Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
(…because slice requested it…)
(…and because Kate Beckinsale is hot…)
Why you need to use Lycanthrope:
- He can jungle quite easily with Summon Wolves and a Ring of Basilius
- He can grant global team damage bonus with Howl
- All his units gain bonuses from Feral Impulse (damage and attack speed)
- All his units gain MAX MOVESPEED from Shapeshift
- HE STILL HAS 522 MS EVEN WHEN SHEEPED!
...What’s that? You still haven’t drafted Banehallow the Lycanthrope yet? What the hell, man?!
Lycanthrope has been one of the ultimate pub-star heroes for a long time now. His ability to rapidly level up and farm nearly uninhibited in the jungle, combined with his brutally-efficient hero-killing ultimate, Shapeshift, have earned him much favor in the eyes of many DotA players. But this popularity is not globally spread and has not breached the hallowed halls (and chatrooms) of competitive DotA players. Yet.
The brute strength of the Lycanthrope is quite obvious, but there are a few subtle statistics that are worth noting. First off, his Summon Wolves are quite baller. These puppies have 400 MS at all levels, and last for 55 seconds with only a 30 second cooldown, also at all levels. This means that while jungling you can throw ganks to your side lane, á la Enigma’s summons, and then simply re-summon your wolves and continue farming/leveling up. Their hit points scale from 400 to 625, so they can provide some pretty solid harassment and make the lane a lot easier for your ally.
BONUS TIP YOU MAY NOT HAVE THOUGHT OF: You can send Summon Wolves to check on the Runes! And with level 4 Invisibility, these wolves are essentially two 55-second mini-Observer Wards for only 125 mana.
Lycanthrope’s two other activatables, Howl and Shapeshift, are designed for quick skirmishes—and with the extreme power and speed granted by these two abilities, most opponents shouldn’t last very long under his pressing attack. Both skills last about 15 seconds (Howl is 16, Shapeshift is 14/15/16), so both can be used right as a fight breaks out, and they’ll end just as your opponent’s souls float upwards above the battlefield. Howl is like a global Command Aura that provides fixed damage (11/22/33/44), so it’s more effective on Intelligence and other non-DPS-centric heroes. Also, Shapeshift has a 40 second cooldown at level 16, so once late game rolls around, you’ll be able to run around at 522 MS with Critical Strike 40% of the time; not a bad percentage, not bad at all.
DID YOU KNOW? Shapeshift greatly reduces Lycan’s collision size, so his ultimate also essentially gives him Phase Boot’s coveted ability FO’ FREE.
Banehallow is especially efficient at making quick, killing stabs from which the enemy cannot escape. Because his ultimate prevents him from being slowed, he can easily devour squishy heroes who lack a stun.
I.E. 
AND 
.
(And thusly Shapeshift can be used as a fail-safe escape from Viper’s poison, among other things.)
Common slows like Panda’s Clap, Rigwarl’s Goo, Broodmother’s Bite, Venomancer’s Poison Gale, and Lich’s Nova/Chain will provide little help against the rapid and unstoppable assault of the Shapeshifted Lycanthope.
With his easy farming and hero killing, the Lycanthrope should have no problem acquiring items of all varieties. Black King Bar is probably the only requirement, and combat support items like Vladimir’s Offereing are strong choices, as well. Think about what you can accomplish with his ultimate: when BKB’d, the enemy’s only hope is to physically kill you (because they can’t run, that’s for sure!!), but with Lifesteal and innate Critical Strike, it’s very rare that anyone one/two/three opponents will be able to out-DPS you. Also, if you opt for Satanic’s brief 150% lifesteal, there’s essentially nothing that can harm you as long as you’re attacking some one or something.
SOMETHING TO PONDER: Shapeshift gives ALL YOUR UNITS 522 MS—even Necronomicon minions!! Not a horrible item choice on Lycan if you think about it…
In conclusion, you should pick Lycanthrope for all the reasons above. And because sliced likes him.
...
But mostly because in Shapeshift he still has 522 MS even when sheeped.
P.S. Lycan can even GO DOLO mid, just ask Spit-wad... he says he's undefeated with this strategy... interview coming soon...
Comments
thanks dude