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Tuesday 15 March 2011

Bubbles

Skill Build:
1 - Shell Surf
2 - Take Cover
3 - Shell Surf
4 - Song of the Sea
5 - Shell Surf
6 - Kelp Field
7 - Shell Surf
8 - Song of the Sea
9 - Song of the Sea
10 - Song of the Sea
11 - Kelp Field
12 - Take Cover
13 - Take Cover
14 - Take Cover
15 - Stats
16 - Kelp Field
17 - Stats+


Justification / Modifications:
Shell Surf is your main nuke and way of getting around. It has a static cost and is what you open with pre-Portal Key, so making it as good as soon as possible is the priority. Song of the Sea is technically a better nuke as it silences for 3 seconds at max level, but has a scaling mana cost and is only centered around yourself, and requires Shell Surf to pull off most of the time. It is maxed second for these reasons.
1 point of Take Cover is taken early to juke projectile stuns like Hammerstorm's Hammer Throw and Andromeda's Comet, as well as certain nukes.
Starting Items:
/ 3x:MinorTotem
Core:
Bottle >> Marchers >> Power Supply >> 1-2 Talismans of Exile >> Steamboots

Bubbles is a ganker and thus profits a lot from Bottle and Power Supply. Basic Marchers are enough for the start.
Steamboots give him more HP, while Talismans contribute and flesh out his mana pool as well.
After core:
Portal Key - The premium item for a hero whose main job is to gank and initiate. Gives him unparalleled survivability with Take Cover.
Kuldra's Sheepstick - While initiating, disable that important carry hero even longer or before he gets off his Shrunken Head!
Stormspirit - Escape, disable, save team-mates, mana regen. This item is a decent pickup on the master of survivability, giving him more tricks up his turtle shell.
Frostfield Plate - Mana pool, armour, and another slow-nuke for your initiation. Synergizes well with his skillset.
Frostwolf Skull - Loads of survivability and damage, and a superior slow to chase down heroes with.
Information:
Roles: Ganker
Preferred Lane: Any. Strong solo hero in any lane.
Difficulty: 4/5 (timing initiation right, ulting properly, dodging stuff with Take Cover)
Farming capabilities: 4/5 (2 AoE nukes)
Item dependent? - No, works fine off his core.
Power:
- Early Game / Lane Control: 4/5 (autoattack lets him down here)
- Mid Game / Ganks: 5/5 (strong ganker with a level advantage, 3 second silence and bind)
- Late Game / Team Fights: 4/5 (Good initiation and team fight presence still)
30-Seconds-Guide:
- In the beginning you should usually not put Take Cover on autocast and use it manually to dodge spells. Later you can put it on autocast. Unless you have very high APM and awareness to actually use it effectively. Be aware that it will trigger off any kind of damage on autocast, including creeps!
- Shellsurf, Teleport -> Song of the Sea -> Kelp Field is a very strong gank combo starting in midgame.
- If you have a Portal Key you can use Take cover to let the 3 second cooldown on PK wear off and then blink away safely. Or alternatively throw Shell Surf and teleport to that while in Take Cover.
- Try to initiate next to the caster heroes to silence them asap.
- Bubbles is very flexible and fits most lineups and thus is most of the time a solid pick.
Counters:
- An early Mystic Vestments should help against the harassment.
- Bubbles has very low hp and can relatively easily be focused down.
- Bubbles is a ganking hero, so wards do a good job at seeing him coming and thus preventing you from getting ganked.
- Shell Surf can be dodged if you see it coming.
- Spread out in teamfights so he can't hit all of you with his AoE Silence (500 AoE @ level 4)
- Vindicator's aura will make Bubbles' life hell. Not allowing him to TP to his shell and not allowing him to chain his spells when in Aura range.

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