(A)
Strength : 19 (+2.1)
Agility : 22 (+3.0)
Intelligence: 17 (+1.9)
Gemini possesses a very high total stat gain and above average gains for all attributes. His starting stats are average if not slightly above average.
Int:
Gemini has a rather high int score. This allows him to use his relatively cheap skills on a regular basis without needing items to improve his mana pool or mana regen.
Agi:
His very high agi gain should be taken into account when deciding to buy damage items or survivability items. His damage will be relatively high even without items, so survivability items are a first priority.
Str:
His Strength gain is good for an agi hero, but still won't carry him too far by itself considering the amount of enemy attention he will hopefully be receiving. It will need to be augmented relatively soon into the game if it isn't to become a problem.
Other stats
Base damage: 46-51
armor : 4.08
move speed : 300
His base damage is below average but still far better than most ranged heroes. Take this into account when laning against melee/ranged heroes and deciding whether or not a hatchet is necessary.
His armor is average. It will make him somewhat resilient to harassment but not overly so. Take this into account when deciding whether or not a buckler is needed in lane.
His movement speed is average. Be sure to compare it to whoever you are laning against and make a mental note of whether or not you can outrun them.
Strength : 19 (+2.1)
Agility : 22 (+3.0)
Intelligence: 17 (+1.9)
Gemini possesses a very high total stat gain and above average gains for all attributes. His starting stats are average if not slightly above average.
Int:
Gemini has a rather high int score. This allows him to use his relatively cheap skills on a regular basis without needing items to improve his mana pool or mana regen.
Agi:
His very high agi gain should be taken into account when deciding to buy damage items or survivability items. His damage will be relatively high even without items, so survivability items are a first priority.
Str:
His Strength gain is good for an agi hero, but still won't carry him too far by itself considering the amount of enemy attention he will hopefully be receiving. It will need to be augmented relatively soon into the game if it isn't to become a problem.
Other stats
Base damage: 46-51
armor : 4.08
move speed : 300
His base damage is below average but still far better than most ranged heroes. Take this into account when laning against melee/ranged heroes and deciding whether or not a hatchet is necessary.
His armor is average. It will make him somewhat resilient to harassment but not overly so. Take this into account when deciding whether or not a buckler is needed in lane.
His movement speed is average. Be sure to compare it to whoever you are laning against and make a mental note of whether or not you can outrun them.
ameplay and item/skill builds
Now that the lengthy introductions are out of the way, on to item builds and gameplay.
Gemini should generally be played as a solo hero. He is not the greatest solo in the world, but he can get a reasonable number of creeps kills while staying alive due to Twin Fangs. He desperately needs early levels, however. As such, unless you are certain you will be destroyed in a particular mid match up or other extenuating circumstances present themselves, you should go mid. Gameplay in a dual lane is very similar to gameplay in a solo lane for Gemini the only difference being that you will be severely limited for a good portion of the early game in a dual lane.
In general, however, this guide will assume a solo mid gemini.
Starting item build:
Standard regen and a Pretenders Crown that you can build later into a bracer. I have found that a hatchet is rather necessary to lane with because of Gem's low base damage and low lane control. The ranged ability will net a lot of extra ck over the course of the lane and lets you stay much further back more often.
Here's the basic skill build:
This build focuses on Fire and Ice form. Because Fire and Ice form relies entirely on stats, leveling your other skills is not as effective as simply skilling stats. I am not implying that the other skills are useless, but that that leveling them quickly is not entirely necessary. Having a high stat score early, however, to allow you to stay in Fire and Ice form, is completely necessary.
Twin Strike is not useful until very late in the game, when you will need to stay in Gemini form more and fight more often. Twin Fang scales rather poorly with levels, so I take it last. use your judgement when tweaking this build.
Your first skill is preferably stats, but if you expect a level 1 gank or some other form of danger very early on you should skill Twin Fangs to escape. Do not decide on what to level first until the creeps spawn and you are aware of where the enemy heroes are on the map.
