“Blink Dagger, or as I like to refer to it affectionately, Blink Dagga Dagga!, has always been a favourite of mine. There are few items that are so versatile and widely applicable to such a range of heroes. Granted there are some heroes who are not lacking in terms of initiation, escape or general mobility but the vast majority of them would spring at the chance to have the opportunity to blink 1200 distance at a moment’s notice (if they haven’t received any self or enemy hero damage in the past three seconds).
[T]he vast majority of [heroes] would spring at the chance to have the opportunity to blink 1200 distance at a moment’s notice
Blink Dagger’s changes from all the way back when it used to be called Kalen’s Dagger of Escape
So,what’s stopping you from getting a blink dagger? Well, until recently (that is January 27, 2014 – the release of patch 6.80), the 75 mana cost was a significant obstacle for heroes with limited mana pools. This meant that for heroes like Earthshaker or Axe or Tidehunter, blinking and slammin’ was an exercise in careful calculation as if you didn’t employ enough caution you would find yourself without the mana to be able to follow up with the slammin’ portion of the whole affair. The 75 mana cost was also a potential showstopper for heroes with high cost spells and expensive combos, say, Shadow Shaman for example. But now that the manacost has been removed, blink dagger is a more viable option for a wider range of heroes and an appropriate choice at earlier stages of the game.
As you can see, I’m quite fond of instantaneous teleportation when playing supports. This way I can avoid being food for the enemy team to snack on once we’ve passed 30 minutes.
Now that the manacost has been removed the main limitations for blink dagger are its significant upfront cost (as it can be difficult to save up that 2150 gold without dying), space limitations for heroes (rendering it less effective for heroes that have more farm and fill out their slots quicker) and, as always, competing priorities for your gold (getting more HP, buying wards and other utility items, teleportation scrolls, damage items, etc.). However, despite the fact that these barriers still remain I have been seeing a whole lot more blink dagger play in my ranked matches as people have been realizing the huge value and opportunity that blink dagger provides. Before, I got blink dagger because I liked being able to initiate and escape and extending my heroes effectiveness by applying my skill but now it is nearly a no-brainer for many heroes because of the possibilities that a total lack of a mana cost open up. Additionally, with more heroes on a team getting blink dagger the possibilities multiply as they are able to coordinate together and suddenly 3/5 players on the team have excellent initiation potential.
These guys are pleased with the blink dagger changes
Have you been EMPed down to 0 (or near 0) mana by that pesky Invoker? Juke and blink away. Are you preparing to unleash your devastating combo with your newly acquired Blink Dagga Dagga? Have no worry, you need only account for the mana cost of your abilities. Are you a lowly support who’s decided to take the chance and go Blink Dagger before boots? Rejoice in the fact that the elimination of the 75 mana cost means that you are no longer neutered by losing a fifth or fourth of your mana pool before even doing anything. Did you throw everything at the enemy team and are now making a hasty retreat? Well, good news. now you can blast all of your skills off and still crank out a TP after juking with a sneaky blink off to the side. I’m sure you get the point by now. Blink is really good and now it’s been made easier to use and ever more relevant.
Blink is really good and now it’s been made easier to use and ever more relevant.
We’ll see if this change stands the test of time or if it gets tweaked slightly (some people have been suggested the retention of a reduced mana cost at 25 or 50 mana). In the mean time, I’m going to continue blinking and slammin’ without a care in the world (except for the new problem of everyone on the other team having a blink dagger as well, a potential threat to the strategic complexity of the game) and welcoming converts to the Cult of Mobility.
That’s all for now. Have a pezant day!
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