Tinker V2

The last time I post about my favorite Dota hero Tinker [here], it was based on the old version (6.48b and below). Time goes by and version changes, and this also brought the wind of change to the way Tinker is played in competitive level. Coming dota version 6.52e where blink dagger action no longer a viable option, the map has emphasized more and more on pushing/anti-pushes, as well as the ever-needed disables in the form of hero skills or items.

In short the basic Tinker build of manta-guinsoo-skadi-radiance-linkens-bot pioneered by virot2 has barely been used in high level play. 2 of the items still remain as the core of the new item build - BoT (Boot of Travel) and Guinsoo. The reason for this is obvious - monstrous mobility across the map and the possibility of perma-hexing the enemy.

With the increasing use of disabling heroes (Earthshaker/Lion/NA etc) and Guinsoo carrier (Queen of Pain/Puck/Pit Lord etc), BKB (Black King Bar) has been a very vital part of the revamped Tinker item build. Some versions ago the use of BKB is not viable because of the bug occurred while activating BKB consecutively (hence need to wait at least 1 second before activating the refreshed BKB), but this bug has been fixed some versions ago. This consequently made BKB a valuable item on tinker to counter all those chain disable. With Rearm, Tinker can stayed virtually perma-BKB-ed as long as he has the mana to support Rearm. In version 6.55, BKB duration has been nerfed after each usage, but even so BKB still remains as his core item because of its purpose - countering disable.

And the fourth core item is Shiva's Guard. This basically replace the core item of virot2 - Manta Style as pushing machine. While Manta Style provide the image to aggro and withstand creep damage, and allow Tinker to push forward without the need of allied creep, Shiva provide a better alterative because a combo of March-Shiva-Rearm-march-Shiva can easily clear a creep wave in an instant. Yes mana is still a problem with this way, but people will usually TP back to fountain after only 1 or 2 wave cleared, and TP back to any pushed line. This is because going too far pushing one lane alone posed higher risk of being ganked, and BKB is not an absolute guarantee to escape from the ganks. Not to mention, the slow from Shiva's Blast is quite helpful in teamfights.

So that's it, the revamped Tinker item build which synergizes with the need of the new map. The remaining 2 item slots are mostly bought based on situation. I've seen people go for Manta, Skadi or Linkens (ie the old virot2 style). It all depends on situation, because in the end, you can only fit 6 items in your inventory. And yes, this build costs a hell lot of gold, so it's not easy to build especially if the enemy went for a quick push and constant ganks. But hey, a good Tinker can easily farmed up to 500+ cs in a proper game, so in the right situation, farming all those items are not that hard. And one more thing, hotkeys for the numpads are very essential for this build.

....................................................................

replays showing the new Tinker build:

game 1: MYM Prime Defendind #11 playoff, Kingsurf vs DiamonZ
Watch how Yamateh singlehandedly march through DmZ players, and still able to survive :D

game 2: MGC 2008 semi final, Fnatic vs Cant
Fnatic manage to prolong the game long enough for Lakuci's Tinker to farm all his item, and push Cant on all side and carry them to victory.

game 3: F4F5 round 2: TPL vs Wicked
Wicked dominate the game for most of the part with excellent Kunkka play by U_nited. However Chu manage to turn the game around in favor of TPL. A Very long game.

ps: note that registeration is not required to download all those replays. Just click cancel.