Oracle
A grifter who fell in with the Elder Gods, Nerif is now cursed with the ability to see the fates of all he meets. Knowing the endings doesn't mean he can change them, but he can certainly rearrange the cast on his way to the final curtain.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“Fate is a story yet to be written. You are not a bystander; you are the author. Every cast is a word, every combo a sentence. Write your legend.”
Master the Paradox
Your power lies in contradiction. Your nuke is a heal. Your save is a risk. Understand these paradoxes deeply. To save an ally, you must first pretend to harm them.
Precision Over Power
You have no area-of-effect saves. Every target matters. Every cast must be deliberate. One misplaced Purifying Flames loses your carry. One perfect False Promise wins the game.
Control the Narrative
You dictate the flow of a fight. With Fortune's End, you erase the enemy's advantages. With False Promise, you edit the ending of an allied hero's story. Be the puppet master, not the puppet.
See What's Unseen
Your innate gives you knowledge of runes, a subtle but powerful edge. Use it to control the map. Use Fortune's End to grant vision where no one expects. Information is a weapon you wield constantly.
The Final Promise
False Promise is your ultimate statement. It is not a panic button; it is a calculated investment. Time it to outplay healing reductions. Use it to give an ally the confidence to fight beyond their limits. Your promise is their reality.
Embrace Your Fragility
You are made of glass. You have no escape. Your position is your life. Stay safe so you can make the plays. You are the fulcrum on which the fight pivots; if you fall, everything falls with you.
Hero Overview
Oracle is a complex but incredibly rewarding support hero who excels at saving allies and securing kills through precise spell combinations. His unique kit allows him to both nullify致命 burst damage and amplify his team's survivability to supernatural levels. Oracle doesn't win through brute force, but by rewriting the rules of engagement.
Oracle's gameplay revolves around a delicate balance of damage and prevention. His signature combo involves using Fate's Edict to shield an ally from magic damage, then casting Purifying Flames to provide a massive burst of healing that would otherwise be a nuke. In teamfights, he becomes a guardian angel, using False Promise to pull allies back from the brink of death while Fortune's End provides crucial utility by purging enemies and disrupting their positioning.
Pros
- Potentially the strongest single-target save in the game with False Promise
- Offensive dispel is rare and powerful, especially on a low-cooldown spell
- Powerful nuke/heal combo is unpredictable and hard to play against
- Innate provides excellent rune control and team-wide information
- Can disarm Roshan and other right-click heroes
Cons
- Extremely high skill ceiling; misplays can easily kill your own allies
- Very low base armor and movement speed, making him vulnerable
- Mana-intensive, requires careful management
- Healing is completely nullified by common items like Spirit Vessel
- Weak against healing reduction and banishment mechanics
Ability Analysis
Fortune's End
ActiveOracle releases a pulse of magic that deals damage and purges in an area around the target. After channeling, releases a projectile that travels, rooting and damaging enemies in its path.
Notes: This is your core utility spell. Use it as a cheap, offensive dispel to remove key buffs like Aphotic Shield or Flame Guard. Targeting an ally provides a basic dispel. Pre-casting it on yourself can be used to self-dispel from incoming silences or cyclones. The projectile provides vision and can be used on your courier to scout areas like the Roshan pit. Only the primary target receives the true sight effect.
Fate's Edict
Target UnitOracle enchants a target, making them immune to magical damage but unable to attack and taking 100% more damage from physical attacks.
Notes: The foundation of your save/heal combo. Cast this on an ally *before* Purifying Flames to completely nullify the nuke damage, leaving only the potent heal. Can be used offensively to disarm a dangerous carry like Roshan or a Ursa with Overpower. Be cautious, as the increased physical damage susceptibility can be fatal if used on an ally being focused by right-clickers.
Purifying Flames
Target UnitA burst of energy erupts at a target, dealing damage and then healing a moment later. The damage and heal are both significant.
Notes: Your primary nuke and heal. Its power comes from its interaction with Fate's Edict. CanInstantly kill a friendly creep who is below 50% health, allowing for creative denies. The initial damage can be used to break enemy consumables or wake up sleeping allies. Will never deal lethal damage to allies, making it safe to use for healing as long as the damage component is mitigated.
