Invoker
In its earliest, and some would say most potent form, magic was primarily the art of memory. The greatest mages in those days were the ones blessed with the greatest memories, and yet so complex were the invocations that all wizards were forced to specialize. But among all these studious magicians, there was one who stood out as a brilliant and prodigious exception, a genius of intellect and memory who came to be known as the Invoker.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“I am a beacon of knowledge blazing out across a black sea of ignorance.”
The Arsenal Magus
You have ten spells. Know which one to invoke for any situation. Adaptability is your greatest weapon.
Think Two Spells Ahead
Your power isn't just in the spell you cast, but in the one you're preparing. Always be ready for the next move.
Orchestrate the Battlefield
You are not a brawler; you are a conductor. Use Tornado, Ice Wall, and Deafening Blast to control the flow of a fight from a distance.
A Global Threat
From the first minute, your Sun Strike can influence any lane. Maintain map awareness; a well-timed strike turns a skirmish into a victory.
Mastery Through Memory
The path to mastering Invoker is paved with practice. Muscle memory for combos is what separates a good Invoker from a great one.
Knowledge is Power
Understand your matchups. A Quas/Wex build can dominate mobile heroes, while an Exort build can crush lanes and melt towers. Choose your path wisely.
Hero Overview
Invoker is a uniquely versatile intelligence hero whose strength comes from his ability to combine three elemental orbs—Quas, Wex, and Exort—to create a new spell. With a total of ten different spells at his disposal, plus the orbs themselves providing passive bonuses, Invoker can adapt to nearly any role or situation, from a high-damage nuker to a crowd-control specialist or a slippery escape artist.
His gameplay is a constant mental exercise of assessing the situation, invoking the correct spells, and executing powerful combos. Early game might focus on lane dominance with Forge Spirits and Cold Snap (Exort build) or ganking and mana control with Tornado and EMP (Wex build). As the game progresses, his role becomes about orchestrating teamfights with spells like Chaos Meteor, Deafening Blast, and Ice Wall, all while maintaining a global presence with Sun Strike.
Pros
- Extremely versatile with an answer to almost any problem
- High skill ceiling allows for massive outplay potential
- Global presence with Sun Strike
- Powerful teamfight control and damage combos
- Strong pusher with Forge Spirits and Alacrity
Cons
- Very difficult to learn and master
- Heavily dependent on levels to access his full toolkit
- Vulnerable to silences and gap-closing heroes
- Can be mana-intensive
- Requires excellent game sense and quick fingers
Ability Analysis
Cold Snap (QQQ)
Target UnitInvoker freezes an enemy, causing them to take initial damage and be briefly stunned. For a short duration, any further damage taken will trigger another stun and more damage.
Notes: Has a very long cast range, perfect for canceling an enemy's healing salve or clarity from a safe distance. Combos exceptionally well with damage-over-time effects like Urn of Shadows, as each tick can trigger a mini-stun.
Ghost Walk (QQW)
ActiveInvoker becomes invisible, slowing nearby enemies based on Wex level and himself based on Quas level. The slow on himself is removed at higher Quas levels.
Notes: Your primary escape tool. Remember that taking player-controlled damage disables the HP/mana regen for 3 seconds. You can safely cast this while channeling a Town Portal Scroll to escape.
Ice Wall (QQE)
Point TargetGenerates a wall of solid ice directly in front of Invoker. Enemies who touch it are massively slowed and take damage per second.
Notes: A powerful zoning and control spell in teamfights. With practice, you can cast it perpendicularly to an enemy's escape path to guarantee they are caught. It can be surprisingly effective for defending high ground.
EMP (WWW)
Point TargetInvoker builds up a charge of electromagnetic energy at a target location, which detonates after a delay. The detonation burns mana and deals damage equal to a percentage of the mana burned.
Notes: The classic combo is to use Tornado to lift enemies, then place EMP directly underneath them so it detonates as they land. This combo cripples the enemy's mana pool and deals significant damage.
Tornado (WWQ)
Point TargetUnleashes a fast-moving tornado that lifts any enemies in its path into the air, rendering them helpless. They take damage upon landing.
Notes: A versatile tool that also functions as a basic dispel, removing runes and most buffs from enemies. Be careful not to ruin your teammates' spells. It can be used to stack certain neutral camps by lifting them out of the spawn box.
Alacrity (WWE)
Target UnitInvoker infuses an ally with a burst of energy, granting them bonus attack speed and damage.
Notes: Can be cast on yourself, any allied hero, creeps, or summons like your own Forge Spirits. Excellent for increasing your own right-click damage or buffing your team's carry to melt targets.
Sun Strike (EEE)
Point TargetSends a catastrophic ray of solar energy at any location on the map, incinerating enemies standing in the beam after a short delay. Damage is pure and pierces debuff immunity.
Notes: A global spell useful for more than just sniping low-hp heroes. Use it to secure ranged creep last hits, scout Roshan, or check jungle stacks. Its damage is split evenly among all units hit in the area.
Forge Spirit (EEQ)
ActiveInvoker forges a spirit embodying the strength of fire and fortitude of ice. The spirit's damage and armor are determined by Exort, and its attack range and duration are determined by Quas.
Notes: Invaluable for pushing towers and controlling runes. At higher levels of Quas and Exort, you can summon two spirits. Their attacks reduce enemy armor, making them excellent for softening up targets.
Chaos Meteor (EEW)
Point TargetPulls a flaming meteor from space onto the target location. Upon landing, the meteor rolls forward, constantly dealing damage to any units it touches.
Notes: The cornerstone of Invoker's big damage combos. Best used after a setup spell like Tornado, Ice Wall, or Deafening Blast to ensure enemies stay in the meteor's path for its full duration.
