The Sand Wraith [updated for 1.0.3]

[[xF]Ysengrim]

The Sand Wraith

Disclaimer: due to the fact that english is not my native language, you may happen to find incorrect grammar in that guide. Sorry about that!
The purpose of this guide is to give solid bases on how to play the Sand Wraith in 5v5 public non-em games.


Recent Changes:

Patch 1.3.0:
Using Manifest no longer kills all active illusions

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. The Hero
2. Pros and Cons
3. Statistics

Abilities

1. Skill Set
   
2. Skill Build

Items Discussion

1. Starting Items
   
2. Core Items
   
3. Luxury Items
4. Situational Items
5. Rejected Items
   

Gameplay

1. Laning
   
2. Ganking
3. Teamfighting
4. Mirage
5. Heroes to watch out for

Replays

Introduction

The Hero

The Sand Wraith is a Hellbourne agility hero who was introduced in beta, patch 0.1.48. He is a direct port from Mercurial the Spectre in DotA. He is a hard carry, ie very weak without items, and very powerful with (in fact, he is without a doubt one of the most item-dependant heroes in HoN). His role is mainly to create havoc in a teamfight with Mirage, and to destroy those squishy heroes in the back before finishing the rest of the enemy team.

You can play the Sand Wraith if...

• Your team is opting for a turtle strat
• You are confident in your farming (and particularly last hitting) capabilites
• Your team needs a carry
• There are squishy damage-dealing heroes in the opposite team
• There are good baby-sitters in your team
• There are good gankers in your team (you will be able to assist them and maybe have some kills that way!)
• The opposite team has a Portal Key initiator (you will be able to counter him with Mirage)
• Your team needs a Nullfire wielder

Avoid playing the Sand Wraith if...

• There is already a hard carry in your team
• You are not confident on your farming capabilities
• You will have a crappy lane mate
• The opposite team has a pushing comp

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Really deadly lategame
• Can join a gank or a teamfight easily with his ultimate
• Awesome attack animation
• Resistant and hard to gank
• Can disable Portal Keys initiators

Cons

• Very item-dependant
• Close to useless early game
• Must have a good laning partner; cannot combo with any hero on lane
• Only 2 active abilities

Yes he is close to useless early game. That is why he is not often picked, in a metagame where you can see your base pushed in less than 15 minutes. However, if you manage to make the game long enough, you will find he is an excellent hero.


Statistics

Abilities

Skillset

Desert's Curse
The Sand Wraith calls upon the endless Desert's Curse, covering the ground ahead of him with sand. Enemies caught in the sand are slowed while the Sand Wraith can move faster and is unhindered by cliffs or trees.

Target: Enemy hero or position
Type: Magic
Range: 2,000
Radius: 150
Cast Time: 1.3 Seconds
Duration: 12 Seconds
Mana Cost: 130 / 140 / 150 / 160
Cooldown: 16 seconds
Effects: Throws the Desert's Curse at target enemy or position up to 2000 units away.

• Enemies that are hit take 50 / 100 / 150 / 200 Magic damage.
• Applies Familiar Ground (+5 / 9 / 14 / 18% Movement speed, Unitwalking, Treewalking, Cliffwalking, Buildingwalking) to the Sand Wraith while on the sand and up to 3 seconds outside of it.
• Applies Desert's Curse (5 / 9 / 14 / 18% Movement Slow) to enemies while in the sand and up to 7 seconds outside of it.

Speed of the projectile is 857.


A powerul spell. If you target a position, it will draw a straight line of sand on the ground, even if a hero gets hit. If you target an enemy hero, it will follow him until he gets hit, and then the sand will continue to spread as the hero moves. While under the effect of Familiar Ground, you can consider that you are flying, except that you don't have unobstructed vision. When chasing a hero, target him rather than a position, the sand will follow him. When attempting to escape, send the curse into the trees or down the cliff or whatever, and you'll soon be unreachable. You can use this spell to scout too, as the projectile gives you vision.




Deserted
The Sand Wraith can prey on those who are alone, granting him increased damage when an enemy is not near any allies.


Passive
Effects: On attack impact, the Sand Wraith deals 15/25/35/45 bonus True Damage to enemy heroes with no allied units (hero or creep) within 400 range.

Illusions benefit from this ability.


A decent ability. It shines when ganking a lone hero, but can also be useful in teamfights if enemy heroes spread too much to avoid aoe spells or begin to run. However, it's close to useless in laning phase, since the lane will be most of the time full of creeps.




Dissipate
Using sand itself as a shield, the Sand Wraith reduces incoming damage and reflects it back to any enemies around him.


