, Invoker is the most vulnerable hero in Dota! Map awareness and team communication should be practiced. Exort is required against Bloodseeker and Shadow Fiend due to Invoker's low base attack damage. Quas, on the other hand, is critical for lane survival. Exort's primary spells in lane phase are Alacrity, Sun Strike, Forge Spirit, and Cold Snap. In the lane phase, your best spells are tornado, EMP, ghost walk, and cold snap. Never buy a bottle of Invoker because it is bad at capturing runes. Unless a good opportunity presents itself, try to stay in lane until level 7. If you go exort, you will be expected to help the team with Sun Strike or TP, so pay attention to the mini-map and communicate with your teammates.

Abilities

Cold Snap

Mana: 100

Cooldown time: 20 seconds.

Cast Animation: 0.05+0

Cast Range: 1000

Damage: 8/16/24/32/40/48/56

Duration: 0.4

Effect: Invoker absorbs an enemy's heat, chilling them to their core for a duration determined by Quas level. The enemy will take damage and become temporarily frozen. Further damage in this state will cause the enemy to freeze again, dealing bonus damage. The enemy can only be frozen so many times, but the cooldown decreases with Quas level.

Ghost Walk

Mana: 200

Cooldown time: 45 seconds.

Slow Radius: 400

Duration: 100

Effect: The ice and electrical energies around Invoker are manipulated, rendering his body invisible. The elemental imbalance created as a result slows nearby enemies based on Quas level, and also slows Invoker based on Wex level.

Ice Wall

Mana: 125

Cooldown time: 25 seconds.

Cast Animation: 0.05+0

Distance: 200

Length: 1120

Width: 105

Damage per Second: 6/12/18/24/30/36/42

Duration: 2

Effect: Creates a wall of solid ice directly in front of Invoker for the duration of Quas. The bitter cold it emits greatly slows nearby enemies based on their Quas level and deals damage every second based on their Exort level.

E.M.P.

Mana: 125

Cooldown Time: 30 seconds.

Cast Range: 950

Radius: 675

Damage: 60%

Effect: Invoker charges a specific location with electromagnetic energy, which detonates automatically after 2.9 seconds. The detonation covers a large area, draining mana based on Wex's level. Damage is dealt for each point of mana drained. If an enemy hero's mana is drained by EMP, Invoker gains 50% of the drained mana.

Tornado

Mana: 150

Cooldown Time: 30 seconds.

Cast Range: 2000

Effect Radius: 200

Base Damage: 70

Cyclone Duration: 0.85/1.1/1.35/1.6/1.85/2.1/2.35

Effect: Sends out a fast-moving tornado that picks up enemy units in its path, suspending them helplessly in the air before dropping them to their doom. Travels further based on Wex's level. Holds enemies in the air for a period of time determined by Quas' level. Deals base damage plus additional damage based on Wex level.

Alacrity

Mana: 100

Cooldown Time: 17 seconds.

Cast Range: 650

Speed Bonus: 10/22/34/46/58/70/82

Duration: 9

Effect: Invoker infuses an ally with an enormous surge of energy, increasing their attack speed based on Wex level and damage based on Exort level.

Sun Strike

Mana: 175

Cooldown Time: 25

Cast Range: Global.

Effect Radius: 175

Damage: 100/162.5/225/287.5/350/412.5/475

Effect: Sends a devastating ray of fierce energy from the sun to any specified location, incinerating any enemies standing beneath it once it reaches the earth. Damage is dealt based on the level of Exort, but it is distributed evenly among all enemies hit.

Forge Spirit

Mana: 75

Cooldown Time: 30 seconds.

Attack Damage: 22/32/42/52/62/72/82

Attack Range: 300/365/430/495/560/625/690

Duration: 0/1/2/3/4/5/6

Effect: Invoker creates a spirit with the strength of fire and the fortitude of ice. Damage and armor are determined by Exort level, whereas attack range, health, and duration are determined by Quas level. The elemental's scorching attack is capable of melting enemy heroes' armor. When Quas and Exort are at least level 4, they will spawn two spirits.

