Bane

Atropos the Bane Elemental, also known simply as Bane, is a ranged intelligence Hero, possessing dark and nightmarish abilities that give him strong disabling, ganking, and nuking prowess. Mostly played as a support, he has some of the highest starting stats of any hero, yet is unique in the sense that all his attributes and stat growths are equivalent. In addition, he possesses four highly potent single-target spells, which if used properly can more than make up for his complete lack of area of effect presence and pushing power. Enfeeble reduces the target's attack damage by a tremendous amount, which can highly reduce an attack-reliant enemy hero's effectiveness from as early as the laning stage all the way to the endgame. Brain Sap is a nuke that deals hefty pure damage to the target, healing himself for the same amount as well. Nightmare puts a unit to sleep, completely disabling for several seconds and dealing minor damage per second. If the slept target is physically attacked, it wakes up and the spell transfers to the attacker (spells will also wake the target up, but will not transfer the effect to the caster). Finally, Bane's Fiend's Grip is a channeling spell that completely disables the target for several seconds, dealing heavy damage per second and giving Bane some mana back as well. Bane's debilitating lockdown abilities are what make him an invaluable support to allies, and a feared one for enemies.

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 up 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 team fight in the late game with effective use of items such as Necronomicon, Scythe of Vyse, and Aghanim's Scepter.
 * New or unseasoned players have a tendency to attack targets under Nightmare. Before the game starts, make sure to warn them about it.
 * Bane is not an initiator; despite having two disables, he is far too delicate to withstand the initial retaliation. Instead, he should hide until such time as his abilities become crucial when the team fight has ensued(preventing escapes, finishing off enemy heroes with Brain Sap, etc.).
 * Avoid heroes with stuns, as they can interrupt Fiend's Grip. If you must deal with them, incapacitate them via Nightmare, a Scythe of Vyse, or Fiend's Grip itself. Picking Bane in a match against several heroes with disables is unwise. Black King Bar is typically an effective first major item to build on Bane if you need to help your team disable someone before they retaliate.
 * If the enemy team lack area-of-effect stuns or interrupts, a Shadow Blade can make your ultimate harder to stop, since your opponents must first reveal you and then interrupt you. As with all similar abilities, you can activate invisibility without breaking your channel. While Shadow Blade is also effective for ganking solo heroes and escaping, you should still get Black King Bar instead if the enemy team have ranged AoE interrupts such as those possessed by Lina, Drow, Dark Seer, Death Prophet etcetera.

Trivia

 * The origin of the name "Atropos" comes from Greek mythology. One of the Moirai Sisters (commonly referred to as the Fates), Atropos was the sister in charge of cutting the "Life Thread" of those who were going to die. From Atropos, we also get the word "atrophy", which means "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?, and "sheepstick" a common nickname for Scythe of Vyse.
 * The theme and abilities of Bane Elemental are based off the game Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis. In this game, there is a Bane "element" which provides spells that are named Enfeeble, Brain Sap, Nightmare and Fiend's Grip, with a similar theme of Bane in Dota 2.