Deafening Blast (QWE)
Point TargetInvoker unleashes a sonic wave that travels forward, dealing damage to any enemy it collides with, knocking them back, and disarming them.
Notes: An amazing setup and follow-up spell. The disarm cannot be removed by basic dispels and pierces debuff immunity if the target is not already immune when hit. Perfect for controlling physical damage dealers.
EMP (Shard Upgrade - Wex Facet)
Point TargetWith the 'Mind of Tornarus' (Wex) facet, Aghanim's Shard causes EMP to pull enemies towards its center at a rate of 100 units/sec.
Notes: This upgrade makes it much harder for enemies to escape the EMP detonation, increasing its reliability. It is a 'pull,' not forced movement, so it won't interrupt channeling or certain movement spells.
Cataclysm (Aghanim's Scepter - Exort Facet)
ActiveWith the 'Agent of Gallaron' (Exort) facet, Aghanim's Scepter turns Sun Strike into a global active ability, Cataclysm, which causes two visible Sun Strikes to land near each enemy hero on the map.
Notes: A massive teamfight ultimate that can turn the tide of a fight from anywhere on the map. It's also an incredibly powerful scouting tool to reveal the location of all enemy heroes, perfect for checking for smoke ganks.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Invoker is the definition of a high-skill ceiling hero. His power lies not in any single spell, but in his ability to produce the perfect tool for any situation from his vast arsenal.
Key Insights:
- Always think one or two spells ahead of your current action.
- Master the muscle memory for invoking spells quickly.
- Adapt your orb choice (Quas, Wex, Exort) to the needs of the game.
Playing Invoker is like playing a musical instrument; practice and foresight are rewarded with devastating and beautiful results.
Game Strategy
Early Game
Timeframe: 0-15 minutes Objective: Dominate the lane and gain levels Key: Secure last hits using Exort bonus damage; Harass with Forge Spirit armor reduction and Cold Snap; Look for global kill opportunities with Sun Strike; Control runes with Forge Spirits or Tornado Items: Boots; Magic Wand; Component for first major item (e.g., Midas/Vessel)
Mid Game
Timeframe: 15-30 minutes Objective: Participate in fights and create space Key: Join teamfights with impactful spell combinations; Use Ghost Walk to scout and find pickoffs; Push towers with Alacrity and Forge Spirits; Farm safely to acquire core items like BKB or Aghanim's Items: Black King Bar; Aghanim's Scepter; Blink Dagger
Late Game
Timeframe: 30+ minutes Objective: Control teamfights and secure victory Key: Land multi-hero spell combos (e.g., Meteor + Deafening Blast); Use spells defensively to save allies (Tornado, Ice Wall); Disarm enemy carries with Deafening Blast; Provide global vision and damage with Cataclysm Items: Scythe of Vyse; Refresher Orb; Shiva's Guard
Tips & Strategies
Spell Usage & Tricks
- Tornado serves as a basic dispel, allowing you to remove buffs like runes or Empower from enemies.
- Cold Snap has a very long cast range; use it to interrupt enemy consumables like Salves from a safe distance.
- Ice Wall can be cast perpendicularly to an enemy's path to create a massive, unavoidable slow field.
- Use Sun Strike's vision to scout Roshan, high ground, or jungle areas before committing.
- A well-timed Tornado can save an ally from a projectile stun or kill an enemy under Oracle's False Promise before the heal applies.
Advanced Mechanics
- You can change orbs and cast Invoke while channeling a Town Portal Scroll or while invisible in Ghost Walk.
- Illusions copy your active orb instances when they are created, benefiting from Quas's regen and Wex's speed.
- The disarm from Deafening Blast is not dispellable by normal means; enemies must use debuff immunity (like BKB) to prevent or remove it.
- If you are about to die while escaping, you can deny yourself by casting Sun Strike on the Tormentor, as it deals global damage back to its attackers.
Core Combos to Practice
- Tornado > EMP > Cold Snap: Classic Quas/Wex combo for mana burn and control.
- Forge Spirits > Cold Snap: Simple and effective laning harassment.
- Tornado > Chaos Meteor > Deafening Blast: The signature high-damage teamfight combo.
- Ice Wall > Alacrity: Trap enemies in the slow and pepper them with high-speed attacks.
Item Guide
Counter Guide
Good With
Invoker thrives with heroes who can set up his devastating combos. Heroes with large, reliable area-of-effect stuns like Axe, Magnus, Faceless Void, and Enigma are his best friends. They can hold multiple enemies in place, guaranteeing a perfect landing for his Chaos Meteor, Deafening Blast, and EMP. Similarly, heroes with long single-target lockdowns like Bane or Legion Commander provide an easy target for a Sun Strike or a full damage combo.
Bad Against
To counter Invoker, exploit his weaknesses: his vulnerability to silence and his reliance on positioning. Heroes like Anti-Mage and Nyx Assassin can burn his mana and close the gap to kill him. Puck and Storm Spirit have the mobility and silence to dodge his spells and turn on him. Lifestealer's built-in magic immunity allows him to run at Invoker with impunity. When playing against him, always click on him to see which two spells he has ready. If he has Sun Strike invoked, warn your team. If he goes missing, bring detection as he is likely roaming with Ghost Walk. Finally, if an ally is low and you suspect a Sun Strike, stand next to them to split the damage.
Good Against
Invoker excels against slow, immobile heroes and those who rely heavily on their mana pools. Squishy supports like Crystal Maiden and Witch Doctor are easy targets for a Sun Strike or a quick gank. His EMP is devastating against intelligence heroes who need mana to function. He is also strong against heroes like Templar Assassin because Tornado can purge her Refraction charges, and Ice Wall can prevent her from escaping with Meld. His wide range of disablers and damage makes him a threat to any hero who lacks a natural escape mechanism or magic immunity.