Voodoo Festeration Is Dominating Dota 2

Dota 2

20 Jun

Otomo

Thanks to the buffs Voodoo Festeration received in Dota 2 patch 7.36b, Witch Doctor became one of the most prominent supports in both the pro and pub scene. The hero is the second most picked in the game with a coveted 53% win rate.

But why is the Facet so strong? How do you maximize its use? And what the hell does Gris-Gris even mean? you'll learn all that and more in this article.

Everything you need to know about Voodoo Festeration

Witch Doctor Garments of the Devilish Conjurer

It hurts and heals, what else is there? (Credit: Valve)

The facet combines Radiance and Heart of Terrasque at level seven

When looking at Voodoo Festeration, the Facet outputs some pretty amazing numbers.

The spell deals 60 damage in an 850 radius when maxed out. That's the same amount of damage as Radiance but in an even bigger AoE. The facet also heals Witch Doctor for half its value.

A Witch Doctor with Heart of Terrasque needs 2000 health to recover 32 hp a second, Voodoo Festeration does that at level seven regardless of your health.

Not only is that an impressive amount of damage and sustain, but the large AoE makes it easy to catch multiple enemies and burn them all. You can easily deal 120 or 180 damage a second if you catch two or three enemies, a huge DPS boost in the early game.

A lot is going for Voodoo Festeration, especially compared to Witch Doctor's other two facets.

Cleft Death and Headhunter come with some issues

It's not much of a Facet choice when you think about it. (Credit: Valve).

When picking one Facet, it means you're intentionally avoiding another. While all three of Witch Doctor's paths are decent, Cleft Death and Headhunter have issues.

Cleft Death reduces the damage of Death Ward but allows it to target two enemies, which is... kinda nice I guess. In Dota 2 the best thing you can do to an enemy is kill them and kill them quickly.

Dealing reduced damage hurts the hero's pick-off potential. And you won't always benefit from the extra attack either. Cleft Death is just too situational to be useful.

Headhunter on the other hand, is a good upgrade to Casks. Its main issue is that it's not enough of a power spike to take over Voodoo Festeration.

While all three Facets have their uses, destroying the laning stage and dominating the first 15 minutes of the game is too good to pass up.

Witch Doctor's skill build in Dota 2 patch 7.36b

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If you've seen the light and joined the cult of Voodoo Festeration, then it's time to take it a step further and talk about the skill build for the hero.

Naturally, you'll be maxing out Voodoo Restoration and picking it up at each level, the same thing applies to Death Ward.

At level two you'll take a point in Maledict, which works wonderfully with the damage from Voodoo. The real question is whether you take your stun at level four.

A second point in Maledict provides enormous amounts of extra damage, but lacking lockdown can be painful. On the other hand, taking Paralyzing Cask will strain the hero's mana, and it's not exactly an amazing disable.

It's a personal choice, but we recommend at least having one point in your stun by level eight, at this point, you can go back to maxing Maledict.

All talents are worth taking and it comes down to how you play the hero, so experiment and figure out what works best for you.

The best item build to capitalize on Voodoo Festeration

Witch Doctor Foreteller's Oath is pretty cool.

Will you focus on your Facet or ultimate?

There are two paths you can take when buying items for Witch Doctors, each one depends on what skill you will focus on using in the game.

If the enemy can't catch you and you love Death Ward, then Aghanim Scepter and Shard are the items for you, along with an Aether Lens to stay behind and use your ultimate safely.

If maximizing Voodoo Festeration is your goal, you'll want to bulk up with stat and aura items. Guardian Greaves, Crimson Guard, Pipe of Insight, and Holy Locket would be ideal. Check the enemy's draft and pick the best options from the ones we mentioned. Pipe is good against magic lineups but worthless when facing mostly physical damage teams.

It takes more than the right items and skill build to grind MMR but Witch Doctor is one of the easiest heroes to do it with in Dota 2 patch 7.36b. With your skills and our advice, we can't wait to see you in Immortal games.

Featured Image Source: Valve