How To Deward Enemy Wards Fast A Comprehensive Guide
Dota 2, a game of intricate strategies and lightning-fast decisions, hinges significantly on vision control. Wards, the silent sentinels of the battlefield, provide invaluable information about enemy movements, positioning, and gank attempts. Denying the enemy this vision, or dewarding, is crucial for gaining a competitive edge. This comprehensive guide will delve into the art of dewarding, providing you with the knowledge and techniques to dismantle enemy wards effectively and efficiently, aiming for that impressive 800 deward score.
The Importance of Dewarding in Dota 2
Dewarding is far more than just clearing the map of enemy wards; it's about gaining a strategic advantage. When you effectively remove enemy vision, you create opportunities for your team to make plays, secure objectives, and control the flow of the game. Consider these key benefits:
- Ganking and Pickoffs: With enemy vision diminished, your team can move around the map more freely, setting up successful ganks and picking off vulnerable heroes. Surprise is a powerful weapon in Dota 2, and dewarding is the key to unlocking it.
- Objective Control: Wards around Roshan, towers, and other strategic locations provide the enemy with vital information. By dewarding these areas, you can secure objectives more safely and deny the enemy crucial map control.
- Farming Efficiency: If the enemy has vision of your jungle or lane, they can pressure you and make it difficult to farm effectively. Dewarding allows you to farm in peace, maximizing your gold and experience gain.
- Information Advantage: Removing enemy wards not only denies them vision but also provides you with valuable information. Knowing where the enemy doesn't have vision is just as important as knowing where they do. This information can help you make informed decisions about your movements and strategies.
- Psychological Impact: Constantly dewarding the enemy can be demoralizing. It makes them feel like they have no control over the map and can lead to mistakes and poor decision-making.
In essence, dewarding is an investment in map control, objective security, and overall strategic advantage. Mastering this skill is essential for climbing the Dota 2 ranks and achieving victory.
Understanding Warding Spots and Patterns
To effectively deward, you need to understand where enemies are likely to place their wards. This involves familiarizing yourself with common warding spots and recognizing the patterns that enemies tend to follow. Here are some key areas to focus on:
- High Ground: High ground provides a significant vision advantage, so enemies will often place wards on high ground spots overlooking important areas like Roshan, rune spawns, and jungle camps. These are often the first places you should check when dewarding.
- Rune Spawns: River rune spawns are crucial for controlling the early to mid-game. Enemies will often ward these areas to track rune timings and prevent ganks. Keep an eye out for wards placed near the rune spots or on the high ground overlooking them.
- Jungle Entrances: Wards placed at the entrances to your jungle can provide the enemy with information about your movements and farming patterns. Dewarding these areas will allow you to farm more safely and prevent ganks.
- Tower Coverage: Enemies often place wards near towers to provide vision for defensive purposes and to spot incoming pushes. Check for wards behind towers, on nearby high ground, and in the trees surrounding the tower.
- Offensive Wards: These wards are placed deep in enemy territory to provide vision of their movements, farming patterns, and jungle camps. They are often placed in high-traffic areas or near strategic locations like the enemy Secret Shop.
Beyond specific locations, recognizing patterns is key. For example, if you notice the enemy supports are consistently warding the same area, you can predict where they will place their next ward and counter it. Pay attention to the game timer, as warding patterns often change depending on the stage of the game. Early game wards are often placed defensively, while mid to late game wards tend to be more offensive.
By understanding warding spots and patterns, you can develop a mental map of likely ward locations, making your dewarding efforts more efficient and effective. Remember, anticipation is half the battle when it comes to dewarding.
Tools of the Trade: Items and Abilities for Dewarding
Dewarding is not just about knowing where to look; it's also about having the right tools for the job. Several items and abilities can significantly enhance your dewarding capabilities. Understanding these tools is crucial for maximizing your efficiency and clearing those wards quickly.
- Sentry Wards: The primary tool for dewarding. Sentry Wards provide true sight in a radius, revealing invisible units and wards. They are essential for any dewarding effort. Always carry a few Sentry Wards with you, especially when playing a support role.
- Observer Wards: While not directly used for dewarding, Observer Wards are crucial for providing your team with vision while you deward. Placing an Observer Ward in a strategic location before dewarding can help you avoid ganks and ensure your safety.
- Dust of Appearance: Dust of Appearance reveals invisible units in a small area around you. While not as reliable as Sentry Wards for dewarding, Dust can be useful for checking suspicious areas or for revealing enemy heroes who are trying to sneak in and out of the area.
- Gem of True Sight: The Gem of True Sight provides true sight in a larger radius than Sentry Wards, but it comes with a significant risk. If you die while carrying the Gem, the enemy can pick it up and gain true sight for themselves. Only carry the Gem if you are confident in your ability to survive and protect it.
- Quelling Blade/Iron Talon: These items can be used to quickly cut down trees, opening up new paths and revealing wards that are hidden in the trees. This is especially useful for dewarding jungle areas and high ground spots.
- Hero Abilities: Some heroes have abilities that can help with dewarding. For example, Bounty Hunter's Track reveals invisible units, Slardar's Amplify Damage reduces armor and can reveal wards, and Beastmaster's Hawk provides flying vision.
Choosing the right tools for the job is essential for effective dewarding. Sentry Wards are the foundation, but other items and abilities can supplement your efforts and make you a more efficient dewarder. Don't be afraid to experiment and find what works best for you and your team.