Passive
Effects: 5 / 10 / 15 / 20% of all incoming damage to the Sand Wraith is reduced and reflected to all enemies in a 1000 radius as Magic Damage.

Illusions do not benefit from this ability.
Dissipate takes effect after all other sources of damage reduction (armor, magic armor, Helm of the Black Legion...).


This is the ability that makes the Sand Wraith so beefy. Not only does it give you good survibability, it also deters the enemy team from focusing you because of the amount of damage they would have to take to bring you down. This ability increases your EHP (Effective Health Points) by 25%. Furthermore, before killing you, your opponents will take 25% of your HP in magic damage.
As an example, if you have 1200 HP, you will need to take 1500 damage to die, and your opponents will take 300 magic damage.




Mirage
The Sand Wraith tricks the mind, causing an illusion of himself to appear next to all enemy heroes and attack them. At any moment he wishes, the Sand Wraith can take the place of one of those illusions.


Target: None
Cast Time: 0.1 Seconds
Duration: 5 / 6 / 7 Seconds
Mana Cost: 150
Cooldown: 120 seconds
Effects: Spawns an illusion of Sand Wraith next to every enemy hero for the duration. The Mirage skill is replaced by Manifest for the duration. Using Manifest will cause Sand Wraith to instantly take the place of the closest illusion from where the skill is cast.

Mirage illusions take 200% damage, deal 40% damage, have 400 movespeed and unitwalking.
Mirage illusions have a 1 second delay before attacking.


This ability has several uses. More details in the gameplay section!
Here is a very useful post on Illusions and their Characteristics.
As of patch 1.3.0, using Manifest no longer destroys your illusions.

Skill Build

1. Desert's Curse
2. Dissipate / Deserted
3. Desert's Curse
4. Dissipate / Deserted
5. Desert's Curse
6. Mirage
7. Desert's Curse
8. Dissipate / Deserted
9. Dissipate / Deserted
10. Deserted / Dissipate
11. Mirage
12. Deserted / Dissipate
13. Deserted / Dissipate
14. Deserted / Dissipate
15. Stats
16. Mirage
17-25. Stats

Explanation

Desert's Curse is maxed first for obvious reasons. You will find it useful to run away if you get ganked, to help your lanemate to flee if needed with the slow, or to assist in a gank.

Then, Dissipate or Deserted? Most of the time, I recommend you to level up Dissipate first. To begin with, if the opponents have a good team, you will probably be under heavy harassment on your lane, or the two enemy heroes on your lane will combo nastily (basically, a double stun combo), or both. In any case, additional survivability is always appreciated. Furthermore, Deserted is close to useless in the laning phase, since the enemy hero will often be surrounded by creeps, or have his lanemate near him.
However, if you are easily dominating the lane, you can put points in Deserted before Dissipate to be useful sooner in ganks.

Finally, put points in Mirage whenever you can. The level 2 and 3 of this ultimate only increase the duration to 6 / 7 seconds, but it is always appreciated in teamfights to confuse your enemies.

Items Discussion

Starting Items

I usually start with this inventory:

Total cost : 521g

This is the starting build I use the most.

:LoggersHatchet: Logger's Hatchet (225g) - This item is a must for last hitting and denying. At level 1, with this build, you should have 48-52 damage, so that gives you a neat damage bonus of +15 on creeps.
:MinorTotem: Minor Totem (53g) - This item gives you +1 to all stats for 53g, which is very cost-efficient. Plus, you won't have to sell them because you need two of them to make a :PowerSupply:.
:RunesOfTheBlight: Runes of the Blight (90g) - Take a set of those to allow yourself to stay on the lane. Use it when you have lost a few hp.
:HealthPotion: Health Potion (100g) - More cost-efficient than the runes but you have to stay out of combat for a few seconds to heal yourself. Use it when you have lost a lot of hp, but be careful: some heroes can easily cancel its effect from afar (eg: ).

Alternative starting build

Total cost : 565g

:IronBuckler: Iron Buckler (250g) - Can be gotten as a starting item if you're sure you're going to make :IronShield: just by seing the enemy's comp.

Core Items

As the game continues, you should have an inventory looking like (but not necessarily exactly like) that:




:IronShield: Iron Shield (550g) (optional)
+6 agility
100% chance to block 20 damage from heroes. 60% against creeps.

Requires:
:IronBuckler: Iron Buckler (250g)
uckBoots: Duck Boots (150g)
uckBoots: Duck Boots (150g)

Comments:
Another cost-effective item. Grab it if you're getting heavily harassed on your lane. Don't if it's not the case.


:PowerSupply: Power Supply (606g)
+3 all stats
On activation, gains 15 HP and 15 mana for each charge. Gains one charge every time a nearby enemy casts a spell.

