Items
Starting items:
- Tango Item Tango (Shared) Changelogs TangoB Forage to survive on the battlefield. Cost125 Bought FromConsumables Active Eat a Tree or Ward Charges 4 Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Tango
should always be picked up to give you sustain. If heading mid consider asking the supports to pool you tangoes.
- Iron Branch Item Changelogs Iron BranchB A seemingly ordinary branch, its ironlike qualities are bestowed upon the bearer. Cost50 Bought FromAttributes Active Plant Tree Charges 1 Bonus +1 Strength+1 Agility+1 Intelligence Disassemble? No
es and Circlet Item Changelogs CircletB An elegant circlet designed for human princesses. Cost165 Bought FromAttributes Bonus +2 Strength+2 Agility+2 Intelligence Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Circlet is an item purchasable at
give cost efficient stats and can be built into a Magic Wand Item Changelogs Magic WandB A simple wand used to channel magic energies, it is favored by apprentice wizards and great warlocks alike. Cost465 Bought FromCommon Active Energy Charge Charges 0 Bonus
.
- Ring of Protection Item Changelogs Ring of ProtectionB A glimmering ring that defends its bearer. Cost175 Bought FromArmaments Bonus +2 Armor Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Ring of Protection is an item
improves Morphling`s rather low starting armor, and can make an early Ring of Basilius Item Changelogs Ring of BasiliusB Ring given as a reward to the greatest mages. Cost500 Bought FromSupport Passive Basilius Aura Bonus +7 Attack damage Disassemble? Yes Alert allies? No Recipe The
for more damage and mana regeneration.
- Wraith Band should be considered if going mid rather than safe lane.
Early game:
- Bottle should be the first item purchased if Morphling is running mid, as every rune can be used to effectively speed his farm, and can later be used in combination with Boots of Travel to quickly refill mana and health.
- Boots of Speed are necessary on Morphling to improve his slow 285 base movement speed.
- Infused Raindrops are a valuable source of mana regen, and provide a strong source of protection against magical nukes.
Core items:
- Ring of Aquila provides Damage, Mana regeneration and Armor, all of which Morphling needs.
- Power Treads are a great addition to Morphling`s build as they provide an affordable source of stats. The cost of his spells can be mitigated by casting on Intelligence, and they can also provide Agility or Strength for more offensive or defensive power without needing to use Morph.
- Linken`s Sphere Item Interactions Old Abilities Changelogs Linken s Sphere This magical sphere once protected one of the most famous heroes in history. Cost4850 (1000) Bought FromArmor Active Transfer Spellblock Passive Spellblock
is a common early item for Morphling, providing a modest amount of stats and regeneration, as well as giving protection against point-target spells, making it even harder for him to be successfully ganked during farming.
- Ethereal Blade Item Changelogs Ethereal Blade A flickering blade of a ghastly nature, it is capable of dealing damage in both magical and physical planes. Cost4700 Bought FromWeapons Active Ether Blast Bonus +10
is a very interesting pickup on Morphling, and he is the strongest user of the item in the game. Often referred to as "Shotgun Morphling", Ethereal Blade allows you to very quickly deal a very large amount of magic damage to a single target by using the E-Blade active, Adaptive Strike, and Waveform in quick succession while morphed to high agility.
- Ethereal blade provides a large amount of agility and greatly amplifies magical damage to a target, and Morphling is unique in having a magical nuke that scales up with agility. This item allows Morphling to roam and pick off all but the most durable of heroes, if purchased early enough. This is best gotten as the first or second major item on Morphling, as its effectiveness falls off once enemy heroes tank up, get BKBs, or start to group up.
- If you feel this item has outlived its usefulness, consider disassembling it to make a Butterfly. Keep in mind it scales really well with Morphling and can still output loads of damage late game. Considering Morphling`s normally short-ranged attacks, even in the late game the Ethereal Blade and Adaptive strike can effectively kill an enemy support at the start of a fight.
