Pugna · Hard Support (pos. 5)
Pugna as Hard Support (pos. 5)
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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
Pugna is a ranged Intelligence hero that Valve tags as Nuker and Pusher. It is played mainly as Soft Support (pos. 4): 42% of the public matches we measured, by starting lane and starting items. Its main role is Soft Support (pos. 4), but it is also played as Hard Support (pos. 5) in 37% of the public matches we measured. 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.
Strengths
- Reliable disable: Decrepify sets up kills.
- Keeps allies alive with Decrepify.
- Takes towers quickly: Valve lists it as a Pusher.
Weaknesses
- Off-role pick: expect less support from guides and teammates than on Soft Support (pos. 4).
- No escape in the kit: without good positioning and vision, Pugna is easy to catch.
- Low base armor (0): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Team utility buildUtilityRecommendedBuilt around the popular items that help your allies — Glimmer Cape and Aether Lens. Choose it when your team needs saves and auras more than your damage. Built from what Pugna players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Most-played buildBalancedSituationalThe items most bought with this hero, phase by phase. Pick it when you don't have a clear reason to deviate. Built from what Pugna players buy in the public matches we measured.
Builds
Team utility build
When to use it
Built around the popular items that help your allies — Glimmer Cape and Aether Lens. Choose it when your team needs saves and auras more than your damage. Built from what Pugna players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
137%- Safe laneMain37% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Glimmer Cape+20% Magic Resistance. Active: Glimmer.
- 2Aether Lens+300 Mana, +2.5 Mana Regeneration, +225 Cast Range.
- 3Solar Crest+7 Armor, +25 Movement Speed, +200 Mana. Active: Shine.
- 4Pavise+3 Armor, +175 Mana, +175 Health. Active: Protect.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Nether Blast›Nether Ward›Decrepify
| 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
- +1.9 Nether Ward Damage Per Mana+200 Nether Blast Damage25
- +1.5s Decrepify Duration+15% Life Drain Heal20
- +30% Decrepify Movement Speed To Allies+250 Health15
- -1s Nether Blast Cooldown+2 Nether Ward Health10
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 Pugna players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
320%237%143%- OfflaneMain43% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
- Safe lanePriority 237% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- MidPriority 320% of matchesMid lane, one against one (pos. 2).
Starting items
Early game
Core items
- 1Glimmer Cape
- 2Aether Lens
- 3Force Staff
- 4Aghanim's Shard
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Nether Blast›Nether Ward›Decrepify
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- +1.9 Nether Ward Damage Per Mana+200 Nether Blast Damage25
- +1.5s Decrepify Duration+15% Life Drain Heal20
- +30% Decrepify Movement Speed To Allies+250 Health15
- -1s Nether Blast Cooldown+2 Nether Ward Health10
Abilities
- Nether Blast5s100 / 115 / 130 / 145 mpAn exploding pulse deals damage to enemies and structures in the area. Deals 65% damage to structures.
- Blast delay
- 0.8
- Radius
- 400
- Blast damage
- 95·170·245·320
- Decrepify16 / 13 / 10 / 7s80 mpA powerful banishing spell that slows a unit and renders it unable to attack or be attacked. Healing on affected allies is increased, while afflicted enemies take extra magic damage instead.
- Ally heal amplification
- 10%·15%·20%·25%
- Enemy increased magic damage
- -20%·-30%·-40%·-50%
- Enemy move slow
- -45%·-50%·-55%·-60%
- Duration
- 3.5
- Nether Ward40s80 mpPugna places a Nether Ward at the target location. The ward will fire at any enemy hero who casts a spell dealing base damage plus the damage multiplier of the mana spent by the enemy hero.
- Ward attack range
- 1400
- Base damage
- 50·70·90·110
- Damage per mana
- 1·1.2·1.4·1.6
- Damage to hp
- 0%
- Damage to mana
- 0%
- Attacks to destroy
- 4
Oblivion SavantPassivePugna can cast spells and use items while channeling.
Pugna receives 1.5% spell amplification per destroyed tower.- Life Drain7s115 / 160 / 205 mpCHANNELED - When cast on an enemy, Pugna drains health from the target enemy unit to heal himself and granting vision over the target.
When cast on an ally, Pugna will drain his own health into his ally.
- Enemy drain per second
- 150·250·350
- Ally drain/heal per second
- 150·250·350
- Max duration
- 10
Most played skill order
The most played order in the last 12 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.
Max order:Nether Blast›Nether Ward›Decrepify
| 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.
2Mid game
Rotate to the lanes where you can get kills, keep vision around the next objective and leave the farm to your cores.
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.
4Team fights
Stay behind your cores, use Decrepify on whoever jumps on your carry and keep Decrepify for the moment the enemy commits.
Tips
- Land Decrepify on the enemy core first: a disabled carry doesn't hit back.
- Keep Decrepify 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 Glimmer Cape and Aether Lens: they give your team the saves it needs.
- Vision: a ward in the right place saves more lives than any spell.
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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