Dafhaa Dota Diaries : Favourite Heroes Part 1 - Supports

So to kick off this series(?), I shall start by naming my favourite support heroes in Dota 2 to play. . Just so you all know, the heroes on this list are arranged in no particular order as I am a very indecisive individual and ranking them would take too long. So here it is, some of my favourite support heroes from Dota 2 ! (Do note that some of the following heroes may not be considered a support, or can play more than just the support role. I have listed those heroes here because I play them as support. No hate please :D )

Earthshaker

Raigor Stonehoof the Earthshaker

Be it played as a support, initiator or even semi-carry, Raigor Stonehoof the Earthshaker has an immense presence in any game of Dota. This guy is the ultimate stun machine capable of initiating on and immediately locking down large groups of enemies with his Echo Slam followed by his Fissure and Enchant Totem. Earthshaker is incredibly versatile and in my opinion, incredibly fun to play as it involves very strategic usage of his abilities. Being able to stun or block any enemy (that can't teleport) makes him a powerful ganker and teamfight hero, and his incredible nuking power allows him to single-handedly take down most squishy heroes by himself. I enjoy playing Earthshaker due to the timing and precision in using his abilities and the great nuking power he has which is capable of turning most teamfights completely in his favour. You want to watch out when this guy comes running down your lane, cause he will rock your world, literally.

Witch Doctor

Zharvakko the Witch Doctor

Zharvakko the Witch Doctor boasts a repertoire of skills that scream support, but don't underestimate the lanky looking native, as he is just as capable of decimating an entire enemy team with his abilities. His bouncing stun is a prevalent memory in the minds of many dota players, oh how many times have they had to sit through being paralysed repeatedly just because of some bad positioning. As if adding insult to injury, he's capable of afflicting a spell that causes you to take more damage, the more damage you've taken. Damageception. As if mocking his hapless victims, he dances as his ultimate ability calls a ward which, with the right items, has projectiles which can bounce too. And they hurt. Bad. As if that wasn't enough, you gonna invest time to take him out or he will heal his entire team. I enjoy playing Witch Doctor as he is an incredibly powerful support character that can really hurt the enemy even without itemisation. Whenever you need a doctor, better hope this one is on your side.

Zeus

Zeus
(Yes, just Zeus. Not very interesting.)

Zeus the.... Zeus, I guess ? Wield the wrath of a god as you call down lightning to roast the puny mortals, and fishmen, and ethereal creatures, and hellspawn, and otherdimensional creatures, and.... oh whatever. Zeus' entire skill set is based off literally being a god and calling down the storm wherever, whenever. And when I say wherever, I mean wherever with his ultimate ability hitting any and every enemy on the map with a KATHOOM, no matter where those pathetic fools may be. His nuking ability is top notch, and capable of quickly eliminating any squishy hero to ashes before they even say Zeus' name, and it's not a long name. Zeus is the first hero I ever achieved more than 20 kills with in a real Dota match, and thus earns a spot on this list. God sees all, and even when one takes the form of a mortal, don't think he can't see you sneaking invisibly behind him or hiding in the bushes, cause he will call down the wrath of the storms to roast any enemy's puny behind.

Necrophos

Rotund'jere, a.k.a. Necrophos
Otherwise known as Necrolyte in the original DoTA

Being someone who often plays the squishy support characters, why wouldn't I love playing a tanky support/semi-carry who truly has an impact on both sides in any teamfight ? Necrophos fulfills the role of a very annoying and difficult to kill support character who can constantly spread heals to his entire team and any units they control with his Death Pulse, In addition to that, he is a prime target that becomes a priority to take down not only because of this healing ability, but his aura that constantly reduces the health of enemy heroes and units by a percentage at all times, so the longer he's around, the more screwed his enemies are. His passive even momentarily boosts his health and mana regen by a considerable amount for every kill he gets, making him even more dangerous as he can be back to 100% with a couple of hero kills. Necrophos is a great counter to heavy duty tank heroes as his ultimate locks its victims helplessly in place to be struck by a giant scythe, which deals more damage the more health you've lost. You'd better watch out on the battlefield with him around, cause the Pope of Pestilence isn't forgiving your sins anytime soon.

Lion

Lion, final practitioner of the Demon Witch tradition.

The versatile and all-around abilities of Lion make him a really useful and fun support to play. Being one of the few heroes with two disables in the form of his Earth Spike and Hex, Lion is a valuable member of most teams. Lion can easily be considered a nuker due to the spammability (is that a word?) of his abilities and being capable of absorbing mana from enemy units to replenish his own supply as well as drain the enemies' hopes of using skills to get away, particularly useful against heroes that rely on their skills and a high mana supply to function well. His Finger of Death (nice skill name Valve) is a huge nuke that apparently "turns the enemy inside out" and can decimate individual heroes, and even has an area of effect after purchasing a scepter. He is among my favourites due to his versatility and the multiple roles he can fulfill well and effectively on almost any team. Telling him to go to hell won't faze him much, cause he's been there and back. Twice.

I may add more heroes as time goes on but these are probably the support heroes I have found the most fun and interesting to play. Comment below on what your favourite support heroes are if you play Dota, and if you don't, comment some of your favourite supporting characters from other video games :D

(Obviously, none of the characters or pictures used above are not mine and belong solely to Valve and our Lord Gaben.) (IceFrog too)

All photos from the Dota 2 website.