Strategies: five game plans

A strategy is the overall plan that decides when and where your team wants to fight. Here are five classic plans, their strengths and how to play against them.

Teamfight

• The idea: group up as five by the mid game and win big fights with area control and area damage. Typical heroes: Enigma, Magnus, Faceless Void, Earthshaker, Tidehunter, Mars, Jakiro, Warlock. Key items: Blink Dagger, Black King Bar, Pipe of Insight, Refresher Orb, Shiva's Guard.
• Playing against it: do not stand together in narrow spots, buy Black King Bar, Lotus Orb and save items, interrupt long spells, and split-push to deny them a five-on-five.
• Enigma
• Magnus
• Faceless Void
• Earthshaker
• Tidehunter
• Mars
• Team builder: Teamfight

Early push

• The idea: take as many towers as possible before the enemy has its key items. You need heroes with summons, building damage and team healing: Lycan, Nature's Prophet, Death Prophet, Leshrac, Shadow Shaman, Pugna, Venomancer. Items: Mekansm and Guardian Greaves, Drum of Endurance, Vladmir's Offering…
• Playing against it: pick heroes that clear waves fast, use the glyph on time, defend under your towers rather than in the open, and push another lane in return.
• Lycan
• Nature's Prophet
• Death Prophet
• Leshrac
• Shadow Shaman
• Pugna
• Team builder: Early push

Ganks and pickoffs

• The idea: catch enemies one by one while they farm or ward, and never let them group. Mobile heroes with control and single-target damage do it best: Spirit Breaker, Nyx Assassin, Bounty Hunter, Riki, Pudge, Clockwerk, Lion, Night Stalker. Items: Smoke of Deceit, Shadow Blade, Orchid Malevolence, S…
• Playing against it: move together, ward and use Sentry Wards against invisible heroes, always carry a teleport scroll, buy Linken's Sphere, Force Staff and Glimmer Cape.
• Spirit Breaker
• Nyx Assassin
• Bounty Hunter
• Riki
• Pudge
• Clockwerk
• Team builder: Ganks and pickoffs

Late game (protect the carry)

• The idea: survive the mid game, give the farm to one or two strong carries and win once their items are done. Carries: Medusa, Spectre, Anti-Mage, Terrorblade, Phantom Lancer, Naga Siren; supports with saves: Io, Dazzle, Oracle, Omniknight, Winter Wyvern. Items: Black King Bar, Glimmer Cape, Force…
• Playing against it: end the game early, take their farm (smoke into their jungle, take Roshan), kill the support who saves the carry and take buildings before their Black King Bar timing.
• Medusa
• Spectre
• Anti-Mage
• Terrorblade
• Io
• Dazzle
• Team builder: Late game

Split push and global pressure

• The idea: one or two heroes push distant lanes while the rest avoid fighting. The enemy has to send people to defend, and you gain time or a five-on-four fight. Good heroes: Nature's Prophet, Tinker, Anti-Mage, Phantom Lancer, Arc Warden, Lycan, Terrorblade; items: Boots of Travel, Manta Style, Lin…
• Playing against it: defend with a teleport and as few heroes as possible, look for a fight while the split-pusher is far away, and push where they are not.
• Nature's Prophet
• Tinker
• Arc Warden
• Phantom Lancer

Choosing a plan

• Look at your draft: who peaks earlier and how you win a fight. The plan can change during the game — if the early push fails, switch to defending and farming. The Team builder picks five heroes for each plan from recent statistics.
• Team builder