Ancient Apparition · Hard Support (pos. 5)
Ancient Apparition Guide
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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.
Overview
Ancient Apparition is a ranged Intelligence hero that Valve tags as Support, Nuker and Disabler. It is played mainly as Hard Support (pos. 5): 52% of the public matches we measured, by starting lane and starting items. In this guide you play it as Hard Support (pos. 5): your job is to keep your carry safe in the safe lane, buy the wards and give up farm so the cores can have it. The kit brings crowd control (stun) with Cold Feet and sustain with Ice Blast. Its ultimate is Ice Blast. This patch, Ancient Apparition wins 51.5% of the 241,480 public matches we measured (A tier on our ladder).
Strengths
- Reliable stun: Cold Feet sets up kills and interrupts enemy channels.
- Long attack range (675) to harass and last hit safely.
- Heavy magical burst: Valve lists it as a Nuker.
Weaknesses
- No escape in the kit: without good positioning and vision, Ancient Apparition is easy to catch.
- Low base armor (-1): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
- Plays on little gold: expensive items arrive late.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Most-played buildBalancedRecommendedThe items most bought with this hero, phase by phase. Pick it when you don't have a clear reason to deviate. Built from what Ancient Apparition players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Damage buildOffensiveAdvancedMoves the popular items that add damage — Hand of Midas and Orchid Malevolence — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Ancient Apparition players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Team utility buildUtilitySituationalBuilt around the popular items that help your allies — Glimmer Cape and Pavise. Choose it when your team needs saves and auras more than your damage. Built from what Ancient Apparition players buy in the public matches we measured.
Builds
Most-played build
When to use it
The items most bought with this hero, phase by phase. Pick it when you don't have a clear reason to deviate. Built from what Ancient Apparition players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
233%159%- Safe laneMain59% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- OfflanePriority 233% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
Starting items
Early game
Core items
- 1Aghanim's Shard
- 2Glimmer Cape
- 3Rod of Atos
- 4Force Staff
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Ice Vortex›Cold Feet›Chilling Touch
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
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Talents by level
- +4% Ice Blast Kill Threshold450 AoE Cold Feet25
- +4s Ice Blast Frostbitten Duration+100 Chilling Touch Damage20
- +250 Cold Feet Break Distance-2s Ice Vortex Cooldown15
- +300 Chilling Touch Attack Range+30 Cold Feet Damage Per Second10
Damage build
When to use it
Moves the popular items that add damage — Hand of Midas and Orchid Malevolence — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Ancient Apparition players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
233%159%- Safe laneMain59% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- OfflanePriority 233% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Hand of Midas+40 Attack Speed. Active: Transmute.
- 2Orchid Malevolence+35 Attack Speed, +20 Damage, +2.5 Mana Regeneration. Active: Soul Burn.
- 3Witch Blade+40 Attack Speed, +12 Intelligence, +1.5 Mana Regeneration.
- 4Vladmir's Offering+1 Armor, +0.75 Mana Regeneration.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Ice Vortex›Cold Feet›Chilling Touch
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Talents by level
- +4% Ice Blast Kill Threshold450 AoE Cold Feet25
- +4s Ice Blast Frostbitten Duration+100 Chilling Touch Damage20
- +250 Cold Feet Break Distance-2s Ice Vortex Cooldown15
- +300 Chilling Touch Attack Range+30 Cold Feet Damage Per Second10
Team utility build
When to use it
Built around the popular items that help your allies — Glimmer Cape and Pavise. Choose it when your team needs saves and auras more than your damage. Built from what Ancient Apparition players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
233%159%- Safe laneMain59% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- OfflanePriority 233% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Glimmer Cape+20% Magic Resistance. Active: Glimmer.
- 2Pavise+3 Armor, +175 Mana, +175 Health. Active: Protect.
- 3Essence Distiller+1.5 Mana Regeneration, +3 All Attributes, +6 Armor. Active: Soul Release.
- 4Solar Crest+7 Armor, +25 Movement Speed, +200 Mana. Active: Shine.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Ice Vortex›Cold Feet›Chilling Touch
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- +4% Ice Blast Kill Threshold450 AoE Cold Feet25
- +4s Ice Blast Frostbitten Duration+100 Chilling Touch Damage20
- +250 Cold Feet Break Distance-2s Ice Vortex Cooldown15
- +300 Chilling Touch Attack Range+30 Cold Feet Damage Per Second10
Abilities
- Cold Feet15 / 13 / 11 / 9s110 / 115 / 120 / 125 mpPlaces a curse on an enemy, dealing damage over time. If the enemy unit doesn't move outside of the given range from the initial location, it will be stunned and frozen in place after 4 seconds.
