Nerubian Assassin - Anub'arak

[ek0]

As discussed in this topic, I think guides by the players can be created.
So I will start posting topics like this one. Every week I will post a new topic with a new hero. Every member can suggest item build, skill build, gameplay... (and other). I will edit the first post with the best suggestions.
The next hero will be Anub'arak.
Nerubian Assassin - Anub'arak

• Stats
• Hero introduction
• Background Story
• Skills
  
  • Impale
  • Mana Burn
  • Urna Swarm
  • Vendetta
• When to...
  
  • When to pick NA
  • When to repick NA
  • When to ban NA
• Skill build
• Item build
• Gameplay (5 vs 5)
  
  • From level 1 to level 5
  • From level 6 to level 10
  • From level 11 to level 15
  • From level 16 to level 25
• Changelog

Stats

At level 1 At level 25 Gain per level Strength 18 66 2 Agility 19 71.8 2.2 Intelligence 18 68.4 2.1 Damage 49 - 53 101 - 105 Armor 3.7 11

Location Agility Scourge Evening Tavern Movespeed 300 Attack range 128 - melee Sight Range 1800 / 800

Hero introduction
The Nerubian Assassin starts off by wearing his opponents down early on, Burning their Mana for damage, keeping them fairly useless and vulnerable. With a Vendetta against living things, he can become invisible, travel faster, and deal great damage to the next thing he hits. Following up with his powerful line stunning impale and then Mana Burn is a combo most will instantly fall victim to--hard to see it coming and difficult to escape. While he is known for his deadly offensive, this Assassin also has a Spiked Carapace to help defend against physical attackers, and reflect melee damage directly.
Background Story
Anub'arak was once the greatest champion of the Nerubians, but fell in the Second War of the Spider. He was resurrected by the Lich King Ner'zhul, who promised him eternal undeath in exchange for his unswerving loyalty. His layers of spiked armor are nearly impregnable, causing severe damage to attackers. When threatened, he shoots these spikes through enemies, maiming and disorienting them. He channels his dark powers into a bolt of disarming negative energy, and those who witness him blending into the shadows of the frozen tundra have never lived to tell the tale.
Skills

Impale Type: Active Slams the ground with massive claws, shooting spiked tendrils out in a straight line, dealing damage and hurling enemy ground units into the air in their wake. Cooldown: 11. Casting range: 500. Area of Effect: 150 Level Mana cost Damage Stun duration 1 95 80 0.75 2 115 140 1.25 3 135 200 1.75 4 155 260 2.25 Deals magic damage. Mana Burn Type: Active Sends a bolt of negative energy that burns a target enemy unit's mana based on its Intelligence. Burned mana combusts, dealing damage to the target equal to the amount of mana burned. Casting range: 600 Level Mana Cost Cooldown 1 90 35 2 110 25 3 130 15 4 150 5 Deals magic damage. Damage equals the target's Intelligence * 4.

Urna Swarm Type: Active (has autocast) Raises a Scarab from a corpse. The Scarab can burrow to hide itself, or use Infestation to silence and deal damage over time in an AoE. Mana Cost: 10. Casting range: 900 Level Cooldown Maximum number of scarabs 1 14 2 2 11 4 3 8 6 4 5 8 Scarab Hit points: 200 Mana points: N/A Movespeed: 450 Attack damage: N/A Armor: 6 Sight range while unburrowed: 1400 / 1400 Sight range while burrowed: 400 / 400 Scarabs are immune to spells. They have 2 skills: Infestation Kills itself to silence and damage nearby enemy units. Area of Effect: 275 Duration: 3 Damage per second: 20 Burrow The scarab digs into the ground, becomes invisible and immobile.

Vendetta
Type: Active

The Nerubian Assassin turns invisible for a short period of time, and can break his invisibility with an incredibly damaging attack.

Level	Mana Cost	Cooldown	Duration	Backstab Damage	Movement speed increase (%)
1	160	90	20	225	10
2	210	75	35	375	15
3	260	60	50	525	20

