Theres no place that's always up to date as far as I know, especially not for the less played heroes. If you look at a specific hero on Dotabuff it shows the most brought items this week and the guides tab shows you the builds that Very High Skill players used in recent games. Obviously some of these builds wont be that good or will be specific to that particular game but its the closest thing to an "Up-to-date" guide that youre likely to find.
Knowing what items to get in which game is something that also comes with time. If you're a carry and the enemy has some hero that relies on evasion (PA, Wind, etc) then obviously MKB is the best choice. If they have mostly magi damage nukers then you get a BKB. Other things are more difficult to chose. If you want to remove silences you could go Manta, but manta is just bad on some heroes so maybe you would rather get a bkb or a Euls. Linkens, Diffusal, Ghost Scepter, BKB, MKB, Manta, Euls, Silver's Edge and Halberd are all situational items on certain heroes that you may or may not build depending on each game.
For drafting, I cant really help. Some things are obvious, like everyone knows that Nyx counters Pugna, but things like Phoenix countering Lone Druid are less obvious at first.
about itemizations
sites are outdated and garbage in general, same as most guides. i think the way to go is to eventually open games u see in Watch tab, check the itemization ppl have there for 5 seconds, and just close it back. its not time-consuming.
later you'll learn to make ur own itemization decisions depending on who you paly with and against, and how the match goes in general.
I sort of worded it wrong in my post. I tend to shy away from items like solar crest, glimmer capes, and halberds etc necause im not exactly sure WHEN in the match is the best time for it.
I play mostly carry, but ill support or mid or roam if my team goes lets say pa spec and jugg 1st 2nd and 3rd pick like you know they do sometimes.
I just dont really know if i prioritize mkb over lets say battlefury on jugg, things like that. I feel like if i just get the bf i can get the mkb and have both sooner, but sometimes its too late.
Also in my experience a rushed bkb is a bad thing because 5 second bkb is significantly less dominating in the mid game
Its sometimes difficult to judge if you got battlefury or MKB first. Battlefury is preferable because obviously it will let you farm the MKB faster but sometimes you need that MKB right away. It changes per game. If the person you're buying MKB for is behind or you can kill him with magic damage then get the battlefury. But if they are doing well or you're already struggling to kill them get the MKB. You'd rather farm a bit slower then lose in the next 5 minutes.
I also don't like getting bkb early unless you really really need it. (actually I don't like getting bkb in general but sometimes you have to)
Items like Halberd, Glimmer and solar are somewhat situational. It depends a lot on your hero, the enemy hero and how you're doing. For example, halberd you would only really buy as a right-click core and preferably you want to be a strength hero. You get it against enemy right-clickers who really don't want to get a bkb (EG Husk) or heroes who wont be able to activate the bkb when you use the halberd (eg: You could halberd legion while she duels and she cant remove it with bkb till the duel ends). You also don't really want to get a halberd unless youre a bit behind. If you're farming well, other more expensive items would do more, especially if youre the main carry.
Solar crest I only ever get if I already needed a medallion for the minus armour and if I think a bit of evasion could be useful. Heroes like Dazzle and Venge get medallion naturally and if the enemy has a lot of right clickers, solar is a logical upgrade.
Glimmer you get mainly as a sup. Cores usually get SB if they want invis. Its only good if you don't already have another invis hero or item on your team. And its a cheap way for heroes like WD and CM to protect themselves while chanelling their ults. I also like it on Wyvern and other supports who try keep their allies alive.
These items are usually better earlier when the enemy don't have the money or items to deal with them but they can still be okay pickups later on when the enemy doesn't have the slots to carry items to deal with it. (Late game if the enemy doesn't have a gem glimmer can be great because the cores wont have space for dust and sometimes the supps wont either)
Thanks man. Very informative. I shall go forth to victory in my dotes tonight following your teachings.
Please sign in to post comments.
Tl:dr - looking for up to date itemization/drafting guides. And maybe people to learn more from.
This wasnt meant to be a wall of text, sorry.
Im god awful at drafting. That being said, i can tell when my team needs disables and i can tell when we lack good damage.
Im awful after itemization, which is why for the MOST part, i just follow suggested guides. Ill throw in an early manta if im facing a lot of silence, or mkb if evasion etc.
Is there an up to date website anywhere that has detailed guides on when to prioritize what?
Reddit has a somewhat outdated one, also i dont like having to shower after i leave that website. Liquid dota also has one from like 2014 or something.
I used to play with people but i quit once i started the job that i have now so im pretty much on my own now *sniffle*