The long-awaited Ringmaster is finally in the game and it looks like the hero is not just viable, but is extremely powerful. That said, his winrate starts being an outlier only in higher level games, so it seems that tapping into his full potential isn’t necessarily trivial. Today we are going to look over why the hero works so well in higher level games and how to replicate his success.
Ringmaster’s kit is very support-oriented and this could be a part of the problem for his comparatively underwhelming performance in 3k and below games. The hero can’t be played as a carry, he doesn’t really work as mid and shouldn’t be put in the offlane role. We firmly believe that picking Ringmaster into any of the core roles is a mistake and he is at his best when played as an aggressive position four.
His laning stage is very good for multiple reasons. The biggest one is the initial stats the hero can boast: he has an almost full ranged attack, decent damage and one of the highest starting MS values in the game. The last point means he gets to pick and choose the engagements and is exceptional at chasing enemies.
Having a potential 180 damage nuke at level one is also borderline overpowered. Landing it consistently will require some setup, but most Offlane heroes will have a stun or a slow to combo into Tame the Beasts. You can also self-setup through Impalement Arts, but we found it a lot less reliable and this additional nuke is at its best when you can guarantee a connection. The projectile is excruciatingly slow and trivial to dodge.
His ultimate, Wheel of Wonder is a very strong teamfight control and zone denial that can result in a very long taunt. Do note that unlike every single other taunt effect in the game, this taunt is Dispellable with a strong dispel, so Abaddon, Oracle and Legion Commander can easily bail out their teammates. It also doesn’t pierce spell immunity. So for all intents and purposes, consider it a regular, persistent AoE stun, but a stun that can be re-applied if Strong-dispelled, provided the enemy keeps looking at the Wheel.
Finally, there are Souvenirs, which are a fun addition to the hero’s kit. The Cushion and Tonic are self-explanatory and pretty straightforward. The Funhouse Mirror, though, is a bit weird, because unlike most other illusion-creating abilities this one doesn’t Basic Dispel you. Not a big deal, just inconsistent, so be aware.
Itemisation-wise, there is very little room for creativity. Being a support makes Ringmaster quite straightforward when it comes to item choice. Buy save items, maybe consider an Aether Lens for extra range on Tame the Beasts and buy Shard when dealing with invisible heroes.
At level 15 getting Blink Dagger is also an option, as with the Debuff Immunity talent on Tame the Beasts Ringmaster can be a decent follow-up initiator. Jump in on enemy supports, use your spells to lock them down and Escape Act for safety. Once again, a pretty straightforward and pretty powerful combo.
Finally, don’t underestimate Aura and Teamfight items like Pipe of Insight and Guardian Greaves. They might rotate in and out of meta, depending on the balance patch, but right now Mekansm is exceptionally powerful.
Finally, there are talents and we feel like they should be self-explanatory, considering how utility-based this hero is. We want maximum control from the hero. There is a choice to be made at level 10, as Escape Act has very limited range. That said, it is not that powerful of a save to rely on it — getting extra AoE on Tame the Beasts is a correct choice, in our opinion. At least in most games, where you don’t get to level 25 on a support, but more on that later.
Level 15 and 20 are also easy. Technically, there is an argument to be made in favour of Impalement Arts level 20 talent, as it is percentage-based damage. But it only really edges out the flat +300 Tame the Beasts talent on targets with 6000+ HP. Which is a possibility, but highly improbable. The extra second of slow is nice, of course, but considering Ringmaster’s playstyle in the later portions of the game ideally revolves around jumping the enemy backline supports, there is little need for it.
Level 25 talent is where we would advise going against the meta and opting for the Escape Act talent. Yes, the cast range is quite prohibitive, especially considering the default talent choice at level 10, but in the later portions of the game having access to a Strong Dispel can come in handy a lot more frequently than a massive AoE ultimate getting slightly more massive, at least in our opinion. Giving your Carry a way to press BKB and Satanic has higher value, compared to potentially catching an extra target in your ultimate.
Ringmaster is considerably less unique, compared to the last several heroes introduced to Dota. Currently, the hero is very strong, but we don’t quite see the niche the hero is filling in the vast ocean of the Dota design space.
That said, the hero flows very nicely. His kit is coherent and makes for a great feel during gameplay. So as a “flavour” addition to Dota he definitely hits the mark.
What are your thoughts on the hero? Perhaps we are missing something that is truly unique to Ringmaster? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
