Better late than never right?

Firstly thanks to the community for asking for this. I wasn't sure if I'd do this until I started getting a lot of messages about it. Even though making a ranking of this nature is quite time-consuming, I always find the process enjoyable.

If you read the following text prior to the rankings themselves, you will be rewarded with something very special.

I'd like to thank Brax and syndereN for not only looking the list over to make sure I didn't make any grave errors, but for giving a lot of great feedback overall. In addition, thanks to n0tail and w33 as they gave some good words of advice despite simultaneously preparing for the major. Also thanks to bukka for helping set this up on this site as always.

If you've made it this far, I will give you a little present. You see, a lot of people have argued about past rankings, which as I stated above is encouraged. The problem is they never bothered to read the criteria. Anyone can come up with their own power rankings based on whatever criteria pops in their head. But as a result of actually reading the above text I present you with the following. Whenever typing your opinion, follow it up with the text 'Believe me, I know what I'm talking about'. If you do this, people will know you have done the requisite reading in order to have an educated opinion. If you do not see this in their text, then you should consider their opinion null and void. And please, let's not spoil the fun. Don't tell the uninformed of the secret word.

Aside from that, here are a few extra things you might want to know before perusing the list.

The last list was for 7.06, which in Dota is a million years ago. The differential that is shown is for that, which of course can be misleading because of the fact that so many more Aghs exist (most of which by the way are quite good now). Either way, I thought leaving that differential would be interesting at the very least.

What do the labels mean?

New: This means the hero never had an Aghs before

Reworked: This means either the hero's current Aghs was reworked or they previously had one in our last rankings and it has been redone in some way. This includes heroes that temporarily didn't have Aghanim's (ie. Tiny & Night Stalker).

Updated: This is for the cases where something was added or subtracted to an Aghanim's upgrade. This is reserved for things more impactful than mere number tweaks.

Some heroes will have different text to accompany the general notes. Here are the two types you might see:

1. Old - This talks about what the Aghs was like since our last post (7.06)
2. Notable Changes - This refers to impactful changes made to the specific skill the Aghs alters. The changes listed will not be extensive. They are only the ones I felt were significant enough to mention.

Lastly, you'll also see a green or red arrow, indicating if the Aghs has gone up or down since our last post. Of course with more Aghs being introduced and Heroes changing quite a bit in patch 7.20, this isn't a great indicator of past strength, but instead we've simply left it in for the entertainment value.

That's it! If you made it this far, give yourself a pat on the back. Remember, this is a complete fluff piece, so don't take it too seriously. Thanks for reading!

PS: Remember that you can click the arrows on the right to read more!

Biggest Drop: Alchemist (-100)

Biggest Climb: Morphling (+77)

NEW

117

Lycan

Summon Wolves

Causes one of the three creep waves to include two wolves. You cannot control the wolves, but they are considered your units. These wolves have the same movement speed as lane creeps. They also provide half gold and xp bounty.

Notable Changes

Reworked Howl to grant bonus attack speed, armor, and HP regen to Lycan and all allied heroes and units under their control (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

Wow. There's so many different routes I could go with this, but I'll try to keep this short. I could be wrong, but this is quite possibly the worst Aghs upgrade that has ever been in the game. I've brought up the idea to some pros that if they allowed you to choose which lane these wolves go to, it would be marginally better. But marginally better is still terrible. There's nothing more to say other than this is too random to be even close to passable.

116

38

Leshrac

Pulse Nova

While Pulse Nova is active, Lightning Storm will hit a unit within a 750 radius every 1.75 seconds

SUNSfan's Notes

This Aghs actually has a lot of potential if certain tweaks were made. Right now the Lightning Storm only works while Pulse Nova is active. And it's not even a real Lightning Storm as it will not bounce at all. If it cast the normal spell, then this would be amazing. Or if the current spell worked passively instead of only during the ult, then it would be decent at the very least. Right now, it's just not great.

NEW

115

Terrorblade

Metamorphosis

After casting Metamorphosis, a wave travels outwards in all direction causing enemy heroes to become feared for 3 seconds upon impact. Wave starts traveling after 0.6 seconds and has a travel speed of 1000. Spell immune units do not get hit by the wave. Has a global sound effect.

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a bit of a weird Aghs. The effect can actually be OK if you want to hit buildings, but can be counter-productive if you want to hit enemies. Also with such a long cooldown on Metamorphosis, you're barely ever getting any use out of this. Bad!

REWORKED

114

25

Beastmaster

Wild Axes

Wild Axes have no cooldown and can be used again once they have returned to Beastmaster.

Old

Cast range increase (600 ⇒ 950 & cooldown reduced (70 ⇒ 45)

Notable Changes

Wild Axes no longer pierce spell immunity (7.20). Level 15 +65 Wild Axes damage Talent moved to Level 20 and changed to +75

SUNSfan's Notes

The old Aghs was very boring so I'm glad they revisited this hero. I don't know about this though. Some pros think it might be OK, while others think it is absolute garbage. I'd love to be wrong, but I tend to agree with the latter assessment. Being able to cast Axes constantly sounds cool since it amplifies damage coming from you and your creatures, but alas I don't think that is a very effective way to play Beastmaster.

113

26

Lifestealer

New Skill (Assimilate)

This ability allows you to eat teammates, where they will be invulnerable and spell immune. They can eject themselves from your body, dealing 300 AoE damage.

SUNSfan's Notes

This is actually one of the most fun Aghs in the game, unfortunately that doesn't make it good. Eating a Pudge w/ rot on while you have a radiance is HILARIOUS though. If you haven't tried it, please do. In normal scenarios, I could see this being good with Storm spirit or Nature's Prophet, as you can globally gank with 3+ heroes. You can also eat a teammate as they are initiated on in order to mitigate damage.

NEW

112

Troll Warlord

Battle Trance

Reduces Battle Trance cooldown to 35 seconds and allows it to be cast on allied or enemy heroes. Last half duration on enemies. Cast Range 525.

Notable Changes

Reworked Battle Trance. Does not effect allies anymore and will force Troll to continuously attack the closest enemy unit within range, prioritizing heroes. Damage cannot kill you during this mode. Also grants Troll bonus lifesteal, attack speed, and movement speed. Applies a basic dispel on cast (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

This one is so weird. The cooldown reduction alone is pretty incredible, but the problem is this skill is a bit situational for an ultimate. Generally, you want to use it when you are low because if you activate it at the wrong time, it can really screw you. Thus I feel the cooldown reduction is only really amazing for buyback situations. As for being able to use this on teammates/enemies...it sounds absolutely awful. This is one of the most troll abilities in the game with Aghs, pun intended.

UPDATED

111

17

Chaos Knight

Phantasm

Reduces cooldown (145 ⇒ 110) & allows it to be cast on allied hero with 1200 range. Also reduces incoming illusion damage from 260% to 180%.

Notable Changes

Scepter now also reduces incoming illusion damage from 260% to 180%. No longer has 50% chance to spawn extra illusion. Increased number of illusions from 1/2/3 to 3. Reduced illusion damage from 100% to 50/75/100%. Reduced duration from 42 to 30 (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

So the cooldown reduction is better than nothing, but definitely low compared to other upgrades. Using this on a hero other than yourself sounds really weird but could definitely work with a support CK...which isn't really a thing. The reduction of incoming damage for the illusions is pretty good though.

110

29

Magnus

Shockwave

Increases travel distance (1200 ⇒ 2000) and speed (900 ⇒ 1200) of Shockwave & causes it to come back. Return wave slows by 60% for 2 seconds and does half damage to creeps.

Notable Changes

Shockwave Scepter max range increased from 1725 to 2000. Shockwave Scepter speed increased from 1200 to 1500 (7.22). Shockwave pulls hit enemies towards the center and towards Magnus. Regular Shockwave slows movespeed by 60% for 0.75 seconds (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

This Aghs is nothing special, but it's not like its bad. It improves your Shockwave by essentially adding more damage and a slow. But compared to other Aghs in the game, this does not hold up well.

109

77

Outworld Devourer

Astral Imprisonment

Grants 2 charges of Astral Imprisonment with a 12 second replenish time. Increases range (450 ⇒ 750) and damage areas stack

SUNSfan's Notes

This is often discussed as one of the worst Aghs in the game. I guess that is technically true, but that's mainly because other Aghs are just so good. Adding a second charge and more range to Astral is certainly helpful, but in a lot of cases just underwhelming.

108

28

Lich

Chain Frost

Cast range increase (750 ⇒ 850), Infinite bounces, Damage increase (550 ⇒ 600)

Notable Changes

Chain Frost damage increased from 250/375/500 to 250/400/550 (7.22). Reduced Chain Frost cast time from 0.4 to 0.3 (7.18). Chain Frost damage increased for both normal ability and Aghs (7.16)

SUNSfan's Notes

This barely increases damage and cast range at this point. And the inifinite bounces sounds incredible but rarely comes into play. This is a very uninspiring Aghs that I'm expecting to get changed in the future.

