Stacking camps is vogue once again in Dota 2, but there’s a high skill ceiling when it comes to this seemingly unremarkable tactic.
Anybody can stack one camp, sure. Heroes that have illusions or a long-range spell can stack a couple of camps at the top of each minute. But heroes that have both of these tools can potentially stack up to six camps at once.
Not many heroes can pull this off, and the only hero that can do it without a Manta Style is Shadow Demon. On the dire side, the common support hero is capable of stacking up to six camps at once using just his spells and a bit of micro skill. A video of how to do this can be found here, but here’s the step-by-step for those who still can’t quite grasp it.
How to stack six camps at once with Shadow Demon
Use Shadow Poison on medium camp below top tier-two tower
Use Disruption on self to stop pursuit
Micro illusions to stack small and medium camps by tier-one tower
Use Shadow Poison to stack medium camp near mid tier-one tower
Activate Shadow Poison to pull first medium camp
Use Shadow Poison to stack remaining hard camps
From a macro perspective, this trick is very easy to pull off as Shadow Demon can start doing it from just level two, doesn’t need to expend much mana, and doesn’t need any specific items in order to complete the stack. From a micro perspective it’s a bit intensive, but nothing too difficult.
This technique is strong, but isn’t reliable when stacking a camp more than once. Depending on the neutrals that spawn, units can trip over one another and form a line that prevents camps from stacking. The technique can still be used, but won’t have the same yields as it does on the first go.
Regardless, players can find some value in this tactic. Even if they don’t play Shadow Demon often enough to find this technique worth drilling, stacking the four camps between the top tier-two and mid tier-one towers is quite easy and can help carries to finish farming important items more quickly.
How do you stack ancients in Dota 2?
Stacking ancient camps in Dota 2 is no different than stacking any other camp. Players simply need to attack or move near the ancient creeps at a specific time, run away, and lure them off of their spawning area so that they’re completely outside of the camp at the start of each minute on the game timer. If done correctly, another batch of creeps will spawn without killing the first ancients. This is how you stack ancients.
This Shadow Demon technique does not stack ancient camps, so players will still need to dedicate time specifically to stacking ancients.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
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