Deals normal damage.
When to...
When to pick NA
Generally Nerubian is picked when there are many Inteligence Heroes against you.
When to repick NA
Mostly - never.
When to ban NA
Nothing written, yet!
Skills build
Level 1 - Mana Burn
Level 2 - Impale
Level 3 - Impale / Urna Swarm
Level 4 - Urna Swarm / Impale
Level 5 - Impale
Level 6 - Vendetta
Level 7 - Impale
Level 8 - Urna Swarm
Level 9 - Urna Swarm / Attribute Bonus
Level 10 - Urna Swarm / Attribute Bonus
Level 11 - Vendetta
Level 12 - Mana Burn / Attribute Bonus
Level 13 - Mana Burn / Attribute Bonus
Level 14 - Mana Burn / Attribute Bonus
Level 15 - Attribute Bonus
Level 16 - Vendetta
Level 17 - Attribute Bonus
Level 18 - Attribute Bonus
Level 19 - Attribute Bonus
Level 20 - Attribute Bonus
Level 21 - Attribute Bonus / Mana Burn
Level 22 - Attribute Bonus / Mana Burn
Level 23 - Attribute Bonus / Mana Burn
Level 24 - Attribute Bonus / Urna Swarm
Level 25 - Attribute Bonus / Urna Swarm
Item build
Bottle solves your mana problems.
Magic Wand costs nothing and can save you.
Phase Boots are great when playing.
Dagon works nice even in late game (you need it upgraded to level 5).
Eul's Scepter of Divinity is a situational item. Buy it if your team needs a support hero.
Necronomicon gives you sight range (1500 / 1500, depending on it's level), movement speed aura, mana burning skills and true sight (level 3 Necronomicon Warrior).
Diffusal Blade - less mana for your enemy. Purge can help you, too.
Orchid Malevolence gives you damage, attack speed, mana regeneration and intelligence. Do you need something else?
Yasha - a late game item, but only if there is an other support hero in your team, else buy Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse or Shiva's Guard.
Manta Style - if you have Yasha, upgrading this would be a good idea.
Shiva's Guard - a late game item.
Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse is for the real intelligence heroes, but can prove useful, if you are the only one the buy it.
Gameplay (5 vs 5)
From level 1 to level 5
Starting with Bottle. If your team has a courier, you can get Magic Wand.
The game has just started, you need gold and to level up fast.
From level 6 to level 10
You have a stun, you have a disable, you are invisible! Go roaming. Your allies need your help.
At level 10 you should have atleast Eul's Scepter of Divinity, Necronomicon or Dagon.
From level 11 to level 15
Fun time! Kill your enemies. Do not go alone versus several heroes. You should be sure to attack in 1 versus 1. Vendetta will help you.
From level 16 to level 25
You are ready to finish the game (but not alone, you need a team).
If you are not ready to end, continue the search for victims.
Cgangelog:
2010-05-28: The first post.
2010-05-29: Added 'when to pick NA'.
2010-05-29: Added 'when to repick NA'.
2010-05-29: Added skill build.
2010-05-29: Added item build.
2010-06-11: Added gameplay information.
2010-06-11: Released.
Some pictures are from the Official DotA Website.

[FatalityMk]

Well generally Nerubian is picked when there are many Inteligence Heroes against you. To repick it ? Hmm... Nerubian can prove usefull in all sorts of situations like for example there is Balanar vs You, you get mana burn and haraas him all early game long so he can`t cast his spells which are devestating early game.

Skill Build: On level 1 always get Mana Burn, so you can immediatelly cast it on enemy heroes (and only 1 level is requiered - with each level it increases the Mana needed for casting it but it lowers the cooldown - generally it is prefered only 1 level of mana burn ) .
On level 2 and 3 there is Impale. On level 4 get 1 level of Urna Swarm so you can control rune spots and some important neutral camps.
On level 5 Impale. Level 6 Ulti
From level 6 to level 10 improve your Impale and 1 more level of urna swarm and the rest some atribute bonuses...

Item Build: first choice of items should be Bottle and Wand of Magic, then you go on phase boots and Dagon, maybe even Eul`s Scepter of Divinity and Orchid... These are the must have items for Nerubian. NEVER try and make Nerubian a fighter because he is not a fighter, he is more of a Spell Caster and it would benefit more if you make items that are suited for Inteligence heroes...

The style of play with nerubian is to get the more 1 on 1 kills as you can until level 16. Then when ulti is on level 3 upgraded you can be invisible all game long. As it is explained Nerubians Ulti lasts 50 seconds and the cooldown is 60 seconds at level 3 which is a great advantage.
p.s. always have at least one Urna Swarm with you, it is usefull and it can do silence for 3 seconds...

[iPlayForFun]

Well Nerubian in most cases is Spell Caster but if there is vs u only 1 or no int heroes u could be a gr8 carry...
If u are spell caster well then later when u get more int u get more lvls of mana burn cuz in 10 sec u can drain about 800 mana witch is good vs int heroes... Never repick nerubian and take when u have chance on Sd, on Rd or even ap....Well if u are spell caster make dagon lvl 5 and then make hex or shivas.
If u are carry u just need 1 lvl of mana burn, impale lvl 4 at lvl 7, u need lvl 4 urna swarm cuz u need to gank ppl in woods...Well make vladmir's, s&y and then make mkb or butterfly then u pwn hard, also u can make buriza or basher then assault.....But first buy bottle and queling for fast farm, then make treads change in int for impale, then go for vladmir's and everything else....

