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Black King Bar
Defense · 4,050gold
A few seconds of magic immunity, so your spells actually come out.
How to actually use it
Everyone buys it. Almost no one times it.
- 1
Do not press it on entry
WhyEvery second of BKB you burn before their disable is a second you do not have when it matters. The spell immunity is only worth the moment it blocks something.
HowWalk in, let them commit, then press. If you are the one initiating, press on the swing, not on the walk.
- 2
The duration shrinks every use
WhyIt starts at 10 seconds and drops to 5 by the tenth use. Late game you are buying five seconds, not ten.
HowCount your uses. After the fifth or sixth, plan fights around a short window instead of assuming you can run through everything.
- 3
It is an escape, not only a damage window
WhyWhile BKB is up, targeted spells cannot select you. That is a way out of a position that would otherwise be fatal.
HowCaught out of position? Press it and walk — you do not need to turn and fight to get value.
- 4
Useless against a full physical lineup
WhyBKB blocks spells. It does nothing against right clicks and pure physical damage.
HowIf their damage is all physical, the 4,050 is better spent on armor or evasion.
Should you buy it?
- Their lineup wins fights through disables — stuns, hexes, silences.
- You are the hero who has to walk into the middle of the fight.
- You keep dying before you get your spells off.
- Their damage is almost entirely physical.
- You are a backline caster who never gets jumped.
- You are buying it as a damage item — it is not one.
Timing
Second or third item, once team fights start deciding the game. Buying it at 15 minutes when nobody is grouping is a waste of tempo.
Base data
- Attack Damage#28 of 55 items granting attack damage+24
- Strength#16 of 31 items granting strength+10
- Duration (shrinks per use)9
Mithril Hammer+
Ogre Axe→Black King Bar