Requires:
:ManaBattery: Mana Battery (210g)
:MinorTotem: Minor Totem (53g)
:MinorTotem: Minor Totem (53g)
:PowerSupply: Power Supply Recipe (290g)

Comments:
Another great item for its cost, very useful against most heroes. The activated ability gives you the mana regen you need, and the heal will sometimes save your life in a teamfight or a gank.


:Steamboots: Steamboots (1450g)
+60 movement speed
+25 attack speed
+10 strength/agility/intelligence

Requires:
:Marchers: Marchers (500g)
:GlovesOfTheSwift: Fleet Feet (450g)
:Fleetfeet: Gloves of the Swift (500g)

Comments:
This item will provide you the damage you need to have a role early/mid game.


:SoulscreamRing: Soulscream Ring (460g)
+6 agility
+3 intelligence
+3 strength

Requires:
:PretendersCrown: Pretender's Crown (185g)
uckBoots: Duck Boots (150g)
:SoulscreamRing: Soulscream Ring Recipe (125g)

Comments:
Another cheap item to boost your stats. Buy some if you have trouble farming; the better the game is going for you, the less you should buy, because you should not delay your main items too much.


:NullfireBlade: Nullfire Blade (3300g)
+22/26 agility
+6/10 intelligence
On attack, burns 20/36 mana
On activation purges the enemy, removing all buffs and slowing his speed (8 charges)

Requires:
:Quickblade: Quickblade (1000g)
:Quickblade: Quickblade (1000g)
:ApprenticesRobe: Apprentice's Robe (450g)
:NullfireBlade: Nullfire Blade Recipe (850g)

Comments:
Arguably one of the best items for Sand Wraith for several reasons. It gives you a neat agi boost that benefits to your illusions; it allows you to chase effectively, while destroying your victim's mana so that he cannot fight back (also, notice that this works on illusions too). Finally, this item is "easy" to make : 3300g in total, but you won't have to save for more than 1000g at any time.
Don't improve it until you have depleted your 8 charges of purge.

Alternative core build




:Mock: Mock of Brilliance (5150g)
+60 damage
Deals 40 magic damage per second to all enemies in 650 range

Requires:
:SwordOfTheHigh: Sword of the High (3800g)
:Mock: Mock of Brilliance Recipe (1350g)

Comments:
If your team doesn't need a Nullfire wielder and you're farming particularly well, you can try to get a Mock. If you make it fast enough, it's very often gamebreaking. Casting Mirage means dealing 40 dps to every enemy hero for 5 / 6 / 7 seconds.
Making this item has some drawbacks. You need to save 3800g to buy a 0 survivability item. You'll attract fire even more with your 40 dps aura but you'll be as frail as before making it. And finally, your illusions do not benefit from the +60 damage.


:FortifiedBracelet: Fortified Bracelet (510g)
+6 strength
+3 agility
+3 intelligence

Requires:
:PretendersCrown: Pretender's Crown (185g)
:CrushingClaws: Crushing Claws (150g)
:FortifiedBracelet: Fortified Bracelet Recipe (175g)

Comments:
If you're going for a Mock, get some Bracelets before rather than Soulscream Rings, for a naked Mock is the best way to be focused and die in a few seconds.

[[xF]Ysengrim]

Luxury Items

You should get these items and after your Core Items, if the game goes on. Below are two examples of inventories you should aim for. Most of the time you won't get all those items though, since the game should have ended before.

Endgame build



Alternative endgame build




:BehemothsHeart: Behemoth's Heart (5500g)
+35 strength
+300 HP
+10% to all damage

Requires:
:AxeOfTheMalphai: Axe of the Malphas (3200g)
:Beastheart: Beastheart (1100g)
:BehemothsHeart: Behemoth's Heart Recipe (1200g)

Comments:
A great item for who needs more survivability. It gives you 965 bonus HP in total, and +10% on all damage. With it, you will be hardly killable and you will dissipate a lot.


:GeometersBane: Geometer's Bane (4850g)
+30 agility
+15 attack speed
+10 intelligence
+10 strength
+10% movement speed
On activation, grants 0.1 seconds of invulnerability and then spawns 2 illusions of self

Requires:
:BlessedOrb: Blessed Orb (2100g)
:Slash: Firebrand (2250g)
:GeometersBane: Geometer's Bane Recipe (500g)

Comments:
Confuse the enemy even more! This item is particularly good against a team who doesn't have a lot of AOE nukers, against heroes who can root you in place (:fors since it removes most debuffs, and against heroes who have an ability that do not choose its targets (). The 0.1s invulnerability will also allow you to spell dodge efficiently if you have a good timing.
Illusions benefit from Deserted, Savage Mace's proc and orb effects, and the damage dealt by the first two is not reduced.