Techniques for Efficient Dewarding
Now that you understand the importance of dewarding, common warding spots, and the tools available, let's delve into specific techniques for efficient dewarding. These techniques will help you maximize your dewarding output and reach that 800 ward score:
- Preemptive Dewarding: Don't wait for the enemy to place wards before you start dewarding. Identify common warding spots and place Sentry Wards proactively. This can deny the enemy vision before they even have a chance to place their wards.
- Strategic Sentry Placement: Don't just randomly place Sentry Wards. Think about the areas you want to control and place your Sentries strategically to cover those areas. Consider the vision range of the Sentry Ward and place it in a position that maximizes its coverage.
- Use Observer Wards for Vision: As mentioned earlier, placing an Observer Ward before dewarding can help you avoid ganks and ensure your safety. Place an Observer Ward in a safe location that provides vision of the area you are dewarding.
- Cutting Trees: Many wards are placed in trees, so cutting down trees can be an effective way to reveal them. Use Quelling Blade or Iron Talon to quickly cut down trees in suspicious areas.
- Stacking Sentries: In certain situations, stacking Sentry Wards can be beneficial. For example, if you suspect there are multiple wards in a small area, placing two Sentries on top of each other can increase your chances of revealing them all.
- Communicate with Your Team: Dewarding is a team effort. Communicate with your team about where you are dewarding and where you suspect the enemy has wards. Your teammates can provide valuable information and help you stay safe.
- Use Minimap Awareness: Pay attention to the minimap for clues about enemy movements and ward placements. If you see the enemy supports moving towards a particular area, it's likely they are going to place a ward there.
- Timing is Key: Dewarding is most effective when done at the right time. For example, dewarding before a Roshan attempt or before a major team fight can give your team a significant advantage.
- Adapt to the Game: Dewarding is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. You need to adapt your dewarding efforts to the specific game you are playing. Consider the enemy heroes, their warding patterns, and the overall flow of the game.
By mastering these techniques, you can become a dewarding expert and significantly impact the outcome of your games.
Advanced Dewarding Strategies
Once you've mastered the basic techniques, you can start incorporating advanced strategies into your dewarding repertoire. These strategies will help you outsmart your opponents and gain a significant edge in vision control:
- Predicting Ward Placements: Pay attention to the enemy's movements and tendencies. If you consistently see them warding in the same spots, you can start to predict their ward placements and counter them proactively.
- Baiting Wards: Sometimes, you can bait the enemy into placing wards in predictable locations by deliberately showing yourself in certain areas. This allows you to then deward those areas easily.
- Using Smokes of Deceit: Smokes of Deceit can be used to sneak into enemy territory and deward without being seen. This is especially useful for dewarding offensive wards and gaining deep vision.
- Counter-Warding: If you know the enemy has placed a Sentry Ward, you can place your own Sentry Ward nearby to deward it. This is known as counter-warding and can deny the enemy vision in crucial areas.
- Dewarding During Team Fights: Dewarding during team fights can be risky, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. If you can deward a key area during a fight, you can deny the enemy vision and give your team a significant advantage.
- Exploiting Map Imbalances: Some areas of the map are easier to ward than others. If you identify these imbalances, you can exploit them by placing your wards in difficult-to-deward spots and denying the enemy vision in those areas.
- Thinking Like a Support: To effectively deward, you need to think like a support player. Understand the motivations behind ward placements and anticipate the enemy's next move.
Advanced dewarding strategies require a deep understanding of the game and a keen awareness of your opponents' tendencies. By mastering these strategies, you can elevate your dewarding game to the next level.
Reaching the 800 Dewarding Score: Tips and Tricks
Achieving an 800 dewarding score in a single game is a challenging but attainable goal. It requires a combination of skill, strategy, and relentless dedication to clearing enemy vision. Here are some tips and tricks to help you reach that milestone:
- Prioritize Dewarding: Make dewarding a priority throughout the game. Don't just deward when you have nothing else to do; actively seek out enemy wards and destroy them whenever possible.
- Start Early: Begin dewarding from the early game. The more wards you destroy early on, the more you will snowball your dewarding score.
- Be Efficient: Maximize your dewarding efficiency by using the techniques and strategies outlined in this guide. The faster you can deward, the more wards you can destroy.
- Track Enemy Vision: Keep a mental note of where you've seen the enemy place wards. This will help you anticipate their next ward placements and counter them proactively.
- Use Scan Wisely: The Scan ability can be a valuable tool for finding hidden wards. Use Scan strategically to check suspicious areas and reveal invisible wards.
- Don't Be Afraid to Spend Gold: Dewarding requires an investment in Sentry Wards and other items. Don't be afraid to spend gold on these items; the benefits of dewarding far outweigh the cost.
- Play Support Roles: Support roles are typically responsible for dewarding, so playing support will give you more opportunities to rack up a high dewarding score.
- Practice Makes Perfect: The more you practice dewarding, the better you will become. Play games with the specific goal of dewarding and experiment with different techniques and strategies.
- Watch Replays: Watch replays of your games to identify areas where you could have dewarded more effectively. Learn from your mistakes and improve your dewarding skills.
Reaching an 800 dewarding score is a testament to your dedication and skill. By following these tips and tricks, you can achieve this impressive feat and become a true dewarding master.
Conclusion
Dewarding is a critical skill in Dota 2, and mastering it can significantly impact your success in the game. By understanding the importance of dewarding, common warding spots, available tools, and effective techniques, you can become a formidable dewarder and control the vision on the battlefield. Whether you're aiming for that elusive 800 dewarding score or simply trying to improve your game, the knowledge and strategies outlined in this guide will help you achieve your goals. So, embrace the art of dewarding, practice your skills, and dominate the Dota 2 landscape with your superior vision control.