How to conduct yourself at mid before level 6
If you are playing against a ranged hero, try not to be too aggressive unless the opponent is out of position. If you will inevitably take four or more hits from your opponent in order to get one creep kill, you probably should just leave it. Your main goal is not to farm (although you should certainly try your best), but to get levels. If you need an extra potion, which is unlikely, then ferry it over. Don't be reluctant. You should ferry over the components to create two Bracers as soon as you can.
Do not ferry over a bottle or marchers despite what all your games of HoN have taught you. Gemini plays much differently than any other hero.
Make it difficult for your opponent to get last hits and try to get some in yourself. As I said before, you main goal is to level quickly. Because of your points in stats, don't be afraid to be slightly more liberal with yourself than you would normally playing safe, but still be very careful.
After level 6
The moment you hit level 6 you will pick up your game considerably. Immediately skill your ult and use it. If you are against a squishier hero at mid with no escapes such as flint or if you have harassed the enemy hero an adequate amount, you can kill him or her right now. If not, leave Fire in lane and send Ice to a lane that can be ganked. Focus your camera on Fire while Ice is traveling and be careful as you will be rather vulnerable to the enemy mid.
If the enemy heroes in the lane that Ice traveled to are ever out of position, move Fire to a somewhat safe spot and teleport him toIce. His channeling should end just as the enemy heroes are being initiated upon for the highest efficiency. A more in-depth discussion on how to fight with Fire and Ice is presented later in the guide.
The rest of the midgame
Item progression for mid game.
Note how I stay with the theme of pure stat items. The only stats you need are strength and Agility. As a general rule, strength should be emphasized more than agility. Buy a Mighty Blade and an Arm Band that can be built into Steam Boots and and Ice Brand later on. Carry a tp always just in case, but you should not use nearly as many tps as you would with most heroes.
Gemini does not necessarily need early boots. If other items are a priority, buy those instead. Fire and Ice have static movement speeds that are not affected by boots.
You should eventually build your Mighty Blade into a Frost Brand and get Steam Boots. Buy an Abyssal Skull after your Frost Brand for a huge dps and survivability boost followed by a firebrand to complete your Frostburn.
Gemini's gameplay and role during the midgame is relatively simple to describe but very difficult to put into practice efficiently. Using Fire and Ice at this point in the game requires experience and practice. Keep this in mind during your games and do not be afraid to experiment.
Fire andIce should never be together unless they are fighting enemy heroes. There is no reason for them to move around the map or farm together and doing so essentially cuts their mobility and general utility in half. The general form the two wolves will be taking in most circumstances is Fire farming or pushing while Ice roams. Although the two wolves are very similar,Ice is slightly better in case he is caught alone in a fight against opposing heroes because of his slow while Fire is a slightly better farmer/pusher because of the burn damage on his spray.
Trips to fountain should be few and far between and if it needs to be done, use only one wolf to take the trip. The only time both wolves should ideally be at the fountain is when you are buying items, which will seem painfully slow after such mobile gameplay but must be done at times. When things are quiet and you have 2k+ gold saved up don't be afraid to take a little shopping trip.
Note that the courier can deliver items to Fire and they will appear on Gemini when you merge again. Everything functions as if you had made a normal delivery to Gemini. The stat gain, however, will not appear on the wolves until they reform.
Try to push with one wolf whenever you have an opening. Your purpose mid game is to control the game and to ensure your team is always on superior footing. Gemini is the only hero that can completely produce an "everywhere at once" effect and this is where his strength lies.
This style of play is why Gemini should not try to build very bulky, large items until later into the game. Large periods in which you do not get any stronger create openings and chances for your opponent to catch up. Buy smaller items, such as the recommended quick blades and mighty blades to stay ahead as much and as long as possible
In essence, your goal is to be as painfully bloodily annoying as possible. Poke, prod, pester, follow, do whatever it takes to annoy the other team to no end. Mobility and constant awareness of your wolves and how quickly they can access each other is key.
You'll want to build a Brutalizer in most games. It is the perfect transition from your mid game Fire and Ice focus to your late game Gemini focus, giving stats for Fire and Ice while synergizing very well with Gemini's Twin Strike.
