Bane

Atropos the Bane Elemental, commonly known as Bane, is a strong support / ganker ranged intelligence Hero, possessing dark abilities that can disable enemies. Bane is unique because his attributes are all equal, including its gain per level. Using his abilities, he can disable up to 3 separate targets at once. Since they are all single-targeted, he lacks area of effect presence and pushing power. Despite this, Bane is a dangerous foe to encounter as he can debuff his enemies, absorb their energies, and render them helpless. Bane's disables can be a great support for his allies, as well as a great way to kill his unfortunate foe.

Bane's abilities necessitate quick reflexes for targeting multiple enemies and judicious use of his mana to be most effective. As with all supports, he requires good knowledge of target priorities and the methods for countering the stuns that nullify his abilities. Bane is recommended for intermediate to advanced players.

Tips

 * Between levels 6-12 Bane is comparatively a very powerful hero, and assuming you maxed his Brain Sap (as you should under all circumstances) you will be able to solo most heroes by means of Fiend's Grip followed by Brain Sap. It is necessary to get kills during this phase of the game; as if Bane is not well-geared and -leveled later in the game he will be relegated to a support unit.
 * It is important for the player to judge when to change roles; as mentioned above, Bane should gank constantly in the middle of the game to gain a gold advantage and avoid getting shut down or subjugated to a conservative support role. A well-managed Bane can change the outcome of a teamfight in the late game with effective use of items such as Necronomicon, Scythe of Vyse, and Aghanim's Scepter.
 * Bane should not be played with unskilled/unseasoned players on your team, as they have a tendency to autoattack Nightmared targets.
 * Bane is not an initiator; despite having two incapacitations he is far too delicate to withstand the initial retaliation. Rather, he should hide until such time as his abilites become crucial (preventing escapes, finishing off enemy heroes with Brain Sap, et cetera).
 * Avoid heroes with stuns, as they can interrupt Fiend's Grip. If you must deal with them, incapacitate them via Nightmare or Fiend's Grip itself. Picking Bane in a match against several heroes who can stun is unwise.

Trivia

 * The origin of the name "Atropos" comes from Greek mythology, known as one of the Moirae Sisters, Atropos was the one in charge of cutting the "Life Thread" of those who were going to die. From Atropos we also get the word "atrophy"; "to waste away".


 * The quote "Do Tinkers dream of electric sheepsticks?" is a reference to Philip K. Dick's book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?


 * The theme and abilities of Bane Elemental are based off the game Ogre Tactics - Knight of Lodis. In this game there is a Bane 'element' which provides spells that are named Enfeeble, Brain Sap, Nightmare and Fiends Grip with similar theme of the hero in DotA2