Underlord/Guide

Offlaner
Underlord is a very strong team fight contributor. All of his four skills are very valuable in team fights, providing outstanding damage, area of effect rooting, defensive aura, and an uninterruptable escape. Underlord can snowball and end the game early even before hard carries obtain their key items.

However, there are several weakness to underlord. The most deadly weakness is his slow movement and mediocre health points, which make him easily die to enemy burst damage. This may cause underlord to be completely shut down at the start of the game. The second weakness is his zero-initiation. Although underlord provides most team fight value in almost all situation, his does not have the ability to start a fight. Therefore, underlord excels when his teammates can start the fight, and he will follow up with his aoe damage and aoe control.

Underlord is a very decent offline hero for his tean fights presence as well as the fact that he almost needs no item to function. With extra gold, underlord may want to purchase more aura items for the team, some kind of initiation such as, or more survivability (do not forget his deadly weakness to enemy burst damage!).

General

 * Because of the long durations on Firestorm and Pit of Malice, Underlord specializes in area denial, zoning enemies out in teamfights.
 * Underlord does not have a lot of mana. Use his abilities strategically.
 * Underlord should remain close to his team, and be present at all fights to make good use of Atrophy Aura.


 * Use Firestorm in combination with Pit of Malice to deal maximum damage.
 * It is Underlord's only means of burst damage, and should be used against single targets.
 * On the other hand, using Firestorm and Pit of Malice in separate locations creates two zones of denial, which is sometimes more useful in teamfights.
 * Use Firestorm to defend towers and high ground, especially around the barracks.
 * Use Firestorm to farm and clear creep waves. Stay nearby to gain the bonus damage from Atrophy Aura.
 * Use Firestorm after a teammate stuns, roots, or slows an enemy, then follow up with Pit of Malice to keep the target inside Firestorm.
 * Without disables, most enemy heroes will not stay inside Firestorm for long. Do not depend on it to deal a lot of damage.
 * Try to cast Firestorm a bit ahead of the direction in which the enemy is moving, thus forcing them to walk longer through the area and take more damage.
 * However, do not overcast too much, or the enemy will simply see it coming and change directions.


 * Pit of Malice is especially effective against melee carries.
 * Due to its long duration, allies can stand inside the Pit of Malice as a buffer against aggressive attackers.
 * Use Pit of Malice on chokepoints to block off enemies.
 * Use Pit of Malice on the edge of high ground to act as a trap, causing enemies without vision to walk into a disable.
 * Use Pit of Malice to bisect enemy formations and cut off pursuers.
 * Use Pit of Malice to funnel enemies into a narrow space, forcing them to group up.
 * Use Pit of Malice to root and reveal invisible enemies.
 * Use Pit of Malice as a barrier to stop a charging enemy, such as or.
 * Use Pit of Malice in conjunction with 's cyclone for an easy chain disable.
 * Keep an eye on enemies who often buy, like , , or . Use Pit of Malice underneath them when they cyclone themselves defensively.
 * Set up Pit of Malice as a trap against initiating heroes, who may blink into it and become rooted.
 * As a root, Pit of Malice does not stop enemies from using abilities, items, or attacking targets within their range. It does not interrupt channeling abilities, e.g., but does cancel teleport such as and.
 * This means that when retreating, it may be wiser to simply keep running instead of stopping to casting Pit of Malice. Doing so may allow the enemy to get close enough to land a powerful ability, even if they become rooted in the process.


 * Atrophy Aura provides Underlord with numerous positioning possibilities, which players should keep in mind at all times.
 * During the laning phase, stand close to enemy melee heroes to lower their damage and make it harder for them to land last hits.
 * Staying near your teammates will not only protect them from nearby attacks, it will also give you bonus damage from any enemies they kill.
 * Move towards dying enemies to collect Atrophy Aura's damage bonus.
 * Move towards attacking enemies to reduce their damage and potentially save an ally.
 * While most supports stay in the backline, Underlord can try and take a more forward position to cover enemies with Atrophy Aura.
 * Balance this strategy when faced with dangerous situations, as a dead Underlord is no good to his team.
 * Atrophy Aura is most effective against heroes that rely on attributes for damage, such as.
 * Atrophy Aura and Firestorm allow Underlord to farm the jungle better than most supports.
 * Clear a camp or wave of creeps to boost Underlord's damage before an upcoming fight.


