Hoodwink/Guide

Offlane
Hoodwink can be played reliably in the offlane as a solid splitpusher due to her kit being extremely slippery because of Scurry's active and Bushwhack's stun. An Offlane Hoodwink can build normal damage items such as desolator and maelstrom to further enhance her splitpushing power or she can transition into a semi-support by building mekanism and playing around her team more often using Acorn Shot + Bushwhack to initiate or counter-initiate for her team.

Mid

 * Start with a and 3 es or 1  and 1  to get your damage above 60 to better contest last hits. Build into Falcon Blade as it gives you the same amount of damage as 2 Wraith bands would and your  does not scale with attack speed. Buy the  first as it gives almost the same mana regeneration as 1, then the  as it gives 25 more hp than 1 bracer. (You start with , because they give you last-hitting power and are the most expensive component of )
 * Hoodwink has a huge power spike at lvl 6 with, with which she can gank side lanes. Often she can kill unsuspecting enemies farming at 70% HP solely with her fully charged ult.
 * With the movement speed bonus from, the wave clear from , and the low cooldown on she can often make rotations to the sidelanes. Get a lot of Clarities to keep up the constant ganks.
 * As soon as you damage is above 62 you can contest almost every last hit against anybody with your superior attack animation. Secure ranged creeps with, by pulling the the melee creeps way from the ranged so you get bounces on the enemy mid.
 * Buy to clear waves quickly. With  and  you can clear Ancient Creep Camps real fast.  allow you to depush and split push yourself and they synergize well with.

Ability Builds

 * If you are against gap closing mid heroes like or  get 1 point in  at lvl 2 or 4 to tie them to a tree to run away when they man up on you.
 * 2 points in are good value as the evasion next to trees is doubled.

General

 * When you have solo kill potential (with for example) and your team does not really want to fight, start pushing the side lanes and finish any lone target that comes to defend.


 * During the laning phase, try aggro-ing the enemy melee creeps so that the enemy hero will be left alone with their ranged creep, then use to secure the ranged creep and harass enemy hero.
 * Acorn Shot allows you throw an acorn that bounces through each enemies while also creating a tree if ground-targeted.
 * Use Bushwack after a point-targeted Acorn Shot to stun all enemies in the tree you've just created.
 * Attack modifiers such as or  will proc on Acorn Shot.
 * Acorn Shot will seek out targets in the fog of war.
 * Acorn Shot, when ground targeted, spawns an Ironwood Tree.
 * Enemy heroes can also benefit from consuming the Ironwood Tree.
 * As each bounce performs an instant attack, you get revealed on each bounce.
 * This means Scurry Camouflage will not activate during the bounce duration, and other invisibility from items like will be instantly broken on bounce.
 * If you go a damage build with, consider buying or  to mitigate the returned damage from.
 * You can scout for enemies on high ground and in trees with the ability, but be wary that it will reveal your position too.


 * The stun status is tied to the tree; destroying the tree will end the stun immediately.
 * Addtionally, forced movements will end the stun (for example:, , ).
 * Bushwhack can be used as an escape tool, by slipping away as stunned enemies lose their vision.
 * Bushwhack can be cast in conjunction with acorn shot, a well-timed acorn shot can create a tree before bushwhack lands.
 * You can tie enemies to trees while you charge, as the ability is not considered a channel.
 * The ability gives vision, you can use it to scout for enemies that follow you into the trees without revealing your position.
 * Combined with  you can trap enemies on places such as Ward cliffs.


 * Unlike other abilities that destroy trees upon losing their free movement, Hoodwink can potentially get stuck in the trees.
 * Use the ability to gain distance during bounces from as the ability will reveal your position.
 * Be wary of so-called Tinker Wards while split pushing, because they can still spot you in the trees, while split pushing.
 * Together with the bonus range from you can push out the dangerous lane quite far out with out being caught as long as you have trees nearby.
 * This ability grants passive physical evasion, so it helps engaging in combat whilst nearby a tree.
 * Camouflage activates passively, with a very fast triggering time. It can help if Hoodwink is being chased or started upon. Just by standing still may evade a follow up from an enemy gank.


 * Camouflage from will hide you while charging Sharpshooter preventing enemies from knowing where Hoodwink is going to target.
 * Sharpshooter can be heard from the fog of war.
 * If you are confident that your is going to land, you can benefit from the extra charge time by casting this spell immediately after Hoodwink has casted the Bushwhack projectile.
 * Targeted abilities and items can be used while charging, as long as Hoodwink does not have to turn to cast them, including mobility items such as, and.
 * If Hoodwink has to turn to use a targeted ability, the action will be queued, effectively preventing aiming or manually releasing Sharpshooter and using other abilities.
 * Sharpshooter will push Hoodwink in the opposite direction after channeling, this can be used to traverse impassable terrain or as an escape.
 * Hoodwink will shoot even if hexed, stunned, silenced or teleporting away. She'll immediately shoot if killed.
 * If hexed, stunned or silenced, Hoodwink cannot adjust aim or shoot freely.
 * It applies Break on the target, helping immensely taking down enemies with powerful passive abilities, such as, , or.


 * Best to target the farest enemy, because the boomerang damages all targets in its path until reaching its targeted unit, and back to Hoodwink.
 * It follows Hoodwink current position after reaching the target. So use it to try and nuke other units in its returning path.
 * Whenever possible, use this ability before casting all other abilities, specially, because it increases considerably the magical damage output.
 * With, this ability helps clearing creep waves much faster.
 * Can be combined with a previous casting for additional damage output.