:Shieldbreaker: Shieldbreaker (4400g)
+60 damage
On attack, applies Broken Armor (-6 armor) to the enemy for 5 seconds

Requires:
:Warhammer: Warhammer (1600g)
:Warhammer: Warhammer (1600g)
:Shieldbreaker: Shieldbreaker (1200g)

Comments:
Get a Shieldbreaker if you want to drastically increase your damage for a reasonable cost. Also, illusions apply the Broken Armor effect too so cast Mirage to put a global armor debuff on the opposite team.


:SavageMace: Savage Mace (5400g)
+15 attack speed
+80 damage
On attack, gives a 35% chance to deal 100 physical damage and to stun for 0.1 seconds

Requires:
:Halberd: Halberd (1500g)
:Halberd: Halberd (1500g)
:Slayer: Slayer (2400g)

Comments:
Neat damage item that synergize really well with your illusions, since the +100 damage proc is not reduced on them.
Which one shall you get ? Shieldbreaker or Savage Mace ? Grab Savage Mace if the carry in the other team has a Wingbow, or if you're mad at people channeling spells. Get Shieldbreaker if you have several physical damage dealers in your team. Both items are good anyway.


:Wingbow: Wingbow (6000g)
+30 agility
+30 attack speed
+30 damage
+30% evasion

Requires:
ancingBlade: Wingbow (3300g)
:Steamstaff: Steamstaff (900g)
:SnakeBracelet: Snake Bracelet (1800g)

Comments:
An expensive but great item overall. The 30% evasion is not what you want to have in the first place, but is still more than welcome. With 30% evasion and Dissipate, you will be hardly killable by physical damage dealers.
Avoid making this item if an enemy already has :SavageMace:.


:FrostwolfsSkull: Frostwolf Skull (6200g)
+25 agility
+25 strength
+25 intelligence
+200 HP
+150 mana
+10 damage
On attack or when casting a single target spell, applies Freeze (-30% movement speed, -20% attack speed) to target

Requires:
:Slash: Icebrand (2200g)
:BlessedOrb: Blessed Orb (2100g)
:Glowstone: Glowstone (1200g)
:FrostwolfsSkull: Frostwolf's Skull Recipe (700g)

Comments:
If you're not getting a Shieldbreaker, Frostwolf Skull is a good option. The HP boost (425 in total) is welcome, the damage bonus is decent (35 in total), and the Freeze effect is really handy.
Note that the attack speed debuff is -20%, and not -20. That reduces the effectiveness of enemy carries lategame.

Situational Items

These items can be useful in some situations.


:ShamansHeaddress: Shaman's Headdress (2050g)
+8 health regeneration
+10 magic armor

Requires:
:MysticVestments: Mystic Vestments (400g)
:HelmOfTheVictim: Helm of the Victime (950g)
:TrinketOfRestoratio Trinket of Restoration (350g)
:TrinketOfRestoratio Trinket of Restoration (350g)

Comments:
Basically, you don't want damage reduction, since raw HP is much better. However, if there is a lot of magical damage coming in your direction, you can consider making a Headdress. You should also be aware that this item is not really effective if you have a poor HP pool. Aim for a few raw HP (bracelets) before getting this item in any case.
As an example, having 700 HP and 15 magic armor is just like having 1000 HP and 5 magic armor. And that's assuming you're only dealt magic damage. Not worth the cost.

:HelmOfTheBlackLegio Helm of the Black Legion (2225g)
70% chance to block 40 damage
+6 health regeneration
+300 HP

Requires:
:Lifetube: Lifetube (875g)
:Beastheart: Beastheart (1100g)
:IronBuckler: Iron Buckler (250g)

Comments:
If you keep dying and can't farm but not specially because of magical damage, consider buying a Helm of the Black Legion. It will allow you to jungle more easily too, but know that by doing that you are delaying your core build.
In any case, the 300 HP boost is nice.


:BarbedArmor: Barbed Armor (2200g)
+5 armor
+22 damage
+10 intelligence
On activation, applies Barbed (Returns 80% of all damage taken) to self

Requires:
:Ringmail: Ringmail (550g)
:Broadsword: Broadsword (1200g)
:ApprenticesRobe: Apprentice's Robe (450g)

Comments:
This item ensures that the enemy foolhardy enough to focus you will die in agony. This item shines against heroes who cannot easily control the damage they do to you (eg: ), but most enemies will simply stop attacking you. Pretty situational.