Situational items:
- Dragon Lance is a cheap source of stats, and gives valuable attack range to improve Morphling`s early fights. Later, it may be upgraded to Hurricane Pike for additional mobility, mana, and regen, or it can be disassembled to make Black King Bar and/or Yasha.
- Boots of Travel are a strong alternative to Power Treads, as between the teleports of the item and Replicate, Morphling gains the ability to quickly move about the map, using the fountain to easily regenerate and quickly pushing multiple lanes for quick farming.
- Manta Style is very strong on Morphling and a common alternative to Ethereal Blade. His items are primarily attribute-based, which illusions inherit. An agility morphed Morphling with a few items can produce durable illusions that can deal a large amount of damage.
- Because silences and roots are also potent counters against Morphling, a Manta Style`s ability to purge debuffs and silences synergies well with his escape mechanisms. After using Manta Style, Morphling can escape with Waveform or Replicate, leaving behind powerful illusions to distract or finish off wounded opponents.
- Diffusal Blade provides modest stats, and allows his attacks to burn mana. It can be an effective item to increase Morphling`s damage output in situations where he has a large amount of strength, and after a stunning adaptive strike, one can burn enough mana to prevent the enemy from responding with their own spells.
- Aether Lens provides much of what a supporting Morphling needs to be effective. More mana and mana regeneration, and amplifying the cast range and damage of his spells.
- Aghanim`s Scepter is rarely worth the valuable item slot for a carry Morphling. On a support Morphling, with an appropriately strong ally, this can effectively make late teamfights 6v5. Of particular value is allies who have a passive ultimate ability, and allies who can summon powerful wards.
Extension items:
- Black King Bar is a vital item for late-game teamfights, providing Morphling with time to deal his damage without being disabled.
- Eye of Skadi Item Changelogs Eye of Skadi Extremely rare artifact, guarded by the azure dragons. Cost5775 Bought FromArtifacts Passive Cold Attack Bonus +25 Strength+25 Agility+25 Intelligence+225 Health+250 Mana Disassemble? No Alert allies? No
is the largest source of total stats available in one item, providing a large amount of HP even when fully morphed to Agility.
- Butterfly gives a very large amount of attack damage and evasion, and so is most effective for a build focused on attacks instead of Adaptive Strike.
- Satanic allows Morphling to use his high DPS to rapidly heal himself full, via the active. Be that as it may, if you get stunned while trying to lifesteal, you can still be very easily killed, so it should be paired with Black King Bar or used against teams with little lockdown potential.
Gameplay
Playstyle | |
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Morphling Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities Changelogs Known Bugs Morphling 19 + 2.3 24 + 3.7 17 + ![]() ![]() | |
Pros | Cons |
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Videos
Info
Carry
Morphling typically enters the game with a sensitive laning phase. His short auto attack range and extremely low base damage require him to morph early points into agility early on to keep up in last hits, leaving him fragile for the first few levels. As he gains levels, be that as it may, his Waveform evolves into a potent area-of-effect nuke which can easily grab him kills to accelerate his farm. Additionally, early points in Morph Agility/Strength allow him escape out of danger so long he has mana or is not silenced.
In order to transition to the mid-game safely, be that as it may, Morphling requires a significant amount of mana and mana regeneration to keep up. All four of his spells are demanding on mana, but a healthy supply of it will allow him to escape, gank, split push, and adapt to all manners of fighting with impunity. This is typically why Linken`s Sphere is a strong item to pick up on him. He benefits from the stats it provides and Perseverance gives him early game sustenance. The spell block is invaluable; the strongest silences and hexes in the game are instant and targeted, giving him enough reaction time to Morph Replicate out of very dangerous situations. Be that as it may, an early Bottle and good use of Morph Replicate and Boots of Travel can provide sustainability and a huge amount of mobility to farm faster. This is especially powerful when paired with Keeper of the Light, who can supply mana and Recall Morphling around the map.
