LICH GUIDE (by shikasshadow)

  • Tittle: Taste this. *Frost Nova*
  • Author: shikasshadow
Lich Dota

You should pick Lich if:
  • You like to play support heroes.
  • You are comfortable ganking and letting other heroes farm.
  • You like to play caster heroes.
You should NOT pick Lich if:
  • You like carry heroes.
  • You like heroes with skill shots.
  • You prefer to farm all game and not gank.
  • You like strong, tanky heroes.
Pros:
  • Good attack animation and base damage make for easy last hitting and harassment.
  • Dark Ritual makes Lich item independent
  • Fantastic lane control
  • Very good intelligence gain.
  • Above average movement speed of 315.
Cons:
  • Fragile when focused
  • Loses some potential in late game
  • Chain Frost can be difficult to use correctly
  • Somewhat poor Strength gain
  • Somewhat long casting animation*


Skills

 Frost Nova
Blasts enemy units around a target enemy unit with a wave of damaging frost that slows movement and attack rates for 4 seconds. 
  • Target damage per level: 50/100/150/200
  • Nova damage per level: 75/100/125/150
  • Mana cost per level: 125/150/170/190
  • Cooldown per level: 9.25/9.25/9.25/8
  • Casting Range: 600
  • Nova AoE:200
  • This is Lich's primary skill. It deals good damage with a low cooldown and a decent slow. Coupled with Dark Ritual makes you a difficult hero to lane against. This spell will be used pretty much non-stop
  • Frost slows movement speed by 30% and attack speed by 20%. 
  • The targeted enemy receives both Target damage and Nova damage. So the damage you deal to the target is: 125/200/275/350, before magic resistance is applied.
 Frost Armor
Creates a shield of frost around a target friendly unit. The shield adds armor and slows attacking melee units for 2 seconds. Lasts 40 seconds. 
  • Armor per level: 3/5/7/9
  • Casting Range: 800
  • Mana cost: 50
  • Cooldown: 5
  • Duration: 40 seconds
  • A rather straightforward spell, Frost Armor is very useful. It decreases psychical damage dealt to the target and slows melee attackers, so it's a useful escape mechanism from pesky melee heroes. It's also extremely useful late in the game in a team push as you can give your allies +9 armor, which is nothing to scoff at. DO NOT SET THIS SPELL TO AUTOCAST!!!
  • Frost slows movement speed by 30% and attack speed by 20%
  • If autocast is activated, Lich will cast this spell on nearby allies who are attacked. 
 Dark Ritual
Sacrifices a target friendly unit to convert its hit points into mana. 
  • Mana per level: 15%/30%/45%/60% of the creeps current health
  • Cooldown per level: 30/27/24/21
  • Casting Range: 400
  • Mana Cost: 25
  • This is the spell that gives Lich such a strong lane presence. Very few heroes can compete with the level of damage you can deal through repetitive frost novas. This spell also negates the need for mana regeneration items, allowing us to spend our gold elsewhere. When using this spell, use it on a full health melee creep for maximum effect.
  • Enemies gain no gold or experience from the sacrificed creep.
  • The mana Lich gains is show in blue above the denied creep.
  • Denies are indicated by an ! above the denied creep.
 Chain Frost
Releases a jumping breath of frost that jumps 7 times.
  • Damage per level: 280/370/460 (550 with Scepter) per jump
  • Mana cost per level: 200/325/500
  • Cooldown: 145/115/60
  • Casting Range: 750 (850 with scepter)
  • Bounce range: 600 (how far the frost can bounce between targets)
  • An extremely powerful ultimate that is devastating against 2 or more heroes. This spell is best saved for ganks or team fights where there are few creeps for maximum damage potential. 
  • Slow enemy move speed by 30% and attack speed by 20%
  • First target of this spell is ministuned, which cancels channeling.
  • Can be upgraded with Aghanim's Scepter.
  • Can hit invisible enemies.


Skill Build
  • Level 1 - Dark Ritual
  • Level 2 - Frost Nova 
  • Level 3 - Frost Nova
  • Level 4 - Dark Ritual 
  • Level 5 - Frost Nova
  • Level 6 - Chain Frost
  • Level 7 - Frost Nova
  • Level 8 - Dark Ritual 
  • Level 9 - Dark Ritual 
  • Level 10 - Frost Armor
  • Level 11 - Chain Frost
  • Level 12 - Frost Armor
  • Level 13 - Frost Armor
  • Level 14 - Frost Armor
  • Level 15 - Stats
  • Level 16 - Chain Frost
  • Level 17+ - Stats
Frost Nova is maxed first as it is your primary damage spell. Dark Ritualis maxed next to make sure you have enough mana to consistently cast your spells. Frost Armor is maxed last as it is less important than the other skills, though it is useful late game. Chain Frost is taken whenever possible as it deals very good damage.

Alternative Skill Builds

Again, the above build is just a recommendation that works for 90% of all games. But, in DotA, things happen, and modifications must be made. For example, you may consider skilling Frost Armor over Dark Ritual at level 2 or 4 against a heavy melee team.

Depending on your starting lane, you may want to level Frost Nova over Dark Ritual for certain first blood strategies but in general denying creeps asap with DR is better.

**Special Note: Lich is a very common pick for a level one Roshan strategy. If this is the case, you must get Frost Armor at level 1. However, you still max Frost Nova and level Dark Ritual when possible. The level one Frost Armor doesn't change the build very much, excepting delaying a level of Dark Ritual



Item Build

Starting Items

As a support hero you should be the one to buy the courier for the team and upgrade it with your first 200 gold. The branches are for starting stats and will later be used for the Magic Wand and also Mekansm. The Magic Stick will be purchased from a side shop, which is why you buy the recipe at the base. Tangos are for early game healing. You may buy a Salve over a set of tangos if you prefer. Simply a playstyle thing.