:ShrunkenHead: Shrunken Head (3900g)
+24 damage
+10 strength
On activation, dispels debuffs and grants magic immunity

Requires:
:MightyBlade: Mighty Blade (1000g)
:Warhammer: Warhammer (1600g)
:ShrunkenHead: Shrunken Head Recipe (1300g)

Comments:
Logically, you shouldn't mind being focused / disabled by the other team rather than your teammates. But there are some situations where a Shrunken Head will prove useful. As an example, if the game is so long that it ends in just a carry war, you won't want to be disabled.

:SymbolOfRage: Symbol of Rage (6150g)
+5 armor
+20 damage
+25 strength
25% lifesteal
On activation, applies Symbolic Rage (150% lifesteal) to self

Requires:
:AxeOfTheMalphai: Axe of the Malphai (3200g)
:WhisperingHelm: Whispering Helm (1850g)
:SymbolOfRage: Symbol of Rage Recipe (1100g)

Comments:
If you think lifesteal is the way to go in the game, Symbol of Rage is the best choice you can make. Keep in mind that lifesteal is effective only if you are not disabled. For this reason, I'd advise you to get a Symbol of Rage only if you are taking huge damage in teamfights, but are not disabled much.


oombringer: Doom Bringer (6200g)
+250 damage

Requires:
:Slayer: Slayer (2400g)
:SwordOfTheHigh: Sword of the High (3800g)

Comments:
If you have a Token of Life and are completely raping the opposite team, or if you like risk, get a Doom Bringah!

[[xF]Ysengrim]

Rejected Items

:EnhancedMarchers: Ghost Marchers (1500g)
+24 damage
+70 movement speed
On activation, applies Phased (+10% movement speed, unitwalking) on self

Comments:
Ghost Marchers are decent, but the active ability is not that useful for Sand Wraith, since he already has unitwalking with Desert's Curse. Therefore, :Steamboots: is a much better choice.


:PostHaste: Post Haste (2700g)
+95 movement speed
On activation, teleports self to target allied unit or structure after 3 seconds channeling

Comments:
Very expensive and not that great for Sand Wraith, since he can easily join a fight with Mirage. Plus, it does not give any combat bonus.


aemonicBreastplate Daemonic Breastplate (5550g)
+10 armor
+40 attack speed
+5 armor and +15 attack speed to allied units in 900 range
-5 armor to enemy units and buildings in 900 range

Comments:
The Daemonic Breastplate is a good item, but not worth the cost or a slot in your inventory. Leave this item to a semi-carry, not to a hard carry like you


:RunedAxe: Runed Axe (4350g)
+65 damage
+6 health regeneration
+150% mana regeneration
On attack, 40% of damage done is dealt to enemy units in a small radius

Comments:
Gives unnecessary mana regen and 0 survivability. The cleave thing is okay but not great either. There are better offensive items for you to get.


:ChargedHammer: Charged Hammer (5500g)
+70 attack speed
+24 damage
On attack, has a 25% chance to unleash a 160 damage Chain Lightning
On use, applies Charged Up to target ally unit

Comments:
Not a very good item on Sand Wraith; the effects on your hero are nice, but it gives nothing to your illusions. Shieldbreaker or Savage Mace are much better.


:Riftshards: Riftshards (2650g)
+45 / 55 / 65 / 75 damage
On attack, grants a 10% to critical strike for 1.8 / 2 / 2.2 / 2.4x

Comments:
Not worth the cost, because there are far better choices for Sand Wraith.


:AssassinShroud: Assassin's Shroud (3400g)
+38 damage
+10 attack speed
On activation, turns self invisible, grants +20% movement speed, and unitwalking. Exiting this state with an attack grants a 125 bonus damage on that attack

Comments:
You certainly don't need stealth, so don't waste your gold into an Assassin's Shroud.


:HackNSlash: Frostburn (4500g)
+16 agility
+15 attack speed
+12 damage
+16 strength
+12% move speed
On attack, applies Chilled (-5% movement speed) to target; stackable 3 times

Comments:
Frostburn is a decent item on Sand Wraith but you don't really need 4500g for a small addition on your chasing capabilities. Nullfire will do a better job for 1200g less.
Furthermore, the bonus movement speed does not stack with the bonus granted by Geometer's Bane, which is a very good item for Sand Wraith.

Gameplay

Laning

To begin with, unless you're totally outskilling your opponent, never, ever try to solo. The Sand Wraith has almost no lane control, so leave that to a hero that can fulfill that role. Therefore, go on a dual lane with a good babysitter. What I mean here is a hero whose role is to allow you to farm freely by harassing the enemy and preventing them from harassing you.
In any case, don't lane with a hero that will compete on last hits with you. Here are the best babysitters you can have in my opinion:

Plague Rider - Excellent harasser; can easily deny with Extinguish, and harass with infinite mana.
Demented Shaman - Good harasser; can easily keep you alive with his heal.
Hellbringer - Excellent harasser; Very good attack animation.
Voodoo Jester - Good harasser; Can keep you alive very easily if he levels Mojo.
Slither - Excellent harasser; Amazing attack animation.