Late game
"Tiered out"ish items
You'll generally want a Shrunken Head first thing after you start using Gemini more toward the late game. If you don't feel you need it, go straight for a Savage Mace for ridiculous dps boost. After your Shrunken if the game still continues on you may want to consider replacing your Abyssal Skull with a DPS item for Gemini (again, generally Savage Mace).
As late game drags on, you will inevitably fall behind true hard carries especially if you remain in Fire and Ice form most of the time. You will still be a force to be reckoned with, however, especially if you transitioned well into Gemini carrying with his Twin Strike and Shrunken. You are able to push frighteningly well and still output a lot of damage and are extremely survivable. your wolves may need to be together for longer periods of time as teams will be moving as five almost always. Of course, you should always stay in ult form as you have throughout the entire game but you can be much less afraid of Gemini himself getting his hands (paws) dirty. Focus down heroes as you would normally. Highest dps and lowest hp heroes should be taken out first and then down from there. Keep your wits about you and make sure a wolf doesn't get caught. You'll have much less time to react than during early and mid game if something goes wrong.
Now that the lengthy introductions are out of the way, on to item builds and gameplay.
Gemini should generally be played as a solo hero. He is not the greatest solo in the world, but he can get a reasonable number of creeps kills while staying alive due to Twin Fangs. He desperately needs early levels, however. As such, unless you are certain you will be destroyed in a particular mid match up or other extenuating circumstances present themselves, you should go mid. Gameplay in a dual lane is very similar to gameplay in a solo lane for Gemini the only difference being that you will be severely limited for a good portion of the early game in a dual lane.
In general, however, this guide will assume a solo mid gemini.
Starting item build:
Standard regen and a Pretenders Crown that you can build later into a bracer. I have found that a hatchet is rather necessary to lane with because of Gem's low base damage and low lane control. The ranged ability will net a lot of extra ck over the course of the lane and lets you stay much further back more often.
Here's the basic skill build:
This build focuses on Fire and Ice form. Because Fire and Ice form relies entirely on stats, leveling your other skills is not as effective as simply skilling stats. I am not implying that the other skills are useless, but that that leveling them quickly is not entirely necessary. Having a high stat score early, however, to allow you to stay in Fire and Ice form, is completely necessary.
Twin Strike is not useful until very late in the game, when you will need to stay in Gemini form more and fight more often. Twin Fang scales rather poorly with levels, so I take it last. use your judgement when tweaking this build.
Your first skill is preferably stats, but if you expect a level 1 gank or some other form of danger very early on you should skill Twin Fangs to escape. Do not decide on what to level first until the creeps spawn and you are aware of where the enemy heroes are on the map.
How to conduct yourself at mid before level 6
If you are playing against a ranged hero, try not to be too aggressive unless the opponent is out of position. If you will inevitably take four or more hits from your opponent in order to get one creep kill, you probably should just leave it. Your main goal is not to farm (although you should certainly try your best), but to get levels. If you need an extra potion, which is unlikely, then ferry it over. Don't be reluctant. You should ferry over the components to create two Bracers as soon as you can.
Do not ferry over a bottle or marchers despite what all your games of HoN have taught you. Gemini plays much differently than any other hero.
Make it difficult for your opponent to get last hits and try to get some in yourself. As I said before, you main goal is to level quickly. Because of your points in stats, don't be afraid to be slightly more liberal with yourself than you would normally playing safe, but still be very careful.
After level 6
The moment you hit level 6 you will pick up your game considerably. Immediately skill your ult and use it. If you are against a squishier hero at mid with no escapes such as flint or if you have harassed the enemy hero an adequate amount, you can kill him or her right now. If not, leave Fire in lane and send Ice to a lane that can be ganked. Focus your camera on Fire while Ice is traveling and be careful as you will be rather vulnerable to the enemy mid.
If the enemy heroes in the lane that Ice traveled to are ever out of position, move Fire to a somewhat safe spot and teleport him toIce. His channeling should end just as the enemy heroes are being initiated upon for the highest efficiency. A more in-depth discussion on how to fight with Fire and Ice is presented later in the guide.
The rest of the midgame
Item progression for mid game.
