Dota 2: The Hardest Hero to Play in the Game - Rubick Position 4

[quote]{No sorcery lies beyond my grasp.}{Grand Magus}

Rubick is a scholar of the mystical arts and a renowned duelist, reaching the rank of Grand Magus by slaying his rivals. He’s an expert in dealing with assassins, has a deep understanding and fascination with the abilities of his opponents, being able to copy the talents of others and use this power with greater mastery than its original owner.

Rubick has always been one of the characters I hated facing the most, and it took me a while to play with him for the first time, despite already knowing his abilities and how broken this hero could become in a match. Today, I understand why it was so difficult to face him: Rubick is one of the most complex heroes in the game.

Being classified as level three of complexity, the highest, as well as other characters such as Invoker and Morphiling, Rubick requires a in-depth understanding of how each ability present in the game works and how they can be used and combined, as this hero can steal up to two abilities at once, enhance them and combine them in unimaginable ways.

Imagine combining Void's Chronosphere with Crystal Maiden's Frost Nova, or Earthshaker's Enchant Totem with Phantom Assassin's Stifling Dagger? Rubick is capable of doing this and much more, and each matchup involving this hero can generate endless possibilities.

In today's article, I share my experience with Rubick and I hope that, by the end of this article, you understand why this is one of the best supports in Dota 2 and why he’s so difficult to play.

Facets and Abilities

Rubick has two facets. Frugal Filch allows him to reduce the mana cost of abilities copied by his ult. While Arcane Accumulation causes his passive, Arcane Supremacy, to increase the area of ​​effect of abilities each time Rubick casts one of his abilities.

His innate ability, Might and Magus, grants bonus magic resistance and attack damage based on Rubick's magic amplification.

Telekinesis

Rubick uses his telekinetic powers to lift a target enemy hero into the air and then slam them to the ground at a target location, stunning nearby units.

This ability can be used to protect Rubick from an attack by knocking the enemy away, or to save an ally by slowing down an enemy, including stunning other nearby enemies. It’s also very useful for preventing a hero from escaping a battle so that they can be finished off.

With Aghanim’s Shard you can also target allies with this ability.

Fade Bolt

Rubick launches a bolt of energy that bounces between nearby enemies until it disappears, dealing damage and reducing the attack damage of targets hit. This ability can be used to farm a wave of creeps, or to target enemy heroes, making it very useful for punishing during the laning phase or dealing damage during a team fight.

Arcane Supremacy

The passive allows Rubick to make improved use of abilities, including copied ones, allowing their range and power to be enhanced.

Spell Steal

Rubick can analyze and copy the last ability used by a target hero, enhancing that skill and granting it greater power and range.

Aghanim’s Scepter enhances this skill, allowing Rubick to copy up to two skills at once, enabling powerful skill combinations.

Building the Hero

For this build, I considered the best items for Rubick at the moment. In the initial minutes of the game, basic items will be important, as always. Items that guarantee your sustain in the lane, whether regenerating health or mana, in addition to the important vision items in the jungle, the wards.

Arcane Boots

One of the first items you'll need, the mana Boots will give you and your allies an extra source of resource at crucial moments of the match, as well as providing their owner with a movement speed bonus.

Blink Dagger

This item is essential not only because of the extra movement it provides at any point in the game, but because it allows you to safely copy abilities and even enter and exit combat, as well as enabling a combination with Telekinesis to ambush enemies or escape from them.

Aether Lens

Another crucial item for this hero. Lens provides mana and mana regeneration bonus, as well as a bonus to the casting range of your abilities, allowing you to use Spell Steal even better. This bonus also stacks with other bonuses from items or talents.

Aghanim’s Scepter

Scepter is an item that you should always make for Rubick and in some situations you should even prioritize it in your build. You’ll be able to copy an extra ability and use the copied ones in any way your imagination allows, in combination with the other abilities that Rubick already has in his arsenal.

There are other items you can build depending on the situation. Aeon Disk is very useful if the opponent's carry is focusing you too much. Ghost Scepter is also very useful in situations like this. Eul's Scepter of Divinity is one of the best dispel items in the game, and Guardian Greaves is another excellent item that can greatly contribute to the team's survival. In addition, you can adapt your build as you see fit if the match has abilities that you can combine to make an even greater impact.

Strategy

Start the game with Telekinesis, which is by far the best ability you may want at this point. Use it to secure some kills during the lane phase or keep enemies away from you and your lane partner. Fade Bolt combined with Telekinesis will secure most of the kills for most of the game and even at the end.

As soon as you pick, start to observe which heroes you’ll face and which abilities you’ll have access to. Knowing each hero's abilities and how they work together is one of the main requirements to play well with Rubick. A match with many mages is excellent.

Pay attention to your opponents while using your abilities and be quick to copy them at the right moment. This becomes even more important when a Team Fight happens and many abilities are used at once. In these situations, if you’re fast and skilled enough, you’ll be able to choose the right abilities to retaliate against the enemies.

Rubick is a hero classified as having the maximum difficulty level and is extremely complex, especially when you need to use many items and abilities at once. However, mastering a hero like this can be extremely fun and rewarding. Rubick is undoubtedly one of the best supports in the game and can often become a key player in controlling and winning the match.

This concludes another article. Leave your questions, suggestions and/or criticisms in the comments.

Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next time.