Gameplay

Playstyle
Magnus is one of the few melee heroes who can solo the middle lane well, because of his skill set. Shockwave allows him to safely get last hits while also harassing the lane opponent. His ultimate, Reverse Polarity, is an extremely important ability for teamfights, allowing him to stun and group up enemies hit into a small area in front of him, which can then be moved through Skewer. It is ideal for him especially if he is needed to be a carry in the late game.
Pros	Cons
Have multiple area-of-effect abilities, several of them mess with enemy positioning. Flexible playstyle. Can farm fast with Empower and Shockwave (also can accelerate your carry farm). AOE Stun that goes through spell immunity. Good at ganking. High base damage.	Requires Blink Dagger for initating, Needs good mana management in the early game. Requires good positioning for effective use of his spells.

Ability Builds

Generic Magnus
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Talents

Tips & Tactics

General

• Most of Magnus' abilities work effectively only if his targets are in front of him. When surrounded, Magnus will be forced to change directions too much, not only delaying him from casting spells in rapid succession, but also rendering his spells' area-of-effects useless. As such, place Magnus in the side lines, or until his enemies are in a manageable range in front of him. You should only place yourself in the middle when planning to cast your ultimate, Reverse Polarity, since it forces all of the targets you hit to be in front of you.
• Magnus players need to communicate with the team because his initiations are most likely to be sudden.

Abilities

Shockwave

• Shockwave is Magnus's ranged nuke, one with a low mana cost.
• Shockwave is Magnus's signature laning ability, since it's perfect for both harassing heroes and last-hitting creeps. Thanks to the mana cost and low cooldown, Magnus is able to perform this ability continuously, so long as he receives a stable mana supply.
• Though usually used against disabled enemies, Shockwave can act as a great finisher to fleeing enemies. Make sure to cast it carefully, since it has a limited range.
• Take note of Shockwave's limited area-of-effect. Much like Lion's Earth Spike, Shockwave directly affects targets in a straight path. Aim to hit multiple targets to maximize its effectiveness.
• Shockwave's pull may correct a poorly placed Reverse Polarity by casting it at the direction toward which Magnus wants to push enemies with Skewer.
• More tips needed.

Empower

• Empower is a great buff that boosts base damage for a long duration, as well as grant cleave with each attack on melee heroes. Use it as much as you can on allies or yourself whenever possible, especially when a team fight is ensuing. Outside of team fights, Empower could be used for farming in lanes or jungles.
• Don't be afraid to cast Empower on ranged allies, especially if they are carries; ranged heroes like Drow Ranger or Weaver can greatly benefit from the base damage boost, since it adds more power to their already devastating physical attacks.
• Empower stacks with other cleave to help Magnus's carries farm even faster.
  • Empower can even replace Battle Fury, allowing his carries skip the item so they can come online earlier.
• More tips needed.

Skewer

• Skewer is a soft-nuke and reposition skill that allows Magnus to rush forth towards a certain place, forcefully dragging and damaging all enemy units in his path. It is a tricky ability to use effectively:
• When the target is moving, determine its path ahead of time, since there is a short delay in deploying. The closer you are to the target, the sooner Skewer will land.
• To maximize its range, always target Skewer's landing point from a distance.
• Always try to Skewer in front of an enemy; the farther the target is pushed away from safety, the better.
• Though it is offensive in nature, Skewer can also act as a quick escape mechanism, functioning similarly to a slower Force Staff. You can charge toward cliffs to make it more difficult for your pursuers to chase you.
• During the laning phase, try to Skewer enemy heroes toward your tower; they will be forced to take tower damage, giving you additional offense while fighting them.
• Skewer placement is usually ideal when in front of a hero. This can easily be attained with a Blink Dagger, as it lets you blink in front of your enemy for an easier placement. Invisibility can also be used to your advantage, as you can easily place yourself in front of the target without their knowledge (unless of course they have methods to prevent invisibility).
• Skewer is a good initiation ability in the absence of a Blink Dagger. Use it to position yourself into the middle of an enemy team for Reverse Polarity. Keep in mind that you are not immune to crowd control during Skewer, so wait for the proper time before attempting to use Skewer in this fashion.
• Skewer has a moderately long cooldown, so make sure to use it only when you really need it; otherwise, you will lose either an escape ability, or an offensive cripple.
• Because of Skewer's 140 detection radius around Magnus, it will drag a hero regardless of where Magnus is facing. An approximate indicator of this is the overlapping of Magnus' and the enemies' hero models.
  • This knowledge is useful in the early game, to move a hero to your tower, or before Blink Dagger in general.
  • When near melee range, Shockwave pulls enemies right on top of Magnus. Casting Skewer immediately afterwards will catch and move them to the desired location.
  • Harpoon is excellent for setting up Skewer by pulling enemies into melee range. Use Draw Forth on an enemy and immediately Skewer in the direction you wish to go.