Carry Morphling typically transitions into the mid-game in two primary ways. The first is through the Shotgun build, where one can purchase an Ethereal Blade. In combination with Adaptive Strike, this allows him to shut down fragile targets with ease, especially in games where the enemy team is often separated. The second is a more defensive, farming oriented build with Manta Style, which allows him to split push and dispel debuffs with ease. In the late game, Morphling has many options. With a full set of stat-heavy items, he boasts the strongest natural auto-attack speed and damage in the game, making items such as Satanic, Daedalus, and Monkey King Bar very profitable on him. He also makes incredible use of every stat on Eye of Skadi and Butterfly, two must-have late game items which allow him to go toe-to-toe with even the hardest of carries.
Despite his strengths as a scaling carry, Morphling is a difficult carry to play from behind. Waveform is an expensive spell and he has no in-built sustain to farm jungle creeps easily, and Adaptive Strike requires levels and items to become an effective nuke. In addition, his lack of multiple-target damage makes it difficult for him to join larger teamfights in the early or mid game. Careful consideration needs to be made when picking him into your team. For instance, you can consider choosing magic-heavy team compositions to abuse his Ethereal Blade magic damage amplification, a split-push composition, or a composition which is heavy on initiation power so he can unload his damage without risk.
Support
Support Morphling is a build which maxes Adaptive Strike early on to abuse a 4.25 second stun with 900 cast range. An Adaptive Strike with this power is unlocked as early as level 7, allowing Morphling to contribute as an extremely powerful early-game ganker. Because of this, a solo lane (typically offlane) suits support Morphling the best. The sooner he can attain his levels, the sooner he can disrupt other lanes. With some gold, support Morphling can build initiation items like Eul`s Scepter of Divinity, Blink Dagger, Force Staff, Shadow Blade, and so on. In certain team compositions an early Aghanim`s Scepter opens up an entirely new playstyle. Hybrid has a huge amount of uses. Purchasing Aghanim`s Scepter allows Support Morphling to transition into more than a hero that stuns from long range, and is a good idea to pick up if you have extra gold around.
Ability Builds
Carry Morphling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |||||||
- As a carry, Morphling should maximize Waveform and Morph early. usually skipping his ultimate early.
- Putting the first point into Morph while in the fountain allows him to shift extra points into agility, making it easier to last hit.
- Morph should be maxed out over Waveform against an aggressive lane, as higher level morph gives him hp faster and costs less mana per point shifted.
- Replicate`s first level is short lived and has a short cast range, giving it minimal utility in the early game.
- In some cases, taking the spell early can be useful to gain an instant escape or enable a temporary relocation to another lane or the fountain, but keep in mind the high mana cost of jumping to the illusion`s location
- Replicating a durable ally can also be used to tank the attacks of a jungle camp, should you be struggling to find farm in lane.
- As a carry, Adaptive strike is primarily used to deal damage with a large pool of agility, making it weak in the early game.
- In a game with uncontested farm (eg. a successful trilane), it can be preferable to skip one or two points in Morph and/or Replicate in order to max out Adaptive Strike faster.
Support Morphling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |||||||
- Like carry Morphling, the first point is usually put into Morph, but a supporting Morphling will shift towards strength, increasing his survivability and preparing for a stunning Adaptive Strike.
- Morph`s higher levels can be delayed for a supporting Morphling.
- Waveform`s scaling only increases damage and mana cost, and so the value point is enough to gain the mobility value from the spell.
- Adaptive Strike`s early value in a supporting morphling lies in the long stun available when morphed towards Strength, giving plenty of time for allies to kill off the target.
- An early point of Replicate is far more valuable for support Morphling, allowing him to quickly relocate to assist in another lane then return, or to stack additional camps.
Talents
Hero Talents Main Table of Gained Bonuses The Talent Selection interface. Talents are traits unique to each hero. They are chosen every 5th level starting at level 10, offering a permanent choice between ![]() | ||
+50% Replicate Damage | 25 | +400 Waveform Range |
+40 Damage | 20 | +25 Movement Speed |
12% Cooldown Reduction | 15 | +25 Attack Speed |
+200 Mana | 10 | +8 ![]() ![]() |
- Upgrading mana increases maximum mana capacity and keeps the current mana percentage.
