First of all, thanks for some really nice games yesterday guys; I certainly had a lot of fun .
I think with yesterdays turnout being so high, we might consider two days of inhouses per week or maybe a coaching day, where new players could get help with the nitty-gritty of their favorite hero.
I am not the biggest fan of randomizing the teams as it tends to lead to very one-sided games, especially when one team doesn't have an experienced captain and the other does. I much prefer captains drafting players (maybe with Irish players being auto-banned ) like we've done in the past to alleviate this problem.
To zap_brannigan456 and all the other new players who might be a bit anxious about captain's mode, don't worry about letting your team down, as long we communicate and have fun, it's all good

This might work out, I think we'd have to try it out a few times to actually know how this would work out in practice. I don't know how I feel about a few players secretly rating everyone else, seems practical but also might feel a bit elitist and non-inclusive to some players, I don't know, maybe I'm wrong about that. There is also the possibility that new players could rate themselves and more experienced players would be rated by those who know them, then again that might hurt the feelings of certain people. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this as I am somewhat ambivalent on all the options presented so far.

Oh and by the way, I think you are focusing too much on carrying, having a really good semi-carry or ganker or utility team fight (enigma, sand king) can be just as game-breaking as a good AM.



I understand where you are coming from, but the problem is, that supporting correctly can quite frustrating when the player you are supporting doesn't know their roles. For example, you can play most perfect venomancer, secure 3 kills for your AM and win the lane completely, but if the AM can't last hit, it doesn't really matter in the end. There is also the fact that a lot of the newer players are more comfortable playing support and specifically request those heroes quite often. I also think that the more experienced players have been good about not going hard carry every game, at least that's been the case in the last games I've played, there have been quite a few games though, so maybe you experience have been different.

I think we should try the rating system that essem has suggested, if it works, great! If it doesn't, well ok, we can then try something else.
I like the idea of a 1-5 system, a 0-100 is too diffuse in my opinion.
It could be something like this (shamelessly based on essems text ) :

1 - Few matchmaking games under belt, still trying to figure out basic item builds, last-hitting, etc.
2 - Knows the ins and outs of maybe 5 or 6 heroes. Understands how to ward, beginning to know how to farm consistently.
3 - Understands the basic strategies of dota (4-protect-1, team fight strategy, early push, etc.), good map awareness, consistent positioning in teamfights, etc
4 - Can effectively play a wide range of heroes including the more difficult ones, knows how a trilane works, how to jungle, can solo mid, etc.
5 - Can effectively play most if not all heroes, ability to coach and draft, extensive hero/item knowledge.

While I think it would be nice to have an AP/AR lobby, I very much disagree with making captain's mode a "big dogs" only kind of thing. One of the great things about the Doobs inhouses had been that new players have been able to play a "serious" captain's mode game with picks and strategy, etc. and from what I've heard it's been a lot of fun for inexperienced as well as experienced players alike, especially since it's so different from regular match making. I think captain's mode is exactly the kind of thing that everyone can a lot of from, and it's a great mode to really understand a hero's role in a team setting. I don't know about anyone else, but I've really enjoyed playing captain's mode with some of the new players.
I don't think we should aim to seperate people in terms of skill, as that is kind of counter-productive to learning and also counter-productive towards fostering a close-knit community. Instead we could use skill indicators (like essem's 1-5) or player drafting to get more balanced teams, whatever the mode.



1. Totally agree with you on this point.

2. I don't really see a big problem is, but what we could do is have a good channel names so that it's easy to get 10 people to "sign-up" for a game.

3. Agreed.

Overall, I really think we should be careful about elitist tendencies. This is exactly the kind of community where someone should be able to try out being a captain and maybe test some weird strategy that they've thought of, and I think we should encourage this, instead considering whether they are ready or not. I would love to see some of the new people try out their own ideas instead of everyone copying the picks of competitive Na'Vi games.

Personally, I think 3 types of lobbies is a bit much, and I'd much rather see it reduced to 2 kinds, AP/SD/RD and CM, then again I am a bit biased since I like CM for inhouses. I like the idea of broadening players horizons though.