 * Dark Rift is not a channeled ability, meaning it cannot be interrupted with damage or disables. Underlord can also move after its initial cast animation.
 * Use Dark Rift as a fast pushing ability right after winning a teamfight.
 * Teleport your team to push in a lane while the enemy is down.
 * Teleport your team to Roshan to claim the before the enemy respawns.
 * Use Dark Rift on a unit or creep wave behind the enemy for a wraparound or pincer attack.
 * This is especially effective when the enemy team is sieging your tier three towers.
 * Keep summoned units or enchanted creeps in critical locations, such as the Roshan Pit, for instant access through Dark Rift.
 * Use along with Dark Rift for more effective team ganks.
 * Remember that using Dark Rift on the entire team is akin to putting all your eggs in one basket. It can be highly rewarding, but also highly risky.
 * A well placed Dark Rift can take the enemy by surprise or destroy an important building.
 * A poorly placed Dark Rift can bring your team into an ambush, resulting in a teamwipe.
 * Make sure that the creep or building you're teleporting to is safe and out of the enemy's reach.
 * Dark Rift's target unit will be marked by a very bright effect that is visible to the enemy.
 * If the teleport target is killed, Dark Rift is wasted and goes on a long cooldown.
 * If the enemy has vision of the teleport target, they can easily initiate on your team.
 * Keep track of enemy wards, and deward when possible to avoid teleporting your team into a bad situation.
 * Be careful both when casting and exiting Dark Rift, as your closely-packed team presents an easy target for enemy initiators and nukers.
 * Since teammates will follow and gather around Underlord for Dark Rift, try to pick a safe location to use it.
 * Remember that bringing your team to the enemy base also leaves your own base open to attack. Encourage teammates to carry.
 * Move alongside teammates when retreating to teleport them out to safety.
 * Or, cast Dark Rift first, then move next to an ally with or  to instantly teleport them to safety.
 * Use Dark Rift to counter or intercept an incoming gank.

Items
Starting items:
 * helps Underlord stay in lane.
 * helps Underlord with his low mana.
 * is a good item for playing in the offlane, as it provides some passive sustain, while also being able to provide a boost of mana to squeeze in an extra spell that might ensure a kill or an escape.
 * provides a decent boost to Underlord's attributes.

Early game:
 * offsets Underlord's slow movement speed and lack of mobility.
 * is mandatory on all heroes for movement speed.
 * can save Underlord in a bad situation, and give him enough mana for another ability.
 * sustains Underlord with health regeneration and strength bonuses; its active grants mana so he can use abilities.

Mid game:
 * is a natural evolution from for extra burst health and mana.
 * give Underlord and his team some much needed mana.
 * helps keep Underlord's team alive with health and armor.

Late game:
 * is a natural upgrade from and, granting massive health and mana restoration to the whole team.
 * 's slow helps Underlord keep enemies within range of Atrophy Aura and Pit of Malice.

Situational items:
 * reduces incoming magical damage, making Underlord and his team even more durable.
 * , along with Atrophy Aura, greatly diminishes enemy damage against Underlord and his team.
 * helps chain rooting enemies inside Firestorm.
 * helps deflect magical nuke damage, and is useful on allied carries when pushing towers.
 * provides Underlord with a heal, increased mana regeneration, and more attributes.
 * is good for initiating with Pit of Malice.
 * improves Underlord's mobility, and lets him push enemies into Pit of Malice.
 * helps Underlord with his low mana, and boosts his movement speed to keep enemies within Atrophy Aura's range. The cyclone active helps him set up Pit of Malice.
 * deters enemies from attacking Underlord.
 * combined with Atrophy Aura greatly reduces enemy damage output.
 * gives Underlord great durability, and allows him to hit even harder.
 * is a highly situational item, and is great for teamfights and pushes. Burning down creeps is a good way to feed Atrophy Aura's bonus damage bonus, and the extra evasion make Underlord even more durable.
 * shields Underlord and his teammates from being disabled.

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