- The agility bonus cannot be morphed to strength with Morph.
- Cooldown reduction affects abilities and items. Stacks multiplicatively with Octarine Core Item Changelogs Octarine CoreS At the core of spellcraft are spectrums only the very gifted can sense. Cost5900 Bought FromCaster Passive Cooldown Reduction, Spell Lifesteal Bonus +25 Intelligence+425 Health+425 Mana Disassemble?
and additively with Arcane Rune Double Damage Haste Illusion Invisibility Regeneration Bounty Arcane See more: Runes#List Buff icon Arcane Play AbilityNo Target AffectsSelf Reduces cooldowns by 30% and mana costs by
.
- The attack damage is added as bonus attack damage, and therefore does not benefit illusions.
General
- Early on, go mid or have a support keep you safe in the safe lane while you farm.
- Focus on farming up items. Only go for kills if you know you can get it.
- Morphling functions better as a carry in teams with a strong front line. This allows him to remain in the fight with a high amount of agility and hence right click or Adaptive Strike damage, without feeling the pressure of being focused. Although he is good at soaking damage through Morph Strength and items such as Linken`s Sphere Item Interactions Old Abilities Changelogs Linken s Sphere This magical sphere once protected one of the most famous heroes in history. Cost4850 (1000) Bought FromArmor Active Transfer Spellblock Passive Spellblock
and Eye of Skadi Item Changelogs Eye of Skadi Extremely rare artifact, guarded by the azure dragons. Cost5775 Bought FromArtifacts Passive Cold Attack Bonus +25 Strength+25 Agility+25 Intelligence+225 Health+250 Mana Disassemble? No Alert allies? No
, he is much more useful as your team`s primary source of consistent damage.
Waveform
- Use this to escape from ganks early game. If going for kills, use this after using Adaptive Strike if you have that leveled.
- Assuming you have the regen and the mana pool, you can use waveform to speed up farming while going for those big items.
- Morphling`s early game damage is relatively high with Waveform and decent right click through Morph. Consider laning with an aggressive support to grab some early game kills so you can accelerate your farm and reach your late game faster.
- Waveform`s travel speed is slightly higher than the projectile of Etherial Blade, meaning that while you can cast the blade during the wave form, you must use the item before casting if you wish to amplify the damage of this spell.
Adaptive Strike
- As Adaptive Strike scales with attributes, it should not be leveled until after Waveform is maxed and should be the last ability maxed out.
- When wanting to maximize the damage, shift to full damage. If needing to escape, use it after you shift to mostly strength.
- This is your primary damage spell after you finish Ethereal Blade Item Changelogs Ethereal Blade A flickering blade of a ghastly nature, it is capable of dealing damage in both magical and physical planes. Cost4700 Bought FromWeapons Active Ether Blast Bonus +10
- You do not need to go full strength in order to maximize the stun, merely having Strength being 50% larger than Agility is enough.
Morph
- As Morph gives +3 to both Agility and Strength with one level. and the fountain aura provides mana to shift at the start, it is a very strong ability to get at level 1.
- Know when to switch between agility and strength. During the laning stage, put enough points into agility into easily gain last hits, but keep enough in strength so if you get ganked you`ll have enough HPTechnology company to survive. When farming creeps, feel free to put more into agility, and when escaping fights put more into strength.
- If you are low on HPTechnology company and being chased/targeted, use Morph to increase your health and health regeneration to increase the difficulty of killing you. Note the moderate mana cost with this ability on.
- When Morphing Agility, both maximum and current HP will lower by 20 for each point morphed, but this cannot kill Morphling directly.
- Since Morph has a toggle ability, it will continue to function even while silenced; provided the ability was toggled on prior to being silenced.