How about giving out items as prizes for certain, not-so-serious achievements, for example "rustled shane's jimmies award" (killed shane the most or in the best way", "manliest russian dota played", i.e. most suicidal, agressive play, (Irish people not eligible).

I'm up for game 1

The shane charge...

*MOVED*

And UnoPolak...

*MOVED*

They seem pretty. These are my thoughts the various builds:


AM: PMS needs to a core item, 3 branches is probably bad as it delays your RoH / PMS. Vanguard is more situational than core. Battlefury should most likely be the default option, or alternatively Vanguard + Vlad's for good tanking and team fight ability early on. Heaven's Halberd should be a situational item when the other team has a carry with high DPS, and you need tanking. BKB needs to be a situational item if the enemy team has lots of AoE or disables.

Axe: Treads are OK, but tranquil boots are awesome in the laning/jungling phase and you can disassemble them for hood or Vanguard. Axe absolutely needs magic stick because his mana pool is so low when he has dagger. Axe is probably the best blademail carrier in the game if the other team has lots of AoE. I'd say that Pipe/Hood should be considered a core item since it adds so much to his team and may give better survivability than Vanguard.

Bane: don't (as he suggests) go soul ring and arcane boots, you don't need that much mana, and you spend 2000K on no survivability or escape. Necro is good, but hard to farm where as force staff gives escape, chase and builds very well. Dagger is a good situational item for initiation/chasing/ganking.

Batrider: Hood/Pipe should be core, he has very good strength/strength gain. Bracers are actually decent on this hero. Can be a good blademail carrier since he is often right in the middle of the fray. Veil of discord is a good situational item, gives a bit of int, armor and amplifies damage on his target. 1 of the bracers should be replaced with a Urn as a core item.

Beastmaster: Urn should be replaced by medallion and moves into situational since Axes are composite (half-physical) damage, he deals a good amount of physical damage with his aura and boar. Soul ring should be core since it helps his laning, allows him to stack/kill ancients, and gives him much needed mana and hp regen. Veno orb should be at least situational. Pipe should be situational since beastmaster is good Pipe carrier. You can also go semi-carry BM with Armlet/Crystalis and maybe a Vladimir's.

BS: Random Wraithband syndrome. Don't get Wraithbands, they delay your important items. Veno orb should probably be core. Basher should be optional because it's one of the few items that can prevent TP'ing out, and it's cheaper than MKB. Vladimir's should be optional since it allows BS to stand up to heroes once they are ultied and adds some team fight capability to the team (BS' weakness). S&Y is pretty terrible item since it doesn't do one thing well. Better go for a casual Yasha + MKB/BKB. Blademail should at least be situational since it puts enemies in a difficult position when he ulties them, they can't run, and if they attack they take damage.

BH: Ring of Aquila is decent, but it delays your drums/magic stick which you really need. Bottle is a much better option since it also gives HP regen, and is also cheaper. Don't get S&Y, it doesn't give much damage and BKB is much better for survivability. Tranquil boots can be a good choice if your lane is really tough. Orchid should be a situational item, the silence is really good and BH can use the mana and damage/attack speed. It's especially good if the enemy team has QoP, Storm Spirit, Mirana, WR or other heroes with good escapes.

Brew: good choices all. Soul Ring should be a situational item since it solves all his early game mana problems and give him good regen in lane.

Brood: phase is also a good choice is it allows brood to escape ganks, especially when the other team has slows. Basher can be a good choice is will allow you to stand up to a full-fledged carry with lifesteal/bash, between the bash and the 40% miss chance this reduces a carry's damage substantially, giving broodmother a role in late game team fights. Quelling Blade is also a good choice since it allows better jungling/pushing and last hits in the lane.

CK: Heaven's Halberd can be a good mix between damage and tankability, gives some anti-carry as well. Never get S&Y, there are simply always better items. Urn should be a situational item since it adds ganking and gives a bit of mana regen.

Chen: good choices. Medallion/Urn are good choices for a ganking chen, but will delay the mek. Force staff shoud be situational.

Clinkz: MKB shouldn't be a core item, BKB can be just as essential. Manta style can be a good situational item since it gives mobility when actually attacking and allows you dispel dust/silence.