Note how I stay with the theme of pure stat items. The only stats you need are strength and Agility. As a general rule, strength should be emphasized more than agility. Buy a Mighty Blade and an Arm Band that can be built into Steam Boots and and Ice Brand later on. Carry a tp always just in case, but you should not use nearly as many tps as you would with most heroes.
Gemini does not necessarily need early boots. If other items are a priority, buy those instead. Fire and Ice have static movement speeds that are not affected by boots.
You should eventually build your Mighty Blade into a Frost Brand and get Steam Boots. Buy an Abyssal Skull after your Frost Brand for a huge dps and survivability boost followed by a firebrand to complete your Frostburn.
Gemini's gameplay and role during the midgame is relatively simple to describe but very difficult to put into practice efficiently. Using Fire and Ice at this point in the game requires experience and practice. Keep this in mind during your games and do not be afraid to experiment.
Fire andIce should never be together unless they are fighting enemy heroes. There is no reason for them to move around the map or farm together and doing so essentially cuts their mobility and general utility in half. The general form the two wolves will be taking in most circumstances is Fire farming or pushing while Ice roams. Although the two wolves are very similar,Ice is slightly better in case he is caught alone in a fight against opposing heroes because of his slow while Fire is a slightly better farmer/pusher because of the burn damage on his spray.
Trips to fountain should be few and far between and if it needs to be done, use only one wolf to take the trip. The only time both wolves should ideally be at the fountain is when you are buying items, which will seem painfully slow after such mobile gameplay but must be done at times. When things are quiet and you have 2k+ gold saved up don't be afraid to take a little shopping trip.
Note that the courier can deliver items to Fire and they will appear on Gemini when you merge again. Everything functions as if you had made a normal delivery to Gemini. The stat gain, however, will not appear on the wolves until they reform.
Try to push with one wolf whenever you have an opening. Your purpose mid game is to control the game and to ensure your team is always on superior footing. Gemini is the only hero that can completely produce an "everywhere at once" effect and this is where his strength lies.
This style of play is why Gemini should not try to build very bulky, large items until later into the game. Large periods in which you do not get any stronger create openings and chances for your opponent to catch up. Buy smaller items, such as the recommended quick blades and mighty blades to stay ahead as much and as long as possible
In essence, your goal is to be as painfully bloodily annoying as possible. Poke, prod, pester, follow, do whatever it takes to annoy the other team to no end. Mobility and constant awareness of your wolves and how quickly they can access each other is key.
You'll want to build a Brutalizer in most games. It is the perfect transition from your mid game Fire and Ice focus to your late game Gemini focus, giving stats for Fire and Ice while synergizing very well with Gemini's Twin Strike.
Late game
"Tiered out"ish items
You'll generally want a Shrunken Head first thing after you start using Gemini more toward the late game. If you don't feel you need it, go straight for a Savage Mace for ridiculous dps boost. After your Shrunken if the game still continues on you may want to consider replacing your Abyssal Skull with a DPS item for Gemini (again, generally Savage Mace).
As late game drags on, you will inevitably fall behind true hard carries especially if you remain in Fire and Ice form most of the time. You will still be a force to be reckoned with, however, especially if you transitioned well into Gemini carrying with his Twin Strike and Shrunken. You are able to push frighteningly well and still output a lot of damage and are extremely survivable. your wolves may need to be together for longer periods of time as teams will be moving as five almost always. Of course, you should always stay in ult form as you have throughout the entire game but you can be much less afraid of Gemini himself getting his hands (paws) dirty. Focus down heroes as you would normally. Highest dps and lowest hp heroes should be taken out first and then down from there. Keep your wits about you and make sure a wolf doesn't get caught. You'll have much less time to react than during early and mid game if something goes wrong.
Micro and combat methods/combos
An essential part of playing Gemini properly is, of course, microing your wolves and knowing how to fight with them. Fighting efficiently takes practice and a calm, collected head.