Conversely, those five are bad lane opponents because of their harassing capabilities. Other opponents to watch out for include:

Witch Slayer - Can harass you easily while draining your mana. Also, very dangerous at level 6.
Arachna - Can orbwalk you to death with Webbed Shot. Again, very dangerous when she reaches level 6.
Vindicator - A walking nightmare for you. He's able to orbwalk, and he will ruin you with Sage's Lore.
Glacius - Can easily set a combo, and gives infinite mana to the whole enemy team to harass you.
Pollywog Priest - Tongue tied is one of the longest disables in the game. Try to lane with a stunner.
Electrician - Same as above, with Static Grip.

Focus on last-hitting in the whole laning phase. Try to avoid getting harassed by coming in melee range only to last hit or deny a creep. If the opponent is better than you or has a better auto-attack, and is denying all his creeps, then try to always bring severals creeps to low life at the same time in order to force him to choose. If you're on the bottom lane (for Legion) or the top lane (for Hellbourne), then don't hesitate to creep pull if you have trouble on your lane.
It may be obvious, but don't harass the enemy with Desert's Curse. It does little damage for the cost, so keep it for something useful. If the enemy gets reckless, Curse him and try to land a few attacks on him (or try to kill him). If you get ganked and can do nothing for your lanemate, don't hesitate to send Curse in the trees and to get out of sight in a few seconds (but if the slow from the Curse will be enough to save both you and your teammate, then cast it on the enemy of course).
In any case, play defensive. Just last hit, deny, and be agressive only if there is a good occasion.

In all stages of the game, while farming, do not attempt to push the creeps. Try to get the creeps as close to your tower as possible by denying your creeps and by last-hitting the enemy creeps (don't autoattack them). Of course, if you're pushing, it's a different matter.

Ganking

You should not try to gank before Nullfire Blade except for two situations. Firstly, if an ally comes to your lane to gank, assist him. Secondly, if you are level 6 or more, you can use Mirage to teleport on the ganked hero if it's worth it.
In the first case, just Curse the target and come to attack him. You can also use Mirage for the small but appreciated boost of damage it gives, and in order to spot the other enemies' positions and to see if the rest of the team is coming to help.
In the second case, cast Mirage and instantly use Manifest near your target, and then Curse him. Here is a tip: if there at least another enemy hero near the one you want to focus, don't use Manifest on the illusion chasing your target, because the illusion will be destroyed. Rather use it on another illusion in the immediate vicinity.
Don't be overconfident though, and don't chase too far unless you know it's safe.
Also, keep in mind that your combo Mirage / Desert's Curse cost 310 mana in total (300 mana level 6). Be sure you have enough for both before casting Mirage.


Teamfighting

When a teamclash occurs, do the following:

1. Cast Mirage to sow confusion
2. If you are far from the location of the teamfight, use Manifest on one of your illusions
3. Cast Desert's Curse on the squishiest enemy
4. Stab him to death
5. If there are enemy heroes remaining on the battlefield, go to 3. Else stop!

Know that it is better if all your illusions can live for the full duration, rather than being replaced by Manifest. So try to be with your teammates when the teamfight begins. However, if you don't have the choice, then Manifest.

Mirage

Mirage has many uses :

Scouting

Mirage spawns an illusion of yourself on every enemy hero alive. You don't know what the enemy team is up to? You're afraid they are killing Kongor but don't want to risk yourselves blindly out of base? You're wondering if that enemy you're about to gank is really alone? Just cast Mirage and you'll have your answer. 120s cooldown is relatively short so most of the time it will not be a waste.
Notice that Mirage spawns an illusion on stealthed enemies too, even if the illusion will not attack them.


No enemy hero is visible on the minimap because wards have just faded. They could even be killing Kongor at this moment.


With Mirage, their positions are revealed.

Assisting, helping allies, finishing

This is the most common use: when your teammates are ganking, teamfighting, or are being ganked, if needed, don't hesitate to cast Mirage to join and assist them. Likewise, if an enemy is fleeing with few hp (say, less than 250), you can Mirage / Curse to attempt to finish him.
Reminder : the Mirage / Desert's Curse "combo" costs 310 mana.

Scaring the enemy

It certainly won't work all the time, but if one of your teammates is being chased and will die without help, but you can't come because there is a very high probability you'll just die with him, you can try to Mirage in order to put pressure on the enemies. Maybe they will turn back believing that you are assisting your ally.