Clockwerk: Veno orb should be core. Vlad's can be a good choice since it allows him to go 1v1 in cogs. Heaven's Halberd can be good choice for tanking and not allowing people to fight back once they are cogged. Orchid can be good as well, since it solves all his mana issues and doesn't allow people to stun/escape from cogs. Arcanbe Boots is a good alternative to phase since it allows him to spam rockets and help the team with mana, a force staff can then help with chasing people.

CM: no comments.

DS: Vlad's is a good team support item mid/late game. Radiance can be a good choice if your farm early on is amazing, but only if other supports can get pipe/mek.

Dazzle: Arcane boots should be core, you already have a heal (so little need for HP regen) and it's a good team item that also gives more mana than soul ring, which you need if you go mek. Medallion is amazin on dazzle since all his spells are phyiscal, should probably be considered core. Desolator is suprisingly good if you have the farm, it increases his spell damage and helps him focussing down heroes in team fights.

Krob: Arcane boots + Heart is a good alternative to phase + bloodstone, gives more tankability at the expensive of utility/chasing.

Disruptor: Bloodstone is too expensive and he doesn't need that much mana. Veil of discord is amazing, might even be considered core. Valdimir's is a good support item for mid/late game. Rods of atos is decent since it allows him to get the kinetic field off and gives a bit of mana/HP.

Doom: Shiva/Agha + Refresher can be devastating in team fights with 2 heroes being useless for 14/15 seconds. Veno orb should be considered core. Vladimir is a good choice if you have other melee carries.

DK: HotD shouldn't be considered core since it doesn't add enough damage and the added armor isn't very necessary. Maelstrom/Mjolnir should be situational items. Maelstrom/Armlet are much better core item choides since it actually allows DK to do damage in team fights. Stout shield should be an early/starting item since dragon's blood is not enough to negate early game harassment.

Drow: Random Wraithband syndrome. You cannot afford to delay your Yasha 1K gold for what amounts to 18 damage and 100 HP. You'll need to sell those Wraithbands later on anyway. Force staff is a good choice if you need an escape mechanism that isn't countered by a 180 gold item.

ES: Tranquil + Soulring can be a good choice if you want to be very active early on and have better lane, however you will need arcane(disasseble tranquil), shiva or some other mana later on

Enchantress: Aghanim's should be considered core since it really boosts enchantress' damage and makes her a huge factor in team fights.

Enigma: Treads don't do much for enigma, he(?) needs more important items like BKB, Mek and Dagger.

Void: No, no. BKB is situational item since he has his ultimate. Battlefury or Midas should be considered core since he really needs items that boost his farm. Alternatively he can go Vanguard + MoM for a cheaper/early build. Note that you can also go utility void with Aghanim's + Vladimir's. You still do some damage and you have very good survivability and team fight every 60 seconds. This only works if you have another carry on your team. Satanic should be a situational item. The most stable, core build is probably something like Battlefury + Mantastyle: gives good regen early, good farming and some survivability, damage and attack speed later on.

Gyro: Pipe should be considered situational since it allows him to right in the fray and survive. Force staff is a good situational item, gives good chasing, an escape that is desperately needed and some damage/attack speed. Heart can be a good choice for dishing out rockets and surviving, the problem is it takes quite a bit of farm to get it. Blademail can be a good choice coupled with some tanking item since gyro is often right in the middle of the fray. Dagger should be situational item, makes him an initatior with rocket -> blink - > rocket barage - > ulti, especially coupled with BKB.

Huskar: Aboslutely needs BKB as a core item to not only prevent getting locked down, but also since it completely negates the damage he would recieve from his ultimate. Heaven's Halberd is a fantastic alternative to Heart. Skade is a good situational item since it prevent people from simply walking away from huskar and it also stacks with lifesteal.

Invoker: Orchid is a good choice for a more carry-oriented Quas-Exort Invoker. Mjolnir + Aghanim's is also a good choice for a carry Exort invoker. Eul's is a fantastic item on Invoker; allows him to land sunstrikes with ease, setups up Ice Wall, Meteor, EMP and gives him much needed movement speed and mana regen.