107

45

Phantom Lancer

Spirit Lance

Spirit Lances bounce up to 5 times

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a nice way to build up your illusions super fast and synergizes quite nicely with the level 15 +125 Spirit Lance damage talent. Having said that, this is still pretty underhwelming in practice as PL doesn't really have trouble creating illusions in a hurry.

106

21

Doom

Doom

Suspends duration when within range (900 AoE), removes positive buffs, breaks passives

SUNSfan's Notes

The fact that this will suspend the Ultimate indefinitely sounds really cool, but in practice rarely comes into play. But being able to remove positive buffs and break is really good in certain games. Overall this is an OK upgrade.

105

54

Bristleback

Nasal Goo

Goo is AoE (825)

Notable Changes

Scepter AoE increased from 750 to 825. Viscous Nasal Goo has a base armor reduction of 2, on top of the reduction per stack (7.17). Goo's armor reduction per stack buffed to 1.4/1.8/2.2/2.6 (7.20). Goo's manacost changed from 25 to 12/16/20/24 (7.21).

SUNSfan's Notes

This has gotten a bit better over time thanks to the buffs to Goo. And the 825 AoE is quite massive. With this upgrade you'll be able to spam Goo in the same way that Quill Spray is used, in order to keep up Warpath stacks. This is probably not the pickup if you are trying to use Goo against Linken Sphere however, but that is the only real situation where this is bad. Overall a pretty underrated Aghanims.

104

29

Axe

Battle Hunger

Causes Battle Hunter to be a 400 AoE target ability that will reduce enemy damage by 30%.

Old

Units afflicted by Battle Hunger will have their damage output reduced by 30%. Also, if an enemy hero is killed with Culling Blade, Battle Hunger will then be cast upon enemies in a 700 AoE

SUNSfan's Notes

I feel like this just sounds better than it actually is. Being able to reduce multiple enemy's damage by 30%, all while boosting your movement speed sounds amazing. But in practice, being able to dispel this feels like a very common occurence. All in all, it is certainly better than it used to be, but not quite as OP as it sounds.

103

27

Medusa

Mystic Snake

Causes Mystic Snake to turn enemies to stone for at least 1 second. Adds 0.3 seconds per bounce

Notable Changes

Mystic Snake no longer deals pure damage to units affected by Stone Gaze, now always deals magical damage (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

There was a time where the Stone Gaze debuff would instantly kill illusions, which made this upgrade situationally amazing. Unfortunately, those days are gone. Being able to turn people to stone can certainly be good in games where a lot of physical damage is to be had. But in a lot of cases it can mess with any magic damage output. With the right communication this is still a pretty decent upgrade.

102

45

Legion Commander

Duel

Longer duration (5.5 ⇒ 8). Only LC and opponent can take damage from eachother. Applies spell immunity to Legion Commander

Notable Changes

When the caster wins the Duel, the current level of Press the Attack gets applied to self (7.20). Duel Victory damage bonus increased from 10/14/18 to 10/18/26 (7.18).

SUNSfan's Notes

Alas one of my favorite Aghs in the game. Unfortunately it is just too situational to be good. On the positive side, if you are balling out of control you can easily take out an enemy for free. And even if you're not, you can isolate a a crucial enemy for a very long period while your team focuses on the rest of their team. But from the other side, we've seen this be a complete disaster in games. Without the right communication, a lot of spells can be wasted on an enemy who will take zero damage. We've even see this throw a professional game. Be safe out there kids.

REWORKED

101

100

Alchemist

Other

Can still give Aghs to teammates, but when equipped for himself, he will gain +30 Damage and 6% Spell Amp for each Scepter that he supplied to allies at any point in the game.

Old

Give an Aghanim's Scepter to a teammate

SUNSfan's Notes

Last time we rated Alchemist Aghs based on the fact that he could give other heroes the buff (plus it gave stats). For the purposes of this hero, this time we will ignore that part and focus solely on the buff it gives him. If you're able to give every ally an Aghs, you will gain +120 damage & 24% Spell Amp. This isn't that bad of an effect, but is completely dependent on how many Aghs you give away. It's nice that there is more incentive now to do so, but the effect isn't anything to write home about.

NEW

100

Templar Assassin

New Skill (Psionic Projection)

Grants new ability which allows you to teleport to any Psionic Trap after a 2 second channel. Does not break Meld. Cooldown 30. Manacost 100. Detonates the psionic trap on arrival.

Notable Changes

Meld applies the armor debuff before the attack damage is applied. The debuff also stacks from multiple attacks and duration was increased from 10 to 12 (7.21).

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a very interesting upgrade. Being able to meld onto one of your traps can have game-winning implications. But having said that, it feels a bit inconsistent to be that good. But still, it allows you to move around the map pretty freely which is always a good thing. There's also a cool trick where while Melding you can wait for Meld to come back off cooldown and then activate Psionic Projection. Once teleported you can strike with Meld and then do a second Meld which can be absolutely devasating when combined with the Level 20 Meld Armor Reduction talent and the 25 Meld Bash.

REWORKED

99

53

Windranger

Windrun

Adds 2 charges to Windrun and increases movement speed by 45%.

Old

No damage reduction (30% ⇒ 0%), reduces cooldown (60 ⇒ 15), removes penalty from Unique Attack Modifiers

SUNSfan's Notes

This rework isn't super popular as Aghs has been a staple on the carry-centric Windranger for years. Although a disappointing change, having two Windruns is pretty nice, especially if you combine it with the Level 25 cooldown reduction. You can almost Windrun perpetually. The movement speed increase is quite noticable as well.

98

2

Dazzle

Shallow Grave

Gives a 500 AoE to Shallow Grave

Notable Changes

Shallow Grave Scepter radius increased from 450 to 500

SUNSfan's Notes

It sounds OP on paper, but from a consistency standpoint it's not as good as it sounds. But being able to grave yourself, which then will spill over to ally heroes in range isn't a bad thing. Overall I think this can definitely be amazing in the right situations.

97

9

Oracle

Purifying Flames

Faster cast point (0.3 ⇒ 0.1), lowers cooldown (2.25 ⇒ 1)

SUNSfan's Notes

Very rarely will you get to see this in action, but it's honestly pretty good. The cooldown reduction means you can spam this at will and you might be surprised at how good the cast point reduction feels. In a lot of ways this just adds additional damage to your enemies and increases your healing output.

96

19

Natures Prophet

Wrath of Nature

Increases damage (170 ⇒ 205), and creates treants if units are killed within 4 seconds

Notable Changes

Wrath of Nature no longer pierces spell immunity (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

In the right hands this is quite good as you can continue to push the pressure from across the map. And if you get a hero kill with your ult then those big boy treants can really go to work. For a good portion of people this will feed a lot of needless gold though.

95

13

Dark Seer

Wall

Illusions deal more damage (100% ⇒ 140%)

Notable Changes

Regular Wall of Replica Illusions from 90 to 100% attack damage and reduced illusion damage taken from 300% to 200%. (7.14). Uses vector targeting, slow no longer pierces spell immunity, increased cast range & reduced cast time (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a very boring upgrade and I wouldn't be surprised if it get changes at some point. But even though its boring doesn't mean its bad. Being able to increase the damage output of certain enemy hero's by 40% can be significant. But alas it isn't consistent.

NEW

94

Arc Warden

New Skill (Rune Forge)

Grants new ability which creates a random Rune in front of you. Cooldown 60. The selection of Runes include Bounty and Powerup Runes

SUNSfan's Notes

This is probably the weirdest upgrade in the game. It is all based on chance. You give your hero and it's Tempest Double yet another skill to use. In some situations for late game it can truly help (Double Damage), but sometimes it will just come up empty (Bounty). And of course the other runes can be great in the right situation, but will it ever come? Only Gaben knows.

93

27

Earth Spirit

New Skill (Enchant Remnant)

Grants the Enchant Remnant ability, which allows you to turn a hero into a Stone Remnant for 3 seconds. After that period, the hero will shatter, dealing 300 damage in a 300 AoE.

SUNSfan's Notes

How far this hero has fallen. In our very first Aghs list (version 6.88) this hero was ranked 6th! Back then, if you had Aghs, you would get Enchant totem AND could pull allied heroes with grip. The grip mechanic is now reserved to a Level 25 talent as it was extremely powerful. In it's current state, this Aghs can still be poweful but requires good coordination. The range of Enchant totem is absolutely abysmal, so you either have to land your mobility skills correctly or have a Blink Dagger already. If you are actually able to kick an enemy into your base, then this Aghs can still be devastating.