Chaos Meteor

Mana: 200

Cooldown Time: 55 seconds.

Cast Range: 700

Effect Radius: 275

Effect: Invoker directs a flaming meteor from space to the specified location. After landing, the meteor rolls forward, constantly dealing damage based on Exort level and rolling further based on Wex level. Units hit by the meteor will also catch fire for a short period of time, taking additional damage based on their Exort level.

Deafening Blast

Mana: 300

Cooldown Time: 40 seconds.

Cast Range: 1000

Radius: 175

Travel Distance: 1000

Damage: 20/60/100/140/180/220

Effect: Invoker summons a massive sonic wave in front of him, dealing damage to any enemy unit it collides with based on Exort level. The sheer force of the blast is enough to knock those enemy units back for a duration determined by Quas level, then disarm their attacks for a duration determined by Wex level.

Effective items guides

Early game

Boots of Speed

Boots of Speed: Are critical to obtain quickly, as Invoker has one of the game's slowest base movement speeds. Gaining a movement speed advantage over your opponent allows you to better position yourself for casting spells.

Magic Stick

Magic Stick: With its charges, Invoker gains additional mana and health, which is useful for any frail caster. Using the charges can provide Invoker with enough health to survive a gank attempt or allow him to cast one more spell to ensure a kill.

Null Talisman

Null Talisman: Increase Invoker's attributes, particularly his attack damage, to make it easier for him to last-hit. Not only that, but it also reduces the amount of mana required to cast his abilities, reducing the amount of time Invoker needs to fight back.

Orchid Malevolence

Orchid Malevolence: Is chosen for a typical Quas-Exort user looking for early kills and assists him in taking down enemies who rely on abilities that provide spell immunity, invulnerability, or even the ability to move.

Mid game

Hand of Midas

Hand of Midas: If Invoker had a good early game, especially with a Quas-Exort build, he should be picked up. It increases his experience gain, which is critical for Invoker.

Orchid Malevolence

Orchid Malevolence: Is chosen for a typical Quas-Exort user looking for early kills and assists him in taking down enemies who rely on abilities that provide spell immunity, invulnerability, or even the ability to move.

Boots of Travel

Boots of Travel: This item allows Invoker to split push and farm with Forge Spirits, as well as teleport to team fights. It also provides him with a lot of movement speed.

Magic Wand

Magic Wand: When upgraded from Magic Stick, it grants Invoker stats and more charge storage. With a fully charged Wand, Invoker can cast any of his spells.

Aghanim's Scepter

Aghanim's Scepter: Improves all of Invoker's spells and unlocks the lethal teamfight spell Cataclysm, giving him a welcome boost in power.

Late game

Blink Dagger

Blink Dagger: Invoker requires good positioning to make the most of his spells, so this is a very powerful item to build on him. Its mobility increases both his offensive potential and his survivability. This item can later be upgraded to Arcane Blink, which greatly reduces the mana requirements of all of his spells.

Octarine Core

Octarine Core: Is extremely effective against cast-heavy nukers, making Invoker a force to be reckoned with. The item grants a massive amount of health and mana, as well as reducing the cooldowns on all of his spells and Invoke, making him much more difficult to defeat in battle.

Refresher Orb

Refresher Orb: Invoker is transformed into an unstoppable nuker. Two spell combos back to back will kill almost any hero.

Situation items

Phase Boots

Phase Boots: The best boots for Quas-Exort Invoker because the speed boost compensates for his slow base movement speed. Furthermore, the increased attack damage allows him to farm creeps more quickly.

Power Treads

Power Treads: Are the best boots for Quas-Wex Invoker (along with Boots of Travel), as they grant him attributes and attack damage, allowing him to hit harder last.

Urn of Shadows

Urn of Shadow: It aids Invoker ganking by continuing to deal damage to the targets, causing Cold Snap to increase damage output and disable time. Take Spirit Vessel to boost your damage and healing counters.

