Dota 2 patch 7.25: New and reworked Aghanim's Scepter ratings

Dota 2 patch 7.25 brought with it two new Aghanim’s Scepter upgrades for the two new heroes, Snapfire and Void Spirit. Along with it, there were a bunch of Scepter reworks as well. VPEsports loves the task of rating Aghs Scepter upgrades, so let’s jump into the ratings for the new and reworked Scepter upgrades of patch 7.25!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=591tLIZS2gc%3Fenablejsapi%3D1%26%23038%3Bautoplay%3D0%26%23038%3Bcc_load_policy%3D0%26%23038%3Biv_load_policy%3D1%26%23038%3Bloop%3D0%26%23038%3Bmodestbranding%3D0%26%23038%3Brel%3D1%26%23038%3Bshowinfo%3D1%26%23038%3Bfs%3D1%26%23038%3Btheme%3Ddark%26%23038%3Bcolor%3Dred%26%23038%3Bautohide%3D2%26%23038%3Bcontrols%3D2%26%23038%3Bplaysinline%3D0%26%23038%3B

1) Dazzle (5/10)

When you cast an ability, you automatically launch an
attack on 8 enemy units (up to 800 units away).

Good old Dazzle got another Scepter rework. Dazzle has now had the most Aghanim’s Scepter reworks – three at this point. The bad thing is, just like the previous ones, this one is not really too good. Actually, the one before this where Shadow Wave had a basic dispel associated with it was probably the best one. The new Scepter is meant to give Poison Touch that first right click which gets the damage ticking, and as such, is probably only useful on a mid Dazzle. With a support Dazzle, you want to be positioned far away, possibly with an Aether Lens and Telescope, to just spam Shadow Wave and use Shallow Grave on allies who are dying, and you are definitely going to be more that 800 units away. It has cheese strat potential though, with Dazzle making Divine Rapier and playing like he’s a Medusa, or Io and Dazzle pairing up to launch attacks in all directions while being buffed up by Overcharge.

Bad Juju. #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/cH04OEdtAR

2) Terrorblade (6/10)

Metamorphosis Scepter is now a standalone ability you
gain while in Metamorphosis. Cooldown 90.

When the Scepter was introduced it in Dota 2 patch 7.22, VPEsports rated it as a 4/10. With the new change, it is a bit better, but still not a Scepter worth getting as one of the first six items. With a 90 second cooldown, it can only be used once per Metamorphosis. At least now, it can be used whenever TB wants to, like being on the brink of death with multiple heroes on him. Depending on the game, potentially a candidate for a seventh item or getting it from the third Roshan.

3) Juggernaut (6.5/10)

Grants Swift Slash. Performs a mini Omnislash that lasts
0.8 seconds. Cast Range 650. Cooldown 15. Manacost 100.

This is a Scepter that makes you think a lot about its viability. For a farmed Juggernaut, the mini Omnislash can take out a support right away, but as a position 1 hero, you’d expect Juggernaut to do that either ways. Making a Scepter is sacrificing a much required slot for a damage or defensive item, and that doesn’t seem to be the best thing to do for a position 1. Omnislash depends on Jugg’s damage and attack speed, of which an Aghs gives just 10 each (from the agility). In pursuit of Swift Slash, Jugg will end up sacrificing on potential damage from Omnislash and right clicks, which does not make it worth it. It is good as a seventh item, but not something that needs to be given priority.

4) Spectre (7/10)

Shadow Step scepter ability cooldown reduced from 70 to
35.

The reason this is kind of good is the potential it has for pickoffs when playing along with other global heroes like Nature’s Prophet or Zeus. It is exactly like Haunt, except it needs a target. The range is global, so even a hero under ward vision can be targeted. Thundergod’s Wrath followed by a very personal Haunt makes for a good combo, as does an invisible hero like Riki or Bounty Hunter scounting out Targets for Spectre. The global strat of Spectre and Zeus was very popular in patch 6.86, and that could possibly a thing, with Zeus following the Shadow Step with a Nimbus. The advantage Spectre holds in this scenario is that she is not the traditional right click carry that needs a lot of damage to be effective. A Radiance and with tanky items and talents bodes well for her, and Aghanim’s Scepter gives additional HP, along with some mana of which she doesn’t have a lot. Of course, not an item for every game, but could be good depending on your allies.

5) Mars (7.5/10)

-God’s Rebuke scepter now always lowers the cooldown
rather than just during Arena of Blood.
-God’s Rebuke scepter cooldown from 1.4 seconds to 3.5 seconds.