REWORKED

92

33

Antimage

Mana Void

Mana Void kills add +70 seconds to the highest cooldown ability on the enemy hero. Cooldown starts once the enemy respawns. Also increases the stun duration by 1 second. If the target dies during this period it is still counted as a Mana Void kill.

Old

At one time it caused Spell Shield to passively block and reflect a targeted spell once every 12 seconds. Then it was impemented as part of Spell Shield itself, and thus the Aghanim's was deleted.

SUNSfan's Notes

Adding a full second to the stun of Mana Void is nothing to scoff at (1.3 seconds total). And the 70 seconds added onto certain heroes abilities can be completely game-winning. Keep in mind that if you are ever to pick this Aghs up via Roshan (or 7th slot), it is already late game, so this can have a huge effect. I can also forsee certain situations where a hero is tempted to buyback after being afflicted with this, simply in order to make certain that his big ultimate is ready for the next team fight.

91

33

Jakiro

Macropyre

Increase cast range and distance (1400 ⇒ 1800), increases damage (180 ⇒ 225 per second), increases duration (10 ⇒ 30)

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a decent upgrade as from a high-ground perspective you will be able to clear two waves of creeps very easily. For teamfights this usually won't change much unless you are fighting near the Roshan pit. Enemy heroes will just simply ignore that region of the map, which of course could be the entire point.

90

45

Silencer

Glaives of Wisdom

Causes Glaives to pierce Spell Immunity & deal 100% more damage to silenced enemies

Notable Changes

Reduced Glaives of Wisdom intelligence as damage from 70% to 85% (7.21).

SUNSfan's Notes

You don't see a carry Silencer all too often, but if you do, this item will be a part of the build. Getting 2x damage against silenced targets is nice, but the BKB piercing is the important buff. BKB can bring an end to Silencer carry as it proves as a very good counter, but buying an Aghs can mitigate that to a degree.

89

8

Kunkka

Ghostship

Boat Drags units (200 Radius) & travel distance reduced (2000 to 1000)

SUNSfan's Notes

This is actually not that bad of an upgrade, it's just that you would never want to buy it. Fortunately for Kunkka, we're not considering that fact with this list. The fact that the boat starts where you are, means this is incredibly easy to hit multiple heroes with. It definitely takes some getting used to, but after some practice I think this would be a solid upgrade.

DISCLAIMER: Not actually approved by Purge

88

5

Naga Siren

Song of Siren

Heals allies for 10% per second

SUNSfan's Notes

So being able to heal your entire team for 70% of their HP sounds completely bonkers. The issue is that in order to get full value, you will need to use it in the middle or tail end of a fight. That means you won't have your song for initation. So on paper its crazy and in practice it's quite good, but inconsistent.

REWORKED

87

78

Tiny

New Skill (Tree Volley)

Grants a new channeling ability. Every 0.4 seconds a random tree within 525 range of your hero will be thrown towards the targed AoE. Deals 120% of your damage to enemies in that area. Target AoE 400. Cast Range 1300. Max Channel 2.4 seconds. Cooldown 12. Manacost 150.

Old

Previously changed the following: Toss damage increase (65% ⇒ 80%), Attack range increase (85), Cleave, Bonus damage to buildings (75%). This was partially implemented for a new skill and then his Aghs was removed.

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a fun one. The first time I read this I thought it was awful, but to my surprise the range is HUGE for not only volleying the hits, but finding trees. This means you can essentially be in the middle of any lane and not worry about running out of ammo. But it still has some downsides. It's not great for sieging or defending as there are not many trees in the base. Overall a very interesting upgrade.

86

13

Underlord

Atrophy Aura

Causes half your current bonus damage to allies in a 1200 AoE. Also increases the bonus damage duration (60 ⇒ 100 seconds)

Notable Changes

Atrophy Aura grants Underlord a permanent 2/3/4/5 attack damage bonus for every enemy hero dying with the debuff. It also no longer pierces spell immunity and the radius was increased from 900 to 1200 (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

I think this is a little on the underrated side. It works a lot like Sven's Aghs, but has a lot more variability to it. It can have a much higher ceiling, but also a much lower floor. All in all it does feel like a win-more item. If you win a team fight with this badboy, you can take a throne with a couple buddies in no time.

85

14

Crystal Maiden

Freezing Field

Applies Frostbite to units that have been standing in the Freezing Field for over 2.5 seconds

Notable Changes

Freezing Field cast time from 0.3 to 0. Frostbite no longer applies a 0.1 second mini-stun on cast (7.20). Freezing Field now grants 20 armor to the caster while channeling (7.21).

SUNSfan's Notes

With the improvements to Freezing Field, this upgrade got marginally better. It's in a similar boat to Enigma in the fact that you can't guarantee you'll be able to channel this for long. Getting a free Frostbite on a target is pretty huge though, so the potential is certainly strong. But if you can't channel for those precious few seconds, then this Aghs does literally nothing.

84

19

Tidehunter

Gush

Cast range increased (700 ⇒ 2200), becomes AoE (260 Radius), Lowers cooldown (12 ⇒ 7) and does a small ground reveal on units that are hit

Notable Changes

Gush Scepter upgrade radius increased from 240 to 260 & the distance increased from 1800 to 2200

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a pretty cool upgrade that doesn't get a lot of love. Lowering the armor of several heroes at once, while also slowing them can really turn a fight. And being able to increase the armor reduction from 7 to 12 with the 20 talent is insane. The range is completely absurd for this as it can help you defend against most pushes.

83

56

Mirana

Starstorm

Passively triggers Starstorm every 8 seconds. Does not trigger if the enemy doesn't see Mirana.

Notable Changes

Scepter upgrade trigger rate improved from 10 to 8 seconds (7.22).

SUNSfan's Notes

Once a staple for Mirana is now only seldomly picked up. But with our criteria it is still quite good. It gives you a lot of farming potential and extra damage in fights.

82

32

Enigma

Black Hole

Adds current level of Midnight Pulse to Black Hole

SUNSfan's Notes

If you could guarantee a full duration Black Hole, this would be the best Aghs in the game. And even despite the inconsistency, this is still a good upgrade. Keep in mind that the Midnight Pulse will only be active during the Black Hole itself, meaning it will not be cast on the ground and persist afterwards. But the damage WILL stack with an actual Midnight Pulse. So if you're getting decent Black Holes in a game, you can literally kill an entire team by yourself.

81

37

Venomancer

Poison Nova

Damage increase (90 ⇒ 125 per second), cooldown reduced (100 ⇒ 60)

Notable Changes

Increased Scepter Poison Nova damage per second from 60/85/110 to 75/100/125 (7.21). Increased Poison Nova damage per second from 30/55/80 to 40/65/90 (7.20). Increased Poison Nova duration from 16 to 18 (7.14).

SUNSfan's Notes

Kind of a boring upgrade, but still very effective. The cooldown reduction is pretty massive and the damage increase essentially turns this into a level 4 ability.

80

13

Huskar

Life Break

Increases damage (44% ⇒ 65%) and reduces cooldown (12 ⇒ 4)

Notable Changes

Life Break slow increased from 40/50/60% to 60% (7.22).

SUNSfan's Notes

Huskar has always been such a weird hero, but I use do love this Aghs. The cooldown reduction and increased damage is so massive. The fact that you're not taking additional damage from it is a huge plus as well. If you combine this with the cast range talent at 20, you'll be bouncing from hero to hero with no care in the world.

79

14

Slark

Shadow Dance

Reduces Shadow Dance cooldown (60 ⇒ 30) and causes it to be active in a 425 AoE, hiding allied heroes

Notable Changes

Shadow Dance Scepter range increased from 325 to 425 (7.22). Increased Shadow Dance duration from 4 to 4.5 (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

This might be in a much higher tier than you were expecting, but again, you have to remember the criteria. Being able to reduce the cooldown by 50% for such an important skill is HUGE. The fact that you can hide teammates is pretty weird, but can certainly be helpful in some situations.

78

17

Spirit Breaker

Nether Strike

Cast range increase (700 ⇒ 950), Adds AoE (350), lowers cooldown (60 ⇒ 20)

Notable Changes

Scepter cast range increased from 850 to 950 & radius increased from 250 to 350 (7.22). Nether Strike now knocks enemies back for twice the distance (7.14).

SUNSfan's Notes

The fact that this makes your ultimate AoE doesn't really come into effect that consistently. When it does, it can certainly have a big impact. But the cooldown reduction is the real story here. From 60 seconds to 20. That is absurd for an ability that pierces magic immunity.

77

14

Ogre Magi

New Skill (Unrefined Fireblast)

Adds a new skill: Unrefined Fireblast (Damage: 275, Stun Duration 1.5, Cooldown 6, Mana cost 60% of current mana)

Notable Changes

Several buffs to Multicast percentages spanning multiple patches

SUNSfan's Notes

Essentially having a second Fireblast is extremely helpful for Ogre. Of course the main issue is the mana cost. But luckily for you it is based on current mana, meaning you will always have enough in the tank to use it.

