Sand King is a very multipurpose strength hero. He can push, gank, initiate a teamfight... he just makes coffee! Specialized in AoE damage dealing, he will also be redoutable to stun and slow enemies. His ultimate can turn a teamfight over and make it to your advantage. His stun is very good to engage or to run away above cliffs! Take care of the sandstorms before you get on the battlefield and everything will be alright with the SAND... KIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG

• Take your stun at level 1, your most useful spell because it stuns more than 2 seconds, allows you to try a first blood with an ally or can even save you from a dangerous enemy.

• Then upgrade your Sand Storm which will allow you to have an early escape. Continue to upgrade the stun. You can take a point of Caustic Finale once level 4 if you wish to, so you can harass a melee opponent for example. Otherwise take Sand Storm once more.

• Of course, take your ultimate whenever you can, then upgrade Burrowstrike, Sand Storm and Caustic Finale last

Sand King will dig very quickly under the ground and get to the spot where is the unit you targeted. All the enemies on your path will be stunned and take damage.

• Blocked by Linken’ Sphere if you click directly on the hero
  
• Blocked by Black King Bar
  
• The stun is composed of a 0.52 seconds bump then a 1.65 seconds stun
  
• With a good timing you can dodge most of the targeted spells (Vengeful Spirit’s stun for example)
  
• Goes through trees and cliffs

Originally posted by DMX:

This spell is Sand King’s disable. It allows you to engage one or several targets while dealing good damage. Be careful to its range which is pretty short at level 1 and 2!
You can also use Burrowstrike to run away putting distance between your enemy and yourself.

Sand King creates a real sand storm around him which makes him invisible for the opponents and deals damage.

• Damage blocked by Black King Bar
  
• Be careful, this spell is a channeling, which means if you act in any way, it will be cancelled.
  
• When you act, you reappear within a short delay which increases with levels (0.3/0.3/0.9/1.5 sec). Use this delay to lure your enemies making them think you’re still in the middle of the Sand Storm.
  
• If you have a good timing, you can dodge the majority of targeted spells. Be careful though if your opponents have vision (gem, dust, sentry ward), you WON’T be able to dodge anything!

Originally posted by DMX:

This spell is a pretty useful escape mechanism and is perfect to temporize while your allies are coming for example. You can also farm without any risk with Sand Storm since it deals huge damage at its highest levels.

Sand King’s attacks inject a powerful poison in his enemies’ blood making them explode when dying.

• The units that explode don’t leave a corpse on the ground
  
• A hit target affected by the debuff will explode if it dies, whatever the way.
  
• Poison doesn’t work on denies.

Originally posted by DMX:

A very useful passive to push or depush lanes because it allows you to kill a whole creep wave in a short amount of time.

After a 2 seconds channeling, Sand King makes the earth shudder many times in a row. Every vibration deals 110 damage and slows by 30%. The vibrations radius increases each time.

A nice Flash file here ![www.eclypsia.com]

• Only damage are blocked by magic immunity, slow isn’t.
  
• Sand King channels the spell during 2 seconds before the first vibration.
  
• If the channeling is stopped by an enemy or yourself, the cooldown and mana will be used.
  
• The source of the vibrations is Sand King and not the channeling spot.

Originally posted by DMX:

This spell is devastating if well used because it allows to deal huge AoE magic damage while slowing the enemy team. Try to channel it while hidden to don’t get interrupted.

There are two possible uses of Sand King’s Burrowstrike:

• To attack
  
• To run away

Burrowstrike is an AoE stun, so it is perfect to engage a gank or a teamfight. Thanks to its good speed, it is normally pretty easy to use. However, its low range during first levels can be destabilizing.

For beginners: The common mistake is to try to predict the enemy’s movement, without perfectly knowing your stun range which make you fail completely. First, don’t try to complicated things, just click on the enemy you wish to stun and try to place in teamfight in order to stun many enemies. Once you’re familiar with distances, you can try the next trick.

For advanced players: Burrowstrike isn’t totally targeted, meaning you can also click on the ground to use it. It is the best way to use Burrowstrike but also the hardest to master.
When you have to stun a single enemy, the best is to aim for a spot behind him, you will then be able to block his eventual target.


If there are numerous enemies, picture in your head the straight line that you will have to follow to stun as many enemies as possible. Don’t forget that your Burrowstrike has an effect radius and that the spikes also stun a little bit on the above and sides. Remember it when using your stun.
Try to stun the most distant hero (but that you know is at range) while placing to also hit all the others on the path.

Originally posted by DMX:

If an enemy has a Linken’s Sphere, he will block your stun only if you clicked on him directly, if you click on the ground, it won’t protect it.

Nothing very complicated here, just use Burrowstrike as a sort of Blink Dagger clicking wherever you wish to.
Use it especially to go through trees and cliffs.

You can use Sand Storm defensively or to farm safely.

Nothing very complicated here either, just go in the middle of the creeps and activate Sand Storm to kill them. Take care to the radius of Sand Storm which increases with each level though (275/325/375/525).

• You can simply hide and wait for your allies to come and help.
  
• In teamfight, you can also activate it after your ultimate and your stun for example, to avoid being focused.
  
• You can also use it to avoid projectiles : see below the video
  
• You can use it to become invisible a brief moment to confuse the enemy.
  
• You can use it to don’t get it for 3 seconds in order to get your Blink Dagger cooldown back.

