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

 * Tip needed.


 * 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.
 * 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.


 * 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.
 * Tip needed.


 * 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.
 * Targeted abilities and items can be used while charging, as long as Hoodwink does not have to turn to cast them.
 * 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.

Items
Starting items:
 * provides cheap attributes and can combine with Tango for the extra heal.
 * helps keep you in lane.
 * 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.

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.
 * 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:
 * 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.
 * gives damage amplification on your as well as a strong slow that is longer than the charging time of your ult.