Running away

Most of the time you will run away easily with Desert's Curse. But it may be impossible if your movement is disabled (multiple snares, root...). In that case, and if the 5 enemy heroes are not in your immediate vicinity, you can use Mirage to Manifest on a remote enemy and run to safety.

Creating Confusion and dealing damage in a teamfight

This is the most important use of Mirage in mid-endgame: while in a teamfight, just cast it and maybe you will see the single-target damage dealers wasting damage on your illusions. Also, illusions deal 40% of your damage, have Deserted and have the same attack modifiers as you, so they deal a great amount of damage (and this is the reason why you put additional points in Mirage while leveling up).

Initiating

Sand Wraith is certainly not the best initiator, but if you don't have the choice, you can cast Mirage to initiate a teamfight. It is more efficient when followed by a Desert's Curse.
This will be pretty ineffective against a good team but can work very well in a public game, where coordination is lacking.

Preventing Initiation

Casting Mirage will instantly deal damage to every non stealthed enemy in the opposite team. By doing this, you're basically preventing the initiator from using his Portal Key for a few seconds, ensuring your victory for that teamfight.

Miscellaneous

You can use Mirage to counter skills that hit a limited number of targets but that don't choose their targets. Here is a list of them:

Plague Rider - Plague Carrier
Swiftblade - Swift Slashes
Moon Queen - Moon Finale
Pharaoh - Hellfire
Vodoo Jester - Acid Cocktail

Heroes to watch out for

Tank killers

These heroes remove % of HP and, therefore, will destroy you with little consideration to your max HP if you don't care. Try to stay away from them or kill them before they kill you.

Predator - Carnivorous will ruin you; not only does it damage you badly, it allows him to heal as well. You will have trouble bringing down a Predator alone.
Engineer - His ultimate is your nightmare. Try not to enter that deadzone if possible.
Soul Reaper - He will slowly remove your life with Withering Presence and Judgment, before finishing you with Demonic Execution. Take him down quickly.

Mass disablers

These heroes can nullify the effect of Mirage in teamfights, or make it dangerous for you. Try to cast it after their cast their own ultimate.

Keeper of the Forest - Root
Tempest - Elemental Void
:chro: Chronos - Chronofield
Behemoth - Shockwave (be very careful about this one; he can wipe your team just because of your illusions)

Replays

Only two so far,in matchmaking:

Replay 1
Replay 2

[[xF]Flamberg]

Mediocre. You didn't even mention in the worst enemies category

[Pwnograhpy]

Mediocre. You didn't even mention in the worst enemies category

I thought the reason he wasn't a worst enemy was because SW's ultimate/rushed mock will just counter initiation from him.

[[xF]Ysengrim]

Indeed, Kraken is one of those heroes whose initiation is countered by Sand Wraith. You must have a good intuition of when he will attempt to Whirlpool though.

[[ESHS]balcomb]

Nice! Gotta love getting surprise hat-tricks with his ult.

[SilverStars]

I suppose this is a good guide, but are you sure Post Haste is such a bad item pickup? After a rushed Mock it skyrockets your farming and gives you even more mobility than you have.

It also doesn't seem to have anything to say above the standard Sand Wraith playstyles.

[Skull4er]

a few small things.
you should mention that illusion gain the deserted attack, which means that it will also work on geometers bane illusions to rip one single target VERY fast apart.

also savage mace is one of the best item for dps, since the +100dmg procc is not reduced by the illusion penelaty. therefore it should always be takenahead of other dps items (except you take one with a modifier and stats), especially with a geometers bane and your ultimate will this item become a sick item.

last point is, while i agree that frostburn is not needed, you should mention frostwolfs skull, it is a very good alternative to shieldbreaker, while beeing more expensive, the icebrand part gives good life and a global slow with your ultimate. also if you manage it, for whatever reason to get frostwolfs and heart, you can literally be not killed anymore, except if they are going all out on you (which is a good thing for your team).

also you could add that a helm of the black legion will help you early on more against magic dmg then a headress, since the increase in HP will reduce the amount of damage taken by spells by a higher amount then headress (just on percent based, ofc it will become worse as your HP increase, bad to describe, lets just say that if you have 900hp, the helm will boost your hp by 33% and also reduce the percent amount of life that nukes take out from your life by the same amount, really disgusting to describe, hope you know what i mean)

but overall, good guide.

[[xF]Ysengrim]

are you sure Post Haste is such a bad item pickup? After a rushed Mock it skyrockets your farming and gives you even more mobility than you have.

Honestly, Post Haste is a good item on every hero. However, as a hard carry, Sand Wraith needs a lot of combat boosts (damage, attack speed...), and this item is really expensive (2700g total) for no combat boost at all.
Moreover, if you manage to get a Mock, you should next focus on getting survivability items, because Mock won't serve you if you die fast.