To begin, you should hotkey Fire, Ice, and both together. I always use 1 for Fire, 2 for Ice, and 3 for both Fire and Ice in a control group. In addition, you should hotkey Gemini himself to 4. This allows you to quickly check his cooldowns and put points into skills when he levels up. When controlling both Fire and Ice in different locations, Keep your camera on the wolf you believe is in more danger but keep your eyes constantly on the minimap looking at the other wolf. Always be sure to focus your attention according to the amount of danger a wolf is in. If Fire, for example, is run down your lane back to base when all of your towers are up, you probably don't need to pay much if any attention to him. If Ice is roaming around the enemy woods while Fire farms a lane, however, you eyes had better be very intent on making sure Fire is not ganked while your camera is on Ice.
combat
Focusing one hero
Always initiate a fight in Fire and Ice form. In almost all situations, you'll want to focus one hero. To do this, select both wolves and have one, say Fire, leap at an enemy hero and then immediately attack him during the .5 second stun. Hit tab, switching to Ice, and now have him leap right after the .5 second stun wears off and immediately attack. Now, while Fire and Ice wait in between attacks, have both quickly spray with [Q tab click Q tab click] and proceed to auto attack the hero while he or she is slowed.
At this point, if you determine it is first priority to kill the hero and he or she just left your melee range, combine into Gemini, leap at the hero, spray, and use Fire and Ice form again after which you can do the double wolf combo again. If that still doesn't kill him and you are truly desperate for the kill, you can combine again and leap/spray with Gemini. The hero will almost certainly not survive a full double ult combo.
Note that doing the full combo makes you useless for the rest of the fight and requires a very large amount of time without other enemy interference. The full combo takes upwards of 15 seconds. You will usually only need half of it or so.
Knowing How to Take Damage
It sounds weird, but a key aspect of playing Gemini is knowing how to take damage. You only want one wolf to take the majority of damage thrown at you. This allows you to recombine later with one of the wolves being at high health, essentially erasing the damage you took.
The following example demonstrates the important of taking damage and positioning your wolves properly.
You take 4000 damage over the course of a team fight. Each wolf has 1500 hp
scenario 1. One wolf takes all of the damage and dies. this is the worst scenario and demonstrates improper microing and awareness. 1500 total damage taken
scenario 2. The damage is split evenly between the two wolves. This is alright, but can still be improved upon quite a bit. 3000 total damage taken
scenario 3. Fire takes 1300 damage and merges with Ice immediately splitting again afterward. Both wolves split the remaining damage. This is generally what you'll manage to accomplish in most fights. Very efficient. 4300 damage taken and Gemini lives.
scenario 4. Fire takes 1300 damage and merges with Ice immediately splitting again afterward. After the split, Ice takes 1400 damage and merges with Fire just as he's about to die. gemini takes the remaining damage. Another variation of scenario 3. Use either in different situations depending on what is possible at the time for you to do. 4200 damage taken and Gemini lives.
Be sure to spread your wolves out as much as possible to avoid AOE damage. You should feel bad every time both wolves get hit by one skill.
Keep your wolves focused on one hero at a time but try to spread out whenever possible while staying near enough to merge at an instant's notice.
Gemini's ability in fights comes from his extremely high survivability per knowing how to minimize damage dealt to you. Be as annoying as possible and don't be afraid to tank some serious damage for your team mates. try to control the fight and get all of the enemy team's attention. Keep your wits about you and you'll live through untold amounts of aggression.
(D)
Best Friends
et al.
Any hero that can disable well and complement your disruption abilities is great. In addition, any hero that specializes in single targeting is also your favorite enemy as you can simply merge out of whatever single target nonsense they are doing to one of your wolves. Demented shaman receives a special mention because of his aoe heal and armor reduction capabilities, both of which help your wolves out a lot. Other heroes with aoe buffs work well also.
Worst Enemies
Any hero with a large AOE presence or abilities to easily get you off of someone you are trying to burst down will give you a pain. you just need to be very careful around them and keep as spread out as possible. Try to take them down early. Succubus deserves a special mention because she can sleep one of your wolves and ult or smitten the other. . . ouch!
An essential part of playing Gemini properly is, of course, microing your wolves and knowing how to fight with them. Fighting efficiently takes practice and a calm, collected head.
