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Rubick is the famed Dota 2 hero who demands tactical resourcefulness, precise positioning, and sharp decision-making to win teamfights. His effectiveness relies on sly warding, saving cores, and making the best split-second decisions. For new players, the true challenge lies in mastering “Spell Steal,” his ultimate. Many cast this spell prematurely in teamfights, failing to analyze the situation, hence missing good steals.
Moreover, with his ultimate on cooldown, you wouldn't have the right spells as leverage and might become a walking creep for a few seconds. This guide will help you learn the basics of playing the Grand Magus, his best builds, the must-know tips, and other key essentials to master Rubick and waltz through ranked matches.
How to play Rubick in Dota 2?
Rubick is the perfect hero for soft support mains who prefer roaming and staying active while completing small objectives like collecting or protecting Runes, roaming, ganking other lanes, and more.
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In Dota 2 7.37b, the Grand Magus may also be drafted as a midlaner or hard support. The former demands aggressive items like Phylactery and Aghanim's Scepter, while the latter requires a more defensive approach. The following are important things to remember when playing Rubick at all stages of the game:
Early game:
Start by leveling up Fade Bolt or Telekinesis. Choose Fade Bolt for its nuke damage, or Telekinesis to help save your cores from getting surrounded or flanked.
- Providing the best lane: Rubick is a support hero who is relatively weak at the start compared to other disabled-based heroes. Focus on harassing (right-clicking the enemy core or support) and creating a favorable laning stage for your core. Use Telekinesis to set up kills and cast Fade Bolt to reduce the enemies' base damage.
- Securing last hits: If your core can't secure the ranged last hits, use Fade Bolt to earn some extra gold.
- Blocking the camps: One of Rubick’s important tasks is to prevent pulls. Place a sentry or block the enemy lane camp to prevent pulls.
- Active roaming: Before reaching level 6, you will be weak. Hence, roam to collect Lotus, Bounty, and Wisdom Runes. Along with that, you must also keep an eye on other lanes and be ready to teleport whenever they need help.
- Mana regen issues: As a caster hero, Rubick requires extra mana. Consider rushing Urn of Shadows or Arcane Boots for improved mana sustainability.
Mid game:
Spell Steal is one of the best ultimates in Dota 2. You can steal the last spell cast by enemy heroes and use it against them with extra magic amplification.
- Analyzing: Once the laning stage ends, the real test begins. The spells you steal will determine the rest of your game. Hence, avoid rushing into teamfights by initiating or using Telekinesis to catch a single target, instead, be patient, and position near your allies. Once the teamfight starts, use your generic spells and time your ultimate to steal the best spell.
- Vision war: Warding is a crucial objective when playing as a support. Focus on warding friendly farming zones and placing offensive wards during smoke ganks. To maintain unobstructed vision, frequently gank the enemy jungle and set the game’s tempo.
- Preparing for inevitable teamfights: Plan ahead for the end of the laning stage. Purchase items that can save your teammates and counter enemy heroes. For example, you can rush Eul’s Scepter of Divinity to counter Axe's call or Force Staff to push allies to safety. Your playstyle must be versatile, and the spells you steal and items you build should complement that.
- Minimap: Think of the minimap as your fifth teammate. The information you get from it is very valuable for a Rubick player. The more vision you have on enemies, the better your Spell Steal choices will be. Mid-game is the perfect time to place sneaky wards in the enemy's or neutral parts of the map. Constantly check the map; if you see enemies missing, go into a defensive stance and alert your team.
Late game:
At this stage of a Dota 2 match, anything can happen. Hence, be ready to face everything from base race, pesky split pushing, intense teamfights, and buybacks.
- Target priority: Stay close to your carry or the one who is jumping on enemy cores. A single Glimmer Cape save or timely stun will turn the tide in your favor. Initiate only when you find an enemy hero roaming alone. Buybacks at late game will cost dearly as a single push can end it all.
