To be a pro dota player is 'prevent death' and calculate the number of disable. It will allow you to use teleport scroll successfully, channeling skill, sandking's sandstorm + epic center combo and teleport running stralegy. However, it is more fun to play without knowing enemy heroes cause you won't care about first blood if you are pro. A STR hero with aoe stun, health point and movespeed won't die. A 'won't die hero' can survive with health point. Lastly, a spammer with map awareness also can survive. Or a support hero with force staff. If you don't have any of this skill, you just have to stick with your team-mate. Observe hero like huskar and sand king.. These hero will tend to kill player with their ultimate. Heroes like lion, shadowfiend and butcher need tanker and these heroes often play defensive. Heroes with ultimate can play offensive also if got ward.

Latest Update:Item like soul booster, manta, phrase boots can counter gangster hero. Follow by orb effect item for range hero. You need to know how many enemy in a gang. And what direction are they coming from. Most people will tend to gather at mid lane. But don't play too aggressive is better.

Some Shadowfiend need to buy lothar and dagger to play both offensive and defensive. Some Shadowfiend can buy 'Mask of Madness' if got tanker or to push. For 'Force Staff', any hero can buy it but sometime health point item and damage item are better. It is cheap. For heroes with ultimate, you can use it to save teammate or to kill enemy. But 'Black King Bar' counter Ulitmate Skills. Hero like sniper with headshot can actually break combo. Learn when to repick hero. Some hero need dagger to do a perfect Ultimate. 

To kill enemy heroes, it actually needs teamwork or you need to have high damage. Some gobal hero like wisp, spectre, furion, invoker, ancient apparition and zeus has high assist point. Other hero need to walk or use dagger to increase movespeed. Sometime a spectre/pudge with slow and damage can solo kill enemy. Hero like viper with necronomicon/ dagger can also solo kill enemy. Viper can buy dagger and bkb to combo. Viper has two slowing skill and high damage. Best item for viper is BKB. If you are using bone, you can push but you can't kill a enemy with fast reaction. A clockweck goblin with dagon can spam rocket flare to lower enemy health point and solo kill it. But if you have 5 friends playing if you, you won't mind to play a losing game if you are pro. Sometimes having 4 friends need you to enhance or push the game on pub player. 

To counter solo kill, you just need to win 3 push to win a game so your black king bar/ bracer with ghost scepter will be up. Normally if you won't die and you out number enemy, you can win a game easily. A 3 push win game is base on what is the burst damage of your team. A spell has 300 damage w/ armor reduction. Normally 4-5 spell can kill a hero w/ 1k hp. And you will notice some low hp hero is useless without item but some low hp hero can be very useful w/ their disable skills. But damage is not the most important part, some skill like movement speed, blink, teleport, vision skill and item(s) able to gain sight and catch hero easily. Buying QuellingBlade and using INT hero can easily lose game or drag a 2 hour fun game if you have 5 friends. Hero like bounty hunter is strong in solo kill but weak in gang/push because of his low hp and has low fading damage. AoE hero like twin head dragon counter ganging but your team can tank the damage to kill 1-2 heroes or you can buy bkb to counter it. QuellingBlade can also means farming and reduce poking damage. Buying two QuellingBlade means you just want to farm and save slot. Understand the body lanuage is important. You can only counter a few hero. Example, vanguard can counter attacking wards. 

There are some combo in item also. You can stack movement speed using Boots of Travel, Mask of Madness, Sange & Yasha, Manta Style and Janggo. My favourite item for INT Heroes is Eye of Skadi. Armor and hp is very important. For example a tiny with 1k hp and 1% armor reduction, he confirm can tank 3-4 skill. If the tiny has 1k hp and 10% armor reduction he only can tank 4 skill. A STR/INT hero can buy wraith band to play support to increase your attack speed for fast push and hunting. For Lanaya, you can buy dagger, desolator, hyper stone and bkb/heart and end game with butterfly or you can buy dagger first to escape. For bounty hunter, you just need to track dead enemy for extra team gold. Bounty hunter has fast movespeed so you can stack his movespeed to kill enemy or you can buy desolator, battlefury and heart for burst of damage and defend. But buying perseverance and ring of basilius is a must for bounty hunter. For niax, you can't buy ring of health and ring of regen. But your starting item can be stout shield and sell-able ring of regen. It is not easy to play a perfert laning niax. Naix is a damage and tanker hero. But it can counter with bash.  