@Skull4er:

you should mention that illusion gain the deserted attack, which means that it will also work on geometers bane illusions to rip one single target VERY fast apart.

TBH I didn't know it worked on Geometer's illusions. I added it, thanks for the info.

also savage mace is one of the best item for dps, since the +100dmg procc is not reduced by the illusion penelaty. therefore it should always be takenahead of other dps items (except you take one with a modifier and stats)

I didn't know if I should include Savage Mace in the Luxury Items or Situational Items section, because 2 pure damage-enhancing items seemed too much in the Luxury section.
That being said, I very often get a Savage Mace when I play Sand Wraith, and your post convinced me that it should be in the Luxury section. Thanks again

last point is, while i agree that frostburn is not needed, you should mention frostwolfs skull, it is a very good alternative to shieldbreaker, while beeing more expensive, the icebrand part gives good life and a global slow with your ultimate.

I think I will mention Frostwolf Skull but I'm not sure in which section it should be. I will think about it x)
EDIT : added in luxury items

also you could add that a helm of the black legion will help you early on more against magic dmg then a headress

Done, or at least I tried to, because it is, as you say, disgusting to describe xD

[grimzor]

Considering SW is viable with Nullfire Blade, you may wanna add info about the purges.

This thread in Mechanics shows which spells are purgeable and which are not, it can be useful for new people: http://forums.heroesofnewerth.com/sh...d.php?t=121925


Good guide, would love to see S2 buff Sand Wraith a bit more though, the 1.0.3 patch change is a step in the right direction.

[Chaosmango]

very nice guide
i happen to build the same items you mentioned

but usually i go (after power supply, boots etc) geo bane first, then null blade
and after that i wanna go behe heart or mock, but my team usually wins before i can do that

geo bane isnt hard to farm and imo much better than nullfire as first item, cause of the survivability it provides
and the purge isnt needed that bad if u gank more than picking up 1vs1 duels, since you will hav a disabler in your team and the slow

speaking of ganks
if u use your ult and your geo bane you can focus 1 squishy hero after another and they will have to deal with 4 sand wraiths, while his mates are attacked by one either
+ your teams skills = mass confusion and dps

this far u wont be targeted in ganks badly if your team does evrything right

then with nullfire u hav a manadrain on top that
that means 8 sand wraiths dealing dmg and draining mana


well if your farm sucks bad, i guess you should go nullfire first, but else a geo bane is the first core item imo!


well pictures tell more than thousand words, so:
http://replays.heroesofnewerth.com/m...hp?mid=7310924
(it was 5vs5!)

[Streaks]

Also a neat use of his ultimate for running away, if your very low on hp, and being chased, ulti and swap behind the guys chasing you, and you can very often juke away.

[Ifix]

hotbl > steamboots > nullfire > geo (skip if alot of aoe) > frostwolf > savage
geo anywhere after nullfire works
savage is insanely good on sw with his ult and frostwolf=massive aoe slow & attack speed on all heroes during ulti

[GregerMoek]

Regarding Frostburn, if you're going for the Geometer's - Frostwolf Skull build you can just create those two from frostburn once you have all the other items needed. =) Since it's an item that doesn't require a recipe. And that's why I say Frostburn is a good item since the build-up is fairly cheap and easy to farm up. You get early movespeed and a tiny slow and at the same time some hitpoints and damage, later you just buy blessed orbs and turn Frostburn into Geo and Frostwolf.

[Chaosmango]

how a perfect match with sw turns out:
http://replays.heroesofnewerth.com/m...p?mid=13218833

pretty boring, cause they let me free farm all game long
but well.. that's the dream when playing sw

[[DIVE]KalurO]

how a perfect match with sw turns out:
http://replays.heroesofnewerth.com/m...p?mid=13218833

pretty boring, cause they let me free farm all game long
but well.. that's the dream when playing sw

Sorry but a 'perfect' match with SW lasts over an hour, not 35 min You only had a nullfire/steamboots/geo that's it. Nothing special or harcarry stuff.

[Doom_Whale]

i belive there is a mistake at steamboots. one fleet feet is on glovesof the swift. and fleet feet isnt in steamboots>isnt it armband something

[Donn]

i belive there is a mistake at steamboots. one fleet feet is on glovesof the swift. and fleet feet isnt in steamboots>isnt it armband something

any of the +6 stat items will work to form a pair of steamboots. Kind of like how a lifetube can be used to replace 2 trinkets of restoration when you build a shaman's headdress, or that any of the 2 +10 stat items can help make a SotM.

[Chink_Ellery]

spectre got 50 true damage but sand only get 45 true damage