To begin, you should hotkey Fire, Ice, and both together. I always use 1 for Fire, 2 for Ice, and 3 for both Fire and Ice in a control group. In addition, you should hotkey Gemini himself to 4. This allows you to quickly check his cooldowns and put points into skills when he levels up. When controlling both Fire and Ice in different locations, Keep your camera on the wolf you believe is in more danger but keep your eyes constantly on the minimap looking at the other wolf. Always be sure to focus your attention according to the amount of danger a wolf is in. If Fire, for example, is run down your lane back to base when all of your towers are up, you probably don't need to pay much if any attention to him. If Ice is roaming around the enemy woods while Fire farms a lane, however, you eyes had better be very intent on making sure Fire is not ganked while your camera is on Ice.
combat
Focusing one hero
Always initiate a fight in Fire and Ice form. In almost all situations, you'll want to focus one hero. To do this, select both wolves and have one, say Fire, leap at an enemy hero and then immediately attack him during the .5 second stun. Hit tab, switching to Ice, and now have him leap right after the .5 second stun wears off and immediately attack. Now, while Fire and Ice wait in between attacks, have both quickly spray with [Q tab click Q tab click] and proceed to auto attack the hero while he or she is slowed.
At this point, if you determine it is first priority to kill the hero and he or she just left your melee range, combine into Gemini, leap at the hero, spray, and use Fire and Ice form again after which you can do the double wolf combo again. If that still doesn't kill him and you are truly desperate for the kill, you can combine again and leap/spray with Gemini. The hero will almost certainly not survive a full double ult combo.
Note that doing the full combo makes you useless for the rest of the fight and requires a very large amount of time without other enemy interference. The full combo takes upwards of 15 seconds. You will usually only need half of it or so.
Knowing How to Take Damage
It sounds weird, but a key aspect of playing Gemini is knowing how to take damage. You only want one wolf to take the majority of damage thrown at you. This allows you to recombine later with one of the wolves being at high health, essentially erasing the damage you took.
The following example demonstrates the important of taking damage and positioning your wolves properly.
You take 4000 damage over the course of a team fight. Each wolf has 1500 hp
scenario 1. One wolf takes all of the damage and dies. this is the worst scenario and demonstrates improper microing and awareness. 1500 total damage taken
scenario 2. The damage is split evenly between the two wolves. This is alright, but can still be improved upon quite a bit. 3000 total damage taken
scenario 3. Fire takes 1300 damage and merges with Ice immediately splitting again afterward. Both wolves split the remaining damage. This is generally what you'll manage to accomplish in most fights. Very efficient. 4300 damage taken and Gemini lives.
scenario 4. Fire takes 1300 damage and merges with Ice immediately splitting again afterward. After the split, Ice takes 1400 damage and merges with Fire just as he's about to die. gemini takes the remaining damage. Another variation of scenario 3. Use either in different situations depending on what is possible at the time for you to do. 4200 damage taken and Gemini lives.
Be sure to spread your wolves out as much as possible to avoid AOE damage. You should feel bad every time both wolves get hit by one skill.
Keep your wolves focused on one hero at a time but try to spread out whenever possible while staying near enough to merge at an instant's notice.
Gemini's ability in fights comes from his extremely high survivability per knowing how to minimize damage dealt to you. Be as annoying as possible and don't be afraid to tank some serious damage for your team mates. try to control the fight and get all of the enemy team's attention. Keep your wits about you and you'll live through untold amounts of aggression.
(D)
Best Friends
et al.Any hero that can disable well and complement your disruption abilities is great. In addition, any hero that specializes in single targeting is also your favorite enemy as you can simply merge out of whatever single target nonsense they are doing to one of your wolves. Demented shaman receives a special mention because of his aoe heal and armor reduction capabilities, both of which help your wolves out a lot. Other heroes with aoe buffs work well also.
Worst Enemies
Any hero with a large AOE presence or abilities to easily get you off of someone you are trying to burst down will give you a pain. you just need to be very careful around them and keep as spread out as possible. Try to take them down early. Succubus deserves a special mention because she can sleep one of your wolves and ult or smitten the other. . . ouch!
Um. a question, How do you hotkey his ice/fire/both/gemini forms? i dont really know how. Just now i was struggling with spamming tab to find the right form to control >_>
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