- If Morph does not have enough mana to shift one point, the spell will remain toggled on, continuing to morph when enough mana becomes available.
- The current state of Morph is preserved through death. Upon respawning, take care to Morph before teleporting to lane.
- When going back to base consider morphing some agility into strength in case of enemies with global abilities such as Zeus Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities Changelogs Zeus 19 + 2.6 11 + 1.2 22 + 2.7 Level Base
and Ancient Apparition "AA" redirects here. For the professional player, see ARS-ART. Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities Changelogs Known Bugs
or even Clockwerk Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities Changelogs Clockwerk 26 + 3.2 13 + 2.3 17 + 1.3 Level Base
and Nature`s Prophet Hero Strategy Counters Equipment Gear Responses Sounds Lore Old Abilities Changelogs Nature s Prophet 19 + 2.1 18 + 1.9 25 + 2.9 Level
.
Replicate
Replicate is a powerful spell, and has many uses, both as a general utility spell and for combat. "Utility tips:"
- If struggling in lane to farm, an early point in Replicate can be used like an illusory support, stacking and/or pulling a neutral camp, or it can be used to tank neutral creep attacks to keep Morphling`s low HP pool intact.
- A replicate illusion allows Morphling to teleport Teleportation is a form of movement in Dota that instantly moves a target from one point to another. The most common teleports are Blink Dagger s Blink and Town Portal Scroll s Teleport. Teleports can be distinguishing
back to the fountain to regenerate and purchase items, then instantly jump back to creeps.
- After making a Replicate and moving the illusion to a safe place, Morphling can afford to take more risks such as pushing into dangerous territory or joining a teamfight, and jump to the illusion to escape.
- Creating a Replicate costs far less mana than teleporting to the illusion`s position, and in most cases Morphling should create an illusion to help him as often as possible.
- Don`t be afraid to create Replicates of enemy heroes if you wish to prepare an escape replicate, it can be very difficult for an enemy hero to kill an illusion of themselves which promptly flees to your towers.
- When supporting, consider enabling allied control so the carries can control the illusion directly to help with whatever they`re doing.
- Replicate illusions do not take bonus damage, and so can be difficult for enemies to identify. Moving a ally`s illusion into a dangerous position can often be used to bait out spells from the enemy if it behaves convincingly.
- Sometimes deciding which hero to choose for Replicate can be difficult. While any hero can provide Morphling with an illusion to jump to, It can be valuable to consider what you plan to do with the illusion should multiple options be available.
- A hero with high move speed is ideal for a scout, or for moving to a distant location while farming the nearby area.
- A hero with a high base damage and/or a passive ability that illusions can use is ideal for pushing lanes in a dangerous location.
- A hero with a large HP pool is ideal for acting like bait, able to cause the enemy team to group up in order to kill the durable hero before their allies arrive.
- A enemy hero that has a Radiance Item Old Abilities Changelogs Radiance A divine weapon that causes damage and a bright burning effect that lays waste to nearby enemies. Cost5150 (1350) Bought FromWeapons Passive Burn Bonus +65
or other strong auras is ideal for turning the enemy team`s strength against them.
"Combat tips:"
- To maximize damage use this on a carry who has built a lot of stat items.
- Replicating an enemy with a powerful aura Auras are passive abilities that grant a buff or debuff to units in an area of effect around the holder, or in some cases, over a short period at a targeted point or unit. By
is an efficient way to amplify your entire team.
- When levelled, Replicate has an extremely long cast range, and so can be used as a way to effectively blink to an enemy hero, but the long cooldown makes this move best reserved as a last resort. In most cases, it will be better to use the Replicate illusion to secure vision on the target to aim Waveform and/or Adaptive Strike, preserving the illusion to continue assisting you.
- Remember there are a handful of abilities that are able to kill illusions instantly, easily wasting Replicate or Hybrid. Such abilities include Life Drain, Mana Drain and Hex.
- Avoid creating a Replicate if near death, as the Replicate illusion dies if Morphling dies.