Hoodwink · Soft Support (pos. 4)
Hoodwink Laning 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
Position 4 starts in the off lane with your offlaner: harass the enemy carry, block or pull their camp when it helps and look for the first rotation to mid once the runes spawn. Early, your objectives are a winning off lane, the power runes with your mid and the first rotations for kills.
Strengths
- Reliable stun: Bushwhack sets up kills and interrupts enemy channels.
- Invisibility with Decoy to scout, escape or set up ganks.
- Heavy magical burst: Valve lists it as a Nuker.
Weaknesses
- Low base armor (0): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
- Plays on little gold: expensive items arrive late.
- Tough patch: wins only 47.2% of measured public matches.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Laning itemsBalancedRecommendedWhat leaves the fountain and what lands in the first ten minutes, with what each item gives you.
- Most-played buildBalancedAdvancedThe items most bought with this hero, phase by phase. Pick it when you don't have a clear reason to deviate. Built from what Hoodwink players buy in the public matches we measured.
Builds
Laning items
When to use it
What leaves the fountain and what lands in the first ten minutes, with what each item gives you.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
230%166%- OfflaneMain66% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
- Safe lanePriority 230% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
Starting items
Early game
Core items
- 1Essence Distiller
Boots
Skill order
Max order:Bushwhack›Acorn Shot›Scurry
| 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
- +400 Sharpshooter Max Damage2 Acorn Shot Charges25
- Sharpshooter Provides Vision While Charging+2 Acorn Shot Bounces20
- +1 Scurry Ability Charge+10 Agility15
- +175 Health+50 Bushwhack Damage10
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 Hoodwink players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
230%166%- OfflaneMain66% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
- Safe lanePriority 230% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
Starting items
Early game
Core items
- 1Essence Distiller
- 2Blink Dagger
- 3Force Staff
- 4Eul's Scepter of Divinity
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Bushwhack›Acorn Shot›Scurry
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | · | ● | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
| · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
Talents by level
- +400 Sharpshooter Max Damage2 Acorn Shot Charges25
- Sharpshooter Provides Vision While Charging+2 Acorn Shot Bounces20
- +1 Scurry Ability Charge+10 Agility15
- +175 Health+50 Bushwhack Damage10
Abilities
- Acorn Shot19 / 16 / 13 / 10s70 / 80 / 90 / 100 mpFires Hoodwink's attack with an acorn at the target unit. The acorn bounces to nearby targets, slowing them and dealing a percentage of Hoodwink's attack with bonus damage.
If point targeted, a tree is created at the target position and the acorn will bounce to nearby targets. The ability may be placed on alt-cast to force this behavior.
- Bonus damage
- 45·90·135·180
- Base damage
- 80%
- Bounce count
- 2·3·4·5
- Slow duration
- 0.3
- Movement slow
- 100%
- Bushwhack15 / 14 / 13 / 12s90 / 100 / 110 / 120 mpTosses a net trap that stuns enemies if they are near a tree in the area. Affected enemies take damage over time and are pulled towards the tree nearest to them within the target area, and have their vision reduced to 0 for the duration of the stun.
- Radius
- 265
- Stun duration
- 1.5·1.7·1.9·2.1
- Total damage
- 90·180·270·360
- Scurry35 mpHoodwink gains bonus movement speed, phased movement, and tree-walking for a brief time. While active, the redirect chance of Mistwoods Wayfarer is multiplied by 2.
- Bonus movement speed
- 15%·20%·25%·30%
- Buff duration
- 3.5·4·4.5·5
Decoy30s60 mpHoodwink turns invisible, increasing her movement speed, and creates a decoy illusion that starts aiming a decreased damage Sharpshooter at the nearest enemy hero. If the illusion is attacked or hit by a targeted ability, it is destroyed and it throws a lesser bushwhack towards the enemy.- Illusion duration
- 6
- Bushwhack radius
- 250
- Bushwhack duration
- 1.6
- Movement speed
- 15%
- Sharpshooter damage
- 60%
Hunter's Boomerang20s125 mpTosses a boomerang in an arc. Upon contact, it returns to Hoodwink. The boomerang will deal damage as it passes through or hits enemies, and apply a debuff that causes affected enemies to be slowed and be more vulnerable to spell damage.- Radius
- 150
- Damage
- 200
- Debuff duration
- 6
- Movement slow
- 25%
- Incoming spell damage amp
- 20%
- Sharpshooter45s150 / 200 / 250 mpHoodwink charges up and fires a deadly bolt from her crossbow, dealing heavy damage, break and slow to an enemy Hero. The damage and debuff duration scale up to max after x0.75 seconds, and the bolt is fired automatically after x0.75 seconds.
Hoodwink is knocked backwards for a distance of 350 from the force of the shot. Creeps hit by the bolt are damaged for half the values.
- Arrow speed
- 2200
- Max wind-up time
- 3
- Max damage
- 600·975·1350
- Max debuff duration
- 5
- Move slow
- 30%·40%·50%
End SharpshooterRelease the charged up shot, regain ability to move and attack.
Mistwoods WayfarerPassive- Tree search radius
- 275
- Redirect chance
- 14.25%
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:Bushwhack›Acorn Shot›Scurry
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | · | ● | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
| · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
Strategy
1Starting and early items
The first items decide how comfortable the lane is. The lane build below lists them with what each one gives you.
- Key early items: Urn of Shadows.
2Trading
Harass when the enemy core walks up to last hit: every hit you land is gold your carry keeps. The kit brings crowd control (stun) with Bushwhack and invisibility with Decoy.
3Wave management
Keep the creep equilibrium close to your tower when you're weaker, deny to cut the enemy's experience and pull the jungle camp to reset a lane that's pushing too far.
4Early objectives
Early, your objectives are a winning off lane, the power runes with your mid and the first rotations for kills. Your spikes are level 6, when Sharpshooter comes online, and your core items: Essence Distiller and then Blink Dagger.
Tips
- Harass when the enemy core walks up to last hit: every hit you land is gold your carry keeps.
- Urn of Shadows is your first purchase that changes the lane: get it early.
- Use Bushwhack in lane only when your partner or jungler can follow.
- Keep Decoy ready when the enemy's gankers are missing.
- Early, your objectives are a winning off lane, the power runes with your mid and the first rotations for kills.
Matchups
Strong against
- Shadow Shaman61.6%win rate in the matchup
Hoodwink wins 61.6% of the 164 games measured against Shadow Shaman this patch.
164 matches
- Underlord59.6%win rate in the matchup
Hoodwink wins 59.6% of the 225 games measured against Underlord this patch.
225 matches
- Drow Ranger59.1%win rate in the matchup
Hoodwink wins 59.1% of the 137 games measured against Drow Ranger this patch.
137 matches
Weak against
- Keeper of the Light37.2%win rate in the matchup
Hoodwink only wins 37.2% of the 180 games measured against Keeper of the Light this patch.
180 matches
- Lone Druid39.4%win rate in the matchup
Hoodwink only wins 39.4% of the 109 games measured against Lone Druid this patch.
109 matches
- Ember Spirit39.6%win rate in the matchup
Hoodwink only wins 39.6% of the 364 games measured against Ember Spirit this patch.
364 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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