 * Powerful ability combined with Scurry Camouflage, specially if used as soon as getting ouf of sight.
 * Can be used as a set up or even in the middle of a chaotic fight, as the enemy can attack it and trigger the lesser, bringing their action to a full stop.

Items
Starting items:
 * provides cheap attributes and can combine with Tango for the extra heal. Or use with, if necessary.
 * helps keep you in lane. The tree planted by provides double heal for Hoodwink.
 * restores health to stay in lane.
 * provides cheap attributes that can be crafted for a.
 * gives you cheap agility early in the game.
 * gives you last hitting power in lane and builds into.

Early game:
 * is useful with Hoodwink's constant mana problems in the early game.
 * synergizes well with 's movement speed bonus and an important early game item in order to escape or pursue enemies easily.
 * gives good agility and attributes in the early game.
 * gives bonus health, damage, and mana regeneration. Can be bought instead of 2 s.
 * boosts all magical output for Hoowink, even in mid-late game, when combined with, not to mention helping the overal magic damage for all allies.

Mid game:
 * gives cheap attributes and an easier way to replenish health and mana.
 * increases Hoodwink's attack speed and provides good attributes. Can be switched for health or mana boost to survive team fights.
 * gives overall attack range increase. It also lets Hoodwink cast much further.
 * provides easier wave clear for Hoodwink. Its passive can be procced by.
 * synergizes the best with 's movement speed bonus as it is flat movement speed. Allows Hoodwink to split push with her and flash farm this way.

Late game:
 * , upgraded from Dragon Lance will not only give you bonus attack range that increases the range of and nice attributes growth, but also an active ability which you can use to position yourself or an enemy against trees to make the most of your abilities. Keep in mind that the active destroys trees. It can also be used to distance herself from closing in enemies during, or close in the gap to enemies moving away from maximum range.
 * is perhaps an answer to Hoodwink's low intelligence with its mana regeneration amplification. The spell amplification bonus also makes her skills hurt more.
 * can be a defensive item, protecting Hoodwink from getting disabled. The item also provides her with bonus attributes and much needed mana regeneration.
 * is the best stats-providing item for Hoodwink. The passive can also be procced by.
 * which is an upgraded Maelstrom gives you bonus attack speed. The active and passive is great for clearing waves of creeps and great to be used on your frontliner.
 * retains Maelstrom's bonuses, and the area root is perfect for setting up her abilities. Gives more damage insted of attack speed what synegizes better with.
 * bolsters with a chance to crit for heavy damage.
 * allows you to pierce through evasion with your.

Situational items:
 * helps Hoodwink's capability of either chasing enemies, evading dangerous situations or engage and disengage in long brawls. It is also possible using Blink Dagger while charing . But only forward. It might be a good way to snipe someone who is going beyong the max reach, or to avoid another enemy flanking her.
 * ups Hoodwink's damage output, and the debuff can be spread across multiple enemies with Acorn Shot.
 * gives you good agility boost along with magic resistance. Its passive is formidable against spellcasters. Reduces the damage of.
 * is important for helping a carry Hoodwink survive against heavy nukes and disables. Allows you to use your abilities despite.
 * allows Acorn Shot bounces to deal bonus damage, and can help deal with enemies that have evasion.
 * provides Hoodwink with much-needed mana regeneration, and holds enemies in place while charging . Upgrading it to is valid on late game, because you can actually play safe while charging Sharpshooter: as Sharpshooter is not cancelled by Cyclone, Hoodwink will shot even in the air to the direction she was facing before cycloning (if timed right). You can also move around and change your line of fire matching a target's position or get to a safer position if someone is closing in or trying to move behind her.
 * gives damage amplification on your as well as a strong slow that is longer than the charging time of your ult.
 * is underrated, but it can be very effective on teamfights, specially if Hoodwink catches multiple targets in, granting the possibility to damage all of them with , all of the with , snipe one of them with , then repeat. And given her abilities do not consume a lot of mana, you can try and use after the first Sharpshooter, to allow her to reposition herself closer to enemy targets and reset the combo.
 * can be triggered by hits – eventually penetrating magic immunity.

Neutral items:
 * and are important to consider to help with low HP pool, or improve her capacity to cast spells with more mana.
 * decreases enemy magic resistance which increases Hoodwink damage output.
 * provides decent free magical nuke and a very good range boost, which can snipe fleeing enemies from afar with.
 * works in the first hit of, which can be used during to avoid a disabling or evading enemy spell.
 * adds evasion upon the already passive evasion from.
 * , as well as, debuffs all enemies affected by with slow and armor reduction, the latter also adding considerable amount of damage.
 * boosts damage and might debuff all enemies affected by.
 * can provide great mobility to chase or escape enemies. Can also be used during, but might change the line of fire, which will have to be corrected accordingly.
 * adds evasion upon the already passive evasion from . It also gives decent magic resistance, boosting Hoodwink's magic tankiness, considering she has natural high armor later in the game, plus what's added by items.
 * Besides the stats provided the, it increases night vision, improving Hoodwink's capabilities to chase or evade enemies at night. The active ability Shadows allows Hoodwink to prowl unscathed in battle, against single targeting abilities. It may also grant her certain protection whilst casting . Just keep in mind that the target is silenced under the effect of Shadows, so Hoodwink will not be able to control Sharpshooter's aiming or releasing at that time.
 * is a great setup to all Hoodwink's skills. It can be combined with, granting an aditional nuke and stun to grant a direct hit. Or even timed with /  combo.