- Game plan: Most enemy heroes use their spells impulsively, aiming to eliminate core heroes as quickly as possible. Exploit these mistakes by setting up teamfights to your advantage and stealing the best spells.
- Countering enemy heroes: By now, you should have the resources to farm items that counter specific threats. For magical damage-based enemies, purchase Glimmer Cape or Pipe of Insight. Guardian Greaves offer added survivability, and Lotus Orb can counter single-target spells.
- Aggressive gameplay: If your team is dominating, rush Aghanim's Scepter. With it, stolen spells become even more potent. Additionally, purchasing Phylactery can boost your spell damage further. The end-game scenario of every Dota 2 match is the destruction of one of the two thrones. At this point of the match, you can singlehandedly wipe out the enemy team with notable ultimate steals.
Best Dota 2 Rubick builds
Here are the best builds for Rubick in the latest Dota 2 gameplay update:
Tips & Tactics for Rubick in Dota 2
- Positioning: Proper positioning is a must when playing this intelligence hero. Stay close enough to enemy heroes to secure valuable steals, but maintain a safe distance to avoid becoming an easy target. Make sure you have a clear escape route to quickly reposition or retreat if needed.
- Decision-making: In teamfights, be strategic about using Spell Steal. With a 16-second cooldown on your ultimate at level 1, timing is crucial. Remain calm and wait for the perfect moment to steal a powerful enemy spell. Prioritize stealing AOE-based and damage-inducing spells that can significantly impact the fight, rather than using your ultimate without any thought.
- Adapting: Adapt to the evolving game state and various scenarios. From defending against mega creeps to saving your carries from dire situations, the extended cast range and spell amplification will come in handy. Adjust your playstyle and item build based on the situation to support your team.
- Spells: Another major element of mastering Rubick's gameplay is to know how other spells work. Since stolen spells deal more damage, it’s crucial to understand how they work.
Also Check: Latest Dota 2 Hero Tier List
Pros and Cons of Rubick in Dota 2
Pros of playing Rubick:
- Spell amplification: His passive increases the total spell amplification. This applies to stolen spells and stacks with spell amp-based items.
- Strong Facets: Both Facets are powerful and helpful. Frugal Filch reduces the stolen spell’s mana cost, while Arcane Accumulation increases the AoE of all spells (stacks) for a short time. Choose the desired one depending upon the drafts.
- Learning Other Heroes: Rubick is the only Dota 2 hero who forces the player to learn other heroes' spells. This process helps you understand the overall mechanics of those heroes and improves your skills without actually playing those heroes
Cons of Playing Rubick:
- Fragile hero: The Grand Magus is a squishy Dota 2 hero who can easily be eliminated. Without proper attention, this hero can be one-shotted by heroes like Sven, PA, TA, and others.
- Mana dependent: Without mana, the hero becomes ineffective. You need a constant supply of mana to stay useful.
- Very reliant on vision: If you don’t have vision on enemy heroes, you won’t be able to steal the desired spell. Without proper vision, you might get ganked due to poor positioning.
Also Check: Dota 2 Crownfall Collector’s Cache Tier List
Which Rubick Talents to pick in Dota 2
Here are the Rubick Talent Tree suggestions that are of more use than their counterparts:
FAQs on Rubick in Dota 2
What role is Rubick?
This intelligence hero is primarily played as a soft support but is also commonly seen as a hard support or midlaner.
How many heroes does Rubick counter?
He generally counters heroes with nuke and disable-based spells. Additionally, he counters the ones with strong ultimate or channeling abilities.
Can targets be lifted and thrown out of a Chronosphere?
Allies cannot be thrown out of a Chronosphere using Telekinesis. However, Faceless Void can be controlled inside his ultimate.
What are some of the best spells to steal in Dota 2?
Blackhole, Ravage, Requiem of Souls, Reverse Polarity, and so on are some of the best spells to steal.
Who is the best lane partner for the Grand Magus?
Offlaners who can tank and survive alone during the lane stage are compatible with the soft support.
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