THD: Looks good

Jugger: Always phase, never treads since he needs to chase people early for blade fury and later on he needs to chase people down to hit them.
veno orb is a good situational item. Aghanim's + Refresher is a very potent (but expensive) build since it gives survivability as well as damage. Vanguard is a good alternative to Battefury if your farming is poor since it helps him survive in lane/ganks and negates physical damage while he uses blade fury.

Kunkka: Probably the best Shadow Blade carrier in the game since it gives him an extra 150 pure damage on potentially 5 heroes in a team fight, and the extra movmentspeed helps him position himself for boat/splash. Vanguard can be a good option, but shouldn't be considered core. Random Bracer syndrome again. Bracers are decent, but not together with Vanguard since it delays his damage too much. Satanic and Heaven's Halberd are good alternatives to Heart. Armlet + HotD is a good alternative to Crystalis + Vanguard. It gives aprox. +85 damage, +25 IAS, +10 Armor, + 500 HP, + 15% life steal, -37 HP per second. Often the added armor and life steal more than negates that HP loss.

Leshrac: Random Bracer syndrome. Only get 2 Bracers if you are really poor/dying a lot and can't afford to get the point booster/vitality booster.
1 Bracer, however, is really good since it allows you to upgrade it for drums before or after bloodstone. BKB should be a situational item. Heart can be a good choice after your bloodstone for extreme tankability in team fights. Veil of discord is also a good situational item since it boosts all your spells and gives some armor. Phase can be a good alternative to Arcane since it allows you chase people down early game and makes last hitting much easier. Blademail can also be a good option once you have a bloodstone and are suddenly a target in team fights, but BKB is probably better in the long run.

Lich: Dagger is a very good situational item since it allows Lich to chase and position for his ulti, force staff too. Veil of Discord is a good choice too if your team has a lot of magical damage.

Lifestaler: Phase boots are at least as good as Treads for chasing and escaping. Midas is a very choice if you are jungling or doing well in your lane. Don't go Vanguard since it's not very good late game (if the game gets late, the damage block does nothing and you'll need to sell it) and you might as well get more IAS/Desolator to life steal more. Drums can also be good. Veno orb, phase boots, Drums, Armlet makes for a very mobile, very potent life stealer, that very few heroes can run from. Note that with the added attack speed from Armlet and Rage as well as the need to keep people in place, Lifestealer is one of the best Basher carriers in the game, and can make him a very good anti-carry, especially vs high HP carries.

Lina: Eul's is a very good item on Lina since it makes her stun very reliable and solves most of her mana problems, and gives a bit of chasing/escape. Random Bracer syndrome again. Bracers are fine, but most of the time you need mobility with Lina.

Lion: Phase boots are fine, but you really need some item to boost your mana pool due to the mana cost of your ultimate, especially if you plan to go mek. Getting Arcane + Mek is probalby a better idea than 2x Bracer and Phase for a core build. Bottle should be considered situational since it helps with ganking and gives HP + mana regen.

Sylla: Phase boots on your main hero is much better than treads since you ultimate reduces your movement speed and you need the chasing to keep up with your bear.

Luna: Satanic is almost always a better choice than Heart due to Luna's high damage.

Lycan: I'd consider medallion a core item, it boosts his farming, it boosts his damage substantially and it helps him quickly take down Roshan. The extra mana regen is also very nice. HotD is actually a very good item on Lycan. If you dominate a Wolf you get the 30% damage aura and the wolf moves at max speed when you use your ulti.

Mirana: Bottle should be considered core since she needs a bit of HP regen, runes really boosts her ganking and Ring of Aquila is not quite enough mana regen. Crystalis/Deadalus should be considered a situational item. Orchid should also be a situational item since it allows her to spam her spells and can help gank those pesky heroes with escape mechanisms. Drums is a good choice for some cheap survivability and damage if you cannot afford manta style.

Morphling: bottle should be considered core since his spells cost so much mana and helps him sustain in lane.

Furion: He's one the best Midas carriers, he can really use the levels from Midas, he needs farm and he doesn't really need any early game items, it should then probably be considered as a core item. Necrobook is also a good choice on Furion since it helps him in team fights, help him push and gives survivability, a bit of damage and some mana. Assault Cuirass should be a situational item, it helps him survive in team fights, gives a very good aura in team fights and for pushing and attack speed which he sorely needs.