Buying item is important. It will be easy if your damage reach '50 damage' cause creep damage is around 50+ damage. Buying 'phase boots', 'helm of dominator' and 'perserance' increase your damage. Try to get some basic item if possible or preparing for a hard game. Sometimes changing 'InGameNick(IGN)' and play like a noob is very relaxing. You can buy stoutshield/potion to play aggressive and auto farming for fast push and hunting. 

Just try to enjoy your game and buy any item you want. If you want to win, try use Phantom Assassin(PA) with BKB. You will win if you can farm. For other heroes, just try to balance the stats. Increase your damage if you have mana tanker. 5 INT hero with item and pushing has ultimate and can drag game. Buy ward for noob who don't stick and has no map awareness. Some noob don't even see ward. Rebuying a 10sec BKB may be the key to win a game. The most moment in dota is when a noob gets angry, they look so cute. 


Know the gold for the full item set and buy the item at the right time. Buying basic item allow you to farm and not buying basic item allow you to farm faster. Buying defensive item allow you to reduce death. Soloing a game need damage item to kill hero. Having high damage and low defense force any hero(s) to aim you. Having many hero to aim a hero and retreat with no death so any hero can farm fast relaxer. Always use two sentry to counter two NC warding and a NC rune warding. Or protect the hero ncing by farming NC together outside the pit(s). Buy 'observer ward' to defend tower or push lane. Having map awareness without warding is trying your luck. Having 'good luck' is the fun of the game. Don't die if you trying to save money.  

Always lane with a stunner/slower/spammer to kill hero. Or you can use late game hero with potion to guard lane and farm. Using early game hero who can't micro and poke is useless cause they have no item in mid game. But people who can't micro and poke can use spammer hero as they can't be even guarded by two stunner. A slow/eos hero must combo with a meelee hero to kill enemy and most slow hero has no spell. Slow skill are killing skill but burst of damage is low. 

Any hero with mana can guard lane. Especially empty bottle w/ courier. You need damage also. Stunner Hero is imba. Stunner Hero lane with Slower Hero is killer combination. Stunner with Spammer is guarding combination. Guarding is stronger than killer if enemy don't return to base. And mana is the most important. Hero without mana can also guard a lane if enemy don't have HP.

For skillful gaming, it is about watching colour code in mini-map, rune ganging and playing offensive or playing defensive. Buying Ring of Basilius as first time create 5 slot for teleport scroll, potion, regen, boots and damage.You actually can buy 2-3 sobi mask and 2 ring of regen and make two soul ring. Getting experience to level 5 has high damage for ganging. If you have helm of dominator or vanguard or tango allow you to solo neutral creep when you know you lose the game. But if everybody has leave the game, just leave the game also to maintain low profile. Micro is poking and farming. Farming is just rpging. Poking is guarding hero but poking too much may die easily. Farming is also defending. To micro you need to poke and farm. If enemy is offensive, you need to play offensive also. If enemy is defensive, you can play both offensive and defensive. As people always say, "You are the player of your match."

For shitty play, win or lose doesn't matter. It is about no teamwork or cooperation but it is about experience. Using item like magic wand and teleport scroll need skills. 5 heroes teleport to the same area is about windy stralegy. Using magic wand remind teammate to use item. But sometimes, it is about how fast you earn your gold. Shit player don't care about gold but care about viewing and using strong hero.

Notice: Always ask people if they want to eat  chocolate as there is a 'TANGO' brand chocolate. Only INT hero and bloodseeker with force staff can counter a pro. 

'Beginner' Mirco Hero 
 Denying Morpling with level 1 morph. Farming BKB, Linken and Buriza 

'Beginner' Wave Hero (Spammer and drag Battle) 
Dragon Knight, Magnataur, Death Prophet, Slayer, Crystal Maiden, Windrunner, Tormented Soul, Twin Head Dragon, Rubick, Rhasta, KOTL 
Hint: Wave Hero are easy farming hero and able to deal damage to enemy. 

