- Enraged Wildkin's Tornado vision decreased from 1200/800 to 300
The Tornado is still great, but now you actually have to rely on other units to spot for you. Should make its use less braindead in practice.
- Aegis reclaim time decreased from 10 to 6 minutes
Creates a four minute window in which teams are once again on a level playing field (bar cheese, which might be increasingly saved for this window if a successful teamfight isn't seen as being imminent).
- Team AoE bounty for kills with 2 heroes around changed from 9*Level+95 to 12*Level + 125
- Team AoE bounty for kills with 3 heroes around changed from 8*Level+20 to 10*Level+40
- Killer bounty level multiplier increased from 200+5*Level to 200+9*Level
I only have napkin math to go off of here, but all indications seem to say that this is an appreciable increase in kill bounties across the board, and to ganking in general. Bounty Hunter isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Damn, this guy, this guy is good at stuff. Where to start. He doesn't have a hard disable, he has no armor, he has horrific starting agility (Weaver is 1 worse), but what he lacks in those departments he makes up for by being maddeningly effective in other departments. He essentially has a ground Venomous Gale in Flux if an enemy hero's partner leaves the lane for a moment, which can ramp up and essentially root said hero if used in conjunction with his double's Flux. Given coordination, he can also slow two separate enemies as they flee (provided they're not on top of each other).
Magnetic Field is a huge carry buff at a crucial window in a crucial teamfight, made to be used with a glass cannon who squares off against a large physical damage dealer. Also will double the team's Fortification window, and operate thereafter as Fortification every 50 seconds as needed (and will also make towers shred through creepwaves like they're paper).
Spark Wraith is interesting, but I can't make heads or tails of its utility because I'm unclear as to whether the wraith gives vision or not (I'll assume not, seeing as it wasn't mentioned). Still, these little horrors provide a good source of damage, they're cheap, they come off cooldown rapidly, and they can be deployed from an effective distance. I presume they're attracted to units of all types given the description, and that they're perfectly visible, so placement of these will probably be to cut off critical chokepoints. A cool 100 mana and eight seconds to the task will provide 300/400/500/600 magic damage on whatever spot you want to deny very briefly. Rune timings, the situational fleeing enemy, your team taking Roshan and you denying a ramp or two, their taking Roshan and you mining the entrance to the Rosh pit (then forcing their team out), it's a great skill that rewards timing and prediction of where the enemy team will be and when.
Tempest Double is cherry material. Everything that was good about the above skills, basically imagine having them done twice in the same frame of time. And if that wasn't good enough, he gets full use of his inventory (bar the listed exceptions), which makes active ability items
very powerful in his hands. Two Force Staffs. Two Eul's Scepters. Two Scythes of Vyse. Two Orchids Malevolence. Two Dagons (this in particular could hurt quite a bit, and with the new cooldowns, a level 5 Dagon will be able to fire a second salvo from each of them before the Double times out). Shudder to think how Hand of Midas works with him.
- Auroth, the Winter Wyvern
So this is what became of the Frost Wyrm rumor. Arctic Burn is equally good for chasing, escaping, and fighting. Coupled with unimpeded vision over trees and terrain, the slow and health burn can (and ought) be applied to every single target within reach. Has aspects of the rumored ultimate in this respect (global slow), but in this case you have to work for it to make the enemy team feel the effects.
Splinter Blast tips the escape paradigm on its ear for enemies. An enemy hero that attempts to block WW or an ally of his to preserve a low ally may in fact end up dooming him instead. If the nuke doesn't finish off the ailing hero, the slow may very well spell his end. Coupled with Arctic Burn's slow and health degeneration, all the chase might need on top of this would be a few extra long-range right clicks.
Cold Embrace is essentially four seconds of complete evasion and Heart of Tarrasque time. Fine balance to strike, hit it too early and his pursuers will have another stun and better position to hammer him from. Letting him eat both lane stuns and run as close to the tower as he can, ideally freezing him in time for the last 1 or 2 autoattacks, that seems as though it would be the optimal window.
Winter's Curse seems an interesting spin on Axe's Berserker's Call, though it naturally leaves oneself far less open to reprisal and punishment given the great range at which Wyvern can operate. Skill synergy is excellent, Curse seems the perfect leadup for Wyvern to drop his full combo on an enemy team caught in the wrong position. A good curse will ensure spectacular Splinter Blast coverage, and will only simplify painting the team with Arctic Burn. Dark Seer would be WW's bestie without a doubt, and the two of them could very plausibly win a teamfight singlehandedly.
Would like to continue, but it's well past bedtime and I need to sleep.