Necrolye: He doesn't have the mana for Mek and his spells unless he has some kind of mana item. Arcane + Mek is a much better choice. Radiance can be a good choice since it massively boosts your farm (sort of a ranged version of battlefury) and together with a tanking item, makes you really potent in team fights with constant damage from heals, aura and radiance.

NS: Bottle is absolutely a requirement on NS since you need the mana for your spells. BKB should be considered core instead of Vanguard since he already has regen from urn/bottle and he needs BKB to be a major factor in team fights. Vladimir's can be a good choice since it helps in team fights, where NS is a bit weak. Satanic and Heaven's Halberd are good alternatives to Heart if you've gotten AC or BKB. Veno orb should be a situational item, sure he has max movement speed, but veno orb help him slow them down so they take longer to reach the safetey of their base/tower and helps NS get more hits in when he hasn't maxed his 3rd skill.

Ogre Magi: Veno orb should be considered core, it really helps him slow people down and chase people. Valdimir's is a good choice for late game support item after mek and force staff. Urn should also be a situational item since it helps him gank and gives a bit of hp regen.

Omni-Knight: Force staff should be added to situational items.

OD: Midas should be a situational item since he can really benefit from the added attack speed and experience. Tranquil boots are also a good choice if the laning phase is tough. Mek should be a situational item, since he has the mana pool to use it and can use the added survivability and extra 5 int. Note that stacking Null Talismans is actually good on his hero due to his ultimate, so getting 2-3 of them is pretty decent.

PA: Phase boots instead of treads, you need a bit of chasing/escape and the added damage is really nice early on. Desolator + Vladimir's is pretty good but prevents you from going Satanic later on. Vanguard is a viable choice if you can't farm the battlefury or if you need the survivability early on. Deadalus is a good damage item after battlefury, it stacks decently with your ulti , and makes your damage a bit more consistent.

PL: Soul ring is an absolute must ot solve your mana problems and sustain yourself in lane, alternatively, you can get a bottle. Battlefury can be a decent chance since it can boost your farming (and help with your mana problems), despite the item not giving anything to illusions. Drums are a good budget item for PL if you need survivability and want a bit of damage/team fight as well.

Puck: I would probably consider bottle a core item since pucks needs that early game mana. Bloodstone can be a good choice since it builds well and gives puck the ability to survive bursts of damage. Since puck is an intiator Veil of Discord is quite good since it can really set up your teams AoE spells. Note that stacking bracers on puck is actually quite good if you are lacking in farm, especially if you go arcane boots.

Pudge: Needs tranquil boots as situational item, since pudge takes a lot of damage due to rot. BKB should be a situational item, allowing pudge to get his ulti off and be a factor in team fights.

Pugna: needs Aghanim's as situational item, the no cooldown on his utlimate is amazing in team fights if you get it decently early. BoT should also be situational item since it allows pugna to escape, chase and push down towers really well. Necronomicon and Veil of Discord are also good choices.

QoP: Scythe is probably a better core item since it also gives much neede regen and QoP has a hard time actually using the 40 second cooldown on her ultimate without another mana item. Desolator is also a good choice for some late game damage and pushing. Assault Cuirass + a damage item turns QoP into a late game DPS hero that can also split push extremely well.

Razor: Mek is much better than Vanguard on a ranged hero and if you don't spam your spells all the time, you have enough mana for it. Diffusal can be good to keep heroes around for static link, but does purge the armor from Razor's ultimate, so should be used with care. Blademail can be a good item to discourage people focusing Razor while he's stealing damage with link. Aghanim's turns Razor into one of the best split pushers due to the ultimate working on towers so it can be very good. MoM can also be situationally good if used once Razor has stolen a lot of damage, when you life steal and have 300 damage per hit, the added damage taken is not that big a problem. Note that this can also fail spectacularly.

Riki: an early veno orb can really boost your team fight/ganking before you get your diffusal. Basher is situationally good since it allows you to keep people in smoke and to stand up to certain carries, especially if they have MKB. Tranquil boots are a good option if you are getting harassed early on, and you can disassemble it for Vladimir's later on. Mjolnir is a good damage item since it works with diffusal and the added attack speed is nice with riki's backstab. Deadalus is also a valid choice once you have 2 other major items.