76

50

Chen

Holy Persuasion

Can take over 1/2/3 Ancient Creeps

SUNSfan's Notes

This does feel like more of a luxury for Chen, but Ancient creeps can be pretty strong. They are far more durable than regular neutrals, which means they can take further advantage of Divine Favor's HP regen and Holy Persuasion's attack damage bonus.

75

5

Viper

Viper Strike

Decrease mana cost (250 ⇒ 125) & cooldown (30 ⇒ 10), increases range (500 ⇒ 900)

SUNSfan's Notes

The cooldown reduction on Viper Strike is really nice as it will allow you to use this skill multiple times in fights & from a very far distance to boot. Some think this ability is a little underwhelming in general, but remember that the slow will persist through magic immunity so it will always be useful in games.

74

21

Sven

God's Strength

Grants bonus damage (125%) to allies in 1200 AoE

Notable Changes

Increased God's Strength scepter radius from 900 to 1200 (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

Contrary to popular belief, the increased bonus damage to allies is based off of the ally's attack & not Sven. Either way, this provides a lot of extra physical damage for fights and base pushing. The range is completely ginormous as well.

REWORKED

73

17

Elder Titan

Echo Stomp

Causes you to become spell immune while channeling and for 2 additional seconds per affected enemy hero.

Old

Slow duration of Earthsplitter increased (5 ⇒ 6) & Disarms

SUNSfan's Notes

I don't think we'll truly know how good this upgrade is for some time. But in theory it allows you to channel Echo Stomp with very little chance of being interrupted. The magic immunity afterwards is also helpful as you can freely beat at people with your giant stapler.

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19

Winter Wyvern

Arctic Burn

Arctic Burn becomes togglable (30 mana per second), removes limit on number of attacks per target

Notable Changes

Arctic Burn Scepter manacost per second reduced from 40 to 30 (7.22).

SUNSfan's Notes

So essentially this means the Arctic Burn debuff will refresh itself everytime you hit someone. So this certainly is not too bad of an aghs just from that perspective. Unfortunately it does cost mana per second, but being an intelligence hero with a high int gain of 3.6 comes in handy. Being able to use this whenever you want in order to terrain walk and attack from a ridiculous distance is great. We've seen some pros dabble with this with a right-click carry Wyvern build. It didn't work great, but is still fun to think about.

71

3

Juggernaut

Omnislash

Duration increase (3.5 to 4.5) & decreases cooldown from 140 to 70

Notable Changes

Omnislash reworked to leap toward an enemy unit with an attack, then slashing other nearby enemy units at an increased attack rate while being invulnerable (7.20). Cooldown increased to 140 (7.21).

SUNSfan's Notes

Jugg's ult was changed since the last time we did this list, but his Aghs is basically the same idea. You get an extra second of attacking, which in Juggernaut's world is a life time. This is just a terrific upgrade for a hero who deals so much damage in his ultimate to begin with.

UPDATED

70

10

Razor

Eye of the Storm

Causes Eye of the Storm to strike two different units instead of one and can damage structures.

Old

Faster strike interval (0.5 to 0.4), can target structures

Notable Changes

Eye of the Storm scepter no longer inceases attack rate. It now hits up to two different units strike instead of one (still affects buildings) (7.22).

SUNSfan's Notes

This Aghs + Refresher combo has not been the most consistent pickup, but don't let that fool you. It has been something to truly fear. Based on the changes to this upgrade, it is worse for taking singular towers, but much better in basically every other scenario.

NEW

69

Phantom Assassin

Blur

Blur has an instant cast time and applies a dispel. Anytime you get a hero kill, your abilities are refreshed. Reduces Blur cooldown to 12 seconds.

Notable Changes

Blur reworked to provide a passive evasion and an active ability which causes PA to go invisible unless nearby enemy heroes (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

This is definitely not the upgrade we were expecting for PA, which makes it all the more intriguing. The cooldown reduction from Blur is pretty drastic, especially when you consider that the duration of Blur is 25 seconds. So being able to cast this repeatedly is strong in its own regard. As far as the refreshing of her abilities, it seems like a cool addition that incentivizes aggressiveness. Sometimes you would jump into a group of people with BKB activated in order to destroy someone. Now if you do that, you won't really have to worry about your cooldowns as you can just restart the process, or just use Phantom Strike on an allied unit to retreat.

68

11

Bounty Hunter

Shuriken Toss

Allows Shuriken Toss to bounce twice on each hero & stuns for .75 seconds. Also increases cast range from 400 to 800.

Notable Changes

Shuriken Toss cooldown from 9 to 8. Scepter now increases cast range from 400 to 800. Level 20 Talent increased from +75 Shuriken Toss Damage to +125 (7.22).

SUNSfan's Notes

When this was first introduced it sounded really cool, but in practice just did not work very consistently. But since they changed being able to Track people and maintain invisiblity, I feel like it got a lot more viable. And now that they've increased the cast range I think it's just legitimately good.

67

14

Tusk

New Skill (Walrus Kick)

Walrus Kick (Knockback distance:1400, Damage: 350, Move Speed Slow: 40%, Slow Duration: 5, Stun Duration: 1, Cooldown 8, Manacost: 100

SUNSfan's Notes

I've always been fascinated by this upgrade but you rarely get to see it. Luckily for Tusk, our criteria allows him to get one for free! The range on this kick is absolutely absurd & the fact that it pierces immunity means you can take a BKB carry out of a fight for a considerable amount of time.

66

32

Sniper

Assassinate

Changes Assassinate into an AoE Spell. Will lock on all enemy heroes in a 400 AoE and launch a 2.8x critical strike & procs headshot

Notable Changes

Headshot now knocks enemies back by 10 range upon proccing (7.21). Headshot damages and pierces through spell immunity (7.18).

SUNSfan's Notes

This is one of the Aghs that looks really odd at this high of a tier. On our last list it was considered garbage because you had to itemize for it specifically and buying the Aghs itself felt counter-productive. With the latest patch, however, getting an Aghs via a 7th item or Roshan is not out of the question. And if you are at that point of the game, chances are you do a LOT of damage. You pretty mujch have to take the cast time improvement at 20. But if you think about the power of this Aghs, given the fact that you don't have to have it in your inventory, it starts to sound really good.

65

17

Shadow Fiend

Necromastery & Requiem

Increases max souls (36 ⇒ 46), Requiem returns to SF & Heals

Notable Changes

Requiem of Souls no longer pierces spell immunity (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

This has always been a decent pickup when you go for the magic damage build. Extra souls means more right click damage and more damage to your ultimate. And the fact that you can heal from it is icing on the cake.

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50

Undying

Decay

Strength steal increase (4 ⇒ 10)

SUNSfan's Notes

It's a little bit difficult to rate for a hero that is just considered bad right now. But increasing the strength steal from 4 to 10 is kind of insane. You're getting an Ogre Axe in stats for every single hero you hit.

REWORKED

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51

Abaddon

Borrowed Time

While Borrowed Time is active, anytime an ally takes more than 525 damage while within 1600 range of Abaddon, an individual Mist Coil will automatically fire towards that ally. Also increases duration of Borrowed Time by 1 second.

Old

Longer duration (6 ⇒ 7) & 50% redirect damage in 1200 radius

Notable Changes

Level 15 Talent reduced from +75 Mist Coil Heal/Damage to +60

SUNSfan's Notes

Abaddon's previous Aghs was completely bonkers. Providing a set amount of damage reduction is consistent and quite powerful. Now units will get healed by your Mist Coil, which is a cool effect, but overall still a nerf. The range increase is certainly helpful, but the fact that heroes are more susceptible to burst damage is unfortunate. And unfortunately it does not work with level 25 Mist Coil AoE talent. Having said that, it's not like this still isn't good. We're talking about a drop of 50 ranks, so it's easy to be negative. But I think it still provides a similar function as before, albiet in a slightly less efficient way.

NEW

62

Mars

God's Rebuke

God's Rebuke cooldown is now 1.4 seconds during Arena of Blood. Resets God's Rebuke cooldown when Arena of Blood is cast.

SUNSfan's Notes

I didn't like the fact that you could only make use of this Aghs while your ultimate is up. But it's hard to argue with how good it is during the Arena. Plus, Mars' ultimate has an unsually low cooldown. As long as you can withstand the mana requirements, you can get several Rebuke's off during the ultimate with ease. Mars' is typically hard countered by BKB and his only real weapon against it is Rebuke. So being able to cast this multiple times can really help him contribute in a way he's not generally accustomed to.