Hard to die Heroes w/ potion 
 Str: Trent, Dragon Knight, Bristle Back, Phoenix, Slardar, TideHunter, SandKing 

Agi: Anti-Mage, Juggernaut, PhantomLancer, Morpling, Potm, Lanaya, Bounty Hunter, Bone-Fetcher, Broodmother, Nerubian Weaver, Phantom Assasin, Spectre, LightningRevenant, Slark, Faceless Void 

Int: Puck,Windrunner, Techie, Bane, Dark Seer, QoP, Shadow Priest, Invoker, Witch Doctor 

Solo Defencer Int Hero 
KOTL, Deathprophet, Lina, Zeus, Techie, Rhasta, Dark seer w/ HP, Warlord, Tormented Soul and Ancient Apparition 

Gobal mana regen Int Hero 
Crystal Maiden  

'Easy Game' AOE Stunner STR Heroes 
 Warcheif, Slardar, Doom, Admiral, Rouge Knight, EarthShaker, Tauren Chieftain, Phoenix, Magnataur 

Str Hero w/ 6 item full slot Boots of travel, EOS, S&Y, Heart, Basher and Radiance is imba. 

'Easy Game' AOE Stunner Agility Heroes 
 Nerubian Assassin 

Agility hero must get attack speed, critical, manta style or heart. 

'Easy Game' AOE Stunner INT Heroes 
 Lion, Warlock, Tormented Soul, Slayer, Visage 

Int Heroes must get hp, eos, dagger, ghost scepter or bkb. 

'Easy Game' Killer Heroes w/ Spamming Perma Slow or Tanker + Spam 
Heroes w/ Eye of Skadi, BristleBack, Huskar, Naix, Butcher, NightStalker, Skeleton King, Tidehunter, Phantom Lancer, Drow Ranger, Lanaya, Ursa, Bounty Hunter, Bloodseeker, Broodmother, Phantom Assassin, Viper, Geomancer, Spectre, Enchantress, Chen, Orgi Magi, Twin Head Dragon, QOP, Batrider, Shadow Priest, Visage 

Excluding: Crystal Maiden and Lich 

'Easy Game' Heroes w/ silence skill 
Drow Ranger, Bloodseeker, Silencer, Thrall, Skywralth Mage, Death  Prophet 

Silence Skill can be counter by soul ring. 
Other heroes are useless. Unless you have randomed it. Random allow you to have 250 gold to buy additional damage or buy courier. 

Early Game Item 
 Getting damage, mana regen and potion. It is important to spam and poke enemy. It will be even better if you can farm and deny. 3 Hero per lane is to one-turn kill enemy. 

Item
1. Courier - Change build to guard lane. IMPORTANT!!!
2. Ring of Basilius (500 Gold) - Increase Damage and Mana Regen
3.Tango (90 Gold) - Hp Regen
4. Empty Bottle (600 Gold) - Hp & Mp regen. Addition buff.
5. Clarity potion (50 Gold) - Mp regen
6. Poor Man's shield (550 Gold) - Block 10-20 damage like Vanguard. 

Hint: Getting magic ward means storing power only.Hint: Some INT hero don't need mana regen.Hint: Solo Hero don't need mana regen also. 

Mid Game Item 
 Getting early item, gang and push known as control lane. Mastering 'control lane' means able to earn gold. With mana regen, you can spam skill to earn gold. 

Item below 600 Gold 
1. Boots (450 Gold) - Increase movespeed only 
2. Bracer (525 Gold) - Increase HP. Need buy potion. 
3. Talisman (480 Gold) - Increase MP & Mana regen 
4. Empty Bottle (600 Gold) - Hp & Mp Regen. Addition buff. 
5. Clarity potion (50 Gold) - Mp regen 

Hint: Always prepare for One Gang/ One Push in mid game. 