False Promise
Target UnitOracle temporarily casts an ally into a pocket of fate, delaying all damage and healing. When the effect ends, the target is healed for a portion of the damage it took and damaged for a portion of the healing it received. It also purges most debuffs when cast.
Notes: Your game-changing ultimate. It's a powerful, temporary invulnerability and a strong dispel. All heal/damage math is calculated at the *end* of the duration. This makes healing debuffs like Ancient Apparition's Ice Blast or Spirit Vessel extremely effective against it. Be proactive with Healing Lotuses on a False Promised ally for massive heals. A False Promised hero's Blink Dagger will never break due to 'damage'. Banishment effects can be used to kill a False Promised hero if timed precisely.
False Promise (Aghanim's Scepter)
PassiveFalse Promise can be cast on enemies, preventing them from healing and amplifying the damage they take. If the target dies during the duration, the cooldown is refunded.
Notes: Transforms False Promise into a potent offensive tool. Cast it on a key enemy hero before your team focuses them to ensure they cannot be saved by heals. The damage amplification makes them extremely fragile. It's a high-impact pickup that can completely swing a teamfight in your favor if used on the right target.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Oracle is a master of fate manipulation, using a potent mix of disabling, purging, and life-altering magic. His strength lies in his complex spell interactions and ability to turn certain death into miraculous survival.
Key Insights:
- Fate's Edict makes allies immune to magic damage, allowing you to safely Purifying Flames them for a powerful, dispelled heal.
- False Promise is one of the strongest defensive abilities in the game, but requires timing and awareness of healing reduction effects.
- Fortune's End is your Swiss Army knife: an offensive dispel, a save, a root, and a scouting tool.
Oracle demands precision and foresight. Every cast can change a fight's outcome. Master his combos, and you become the ultimate puppet master of the battlefield.
Game Strategy
Early Game
Timeframe: 0-15 minutes Objective: Harass, protect your carry, and secure key items Key: Use Fate's Edict to save your carry from magic harassment; Use the Fortune's End + Purifying Flames combo to chip away at enemy health; Deny creeps with Purifying Flames for extra gold and XP; Communicate rune spawns using your Prognosticate innate Items: Arcane Boots (Mana sustainability); Magic Wand (Survivability); Tome of Knowledge (if available, to accelerate item timings) Tips: Be mindful of your mana pool; avoid unnecessary Purifying Flames.; Position defensively; your low base armor makes you an easy target.; Use Fortune's End to dispel stuns or slows from your carry.; Use alt-click on the Prognosticate buff to share rune info.
Mid Game
Timeframe: 15-30 minutes Objective: Participate in teamfights and make game-saving plays Key: Perfect the Fate's Edict + Purifying Flames heal combo; Use False Promise proactively on an engaged initiator, not reactively on a low-HP target; Use Fortune's End to scout objectives and dispel key enemy buffs; Build towards Glimmer Cape and Force Staff for additional utility Items: Glimmer Cape (Synergizes with False Promise); Force Staff (Positioning and saves); Aether Lens (Increased cast range) Tips: If activated, Karma Shard can be a great repositioning tool before a fight.; Time your False Promise to avoid healing reduction spells like Ice Blast.; Target Fortune's End on an enemy Eul's or Invoker's Tornado to dispel it early.; Remember to use False Promise on creep-heroes like Warlock's Golem.
Late Game
Timeframe: 30+ minutes Objective: Disable key enemies and ensure your core's survival Key: False Promise the most important hero in the fight (often your carry); Consider Aghanim's Scepter to offensively disable enemy healers or carries; Bait out enemy dispels and items before committing your most important spells; Use Scythe of Vyse on threats that your spells can't handle Items: Scythe of Vyse (Hard crowd control); Aghanim's Scepter (Offensive pressure); Shiva's Guard (Armor and team utility) Tips: Understand the exact interactions of False Promise; a single mistake can lose the game.; Be aware of banishment mechanics from heroes like Outworld Destroyer or Shadow Demon.; Use your inventory items in conjunction with your spells for maximum effect (e.g., Glimmer -> False Promise).; Positioning is critical; one mistake can lead to your death before you can cast your spells.