UPDATED

61

11

Omniknight

Guardian Angel

Longer duration (8 ⇒ 10), becomes global and affects buildings

Notable Changes

Guardian Angel Scepter now also provides +40HP/sec regen (affects buildings still)

SUNSfan's Notes

We're back to being able to heal buildings again, woot! Not having to worry about the positioning of your hero is great and having another potential way to fortify your buildings globally (and heal) is nice.

60

18

Queen of Pain

Sonic Wave

Increases damage (520 ⇒ 610) and lowers cooldown (135 ⇒ 40)

Notable Changes

Sonice Wave damage from 500 to 520 & Aghs from 590 to 610 (7.21). Sonic Wave knocks back enemies over 350 range over 1.4 seconds upon hitting them (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

The damage increase from both the upgrade itself and patches throughout the years are nice, but the drastic cooldown reduction is the main reason this is in this tier.

REWORKED

59

57

Night Stalker

Void

Void is now applied in a 900 AoE around you. Also increases the Void ministun duration from 0.1 to 0.6 and reduces the cooldown by 2 seconds.

Old

Previously gave unobstructed vision at night until that was included in his reworked ultimate, thus they deleted his Aghs.

Notable Changes

Aghanim's removed (7.21). Darkness was replaced with Dark Ascension (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

Almost nothing can compare to Night Stalker's old Aghanim's Scepter. It was so incredibly broken. Since the last list, a portion of that was included in his new ultimate, and his Aghs was deleted. And even though his new Aghs isn't quite as god tier as his original, it is still very good. The fact that you are typically going to be trying to run in the vicinity of as many heroes as you can with Crippling Fear means that this AoE Void synergizes perfectly. The lowered cooldown and mini-stun duration make this very powerful indeed.

NEW

58

Monkey King

Wukong's Command

Spawns a monkey soldier near you every 3.5 seconds. These soldiers last 12 seconds. Soldiers do not spawn if you are invisible or on trees. These soldiers can attack any target (however, they will not attack buildings if you are not within 500 range of them).

SUNSfan's Notes

Good god this one is hard to rate. Some people swear by it & others are yet to be convinced. One thing it is really good for is tower pushing. It also helps you farm quite a bit. And if you have the right items (Echo Sabre, MKB, Diffusal), it can be absolutely deadly in a lot of situations. Being able to hop out of a tree and guarantee yourself a timely friend to beat on your target is really nice. Lastly, and I'm not sure if this is considered a bug, but you can solo Roshan without aggroing him at all. If that stays in the game then this upgrade is even better than advertised.

NEW

57

Dragon Knight

Elder Dragon Form

Adds a 4th level to Elder Dragon Form, a Black Dragon. Gaining Scepter increases the level of your ultimate by one. The Black Dragon has 50% more Corrosive Damage, Splash Damage, and Slow amount. It also increases your attack range to 600 and grants you +30% Magic Resistance.

Notable Changes

Added Black Dragon Form (7.22). Poison and frost breath no longer pierce spell immunity. Splash damage is no longer applied on missed attacks. Splash damage percentage was normalized (7.20). Increased Frost Breath movement/attack speed slow from 30/30% to 40/40% (7.21).

SUNSfan's Notes

We finally got our Dragon Knight Aghs & it hilariously ends up actually being the Black Dragon. With this upgrade, DK still suffers from the fact that he is restricted heavily by the cooldown of his ult. But it is hard to argue how big of an upgrade this is. Being able to gain a level on DK form is really helpful depending on when you pick this up. The extra corossive damage is kind of whatever, but the splash and slow increase are unbelievable. 30% Magic resistance is also really random but a welcome addition. The 600 range is an increase from 500 as well.

NEW

56

Slardar

Slithereen Crush

Creates a puddle of water that is considered a river for bonuses. Provides +35HP regen, +12 Armor, and +40% Status Resistance while in a Puddle or River (in addition to the normal Guardian Sprint River bonuses). Puddle AoE is 550. Puddles last for 25 seconds.

Notable Changes

Increased Slithereen Crush damage and movement/attack speed slow, but reduced stun duration from 2 to 1 (7.20). Guardian Sprint no longer amplifies incoming damage (7.12). Guardian Sprint applies 700 movement speed haste while inside river (7.07).

SUNSfan's Notes

This is such a cool upgrade for Slardar. To be clear, all the bonuses you get work in the river without any Crush action needed. And although I'm not sure if you pick this, the level 25 talent that lowers the cooldown of Crush is too funny when you have this upgrade. Overall it helps you tank, initiate, and sustain. Love it!

55

6

Riki

Tricks of the Trade

Increases ultimate duration (5 ⇒ 10) and allows you to target an allied hero, thereby hiding inside of them for the duration

Notable Changes

Tricks of the Trade hits a random enemy unit within the area, instead of all at once. Can also hit non-hero units. Attack interval reduced from 1 to 0.4 (7.12).

SUNSfan's Notes

Increasing the duration from 5 to 10 is massive, especially when you have some DPS items. But being able to go inside an ally can be completely game breaking. The entire down-side of this ability is being locked to a specific location that enemies can get out of. But comboing this with an initation/tanky hero can be game winning.

54

14

Techies

Remote Mines & New Skill

Increase cast range (500 ⇒ 700), increase damage (600 ⇒ 750). Allows Minefield sign to hide Techie's spells from detection.

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a required item on Techies and it's easy see why. The damage increase is very big and the cast range is always helpful. Being able to play mind-games with the sign is also what Slacks would call "Mental Warfare" and he's not wrong.

NEW

53

Pangolier

Shield Crash

Shield Crash casts a 2-attack Swashbuckle every 90 degrees around your hero.

Notable Changes

Replaced Heartpiercer with Luckyshot (7.20), then tweaked it several times. Now it disarms & reduces armor (7.22).

SUNSfan's Notes

Oh man, this is probably my favorite new Aghs in the game. I theory crafted that if you just go a couple damage items then this becomes absolutely ridiculous. The problem is pro players like to build complete utility on my boy Pango (Crimson/Pipe etc). I'm happy to report that a lot of pros have been trying to add a little DPS with aghs and have had very positive results. If you get the Aghs around level 15 and take the 2 second cooldown of Shield Crash while in Boulder, you start blowing kids up.

52

2

Puck

Dream Coil

Link break damage increase (500 ⇒ 700), Link Break stun increase (3 ⇒ 4.5), Coil duration increased (6⇒ 8), Link Break stun goes through spell immunity

Notable Changes

Dream Coil's leash debuff no longer pierces spell immunity, unless Aghs is purchased (7.21). Dream Coil now applies the leashed status on linked enemies, preventing them from casting teleportation and mobility abilities (7.20). Dream Coil no longer deals damage upon cast. Increased link break damage from 200 to 500 & Aghs link break from 300 to 700 (7.07).

SUNSfan's Notes

Aghs upgrades a lot of aspects of this spell. The stun break duration going up to 4.5 seconds is really good, but the real reason you buy this upgrade is because the break pierces BKB. That alone makes this a high tier pick.The fact that you literally can't TP out of this thing also ensures that one way or another, heroes will be stuck there for a while.

51

15

Batrider

Flaming Lasso

Deals 100 damage per second and grabs a second target within 450 range

Notable Changes

Scepter secondary search radius increased from 400 to 450. Flaming Lasso deals 20/40/60 damage per second by default. Flaming Lasso cooldown increased from 100/80/60 to 100/90/80 (7.22).

SUNSfan's Notes

The 100 damage per second is obviously nice, but the secondary target is the reason to pick this up. This alone can win you a fight with very little way to respond from the enemies. It is definitely not as consistent as some other Aghs up here, but I feel the game-winning potential is there in spades.

50

15

Luna

Eclipse

Increases cast range (0 ⇒ 2500), increases beams (12 ⇒ 18), no limit per unit, shorter interval (0.6 ⇒ 0.3), and shorter duration (6 ⇒ 5.1). Can cast AoE or on other units

Notable Changes

Increased number of regular Eclipse beams from 5/8/11 to 6/9/12 (7.21).

SUNSfan's Notes

Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of damage. Being able to cast this from range is huge. And combining this with the Lucent Beam damage & Lucent Beam mini-stun talents at level 20 and 25 make this upgrade just plain stupid.

49

27

Necrophos

Reaper's Scythe

Lowers cooldown from 120 to 40

Notable Changes

Reaper's Scythe respawn time reduced from 45 to 35 at level 3 (7.22). Reaper's Scythe Aghs cooldown increased from 25 to 40 at level 3 (7.19). Increased cooldown of Reaper's Scyth from 100 to 120 (7.07).

SUNSfan's Notes

Remember when this used to prevent buy backs? Those were the times...or were they? Anyway, this has received some nerfs but it is still quite powerful as the cooldown reduction is quite large indeed.