5 kinds of boots 
1. Boots of Travel (2450 Gold) - 100 movespeed. Can Teleport. Can combo with empty bottle 
2. Arcane Boots (1450 Gold) - 60 movespeed. Add 250 mana. 
3. Power Trends (1400 Gold) - 55 movespeed. Can choose to increase HP/Mana/Damage. 
4. Phrase Boots ( 1350 Gold) - 55 movespeed. 16% movement speed. Lasts 4 seconds, has a 8 second cooldown5. Tranquil Boots (950 Gold) - 25 movespeed. Add 250 Hp. Cooldown 60sec. 

Hint: Don't upgrade boots can save for Boots of Travel cause normal boots have 50 movespeed. You can always use empty bottle w/ courier. Or use arcane boots. Attack speed doesn't matter. Getting Item and Teamwork is more important. 

You will realise player(s) hunting for you if you are too pro. Having 'Map Awareness' allow you to teleport away. 

Dream Item if you can farm 
1. Reaver (3200 Gold) - Increase Hp But two ultimate orb is better.. 
2. Black King Bar (3900 Gold) - Immune to magic 
4. Armlet 
5. Vanguard (2225 Gold) - Max Hp and Hp Regen 
6. Perseverance (1750 Gold) - Endless Hp & Mana regen 
7. Dagon (2780 Gold) -INT damage and instant 400 damage 
8. Bloodstone (5050 Gold) - Max Hp, Hp regen, Max Mana, Mana regen 
9. Sange and yasha (4100 Gold) - Increase Movespeed, Attack speed and Max Hp 
10. Manta Style (5050 Gold) - Protect Range hero. Able to counter item and skill. 
11. Force Staff (2350 Gold) - Pushes any unit 600 units in the direction 
12. Refresher (5300 Gold) - Reset Cooldown for Ultimate skill 
13. Aghanim's Scepter (4200 Gold) - Increase Max Hp, Mp and Ultimate damage 
14. Ghost Scepter (1600) - Counter Faceless Void(FV), counter BKB but cannot initial battle 

13. Mask of madness - Increase Movespeed but greatly reduce def. It can solo kill hero. 
14. Basher - Combo with movespeed 
Hint: Vanguard is a armor and hp item. It can use with tango and combo with with HP item like bloodstone, aghanim and heart. 

Ended Game Item 
1. Dagger - Increase Movespeed, Enhance stun skills/ultimate 
2. Magic Wand - Store Power 
3. Makansm - Counter Aoe skill. Increase aoe Hp regen. 
4. Cyclone - Counter Heart of Tarrasque 
5. Necronomicon - increase movespeed 
6. Janggo - Increase movespeed 
7. Urn - Hp regen and mana regen. But Empty bottle is better. 
8. Battlefury - Can farm and got regen 
9. Buriza - Expensive 
10. Mjollnir - Combo with tanker but no much damage. Can farm. 
11. Eye of Skadi - Overfarm 
12. Soul Ring - Mana regen and hp regen. But arcane boots is better. 

Hint: Vanguard can combo with Ring of Basilius/Magic Wand/Tango.Hint: Getting midas only increase your attack speed. Most pro player knows when to leave game. 

Luxury Item (Do not buy item) 
Assault Cuirass - Vanguard is cheaper
Mystic staff - No Hp unless you are spammer 
Linken Sphere - Cannot tank 
Blademail - Countered by BKB 
Hood - Farming Item. Mekansm is cheaper. No Hp. Cannot protect a targeted hero. 
Orchid - Counter by Bkb. Bloodstone is cheaper. 
Vladmir's Offering - No Hp 
Medallion of courage - Any hero will die if you gang 
Monkey king Bar- Not needed in pro game but can counter phantom assassin 
Lothar - Counter by Sentry and Dust 

Notice: To play a pub/inhouse game, it is always important to check your Gold before every battle. Never share control and item. Play to support noob teamate and you will notice that you will lose to late game hero with bkb. 

 Reference: 
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAgOKl_e8GY
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pdygPzwfa2g
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TIRpnvI9Uo
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XVzB-S8agk
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jRaQQTs1epk
6. http://youtu.be/9eqK5_k1GtA (Hot)