LogFAQs > #964267686

Second up:

Unclassified: Techies (ranged Intelligence)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/5/1/AAAACbAADIbX.jpg
Abilities: Sticky Bomb, Reactive Tazer, Blast Off!, Minefield Sign, Proximity Mines
Shard upgrade: Upgrades Blast Off! to stun on effect for 1.75 seconds, and increases its cast range by 300.
Scepter upgrade: Upgrades Reactive Tazer, allowing it to be cast on allies at 500 range. Reactive Tazer now deals 300 magical damage on the final explosion.
7.31/7.31b talent changes: 15- Blast Off damage talent reduced from 300 to 200. 20- Blast Off cooldown reduction talent reduced from -22s to -15s. 25- Mine Movement Speed talent changed to -0.8s activation timer for Proximity Mines. Yes, they still have the "+252 damage" talent.

Okay, so, I've put this one off long enough. Techies has mostly lost their unique identity as feast-or-famine area denial, and has instead become a potent, spammy area magic-damage teamfight initiator with some actual counterplay. Let's go over their abilities in a bit more detail.

Sticky Bomb is, in essence, a low cooldown artillery shell - if Mortar Team ever made an appearance in the Dota of Eld, this would've likely been one of their primary abilities; alas, it's stuck on Techies, and does several things well. First, it provides a small circle of ground vision of the area where it lands. Next, it waits for a two second activation delay before exploding; if an enemy is hit by it at any point during this activation delay, the mine will latch on to the target, slow them for 1.2 seconds, and then explode, causing damage and slow in an area around the bomb. This explosion can't be disjointed when latched, leading to fun stuff such as an Anti-mage blinking into his team and exploding them in kind.

Reactive Tazer is primarily a defensive ability that speeds up Techies (or, with a Scepter, an ally of Techies) while disarming anyone who attacks them during the chargeup. At the end of the duration, the Tazer explodes and further disarms (and, with a Scepter, damages) anyone in a radius around it.

Blast Off! is slightly changed. It now gets stopped by Leash effects (as it SHOULD have for years) but still deals significant area damage and silence - 500 damage at max level instead of 600, though. Techies no longer consumes their max health as extra ammunition for it, instead using their current health, which can be further reduced through magic resistance, and the amount of health consumed lowers as the ability is leveled. Blast Off! also had its cooldown scale down at max level, hence the talent nerf at 20. As one final added upside (or downside) Techies can no longer suicide by using the ability.

Minefield Sign does literally nothing but psychological damage, both ingame and to owners of the Techies arcana. Serves them right.

Proximity Mines are now their ultimate and much more potent as a result. Their placement functions as before, but they explode in a wider area; they will still reveal themselves if their effective radius is stepped in, but are otherwise invisible, even to True Sight. What's more, they will reduce magic resistance on anyone they damage (before damaging them.) Plus they're still permanent until exploded. What, you thought none of Techies old legacy would have stayed?

Despite "having the soul sucked out of them," Techies is still somewhat fun in their own way, being able to actually deal early game damage and farm waves, or also show up to a teamfight in a meta where they happen all the time, and current Techies would probably be higher up on the list as a solid middle/high if I didn't condemn them to hellfire at this point, but eh. It *is* kind of fun to have another Initiator that doesn't require a Blink Dagger, after all.

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