Earth Spirit · Mid (pos. 2)
Earth Spirit Aggressive 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
This guide is about playing Earth Spirit aggressively. Aggressive mid means using every useful rune to gank and turning your level lead into kills on the side lanes. Your spikes are level 6, when Magnetize comes online, and your core items: Spirit Vessel and then Black King Bar. This patch, Earth Spirit wins 49.6% of the 165,411 public matches we measured (B tier on our ladder).
Strengths
- Reliable stun: Rolling Boulder sets up kills and interrupts enemy channels.
- Magnetize can swing team fights: it hits several enemies at once.
- Heavy magical burst: Valve lists it as a Nuker.
- Valve tags Earth Spirit as Durable: it stays in fights longer than most heroes.
Weaknesses
- Low base armor (0): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
- Melee: has to walk up to its target, which makes the lane harder against ranged heroes.
- Every death while playing aggressively hands the tempo back to the enemy.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Damage buildOffensiveRecommendedMoves the popular items that add damage — Hand of Midas and Veil of Discord — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Earth Spirit players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Against magic damageDefensiveSituationalFor games where the enemy kills with spells: keep your first two core items and add magic resistance or spell immunity.
Builds
Damage build
When to use it
Moves the popular items that add damage — Hand of Midas and Veil of Discord — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Earth Spirit players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
229%166%- MidMain66% of matchesMid lane, one against one (pos. 2).
- OfflanePriority 229% of matchesOff lane as the space-making core (pos. 3).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Hand of Midas+40 Attack Speed. Active: Transmute.
- 2Veil of Discord+175 Health, +10 Intelligence, +18% Spell Lifesteal. Active: Spell Weakness.
- 3Bloodstone+625 Health, +450 Mana, +15 Intelligence. Active: Bloodpact.
- 4Assault Cuirass+30 Attack Speed, +10 Armor.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Boulder Smash›Geomagnetic G…›Rolling Bould…
| 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
- +250% Rolling Boulder Damage from StrengthEarth Spirit Magnetizes himself25
- +200 Geomagnetic Grip Remnant Damage+35 Magnetize Damage Per Second20
- +0.3s Rolling Boulder Stun Duration+80 Boulder Smash Damage15
- -2.0s Boulder Smash Cooldown+150 Rolling Boulder Distance10
Against magic damage
When to use it
For games where the enemy kills with spells: keep your first two core items and add magic resistance or spell immunity.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
229%166%- MidMain66% of matchesMid lane, one against one (pos. 2).
- OfflanePriority 229% of matchesOff lane as the space-making core (pos. 3).
Core items
- 1Spirit Vessel
- 2Black King Bar
Situational
Skill order
Max order:Boulder Smash›Geomagnetic G…›Rolling Bould…
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- +250% Rolling Boulder Damage from StrengthEarth Spirit Magnetizes himself25
- +200 Geomagnetic Grip Remnant Damage+35 Magnetize Damage Per Second20
- +0.3s Rolling Boulder Stun Duration+80 Boulder Smash Damage15
- -2.0s Boulder Smash Cooldown+150 Rolling Boulder Distance10
Abilities
- Boulder Smash20 / 17 / 14 / 11s100 mpEarth Spirit smashes the target enemy or ally, sending them in the direction he is facing. If Earth Spirit targets an area, he will smash the nearest unit in a 200 radius, prioritizing Stone Remnants. The travelling unit or Remnant damages all enemy units it hits. If an enemy is hit by a Stone Remnant, they are also slowed. Stone Remnants travel further than other units.
- Remnant smash radius
- 200
- Damage
- 110·180·250·320
- Slow amount
- 50%
- Slow duration
- 1.75·2.5·3.25·4
- Travel speed
- 900
- Distance
- 500·600·700·800
- Rolling Boulder16 / 12 / 8 / 4s50 mpEarth Spirit gathers himself into a boulder and, after a 0.6s delay, rolls toward the target location, dealing 60 + 100% STR damage and stunning enemy units. He will stop if he collides with an enemy hero or is stunned. If he rolls over a Stone Remnant, he will travel further and faster, and stun enemies for longer.