48

32

Bloodseeker

Rupture

2 charges. 40 second replenish time

Notable Changes

Rupture is lethal again

SUNSfan's Notes

So Rupture got some changes...and then they were undone. So we're kind of back to where we were in our last list actually. Having said that, having 2 Ruptures is really nice for obvious reasons. And you get each of them on a 40 second cooldown as opposed to the default 60.

47

18

Visage

Familiars

Summons 3rd Familiar

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a required pickup for a hero that relies so heavily on his Familiars. Adding a third one is crucial as the extra damage and potential stun duration can make a big difference.

46

33

Ancient Apparition

Ice Blast

Longer duration (10 ⇒ 17)

Notable Changes

Ice Blast can no longer be seen on the minimap by enemies if they have truesight. Regular Ice Blast duration increased by 1 at all levels.

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a must have item for this hero. The duration increase not only adds damage, but also more time for you to finish off any heroes hit. The concept of being able to prevent healing is very strong and that's the reason Ice Blast is such a powerful spell.

45

27

Tinker

Laser & Missile

Lasers bounce to all units with a 400 radius, and increases missiles (2 ⇒ 4)

Notable Changes

Reduced Scepter Laser bounce range from 650 to 400 (7.10).

SUNSfan's Notes

Some might find this to be a bit high because this hero is not very popular/good right now. But regardless of that, I feel that this Aghs in itself is terrific. Double your rockets and basically being able to Laser an entire team is so dumb. When the hero was popular, this was a pickup for a reason.

44

11

Drow Ranger

Marksmanship

Splinter attack (2 targets within 375 AoE with 50% Damage Reduction)

Notable Changes

Marksmanship bonus damage now treated as regular single instance of damage that can be crit. Marksmanship bonus damage increased from 120 to 120/130/140. Marksmanship no longer instantly kills Ancients & only pierces base armor (7.22) Marksmanship reworked to have a 40% chance to kill a creep instantly and deal 120 damage to heroes (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

This hero has had some changes and despite the recent nerfs, her Aghs is still really good. The splintered attacks can proc Marksmanship and this combined with a Maelstrom can wreak havoc on enemy lineup (or just creep waves lol).

NEW

43

Grimstroke

New Skill (Dark Portrait)

Grants new ability which creates an ink illusion of a target enemy hero. Illusion lasts 15 seconds and is magic immune with +30% movement speed. Takes 350% incoming damage and deals 150% outgoing damage. Cooldown 35. Manacost 200.

SUNSfan's Notes

This is one of the newest additions to the game. It can be a little game dependent as at times you might not have the best enemy to copy. But if you do, it will literally deal more attack damage then them. This isn't to even mention the fact that it will be magic immune and carry over any enemy auras.

42

14

Meepo

Divided We Stand

Adds another Meepo

Notable Changes

Replaced Geostrike with Ransack which will steal health from enemies with each strike, thus healing all other Meepos. Divided We Stand Meepo clones now only take 40% of any experience they get.

SUNSfan's Notes

Players aren't really buying this anymore and are opting for more experimental builds. But remember these Aghs are free! The idea of this Aghs is similar to Visage, but instead of an extra gargoyle, you get another freaking hero. Extra DPS for our boys, but also another way to die.

41

23

Lone Druid

Spirit Bear

No bear leash & bear survives if lone druid dies

Notable Changes

Added Passive skill Defender to bear which redirects 30% of damage from Lone Druid while within leash range Also replaced Rabid with Spirit Link ability, which increases attack speed of both bear and Lone Druid, causing damage each one does to heal the other. (7.20)

SUNSfan's Notes

In many games this item can be extremely beneficial and is the cause of many destroyed barracks. You obviously will need to have a farmed bear, but when you do it can be devastating. We've seen pros utilize the no-leash mechanic masterfully. Playing against someone able to do this can make you feel helpless in a lot of ways.

NEW

40

Clinkz

Skeleton Walk

Creates two skeletons near Clinkz when exiting Skeleton Walk. Increases Skeleton Walk speed by +30% and unlocks max movement speed.

Notable Changes

Searing Arrows damage & manacost reduced (7.22).

SUNSfan's Notes

I wasn't really sure about this one initially, but pros seem to really like it. It adds a lot of damage in your ganks and the increase of movement speed is no joke. If you wait for the cooldown on Skeleton Walk to come back up while invisible, you can create 4 skeletons to deal even more damage by just quickly activating the skill again and attacking.

39

13

Gyrocopter

Other

Adds side gunner, which passively attacks every 1.1 seconds

SUNSfan's Notes

An extremely potent item for Gyro who just wants to attack things. The fact that it will proc items like Maelstrom or MKB is kind of dirty, but being able to attack while stuned is the most game-breaking part about it, especially when you take lifesteal into account.

UPDATED

38

48

Bane

Brain Sap

Decreases the cooldown of Brain Sap (11 ⇒ 1.5) & allows it to pierce spell immunity. Also reduces cast point by 50%

Notable Changes

Brain Sap Scepter now reduces cast point by 50%

SUNSfan's Notes

The cooldown reduction looks like a typo doesn't it? The problem for Bane of course is being able to actually use this without getting stun locked/silenced/killed. The changes to the cast point are very noticable which is great for a hero with such clunky animations. But if you're able to find the space in a fight to Bran Sap consistently, it is really devastating, especially considering the piercing of magic immunity.

37

12

Ursa

Enrage

Cooldown reduced (30 ⇒ 18), allows use while disabled

SUNSfan's Notes

The cooldown reduction may not seem that drastic, but need I remind you that this is an ultimate on an 18 second cooldown? But even though that is quite good, considering you can increase your DPS while mitigating 80% of incoming damage while this is on, the real reason this upgrade is amazing is because you can use it while stunned. Because of the fact that it dispels on cast, means you can theoretically allow the crowd-control to be cast before you counter them.

36

26

Timbersaw

New Skill (Chakram)

Gives you a second Chakram

SUNSfan's Notes

Chakram is an ultimate that does Pure damage and has a ridiculously low cooldown. You now have 2 of them. This increases Timbersaw's DPS by quite a lot and as a result is a very good upgrade.

35

12

Enchantress

Impetus

Attack Range increase (575 ⇒ 740)

Notable Changes

Impetus range increased from 550 to 575 (7.22).

SUNSfan's Notes

A completely core item on Enchantress that helps her DPS into the late game. This is very powerful considering Impetus will pierce magic immunity.

34

15

Clockwerk

Hookshot

Cooldown from 40 to 12

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a huge cooldown reduction for a very underrated spell. You can use this multiple times in fights to initiate, re-initiate, escape via heroes/creeps, or even just move around faster.

33

Faceless Void

Chronosphere

Decrease cooldown (120 ⇒ 60)

Notable Changes

Chronosphere radius increased from 425 to 450 (7.22).

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a boring one as it simply just reduces the cooldown. But you have to take into account how important Chronosphere can be. It is one of the best teamfight abilities in the game and you are reducing the cooldown by 50%. This is a huge upgrade for Void.

32

2

Zeus

New Skill (Nimbus)

Grants Zeus a new ability named Nimbus (creates a cloud anywhere on the map for 35 seconds that will cast Lightning Bolts on nearby enemies. Cooldown is also 35 seconds.

Notable Changes

Nimbus Lightning Bolt interval is no longer affected by cooldown reductions (7.20). Decreased Nimbus radius from 500 to 450 (7.19).

SUNSfan's Notes

Global abilities seem to always be very strong based on the fact that you just don't need to be there. With this Zeus gains two of those abilities. And one could argue this is more important than his ultimate in many scenarios as the extra ministun can help chase down enemies, especially if you combine it with the level 20 bolt mini-stun talent.

NEW

31

Spectre

New Skill (Shadow Step)

Grants new ability which allows you to perform a single target unit Haunt. Cooldown 70. Manacost 180.

Notable Changes

Haunt illusion damage dealt from 40/50/60% to 40/60/80% (7.20). Haunt illusion damage dealt from 40% to 40/50/60% (7.14).

SUNSfan's Notes

This is another upgrade that might look weird in this tier, but remember in our criteria the heroes receive their Aghs for free. On paper this one does sound a little weird as it is a crippled version of your original ult, except you also have to have vision of the target. There are scenarios where you can save your long CD ult in order to just gank an enemy in vision with your team and that is certainly nice. But in the late game if you use this on an enemy support in conjunction with your regular Haunt, they will just die. With the level 25 talent your illusions will deal 120% damage. Being able to delete a hero right away is very powerful.

30

24

Nyx Assassin

New Skill (Burrow)

Gives burrow skill. Max HP and mana per second regen (1.5%), reduces incoming damage (40%), longer impale cast range (825 ⇒ 1350), lower impale cooldown (14 ⇒ 7), increase mana burn cast range (600 ⇒ 1050), spiked carapace becomes AoE (300)

SUNSfan's Notes

I think I overrated this Aghs a bit last time, but that doesn't mean it's not good. I think the one knock on it is that you sometimes start playing a little different style as you become a monster at defending or just being a pest from range. But there is no denying the fact that this is an incredible item as it improves all your skills in so many different ways.