Rubick: Bloodstone is very expensive and he needs mobility (to steal spells) dagger or force staff is core, bloodstone is more a luxury. Veil of Discord can be good if the enemy has lots of spell damage (which you can steal).

Sand King: Tranquil is a good alternative to Aracane Boots if you need the regen early on. Bottle should be considered situational, allows you to go gank/roam early on. Vladimir's is a good choice mid/late game to boost your team fighting and possibly melee carries on your team.

SD: no comments

SF: Random Wraithband syndrome, you don't need more damage, and getting that BKB or Dagger early is absolutely essential. Bottle should be core since you need it to use your spells to farm.

Shadodow Shaman: Dagger/Force staff should be considered core, you need the mobility to intiate or get your spells of without wading into the middle of the fight and dying. Mek is probably a better choice than 2 bracers.

Silencer: Midas is a good situational item on silencer since he can really use the extra farm and attack speed. Stacking bracers is actually viable on this hero since his aura can make him a high priority target in certain lineups.

Skeleton King: Satanic is a good alternative to Heart.

Slaradar: Vanguard is more situational, since you have really good strength already. Urn is a good choice to give a bit of ganking/HP regen and mana regen. BKB should be considered core since it allows him to survive in team fights and get his stun off.

Sniper: no comments

Spectre: Tranquil + Radiance/Diffusal allows spectre to be a factor much earlier, with an optional Vanguard or treads if you actually need survivability. The problem with Vanguard is that it's not actually very good late game, where spectre should shine.

Spirit Breaker: Armlet and Mjolnir are good situational items, the armlet + HotD is a especially a good alternative to MoM. Satanic, Heart and Heaven's Halberd are all good situational items.

Storm Spirit: BKB needs to be a situational or even core item, without it he gets locked down too easily mid/late game in team fights.

Sven: Random bracer syndrome. Soul Ring is a good choice for Sven's mana problems. Bottle is also good for the same reason. Dagger shouldn't be core, BKB should since it allows him to be a factor in team fights. Veno orb should be situational. Vladimir's is also good if you have some melee carry on the team and you've gone utility Sven. Urn is a good choice for ganking Sven.

Tidehunter: Dagger shouldn't be core, you can still get your ulti off without it. Treads are a pretty terrible choice since you don't have enough mana for anchor smash multiple times, gush and ulti. Thus, Arcane Boots should be core. Heart adds almost nothing to Tidehunter since he doesn't need any more damage. Mjolnir is a good choice for damage tidehunter late game. Mek can also be a good choice for Tidehunter if he goes support, but Pipe should probably be core.

Tinker: Dagon can actually be a good choice on a Tinker late game because of rearm.

Tiny: Manta-Style is actually really good item once you have Aghanim's and AC. You can disassemble Arcane boots once you have Aghanim's and get treads. Aghanim's should be core on Tiny, it's really quite the best items for tiny once he has dagger.

Treant: no comments.

Undying: Pipe should be core, Vanguard situational. Vanguard is good, but does nothing for the team whereas pipe makes Undying a major factor.

Ursa: BKB should probably be considered core as he his hurt too much by disables mid game. Drums and/or Yasha are also good choices for mobility. Ursa needs attack speed late game since he can't rely on his overpower, so AC and Butterfly are good choices for damage.

Venge: Desolator can make Venge a factor mid/late game as well boosting your carries damage and help focus down a hero.

Venomancer: Medallion is a very support item since Veno is often attacking people to slow them. Treads are bad, because Venomancer needs Arcane boots to actually use his ultimate due to the high mana cost. This also allows him to get mek, which helps his survivability. Can get Valdimir's late game for the team. Desolator boosts his decent damage and can help focus down heroes mid/late game. Scythe is also a good choice if you have a lot of gold.

Viper: as a situational item Drums add some survivability, chase and damage and has easy build up. Can get Mek since he has the mana pool to do so and needs the survivability. Force staff helps to chase people down or escape.

Warlock: Doesn't need treads every game due to high strength. Veil of Discord can be good since Warlock is an initator. Force staff is also a good choice.