- Damage per second
- 25·45·65·85
- Break distance
- 725·750·775·800
- Stun duration
- 1.8·2.2·2.6·3
- Ice Vortex10 / 8 / 6 / 4s40 / 55 / 70 / 85 mpCreates a vortex of icy energy that slows, deals damage, and increases magic damage done to enemies in its range.
- Radius
- 275
- Movement slow
- -8
- Increased magic damage
- -16·-19·-22·-25
- Damage per second
- 10·20·30·40
- Duration
- 6·8·10·12
- Chilling Touch10 / 7.5 / 5 / 2.5s35 mpEnhances Ancient Apparition's attack with increased range and a burst of magical damage and slow.
- Damage
- 35·65·95·125
- Slow
- 100
- Slow duration
- 0.7·0.8·0.9·1
- Attack range bonus
- 60·90·120·150
Bone ChillPassiveWhen Ancient Apparition deals Magic damage to an enemy with his abilities, it is slowed for a short duration. If the target is a Hero, its Strength is also reduced. Multiple instances of this effect stack and have independent durations.- Strength reduction
- .2
- Duration
- 4
- Movement slow
- 2
- Ice Blast50 / 45 / 40s175 mpLaunches a tracer toward any location on the battlefield, which must be triggered again to mark the area to be blasted by a damaging explosion of hail. The further the tracer travels, the larger the explosion will be. Enemies caught in the explosion, or who touch the icy ball of hail as it travels, are Frostbitten, taking damage over time and prevented from regenerating or healing. If a Frostbitte
- Path radius
- 300
- Frostbitten duration
- 10·11·12
- Shatter health threshold
- 12·13·14
- Damage per second
- 12·24·36
Release1sReleases the ice blast to explode at the tracer's current location. Can be cast while silenced.
Most played skill order
The most played order in the last 49 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.
Max order:Ice Vortex›Cold Feet›Chilling Touch
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Strategy
1Early game
Position 5 starts in the safe lane with your carry: their last hits come first, so harass the enemy offlaner, pull the small camp when the wave needs resetting and buy the wards nobody else will. Harass when the enemy core walks up to last hit: every hit you land is gold your carry keeps.
- Early items: Null Talisman and Urn of Shadows.
2Mid game
Rotate to the lanes where you can get kills, keep vision around the next objective and leave the farm to your cores. Your spikes are level 6, when Ice Blast comes online, and your core items: Aghanim's Shard and then Glimmer Cape.
- Core items: Aghanim's Shard, Glimmer Cape and Rod of Atos.
3Late game
Late, your death costs little gold but your spells are worth a lot: stay behind the team, keep your save items ready and ward before the fight, not during it.
- Late items: Blink Dagger and Scythe of Vyse.
4Team fights
Stay behind your cores, use Cold Feet on whoever jumps on your carry and keep Ice Blast for the moment the enemy commits.
Tips
- Land Cold Feet on the enemy core first: a disabled carry doesn't hit back.
- Keep Ice Blast for the moment the enemy commits, not to top up health.
- Buy and place wards every time they are available: vision is your first job.
- Your key purchases are Aghanim's Shard and Glimmer Cape: they give your team the saves it needs.
- Plan fights around Ice Blast: without it, Ancient Apparition is far less threatening.
Matchups
Strong against
- Disruptor59.6%win rate in the matchup
Ancient Apparition wins 59.6% of the 99 games measured against Disruptor this patch.
99 matches
- Hoodwink58.8%win rate in the matchup
Ancient Apparition wins 58.8% of the 68 games measured against Hoodwink this patch.
68 matches
- Mars58.7%win rate in the matchup
Ancient Apparition wins 58.7% of the 92 games measured against Mars this patch.
92 matches
- Shadow Fiend54.5%win rate in the matchup
Ancient Apparition wins 54.5% of the 121 games measured against Shadow Fiend this patch.
121 matches
- Tiny54.5%win rate in the matchup
Ancient Apparition wins 54.5% of the 99 games measured against Tiny this patch.
99 matches
Weak against
- Snapfire39.4%win rate in the matchup
Ancient Apparition only wins 39.4% of the 109 games measured against Snapfire this patch.
109 matches
- Jakiro46.0%win rate in the matchup
Ancient Apparition only wins 46.0% of the 124 games measured against Jakiro this patch.
124 matches
- Ogre Magi47.4%win rate in the matchup
Ancient Apparition only wins 47.4% of the 116 games measured against Ogre Magi this patch.
116 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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