29

1

Shadow Demon

Demonic Purge

3 charges with 60 second replenish time. Breaks passives

Notable Changes

Demonic purge continuously dispels the target over the entire duration, instead of only once upon cast. No longer roots non-hero units for initial 3 seconds. Reworked slow to decay more smoothly. Increased duration from 5 to 7 & increased cooldown from 40 to 60

SUNSfan's Notes

This is kind of an underrated ultimate, which I can understand since it's not very flashy. But it is very effective and being given 3 is just crazy. The slow pierces BKB and there aren't many spells that can break in the game.

28

3

Witch Doctor

Death Ward

Bounces up to 4 times & provides True Strike to Death Ward

Notable Changes

Increased Death Ward attack damage from 75/125/175 to 85/135/185 (7.22). Increased Death Ward attack damage from 60/105/150 to 75/125/175 (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

Everyone's favorite item for Witch Doctor has stood the test of time. It is still stupid good. Piercing evasion is great, but the bounces going from 0 to 4 is a little ridiculous. This transforms a full duration ult from a good amount of damage into "Hey guys I just won the fight for us" kind of damage.

27

16

Lina

Laguna Blade

Pure damage and goes through spell immunity

SUNSfan's Notes

Lina can really drop off once the BKB's start to wrack up, so getting this item feels like a must in many games. It allows her to stay online and continue deleting heroes at will.

26

2

Shadow Shaman

Mass Serpent Ward

Increases attack range (600 ⇒ 875), and attacks two units at the same time

Notable Changes

Spawns in a circular formation instead of square (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a base destroyer. We've all seen Rhasta with a refresher take down an enemy's tier 4's and Throne in the blink of an eye. Not much more description needed.

25

12

Storm Spirit

Electric Vortex

Adds 475 AoE

Notable Changes

Electric Vortex no longer slows the caster's movement speed by 50% for 3 seconds on cast.

SUNSfan's Notes

This is sure to be a controversial one for those that didn't read the criteria. But of course that isn't you right? Storm Spirit being able to initiate at both great speeds and distances while stunning a quite big area around him seems completely broken on paper. We've seen this win some games in the past, but most likely will see a lot more now that Aghs will be an easier commodity to come by.

24

15

Skywrath Mage

All Spells

Causes all of Skywrath Mage's spells to target a second random enemy within 700 radius of primary target

Notable Changes

Increased Mystic Flare total damage from 1400 to 1600 (7.21)

SUNSfan's Notes

This is an absolutely terrific upgrade for Skywrath. You get two of every spell. How is that not insane? We're ignoring the Mystic Flares that hit nothing by the way...

UPDATED

23

20

Keeper of the Light

Illuminate & Spirit Form

Allows Illuminate to heal allies during the day for the same amount as its damage values, and causes Illuminate to not require channeling.

Old

Constant Spirit Form, Illuminate Heals during day, unobstructed vision during day

Notable Changes

Scepter now causes Illuminate to not require channeling. Also provides heal (7.22). Removed Mana Leak, Recall, and Spirit Form with new ultimate Will-O-Wisp. Aghanims no longer grants unobstructed vision during day (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

A lot has changed for Kotl. His previous Aghs was super broken. And almost all of it has returned to him minus the clear-vision. Being able to channel Illuminate is extremely helpful and the heal during days makes pushes so much easier. Once this is picked up, both teams will start playing around the day/night cycle.

NEW

22

Io

Spirits

Spirits now passively spawn around you constantly every second (max of 5 spirits at a given time)

Notable Changes

Level 20 Talent changed from Tether Grants Scepter Bonus to +15 Armor. Spirits no longer slow - now moved to a talent (7.22). Spirits slow enemies upon exploding, merged Spirits In & Out into one spell (7.14).

SUNSfan's Notes

I didn't want to believe, but every single professional player I've talked to is adament that this Aghs is very good. Having spirits constantly on means you are increasing your DPS by a lot. This probably would have been higher if it were not for the fact that these Spirits no longer slow on impact. And unfortunately for Io, he can no longer provide Aghs to teammates.

21

2

Treant Protector

Overgrowth & New Skill (Eyes in the Forest)

Gain Eyes in the forest ability. When Overgrowth is cast it will deal 175 damage per second, and will also effect enemies that are near an Eye

Notable Changes

Overgrow duration increased from 3.25/4/4.75 to 3.5/4.25/5 (7.22). Overgrowth duration increased slightly and Scepter Overgrowth is no longer limited to just units near enchanted trees (7.21).

SUNSfan's Notes

Vision is the most important thing in Dota. That's what this Aghs provides. Of course it can be countered, but it requires a lot of time and resources for your enemy. And if you guys have been around a while you will remember that Treant's ult always did damage. This was taken away. Then it was added for his Eyes. Now the Aghs becomes the old ult again. We've come full circle, kind of.

20

49

Lion

Finger of Death

Adds AoE (325), damage increase (850 ⇒ 1025), lower cooldown (40 ⇒ 20), lowers mana cost (650 ⇒ 625)

Notable Changes

Finger of Death now places a debuff on the target on cast which lasts 3 seconds. If the target dies while it has the debuff, Finger of Death's damage permanently increases by 40 (7.20 & 7.22)

SUNSfan's Notes

Huge damage and cooldown reduction for a hero that can scale thanks to his "somewhat" recent changes. And the fact that he can sustain the mana because of Mana Drain means this is a perfect item for Lion.

19

4

Pudge

Meat Hook

Increases damage (360 ⇒ 450) and lowers cooldown (12 ⇒ 4)

SUNSfan's Notes

The damage increase is nice but we all know the reason you get this bad boy is because of that juicy 4 second cooldown. Even the worst Pudge will hit an impactful hook now and again. This just allows you to spam it until you do so.

NEW

18

Dark Willow

Shadow Realm

Attacking no longer takes you out of Shadow Realm. Each attack still has bonus damage based on the duration of the buff.

Notable Changes

Base attack time increased from 1.3 to 1.5. Shadow Realm damage ramp up time increased from 3 to 3.5 (7.22).

SUNSfan's Notes

This is a crazy-good Aghs. It provides you with ridiculous single target DPS which can scale with your level 25 attack speed talent. The spell on its own makes you untargetable, so at times it feels like you are just playing with your food.

17

75

Wraith King

Reincarnation

Nearby (1200 Radius) slain allies will transform into a wraith for 7 seconds

SUNSfan's Notes

I absolutely love this Aghs and I think it is criminally underrated. Giving an extra 7 seconds for your allies to not only attack, but cast ALL of their abilities is so amazing. It also gives you 7 extra seconds to figure out what you want to do with those droppable Gems and Rapiers you've been carrying around. You can pass the gem to an ally, or simply just TP back to base to ensure they stay safe and sound.

UPDATED

16

5

Brewmaster

Primal Split

Earth gains Thunder Clap, Storm gains Cinder Brew, and Fire gains Drunken Brawler. The brewlings also gain +100 movement speed.

Notable Changes

Grants Brewlings +100 movement speed. Cinder Brew replaces Drunken Haze & Drunken Brawler becomes an active ability (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

This requires even more micro, which means 99% of us will suck at using this. But every single Brewling gaining an ability in addition to the +100 movement speed added recently makes this one of the most impactful Aghs in the game to be sure.

UPDATED

15

23

Phoenix

Supernova

More attacks to destroy (11 ⇒ 13) and can bring ally inside. Also allows you to cast sunray while in egg form

Notable Changes

Scepter now also allows you to cast Sun Ray and turn its direction while in Supernova. Even without Scepter, Supernova now causes your abilities to refresh on cast instead of at the end of the spell (7.22). Increased Supernova stun from 2.5 to 3 at level 3 (7.17). Supernova turns night into day & the effect radius was increased from 1000 to 1300 (7.12).

SUNSfan's Notes

This is definitely one of the most impactful upgrades in the game. The two extra attacks may not seem like much,.but it really starts to add up (especially with the level 25 +3 hit count talent). There comes a certain point in the game where enemies stop trying to kill the Egg. But being able to bring an ally inside with you while refreshing both your abilities is so broken. The only reason this is not in tier 2 is because it can sometimes back-fire with a vengeance. And the new addition of casting Sunray while inside is truly a sight to behold from both an offensive and defensive standpoint.

14

7

Centaur Warrunner

Stampede

40% damage reduction, terrain walking

Notable Changes

Stampede increased cooldown from 90/75/60 to 110/100/90 (7.20). Increased Stampede slow duration from 1.8 to 2.3.