P.S. Always put 1 Scarb at rosh (when u play vs ursa or vs troll or vs lycan it is most important place to put)

[ek0]

I updated the guide.
I wrote 2 item builds, because you posted different gameplays.

[FatalityMk]

Yeah it looks nice, but i don`t think some one should make the hero a Carry, i mean Nerubians abilities are to inflict as much damage as he can in 3-4 seconds.
For example - Captured invi rune, use ulti, go behind the hero and attack dealling backstab damage, attack one or two more times before casting Orchid so you can silence him and then attack him 2-3 more times before the silence rans out, then you use your Impale and you hit him 2-3 more times while he is stuned, after that you use dagon to inflict even more pain and at last use your mana burn to deal some more damage. Then if you have Eul`s Scepter of Divinity you can use it, so that your spells get the cooldown that is needed.

Edit: Vendeta 500 damage, 2-3 hits x 120 damage each = 220-350 ( based on heroes armor reduction ), silence hence 2-3 more hits = 220-350 damage + dagon 400-600 (depends on level) + mana burn ( if int hero ) probably 60-70 int x 4 = 250 damage + Impale 260 damage and 2-3 more hits = 220-350 damage and the total amount of damage inflicted would be: 500 + 220 + 220 + 400 + 250 + 220 + 260 = 2200 maximum ( it may be reduced based on armor reduction or it maybe exact the same depends on 20% more from Orchid )

[hotbarbecue]

NA is a GANKER/SUPPORT hero, he'll never be a carry. Except in noob/apem games

He's like Bane, his ulti can instagib any low hp hero, or seriously damage a carry, with the help of your team. He must GANK GANK GANK, nothing more. Using him as a carry means he would need to farm, and NOT GANK, which is ABSURD.

First of all, he needs loads of mana!

Then, good items on him are :

- Dagon (and DONT FUCKING UPGRADE HIM, the only hero who can benefit Dagon's upgrades is Pugna)
- Hex
- Necronomicon (and YOU'RE FREE TO UPGRADE IT EVEN IF THE ENEMY DOESNT HAVE INVI HERO)
- Shiva if they opponent team is based on Heavy DPS heroes, and if no one in your team is building it
- Diffusal if you can farm it along with Manta
- Orchid is quite good also, it's easy to farm for a ganking hero, and it adds a good disable against blinking heroes (remember, Orchid's effect last longer than Hex)
- Force Staff for teh lulz

NA is a crowd controller hero, like Bane... you can initiate a fight on an isolated hero, empale several heroes, disable heavy mana dependant heroes with a single manaburn, use your MHing bugs, silence in an AOE with these bugs... HE'S NO CARRY!!!!

Well make vladmir's, s&y and then make mkb or butterfly then u pwn hard, also u can make buriza or basher then assault

yeah yeah, like any other agi or str hero. HAHAHAHAHA.
Keep on teaching noobs how to stay noobs, it will raise your stats.

[FatalityMk]

NA is a GANKER/SUPPORT hero, he'll never be a carry. Except in noob/apem games

He's like Bane, his ulti can instagib any low hp hero, or seriously damage a carry, with the help of your team. He must GANK GANK GANK, nothing more. Using him as a carry means he would need to farm, and NOT GANK, which is ABSURD.

First of all, he needs loads of mana!

Then, good items on him are :

- Dagon (and DONT FUCKING UPGRADE HIM, the only hero who can benefit Dagon's upgrades is Pugna)
- Hex
- Necronomicon (and YOU'RE FREE TO UPGRADE IT EVEN IF THE ENEMY DOESNT HAVE INVI HERO)
- Shiva if they opponent team is based on Heavy DPS heroes, and if no one in your team is building it
- Diffusal if you can farm it along with Manta
- Orchid is quite good also, it's easy to farm for a ganking hero, and it adds a good disable against blinking heroes (remember, Orchid's effect last longer than Hex)
- Force Staff for teh lulz

NA is a crowd controller hero, like Bane... you can initiate a fight on an isolated hero, empale several heroes, disable heavy mana dependant heroes with a single manaburn, use your MHing bugs, silence in an AOE with these bugs... HE'S NO CARRY!!!!