God’s Rebuke cooldown is permanently reduced from 10 seconds to 3.5 seconds, which is quite substantial. The skill does a lot of damage, especially with the +80% God’s Rebuke crit. While the earlier Scepter upgrade wasn’t bad, it did nothing when Arena of Blood wasn’t in use. The new upgrade has the potential to dish out massive amounts of damage throughout team fights.

6) Void Spirit (7.5/10)

Added Scepter. Resonant Pulse is now a charge-based
ability with 2 charges and it now silences enemies for 2 seconds.

Just the silence with Resonant Pulse isn’t a good reason to get an Aghs on Void Spirit, but the two charges make it situationally good. It ensures 4 seconds of silence if the two charges are used correctly, on top of 440 magic damage (640 with the level 15 talent). It is good to take out elusive heroes with burst damage, or quickly take down supports in the back line.

7) Snapfire (8/10)

Added Scepter ability, Gobble Up. Allows you to swallow
an allied creep or hero and spit it towards enemies, stunning enemies in the
area for 1.5 seconds and leaving a glob on the floor dealing 100 DPS for 3
seconds. Units can stay in his belly up to 3 seconds. Impact radius 400.
Cooldown 40 seconds. Cast Range 150.

The description says cast range of 150, but that is only for ‘Gobble Up’, which is the skill used to consume the creep or hero. That makes the target immune to damage, so it can be used to save an ally who is stunned or about to die or even taunted by Berserker’s Call or Duel. But the more amusing part is the second skill, ‘Spit Out’, which can be used to launch the gobbled up target up to a range of 3000! It looks quite amusing and can be the perfect setup for a Tidehunter Ravage or Enigma Black Hole against an unsuspecting enemy. It can also just be used to consume an ally and spit them somewhere far away to safety in case they are in harms way. There are a lot of good uses for this Scepter and considering the fact that Snapfire has some tools in her arsenal to farm, quite possible for her to get it at a decent time.

Gobble Up. #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/I4pJueBFlZ

https://youtube.com/watch?v=h8EQPpzQXpI%3Fenablejsapi%3D1%26%23038%3Bautoplay%3D0%26%23038%3Bcc_load_policy%3D0%26%23038%3Biv_load_policy%3D1%26%23038%3Bloop%3D0%26%23038%3Bmodestbranding%3D0%26%23038%3Brel%3D1%26%23038%3Bshowinfo%3D1%26%23038%3Bfs%3D1%26%23038%3Btheme%3Ddark%26%23038%3Bcolor%3Dred%26%23038%3Bautohide%3D2%26%23038%3Bcontrols%3D2%26%23038%3Bplaysinline%3D0%26%23038%3B

8) Bounty Hunter (9/10)

Now applies Jinada to Shuriken Toss, increases cast range
to 650 and lowers cooldown to 6.

If you thought Bounty Hunter was irritating before, this is just going to pile on the irritation. With the new Scepter, Bounty can steal 36 gold (101 with the level 20 talent) every time he uses Shuriken Toss, which only has a 6 second cooldown with Aghs. The shuriken also deals 160 additional magic damage to the original 375 (440 with the level 15 talent) and bounces to every hero who is tracked. That’s just an insane amount of damage and gold stolen. The question is, what is the best position for Bounty to make the most of this Scepter? Position 2 or 3 would probably be a good fit, as a position 4 bounty would take a long time to farm the Scepter. Wagamama was able to steal over 15k gold in a 50 minute game – that’s a 30k net worth swing just because of Bounty Hunter!

15192 gold stolen in 50:38, new record! pic.twitter.com/asXB5bmJb7

9) Spirit Breaker (9/10)

Reworked Scepter. Increases Charge of Darkness movement
speed by 100 and reduces cooldown by 5.

The best new Scepter Upgrade in town, hands down. At level 4, Charge of Darkness has an added 375 movement speed. The Scepter increases that to 475. Boots (any kind) give a percentage increase in movement speed, so that value from the Charge of Darkness further amplifies. With just a Boots of Travel and Aghanim’s Scepter, Spiritbreaker’s movement speed while charging is 1087, which goes to 1333 with Bulldoze! More the movement speed, more the Greater bash damage, not only for the target, but anyone else who is unlucky enough to be in the middle. And the cherry on top of the cake is the cooldown reduction, which reduces the cooldown from 11 seconds to 6 seconds, which makes it pretty hard to get away. We will be a seeing a lot of this Aghs in the tournaments to come.

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