Scythe of Vyse

Scythe of Vyse: Gives good attributes as well as a lot of mana and mana regeneration, increasing Invoker's survivability while also providing him with the mana he needs to cast spells. Hex is also one of the most powerful hard-disables in the game, capable of completely reversing teamfights.

Drum of Endurance

Drum of Endurance: Invoker's attack and movement speed are increased, and he gains additional attributes and mana regeneration.

Force Staff

Force Staff: Is an extremely useful item. Its active ability can be used to flee, chase down enemies, and save teammates from certain death, as well as reposition yourself for spells. It also increases Invoker's intelligence and health regen, allowing him to cast spells more easily.

Bloodthorn

Bloodthorn: Has been upgraded. Orchid Malevolence is considered if Invoker requires more hitting power rather than more control, though both are possible. The active allows Invoker to constantly deal critical damage, which when combined with Alacrity makes him a formidable force against unsuspecting opponents.

Eul's Scepter of Divinity

Eul’s Scepter of Divinity: Is an excellent utility item because it provides Invoker with numerous powerful benefits at a low cost. It boosts his intelligence and grants him powerful scaling mana regen, allowing him to cast spells more frequently, and the increased base movement speed compensates for his low mobility, making spell positioning much easier. The Cyclone is also a very powerful disable that is frequently used to set up difficult-to-land spells like Sun Strike, Chaos Meteor, and EMP.

Spirit Vessel

Spirit Vessel: Upgraded from Urn of Shadows and serving a similar purpose, this item provides bonus health and movement speed. Furthermore, the active negates enemy healing, allowing Invoker to gank more effectively.

Black King Bar

Black King Bar: If you're constantly being focused or disabled by the enemy, this is a good item to build on Invoker. The spell immunity allows you to cast spells on the front lines without being interrupted.

Enemies & Allies

Allies

Bloodseeker

• Thirst highlights enemies with low health across the map, making it simple for Invoker to land a Sun Strike.

• Blood Rage increases the damage of Invoker's spells by 2%.

• Tornadoes and even Ice Walls may assist Bloodseeker in landing Blood Rite.

• When enemies are under the effect of Rupture, Tornado and Cold Snap prevent them from escaping with Town Portal Scroll.

Dark Seer

• Vacuum is an excellent way to draw enemies into Invoker's AoE spells.

• Tornado and Ice Wall are good follow-ups to Wall of Replica.

Disruptor

• Kinetic Field gathers enemies for easy nuking.

Luna

• Luna's damage and attack speed are increased by Alacrity, making it easier to push with Moon Glaives.

Magnus

• Invoker has plenty of time to set up his nukes thanks to Reverse Polarity.

• Magnus can use Skewer to draw running heroes back into invoker spells like Ice Wall.

Nature's Prophet

• Sprout can help Invoker cast spells.

Faceless Void

• Chronosphere immobilizes several enemies, allowing Chaos Meteor to do its damage.

• EMP and Sun Strike are also aided by the Chronosphere.

• Faceless Void gains bonus damage and attack speed from Alacrity, increasing the proc rate of Time Lock.

Legion Commander

• During Duel, Legion Commander benefits greatly from Alacrity.

• Invoker, with global Sun Strike, can assist Legion Commander in winning Duels anywhere on the map.

Counters

Anti-Mage

• Because of his mobility and magical resistance, Anti-Mage is nearly impossible to kill on his own.

• Invoker's spells cost a lot of mana, and he has a lot of mana himself. This makes Invoker and his team vulnerable to Mana Void's devastating damage.

• If Anti-Mage does not have disables, Blink allows him to escape Invoker's combo.

Broodmother

• Broodmother's Spawn Spiderlings and spiderlings can easily kill Invoker in the early game.

• Broodmother is an Orchid Malevolence as well as a Nullifier carrier. She can easily kill Invoker because she can farm it early.

Doom

• Doom is an effective way to disable Invoker, preventing him from casting spells or using items for an extended period of time, forcing him to invest in Linken's Sphere.

Faceless Void

• Time Dilation prevents Invoker from invoking for the duration of the debuff, as well as massively slowing him due to the large number of spells he possesses.