Video coming soon

Sand King’s ultimate has to be used sparingly, first of all because the cooldown is non negligible and that it cost a lot of mana (especially taking your mana pool in account), but among every other thing, because it is easy to cancel if slapdash it.

Before using Epicenter, you have to get sure that no enemy will be able to interrupt your channeling. To avoid that, the best thing is to cast it while while safe, out of the teamfight and to rush after thanks to your Burrowstrike or a Blink Dagger for example. You can also use your ultimate combined with your allies: have no hesitation to use Epicenter during a Black Hole for example.


Blink Dagger will help you to use your ultimate in the best possible conditions. Have no hesitation to use the “shift-queue”, it is a trick which consists in using the “caps/shift” of your keyboard in order to give following orders to your characters without interrupting the ongoing action. Meaning using shift, you will give the next order but the game will wait for the ongoing action to end to execute it.

For example, if you are channeling your ultimate during two seconds, during these two seconds press shift and use your dagger on the spot you wish to teleport to. Instead of cancelling the channeling, the game will wait for it to end before executing the order “active “Blink Dagger”
Use the shift-queue allows you to cast your ultimate peacefully and to teleport instantly after in the fight, just as in the video below:

Video coming soon

Sand King is a ganker who doesn’t need a lot of items to be effective. It is better to focus on his mana pool and mobility before his damage potential.


Three Iron Branches, two Healing Salves, a set of Tangos and three Clarity potions. This starter will allow you to take a few hits.

Two Gauntlets of Strength, a Healing Salve, a Clarity potion, an Iron Branch and a set of Tangos.
This starter will make you more resistant and less sensitive to harass, and is ideal if you want to build an urn of Shadows.


Arcane Boots: the best boots for Sand King, it resolves all your mana problems and allow you to gank effectively. You’re not particularly a tank and you permanently need mana, so buy your Arcane Boots as soon as possible.

Boots of Travel: The only viable boots for the very late game. It will give you enough mobility to both attack and defend as well as to gank isolated heroes. Change your early game boots for these during end game.


Boots of Speed: essential item for a ganker, the basic boots are a must have you have to buy early


Magic Wand: Upgrade your Branches into a Magic Wand which will allow you to have some life and mana regen in tough situations.



Bottle: If you often go along the river, or if you are solo mid, Bottle can be a very good choice giving you life and mana regen between two ganks.


Urn of Shadow: A good item giving you mana regen and a strength bonus non negligible. Moreover, the DoT it gives will allow you to finish a fugitive. You will also be able to heal thanks to your stacks. Take it if you chose starter b.


Blink Dagger: The only item you need in addition to your Arcane Boots in order to be more effective. It is just perfect, it allows you to use your ultimate more easily and to run away after you hid 3 seconds into your Sand Storm.


Black King Bar: If there is too much crowd control during teamfights or ganks, BKB is the best option, it will be perfect to use your ultimate even in the middle of the teamfight.

Drum of Endurance: If you have some issues during the game and can’t build items, you can opt for a Drum of Endurance which will be useful for your team and give a good stats bonus.

Blade Mail: If you are often focused, take a Blade Mail, this item will make you earn some time because you will be able to tank the damage the enemies will deal to you, they’ll hink twice before attacking you.


Aghanim’s Scepter: Improves your ultimate, gives you stats, what else?



Veil of Discord: Is just perfect to tank more while increasing the magical damage of your team. Very good combined to your ultimate!


Shiva’s Guard: Some armor to tank, Intelligence for a bigger mana bar and a very interesting slow : it has everything it needs to please you.



Scythe of Vyse: If you are so much fed that you have plenty of gold, have no hesitation. One more disable is always good!


Heart of Tarrasque: The strength hero item. It increases your damage and life a lot.

When can/should I pick Sand King?

• If you like to play aggressive and jump everywhere thanks to your stun and the Blink Dagger.
  
• Your team has a good AoE synergy (Enigma’s ultimate, Ancient Apparition or Earthshaker for example)
  
• You need to depush
  
• Your strategy is gank and kill oriented

When can’t/shouldn’t I pick Sand King?

• You don’t like to gank...
  
• You don’t like to engage/take some hits
  
• You want to afk farm the whole game

If you’re solo on the lane, try to farm and take exp. If you have the good rune, you can try to kill the mid laner for example or another lane, otherwise, wait for your level 6 or 7 to roam.
If you’re with an ally, let him farm if it’s a carry, if not share with him. Once level 3 you can be aggressive and punish the opponents’ mistakes. Be mobile once level 6-7 or try to kill the nemies on the same lane as you.

Once you have your Arcane Boots, you can gank everywhere or coordinate with your allies and your stun + ultimate will assure an easy kill almost every time.

During teamfights, you are very important because you have an AoE stun and a devastating AoE ultimate. try to farm as quickly as possible to get your Blink Dagger in order to be effective early. Channel your ultimate from a far then jump in with Dagger and stun as many enemies as you can.

During late game, depush lanes thanks to your passive and stun. Also try to farm your luxury items depending on the opponents without stealing the farm to your carry.

Coming Soon...

Comple Guide: Pudge
Guide by DMX[www.facebook.com]

• Written by Xari[www.facebook.com]
  
• Translated by Dach[www.facebook.com]
  
• Layout by Max[www.facebook.com]