Weaver: If Linken's is not gotten, bottle gives very good HP regen, Mana and weaver can easily get the runes with its high movement speed. Medallion is a good situational item, it gives mana regen and helps weaver do damage early on. Drums is a cheap and easy way of getting damage, survivability and mana.

WR: Arcane boots are just as good as phase because allows WR to farm and harass. Tranquil boots are also a good option to stand against harrassment. Mek should probably be core as it's a great item for WR due to the added survivability.

Wisp: Bloodstone is a very good item on Wisp since the regen transfers over tether and allows Wisp to use overcharge without losing too much mana/hp. Medallion is a good situational item if your team has a lot of physical damage.


Witch Doctor: Random Bracer syndrome. He needs mobility so either force staff or blink dagger should be core. Also while phase are good, Arcane allows him to use his heal, so it's a toss up. Medallion boosts the damage of his ultimate, making it a decent choice. Mek should be a situational item, but Arcane Boots are needed in order to have enough mana to use it.

Zeus: no comments.

Heh, I cheated . I was doing it all day while at university, so when I mentioned it last night I only had 5 heroes to go.

Some poeple suggested that I should make my own suggested item builds for Dota 2, so here they are!
I've tried to correct the mistakes of the default suggestions while giving lots of options for different playstyles in the situational items. I've also tried to incorperate those items that seem to have been forgotten in the default suggestions, for example tranquil boots, smoke of deceit, wards, force staff and Armlet. Note that sometimes the build includes 2 types of boots, e.g. Arcane Boots and Phase Boots. This means you should disassemble the arcane boots at some point and build phase boots instead.

To install them, extract them to the "dota" folder under your dota 2 folder.
Something like this folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\dota 2 beta\dota
Once you've installed them they'll show up when you play a Dota 2 game. Note that this will overwrite the default suggestions (you can backup the folder itembuilds if you want).

If you want to take a quick look at the builds after you've installed them you can use this program to view them:
http://code.google.com/p/d2ric/downloads/detail?name=D2RIC_1.4.1.rar&can=2&q=

You can download it here (v1.2):

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/18652/Gambits%20Suggested%20Item%20Builds%20v1.2.zip

I've made it! The post in the General Chat forum. Here's the link to the pack: http://www.sendspace.com/file/epp3x7

Updated version with a few fixes:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ze6dn3

FIFY:

a) Are you Irish? If yes, fuck off to Ireland with your smoking and thieving ways
b) Are you Moe Joe? If yes, come back when you are less stoned and done sniffing glue.
c) Are you Indian? If yes, come on Mumble and give us your sexy, Indian accent!

I expect kill bounty/experience change will affect the typical lane composition in competitive games. The last few months, 2-1-1 with a jungle has been really popular, but I expect that we will see more trilanes and strong dual lanes (due to the kill bounty change), especially mid, where a few kills can give a better experience/gold advantage than a jungle.
I think this change will also promote a more gank/map control kind of lineup. I expect to see a lot more bounty hunter, Wisp and smiliar heroes that can control the map and win skirmishes.

Awesome Initiative Known!
For that, you can have an item or two from my stash, just remind me of it on mumble .
I think it would be best to do it on Sunday and have a CM game first and then an AR game, that way the dirty, smelly Europeans get a chance to participate in both game modes.

Indeed they did. Unfortunately for you, you also missed some big plays, shackles, hookshots and cogs everywhere! One might even say that there was an overabundance of cogs that day.
You also missed Moe Joe's jungle Doom Bringer and Suicide's Dagon BS.

that picture is strangely appropiate; for some reason I've always imagined shane as hairy, cartoonish figure with unhealthy obsession of leather. Hmmmmm.

I see the sense of tranquil boots as it gives a lot more regen for the person carrying it. Headdress is really nice in lane though and the extra pushing is not significant in a sidelane in my experience. Also, it builds nicely with a GG branch, which frees up inventory space.
I think it depends on what kind of support you are going for. I feel that Tranquil is the superior choice if you are going around ganking, TP'ing and being mobile, while Headdress is probably better you are planning on staying in lane and supporting an ally or pushing with the team. I might change my builds to promote the tranquil option as it's really quite cheap and nice. The only problem with tranquil is that you cannot use it together with Arcane boots like you can with headdress.