• Invoker's combo damage will be completely negated by Time Walk.

• If Invoker is caught in Chronosphere, he will most likely be the primary target due to his significant teamfight contribution.

Juggernaut

• Blade Fury, like Rage, provides immunity to Invoker's spells and can also remove some debuffs.

• Omnislash makes Juggernaut immune to Invoker's spells and can easily defeat Invoker.

Kunkka

• Tidebringer easily pressures Invoker in lane due to Invoker's early game low health and armor.

Lifestealer

• Rage grants immunity to Invoker's spells and can remove most disables, such as Forge Spirit's armor loss and Cold Snap's constant stuns.

Night Stalker

• Crippling Fear is an effective early-game strategy for shutting down and ganking Invoker.

• Void deals significant damage to Invoker and makes escape more difficult.

• With Hunter in the Night and Void, Invoker is unable to flee Night Stalker and will be unable to catch him with Sun Strike during the night.

Nyx Assassin

• Nyx Assassin uses Mana Burn to do massive damage, taking advantage of Invoker's massive intelligence gain and mana pool, as the spell deals more damage based on the target's intelligence.

• To stun Invoker, Nyx Assassin can simply activate Spiked Carapace while under many of his abilities.

Pugna

• Nether Ward can prevent Invoker from casting many of his abilities until he regains a significant amount of HP or is protected by Black King Bar's spell immunity.

• True sight is provided by Life Drain, which reveals Invoker via Ghost Walk and forces him or his allies to use an ability or item to interrupt its channeling.

• Outside of Nether Ward's range, Invoker will have the advantage because Invoker has Tornado, which can be used defensively to purge Pugna's Decrepify, and Tornado or Cold Snap to prevent Pugna from channeling Life Drain.

• When Pugna's allies use Decrepify incorrectly, Invoker's abilities can be used to deal more damage to them.

Outworld Destroyer

• Outworld Destroyer can use Astral Imprisonment to save himself or an ally from Invoker's combo, or to temporarily remove Invoker from a fight.

• The pure damage of Arcane Orb will deal a lot of damage against Invoker's mediocre strength gain.

• By activating Equilibrium, EMP becomes ineffective against Outworld Destroyer.

• However, because Invoker has a higher intelligence gain than Outworld Destroyer, Sanity's Eclipse will most likely not deal any damage at all.

Queen of Pain

• While Invoker is still farming, Queen of Pain usually outlanes him, giving her team a significant early game advantage.

• If Invoker does not have disables, Queen of Pain can escape using Blink.

Silencer

• Invoker is heavily reliant on his spells, rendering him ineffective during Global Silence and interfering with his combo.

• Arcane Curse is particularly lethal because Invoker will constantly lose health if he continues to invoke and cast new spells.

• When Invoker casts Invoke, Last Word will silence him, breaking his combo.

Storm Spirit

• Invoker is defenseless against Storm Spirit's ganking with Ball Lightning and Orchid Malevolence in the early to mid game.

Templar Assassin

• With Refraction, Templar Assassin can easily counter Invoker's last hitting process in the early game. Refraction also negates Cold Snap's stun, as it requires dealing damage in order to apply its stun.

• Furthermore, Refraction completely blocks Sun Strike damage if Invoker tries to finish her off before activating Refraction.

Viper

• Corrosive Skin reduces Viper's vulnerability to Invoker's spells.

• Viper's Poison Attack can be used to harass Invoker in the early game.

• If Ghost Walk is on cooldown, Viper Strike and Poison Attack can easily kill Invoker.

Items Counter

Pipe of Insight

Pipe of Insight: Reduces Invoker's damage output significantly

Black King Bar

Black King Bar: For the duration, it prevents nearly all of Invoker's damage.

Eul's Scepter of Divinity

Eul's Scepter of Divinity: Allows you to completely negate an Invoker's Eul combo, though any wise Invoker will wait for you to use your Eul before using his combo.