SUNSfan's Notes

This had to drop a bit because of so many quality Aghs being buffed and added to the game. But a global 40% damage reduction + terrain walking is still filthy. The only downside I can think of is the fact that you are more hesitant to use this as a means to initiate since you will waste the damage reduction upgrade.

13

55

Earthshaker

Enchant Totem

Enchant totem now works as a leap (1100 range)

Notable Changes

Increased Enchant Totem cast range from 900 to 11 (7.18).

SUNSfan's Notes

What used to be considered a meme item is now completely core on ES. It synergizes so well with the hero as he just wants a way to get in and out of fights. So with Blink/Forcestaff/Shadow Blade and this Aghs I think he is covered. By the way, the range is INSANE.

12

1

Pugna

Life Drain

Removes cooldown

Old

Used to also increase damage

Notable Changes

Increased damge of Life Drain level 4 from 300 to 350 (7.22). Life Drain no longer pierces spell immunity on enemies (7.20). Increased damage of Life Drain from 250 to 300 (7.08).

SUNSfan's Notes

This normally has a 22 second cooldown, which means you can typically only use it once in a fight. With no cooldown you can do whatever the hell you want. The downside of course is that it's single target, but being able to heal yourself, give mana to yourself, heal your teammates, and damage enemies sounds pretty good to me. Being able to do that with 0 cooldown is a huge power spike. Oh, and you can kill illusions quickly too.

11

6

Disruptor

Static Storm

Damage increase (300 ⇒ 420 per second), duration increase (5 ⇒ 7), mutes items

SUNSfan's Notes

The damage and duration increase are terrific of course, but the muting of items makes this a god tier aghs. It's an actual AoE Doom. If you could consistently count on getting two or more heroes stuck in the Kinetic Field/Static Storm combo, this would easily be the best upgrade in the entire game. Alas it is not as consistent, but still very strong.

UPDATED

10

31

Warlock

Chaotic Offering

Creates 2nd golem with reduced stats

Notable Changes

Chaotic Offering Scepter now lands the 2nd Golem 0.4 seconds after the first, rather than both at the same time (7.22). Increased Golem attack damage and reduced backswing (7.21). Increased Golem HP (7.14). Increased Golem's attack damage (7.12).

SUNSfan's Notes

Adding the second ministun was a great addition, but this has always been an amazing Aghs. Golems are building destroyers and are difficult to kill, especially when coupled with either of Warlock's 25 talents.

9

11

Sand King

Burrowstrike

Doubles cast range and travel distances (700 ⇒ 1400). Caustic finale is added to heroes stunned

SUNSfan's Notes

Burrowstrike without any upgrade is one of the best disables in the game as it can stun multiple heroes all the while transporting Sand King. Doubling the range to 1400 is actually incredible. In conjunction with a Blink Dagger or even a Forcestaff means he can initiate from more than a screen away. Adding Caustic Finale to heroes hit is certainly the icing on top.

8

16

Vengeful Spirit

Nether Swap & Vengeance Aura

Charge Replenish time reduced (70 ⇒ 10), allows swapping with non-hero units & allows you to cast abilities with your Vengeance illusion.

Notable Changes

Vengeance Aura no longer creates invulnerable illusions of dying allies affected by aura. Instead it creates a regular illusion of Vengeful Spirit when she dies, which lasts until killed or Vengeful Spirit revives, deals 100% damage and takes 150% damage. Aghanim's no longer makes Nether Swap spawn an illusion on death, but instead unlocks the illusion's ability to cast spells. Nether Swap has 2 charges that replenish every 90/80/70 seconds instead of a 45 second cooldown. Reduced cast range from 700/950/1200 to 700/850/1000 (7.20).

SUNSfan's Notes

So things have changed from last time. Your passive gives you the illusion every time you die, which used to be only with Aghs. But now your ult comes with 2 charges. So the cooldown reduction from 70 to 10 becomes even better considering you have 2 swaps to work with. In addition, your illusion gains all your abilities REFRESHED. That is absolutely absurd. You'd also be surprised how often the swapping of non-hero units can be useful. Because of the low cooldown you can reliably use this for escapes or just general faster movement.

REWORKED

7

77

Morphling

Morph

While Morphed, you gain +35% cooldown reduction, +50% manacost reduction, and +600 cast range

Old

Previously gave the Hybrid ability, which created a replicate of a target ally hero for 20 seconds, which can cast all non-ultimate abilities. This was implemented as his new Ultimate and his Aghs was removed from the game.

Notable Changes

Morph cast range increased from 600 to 1000 (7.08). Original Morphling Aghs removed. Morph renamed to Attribute Shift. New ultimate named Morph which changes your form to match a targeted enemyh, gaining their basic skills. (7.07)

SUNSfan's Notes

This one I wasn't sure about, but the pros are unanimous. This is a ridiculous Aghanim's Scepter. With Aghs, it will take any skills you aquire from an enemy and upgrade them into the Aghs version. This means Morphling is particularly amazing when playing against Dark Willow, Pudge, Sand King and many others. In addition, you can coordinate this ahead of time by taking the 20 talent that allows you to copy teammates.

NEW

6

Ember Spirit

Fire Remnant

Fire Remnant cast range is 3 times longer and initial remnant movement speed is 2 times faster. Max number of charges increases from 3 to 5. Activate Fire Remnant costs no mana.

Notable Changes

Level 25 talent reduced from -25 Remnant Change Restore Time to -20 (7.22d)

SUNSfan's Notes

Ember Spirit is an elusive hero in general. This upgrade takes that up a couple notches. Even when slowed his ultimate moves quite fast and the range is completely stupid. It is larger than a couple normal sized screens for god sake. Increasing the charge counter from 3 to 5 is also really massive, but having a 25 mana cost for Fire Remnants might be the most important aspect of this upgrade. If you combine all of these crazy buffs to his level 25 talent that lowers the recharge cooldown of Fire Remnants, then you are looking at one of the best Aghs ever.

NEW

5

Broodmother

Spin Web

Increases Spin Web max count from 8 to 20, movement speed from 70 to 100%, and removes movement speed limit.

SUNSfan's Notes

With 20 webs you can cover a very large portion of the map. You pretty much don't have to worry about running out of them at that point. And the increase in speed and removal of the cap means you will consistently go faster than any hero you are playing against, even if they have haste. All of these changes increase the potency of Broodmother, who can even make great use of it without having a ton of farm first.

4

4

Weaver

Time Lapse

Reduces cooldown (40 ⇒ 16), Can cast on allies (1000 range)

SUNSfan's Notes

You typically will only see this on support weaver, but with our criteria we don't take that into consideration. The reduction in cooldown is big, but being able to cast on allies from a ridiculous 1000 range is just amazing. You can consistently apply chip damage to a tower on an elongated siege without worry of dying. And in fights it can turn the battle in the blink of an eye. Being able to essentially reset someone's HP after the enemy has thrown a lot of resources at them has got to make this one of the strongest upgrades in the game.

NEW

3

Death Prophet

Exorcism

Anytime an enemy is affected by your spells (Crypt Swarm impact, Silence debuff, Spirit Siphon target) or when you attack an enemy, a ghost will fly out and hit the enemy for double the usual damage then return to you with life. These ghosts apply a 100% slow for 0.3 seconds.

SUNSfan's Notes

An Excorcism spirit greeting your enemy with each auto attack, or any of your 3 base skills adds up to a lot of damage. The slow (although a bit delayed) is very helpful as it is considered physical, meaning it will go through magic immunity. But just having a way for DP to deal damage to buildings without having to rely on her ultimate is huge. And we've already seen pros start to build items like Assault Cuirass instead of Shivas as the minus armor + attack speed synergize perfectly.

2

2

Invoker

Invoke

Reduces cooldown (6 ⇒ 2) & adds one level to the stats provided by Quas, Wex, and Exort on all Invoked spells.

Notable Changes

Invoke no longer has a manacost (7.16).

SUNSfan's Notes

Aghanims used to give no mana cost benefit, now its part of base spell. In theory this weakens the idea of Aghs. But regardless of how popular Invoker may or may not be currently, it's hard to argue how much impact this upgrade has on him. Having that many spells available to you in such quick succession is game-changing.

1

4

Rubick

Spell Steal

Cast range increase (1000 ⇒ 1400), lowers cooldown (16 ⇒ 2), and upgrades spells

SUNSfan's Notes

The number one Aghs in the game is undoubtedly Rubick's, which is fitting considering his lore. It has always been a top-notch upgrade, but it has gotten infinitely better now that every single hero has an Aghs upgrade. Of course not all of them can technically be stolen, but those are the vast minority. And it's not even just the fact that everyone has Aghs, it is the fact that Aghs in general have been improved across the board. Even low tier items can be considered good in the right situation. Add all of the above to the fact that you get 400 extra range, and a ridiculous cooldown reduction from 16 to 2, and you have yourself the best upgrade in the entire game. Infinite possibilities.