Well make vladmir's, s&y and then make mkb or butterfly then u pwn hard, also u can make buriza or basher then assault

yeah yeah, like any other agi or str hero. HAHAHAHAHA.
Keep on teaching noobs how to stay noobs, it will raise your stats.

haha why not, it is a good idea to teach noobs for stats
all in all i agree, but i put Force Staff cuz i like that item soo much and orchid, note, that not only does it gives you silence ability but it also gives you increased attackspeed and mana regenration which is what is needed for NA, but having expensive items like Shiva and Hex, well i never get to build them so i stick to easy, cheap making items...

[ek0]

Fixed.

[hotbarbecue]

Hmm nice, I'll give you more things to fix 


- Give 2 or 3 typical builds adapted to common situations : For example, if you're buying dagon as core item, you should have a lot of kills, meaning that your team can farm and be ready to push before the 30min mark. Therefore, start to build Hex, to help your team in case the games prolongs a bit.

- Explain WHY some item is good on NA. Not why some item is "just good"... For example : Necronomicon is good because you have a nice stun, which gives you 2seconds to micro your necro-warrior and cast manaburn. And the Int bonus it provides will help you spam your spells.
Another example : Manta is good because vendetta gives you the opportunity to land a stun at the perfect place - maybe in the melee with creeps, or against a cliff, or trees - and that NA has a big collision size. A stun at the right moment, illus summoned, and BAM, your target is stucked.


- How to counter NA?

1) MagicStick OF COURSE! In lane, he'll harass you with manaburn. Collect charges, and wait for the opportunity to use them when you need around 200 mana to land your stun or your nuke on him. Another advantage : you'll be warned when he comes in the fog and use his vendetta (+1 charge WTF who did cast a spell)

2) Hood. No need for any explanation.

3) Obs wards, sentries, and callling for miss!! A team with good map control will give NA a hard time. If he cant get some kills before lvl 16 (where his Vendetta becomes really powerful) he'll be weak.

4) SLARK!!! His ulti can tell you where his watchers are, and if he's heading for you. But be careful with Slark gnoll-like HP against the vendetta combo!

5) Silencer will destroy your combo with his LastWord. And he'll even make your ganks fail on his teammates with his global silence if he's fast enough. If he gets the edge over you in early game, your game is more likely to be fucked.

5) Buy arcane ring and bloodstone for mana dependant heroes, if possible. If you try to raise your mana with INT items, manaburn will be even more dangerous for you.

6) Lane control. Dont let him farm. He's quite item-dependant, and a poor farmer with low damage and low attack speed. Deny, harass! And from the moment he gets his Lvl 6, dont stay in lane under 600HP when you know he's missing.

Dont think Linken will help you much. If NA targets you with his stun, it will proc your linken, and you'll run. But if the NA player is good he'll target the ground, your linken will proc, and you'll be stunned too!

- When to pick NA?

1) When you have some farming Terrorblade to gank in the woods every 2min. When they enemy has low HP carry heroes (Sniper, BloodSeeker...), or hard-to-catch semi-carry like QoP or POTM (you can wait for them at the rune spots, they'll love it)

2) Against mana-dependant STR heroes like Shaker, Chieftain, PitLord... you'll give them hell of a hard early game, and they'll be late with their core items like Dagger.

[FatalityMk]

Dude i agree with most of what you said. But you can hardly get the cash needed to buy those items. When i play NA i play him only to support, gang all the time and to assist in kills so that our carrys get overfed, that is why i have 50 creeps maximum per game, because i just gang. And if you want those expensive, hard to build items you need to farm all the time, creeps and neutrals, that means you won`t be able to gang and assist your team.

1 example: http://stats.playdota.eu/?p=gameinfo&gid=45676 check out the heroes, Furion ( made like a carry ) and Rashta, a powerfull disable and caster hero. In this kind of situation you need the build i suggested to make loads of damage in 4-5 seconds before they try to attack you and disable you. But ofcourse i could not even buy a dagon, having hard time ganging with teammates.

2 example: http://stats.playdota.eu/?p=gameinfo&gid=121310 check out Morphlings kills. Half of those i have assisted him by making gangs. We finished at 45 minutes, with me having only Dagon, Phase Boots and Bottle ( i don`t remember if the last slot was occupied )
And as you can see with the both games i had not more then 50 creep kills, because i ran the whole map at least 30 times just to gang.

Also you should put ek0 that NA is the perfect counter for Silencer due to Silencer`s high rate of Inteligence, both from early game and late game.

[Tadas]

All scarabs should be placed asap, cause then you can control the game: other team can't farm in jungle, they can't do a surprising atack, they get unexpected silence ...

[ek0]

Updated.