Glimmer Cape

Glimmer Cape: Is a less expensive way to reduce Invoker's damage.

Blade Mail

Blade Mail: If he uses the Chaos Meteor and Tornado combo, he can easily kill Invoker.

Force Staff

Force Staff: Can be used to protect oneself and allies from the Invoker's combos.

Diffusal Blade

Diffusal Blade: Can be used to deplete the mana pool of the Invoker.

Favorable Matchups

Huskar

• Quas Exort Invoker has high physical damage via Cold Snap and Forged Spirits, allowing him to trade hits with Huskar.

• Huskar, on the other hand, can dispel Cold Snap with Life Break.

• Huskar tends to drain his HP, making him a vulnerable target for Sun Strike, which deals pure damage and pierces spell immunity.

Legion Commander

• While engaged in a Duel, Invoker's spells will disable and destroy Legion Commander.

Medusa

• EMP enables Invoker to burn Medusa's mana, thereby weakening Mana Shield.

• Medusa's lack of mobility allows Invoker's spells to easily kill her.

Necrophos

• Tornado allows Invoker to purge Necrophos' Ghost Shroud, negating any benefits it may have provided.

• EMP allows Invoker to burn Necrophos' mana, preventing him from constantly using his abilities.

Tinker

• Tinker's Rearm and Boots of Travel can be easily interrupted by Invoker's long range disables, even if he blinks away.

Wraith King

• EMP allows Invoker to burn Wraith King's mana, preventing Reincarnation (but only until Wraith King obtains his Aghanim's Shard).

• Ice Wall and Cold Snap are especially damaging to Wraith King because they allow you to kite him effectively, preventing him from dealing melee damage.

Game plan

Early game

Invoker requires more levels than any other hero, so gank only when there are good opportunities. To gank or protect the team, you must carry TP scrolls. Do not level up your orb until you have seen your opponent's items. Clarity potions are extremely useful because Invoker does not use a bottle.If the distance between you and your target is less than 600, you can make a slight turn and catch your target with the tip of your Ice Wall.

Mid game

Mana and cooldown restraints are an annoyance if you went full exort or 4-1-4, but in an ideal world, invoker Forge Spirits first and Cold Snap or Meteor second. If you believe your Forge spirits will last the duration of the battle, cast a third spell. Early in the game, Exort builds are not adept at crowd control, so you may need to rely on your team to initiate. It is preferable to push down a tower if you do not have enough time or mana to prepare your spells for battle. Create a creep wave with Chaos Meteor or Tornado (if wex/quas build), then use your Forge Spirit to pull the incoming creep wave away, then use Alacrity. This will give you at least forty seconds to destroy the tower.

Before battle, summoning Spirits is almost always preferable, but watch out for their expiration. Furthermore, if you have a Force Staff, think about calling Spirits into battle. Use Spirits and Cold Snap immediately next to Brewmaster, for instance, after forcing yourself to stand next to him. Brewmaster won't be able to use Ultimate for several seconds while under the stun lock.

Mana is not a problem for Wex Quas builds. EMP has a huge potential for mana burn and recovery! You must actively plan ganks by using Ghost Walk during the day to scout or by initiating tornado/emp. In combat, keep your distance. Wex Invoker has incredible MS and disables, but if you are chain stunned, all of that is for naught.

Late game

To give your team more chances to smoke gank, push side lanes with Forge Spirits. Invoke Cold Snap before Tornado during ganks. Prepare orbs, don't forget. Cast Chaos Meteor right after Cold Snap to replace it. Alacrity should be used when defending towers, followed by Tornado. Cast Alacrity on your forge spirit or carry, then switch out Meteor for it. Consider initiating with Tornado and/or Emp/Ice Wall against heroes equipped with Black King Bar in the hopes that they will break the magic immunity. Then, as your team withdraws, cast Alacrity on Forge spirits. Cast an ice wall to make it difficult for opponents to chase you if you don't have BKB. Don't rush a slow siege; let the enemy make the first error. Use your Forge spirits to attack the tower and barracks, and keep in mind to use Alacrity.