Tips & Strategies
The Purifying Flames Combo
- Always cast **Fate's Edict** on an ally *before* casting **Purifying Flames**. This grants them magic immunity, nullifying the 280 damage and leaving a 360-point heal.
- You can also achieve this with **Glimmer Cape**. The magic barrier from Glimmer Cape will block the initial nuke damage, resulting in a pure heal.
- If an enemy has a **Spirit Vessel** debuff, you don't need to worry about Purifying Flames healing them, making it a pure nuke.
Fortune's End - The Swiss Army Knife
- Pre-channel Fortune's End on an ally who is about to Blink or TP. If they land in a crowd, you can catch multiple enemies in the root/dispel AoE.
- Self-targeting Fortune's End acts as a 'get off me' tool. Start channeling if an enemy is closing in on you to discourage them from getting within the 850 AoE.
- Use it on your courier and send the courier into the Rosh pit to safely scout with the projectile.
False Promise Nuances
- All damage and healing are calculated at the *end* of the duration. This means debuffs that block healing (like Ice Blast or Vessel) must still be active when the spell ends to be effective.
- A False Promised hero's **Blink Dagger** will never be broken by damage, as they don't 'take' damage during the spell.
- You can cast False Promise on creep-heroes like Warlock's Golem or Lone Druid's Spirit Bear.
Item Guide
Starting Items
Standard support starting items to survive the lane and manage your high mana cost.
Faerie Fire, Tangos, Clarity
Core Items
Arcane Boots solve your mana issues. Glimmer Cape is a core defensive item that synergizes perfectly with False Promise and your saves. Aether Lens provides crucial cast range for your combo.
Arcane Boots, Magic Wand, Glimmer Cape, Aether Lens
Situational Items
Force Staff for mobility and saves. Eul's can set up Fortune's End or remove debuffs. Aeon Disk provides a safety net against burst. Spirit Vessel to counter enemy healers and amplify your False Promise combos on enemies.
Force Staff, Eul's Scepter of Divinity, Aeon Disk, Spirit Vessel
Counter Guide
Good With
Oracle shines when paired with heroes who can dive deep and benefit from his lifesaving toolkit. Huskar is a classic partner, as Fate's Edict makes Huskar immune to the magic damage he fears, while False Promise can pull him back from the brink after a life break. Phantom Assassin, Juggernaut, and Ember Spirit are other aggressive carries who can dive recklessly knowing Oracle has their back with a perfectly timed False Promise and dispels. Heroes who need setup time, like Sniper or Zeus, also benefit from Oracle's ability to protect them from dive initiations.
Bad Against
Oracle is hard-countered by heroes who can manipulate the rules his magic operates on. Ancient Apparition is Oracle's greatest nemesis; Ice Blast completely nullifies False Promise's healing, often resulting in a dead ally. Silencer's Global Silence can stop Oracle from casting his lifesaving spells, while Arcane Curse drains his precious mana. Outworld Destroyer can use Astral Imprisonment on a False Promised hero, allowing damage to land and kill them before the heal is calculated. Nyx Assassin with Vendetta and Mana Burn can burst Oracle down before he can react. Shadow Demon's Demonic Purge will continuously dispel heals from a False Promised target, making Oracle's job nearly impossible. The common theme is heroes who can apply healing reduction, use banishment, or silence Oracle's spellcasting.
Good Against
Oracle excels at shutting down heroes who rely on predictable buffs or sustained damage. Bristleback is completely nullified by Fate's Edict, which disarms him, and Fortune's End can purge his Quill Spray stacks. Doom's late-game presence is significantly reduced as Oracle can purge his Scorched Earth and save the target from Doom with False Promise (if cast before Doom). He is also effective against Ursa by disarming him with Fate's Edict, and heroes who rely on long-duration buffs like Magnus (Empower) or Abaddon (Aphotic Shield) can have them instantly removed by Fortune's End. Any hero whose damage or survivability can be removed by a single dispel is a prime target for Oracle's debilitating magic.