Reverse Polarity

• When planning to cast, place yourself in the middle of as many heroes as you can. The more heroes you disable, the more advantage you gain in the team fight.
  • But don't be too greedy to use your Reverse Polarity on many heroes. Even though it's much better to use Magnus' ultimate on many heroes, it's still good to use Reverse Polarity on the core heroes of the enemy team.
• The enemy targets' designated landing point make it easier for your allies to land their area-of-effect spells.
  • The pull also synergizes well with Magnus' frontal target spells. While your affected targets are stunned in front of you, you can cast Shockwave in a line, cleave with Empower, or trample them with Skewer. Note that only Skewer will displace them from the pulled location.
  • Be mindful of your allies. Skewering immediately after casting Reverse Polarity can make their follow-up abilities miss if they are not expecting it.
• Though very powerful, Reverse Polarity's huge drawback is its cooldown. Use it carefully.
• If possible, pave your way into an area full of enemy heroes with Skewer, then cast Reverse Polarity. Skewer's charge will help you get to the area faster, and will guarantee you stunned targets if you manage to drag heroes with you.
• If you issue a move command just before you cast R.P., you can turn your hero as the animation happens, meaning you can control where the heroes caught in the aoe end up - because they will always be pulled to in front of your hero.
• Reverse Polarity can also pull enemies from the low ground into high ground and vice versa.
• More tips needed.

Horn Toss

• Use Horn Toss near the end of Reverse Polarity's stun to extend the stun and set up for Skewer.
• Horn Toss drops enemies behind Magnus, allowing him to easily Skewer them back toward his allies or drag them out of position.
• Horn Toss can be used to interrupt channeling abilities without committing Reverse Polarity or forcing Magnus to Skewer enemies in an undesirable direction.

Items

Starting items:

• Tango provides health sustain during the laning stage.
• Iron Branch is an item Universal heroes use better than others. It increases Magnus' damage and last hitting ability, and can be planted for extra Tango healing.
• Circlet builds into Bracer or Wraith Band and gives a decent boost to attack damage for Universal heroes like Magnus.

Early game:

• Bottle can save Magnus trips to the fountain, since its mana rejuvenation works well with his low-mana cost abilities. It is crucial if soloing the middle lane, allowing for rune control.
• Magic Wand will not only provide him bonus attributes, but also more sustain.
• Boots of Speed provide movement speed bonus early on, helping Magnus collect runes and perhaps kills.
• Bracer provides all around stats which aid Magnus, and the bonus damage and health regen help him secure last hits and stay in lane.
• Wraith Band provides armor and attack speed in addition to attributes to help Magnus trade blows more effectively.

Mid game:

• Power Treads give attack speed, and can switch between attributes for bonus health, attack speed, or mana as the situation demands.
• Blink Dagger will help Magnus initiate with Reverse Polarity, as well as give him more mobility. Shockwave and Skewer can also be efficiently used after blinking in front of the enemy.
• Harpoon increases Magnus' physical damage considerably with its attribute bonuses and Echo Strike, and Draw Forth combos exceptionally well with Skewer for picking off enemies.

Late game:

• Black King Bar makes it easier for Magnus to use his ultimate, as he can place himself in the middle of heroes without being interrupted. It can also be used so that he can live longer against too many disablers.
• Aghanim's Scepter unlocks Horn Toss, which combos excellently with Skewer to force enemies out of position.
• Refresher Orb gives Magnus more regeneration and the ability to cast his abilities twice, letting him lock down enemies for extended periods of time.

Situational items:

• Force Staff provides additional intelligence so Magnus can use more abilities, as well as more mobility so he can position for Skewer and Reverse Polarity.
• Shadow Blade offers cost effective attack speed and damage increases that synergy with Empower, strong initiation and mobility, and a mediocre escape trough Shadow Walk. It also can be upgraded into Silver Edge to Break enemies.
• Guardian Greaves can be considered for a more support-oriented Magnus to keep his allies healthy and supplied with mana in the middle of fights.
• Aeon Disk greatly increases his survivability and gives him a chance to counter-initiate or escape even if he got caught.
• Heart of Tarrasque makes him more tanky and gives him additional attack damage.
• Mask of Madness will give him a quick boost in attack speed, which could help when he is buffed with Empower.
• Daedalus gives Magnus critical strike, enabling him to deal huge damage without relying on his spells. Empower allows his critical hits to devastate entire teams.
• Assault Cuirass gives Magnus additional attack speed as well as armor, and also debuff his enemies' armor.
• Shiva's Guard gives Magnus an additional nuke and disable once he's in the middle of the enemy team. The armor and Freezing Aura make it good against enemies with strong basic attacks.