Note: I haven't quite made up my mind about the new  Medallion of Courage. It's very cheap, gives 6 armor for survivability, 50% mana regen for more nova, and its active helps a lot in ganks. I will need to do more testing but I believe this item is very powerful on lich. Just be careful as using it does make you more vulnerable to physical attacks and it will delay your Mekansm if you go for it first. Still, a nice little item.

Core Item Build

Lich is the perfect hero to get mekansm as he has nearly infinite mana with dark ritual. Urn of Shadows is my personal preference to a bracer as the mana regen and heal / damage are very useful. Boots of Speed are a no-brainer.

However, expect to buy multiple:  throughout the game. 

Also, as a note for warding, since Lich is a roamer and ganker, wards are extremely useful. They are best placed to provide vision of runes, allied jungle, and enemy jungle. Sentries are for destroying enemy observer wards.

Luxury Items
If you have already completed the core item build and have been buying wards throughout the game, yet you still have extra gold somehow here are some items to consider:

 Scepter gives nice stats boosts and makes your ultimate even deadlier.

 Double Chain Frost is just nuts, especially with Scepter.

 The massive Intelligence boost and the hex make this item very useful.

Situational Items

 A useful item against hard carry heroes and it gives you a third slow. A bit expensive though.

 All these are feasible as protection from casters and disables.

 Sort of a last resort item. If you get killed before you can Chain Frost, Blade Mail can help buy you some time.

 Another answer for carries.

 More of a battle mage item, but feasible if you need to disable enemy casters.

 Good for pushing and for those pesky invisible heroes.

 Occasionally this item is very handy. It dodges stuns, provides an escape, and also helps position Chain Frost. Best if used with an allied Tidehunter or Enigma. 

 I have seen people get Bloodstone on Lich. While it does give a substantial amount of HP and HP regen, the mana and mana regen are wasted. It's true that Lich's role is to die after Chain Frost, but for >4k gold you can get something better. Still, in a game where you realize you're going to die later, a bloodstone could be beneficial for the team...

 Dagon is very situational. Combined with Nova, Chain, and Urn, it can deal an insane amount of damage. And Lich certainly has the mana for it with Dark Ritual. I'd buy this item against a team of squishy heroes. A decent item for Lich.

 The best Boot in the game for Lich, but also the most expensive.

A note about Boots

While  Boots of Travel are certainly the best boots for Lich because of map mobility, there will be times where you cannot afford them, and some people just don't like to get them. The other options are: 

 Lich doesn't really benefit from the damage that Phase Boots give, but the movement speed buff could be useful for escaping. And you can move through units which makes for some interesting chases and jukes.

 Power Treads are probably the second best boot for Lich because they are cheap and they give +10 Strength, which is almost 200 hp. This goes a long way in trying to survive.

 The newest boots in DotA are certainly an attractive option. However, Lich doesn't really need the +250 mana and he doesn't need replenish because Dark Ritual is so much better. I would not buy these boots on Lich UNLESS your team is very caster heavy and can really benefit from the boost. (Tiny, ES, pudge, etc)

Rejected Items

 Lich is not a tank. Enough said.

 Lich isn't a carry and in general he shouldn't be able to farm this much gold.



Gameplay

Early Game Strategy

Buy your starting items and head to a lane. Lich is a strong solo but is also a potent dual or tri-lane support hero. If you are soloing, middle lane or the long lane (Sentinel bottom, Top for Scourge) is preferable. Which lane you take depends entirely upon your team. Still, regardless of lane you should play defensively. Deny creeps as often as possible. Harass the enemies with Frost Nova when it's safe. Levels 1-5 should be played defensively, farming and staying alive. However, if a gank presents itself, you should jump on it.

Mid Game

Mid game for Lich is when he has Chain Frost and probably his Mekansm. Levels 6-13 should be about ganking. Gank gank gank gank gank. Team pushes and fights start to happen around this time. Stay behind your tank and cast your spells from a safe distance. Use Mekansm to save allies and always use Dark Ritual if you need to. Lich is a potent ganker around this time.

Late Game

By now you have Mekansm, Boots of Speed, Urn, Wand, and possibly Scepter or another higher tier item. This is the part of the game where team fights are everything. Stick with your team and push towers. Your role in team fights is to give everyone Frost Armor and unleash a devastating Chain Frost. Use Frost Nova on fleeing enemies and save allies with Mekansm. You must play cautiously and always stay with the team to be effective.

A note: Chain frost is often used as an initiation. If your enemy isn't running many melee heroes and stays spread apart enough, you often wont find a window for a great Lich ult. That being said, opening a team battle by throwing an ult at a relatively isolated hero will prevent them from coming and rescuing him, and allowing your team to jump on him and pick up a quick kill at the start of a team fight. 

Around this time Frost Armor is at its best. Giving your entire team +9 armor (more with Mekansm armor aura) is nothing to scoff at.

In team fights your priorities should be, in order: 
  • 1. Frost Armor allies, specifically tanks and/or carries.
  • 2. Try to get off a good Chain Frost.
  • 3. Use Frost Nova on an enemy you think your team can kill.
In a team fight it's not at all uncommon for Lich to die after step 2 or even after step 1. While this can be very frustrating, it's usually for the better. If the enemy team is focusing down Lich for fear of his Chain Frost, that gives your carry more time to dish out damage. So really, dying for the team as lich is both predictable and acceptable.

Edited by basicdotaguide.blogspot.com
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