- Speed
- 1000
- Speed (remnant)
- 1600
- Distance
- 800
- Distance multiplier (remnant)
- 2
- Damage
- 60·70·80·90
- Stun duration
- 0.3·0.5·0.7·0.9
- Geomagnetic Grip13s75 mpEarth Spirit pulls the target Stone Remnant or Allied Unit. Enemies struck by the gripped target will be silenced.
Pulled Remnants also deal damage to struck enemies.
Cast range is reduced when targeting an ally.
- Remnant damage
- 75·150·225·300
- Remnant pull speed
- 900
- Silence duration
- 2.3·2.7·3.1·3.5
- Allied unit pull speed
- 600
- Allied unit cast range
- 550·600·650·700
Stone RemnantCall a Stone Remnant to the target location. Stone Remnants have no vision and are invulnerable, and can be used with Earth Spirit's abilities. Calling a Stone Remnant consumes a charge, which recharge over time. Stone Remnant has 7 charges.
Earth Spirit passively gains 3% bonus damage per unused Stone Remnant charge, and gains an additional 7.5% bonus damage for 10s when a Stone Remnant is targe- Duration
- 60
Enchant Remnant45s150 mpEarth Spirit temporarily enchants a hero, granting them the properties of a Stone Remnant. After a short duration the remnant shatters, releasing the hero and damaging nearby enemies.
Can be cast on Stone Remnants. Has a 5 second cooldown when used that way.
Has a larger cast range when cast on an ally hero.- Remnant duration
- 2.4
- Shatter damage
- 450
- Shatter radius
- 450
- Cast range on allies
- 500
- Magnetize100 / 90 / 80s100 mpMagnetizes units in a small nearby area, causing them to take damage for a short duration. Magnetized heroes cause nearby Stone Remnants to explode, destroying the remnant and refreshing Magnetize's duration on all nearby enemies. This process can repeat multiple times. If an enemy hero is affected by Geomagnetic Grip or Boulder Smash, all magnetized heroes share the effects.
- Radius
- 350
- Damage per second
- 45·90·135
- Magnetize duration
- 6
- Remnant refresh/explosion radius
- 600
Most played skill order
The most played order in the last 100 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.
Max order:Boulder Smash›Geomagnetic G…›Rolling Bould…
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Strategy
1When to fight
Your spikes are level 6, when Magnetize comes online, and your core items: Spirit Vessel and then Black King Bar. Aggressive mid means using every useful rune to gank and turning your level lead into kills on the side lanes.
2Picking your targets
Your damage decides the opening seconds: look for the enemy support or carry out of position, and use Magnetize where it hits the most heroes. The best target is the one your team can reach and kill before the enemy answers, not always the most valuable one.
3Snowballing a lead
After a won fight, take towers and Roshan before anything else: that's what turns kills into a lead the enemy can't erase. Early, you fight for runes, for the enemy mid tower and for kills on the side lanes after a rune.
4When to back off
Safe mid means keeping the wave pushed, never walking to the river without vision and taking only the runes you can take safely. If your key abilities are on cooldown or the enemy is missing from the map, the aggressive play is to wait.
Tips
- Fight on your spikes: right after Spirit Vessel, look for the next fight instead of farming.
- Look for kills when Magnetize is ready and the enemy's key ability is not.
- Use Rolling Boulder to start the fight, then commit your damage.
- Track the enemy's key cooldowns and attack right after they use them.
- Turn every kill into towers and Roshan: a kill without an objective is a wasted lead.
- Push your lane before you roam so the aggression doesn't cost you resources.
Matchups
Strong against
- Lion61.3%win rate in the matchup
Earth Spirit wins 61.3% of the 106 games measured against Lion this patch.
106 matches
- Rubick60.7%win rate in the matchup
Earth Spirit wins 60.7% of the 135 games measured against Rubick this patch.
135 matches
- Hoodwink58.8%win rate in the matchup
Earth Spirit wins 58.8% of the 136 games measured against Hoodwink this patch.
136 matches
- Ogre Magi58.4%win rate in the matchup
Earth Spirit wins 58.4% of the 101 games measured against Ogre Magi this patch.
101 matches
- Shadow Fiend56.1%win rate in the matchup
Earth Spirit wins 56.1% of the 157 games measured against Shadow Fiend this patch.
157 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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