Sniper players have found a devastating new build that uses the new Wraith Band to maximum effect.
Wraith Bands are a useful item on almost every agility core. In addition to a good chunk of agility, they grant a nice boost to strength, intelligence, armor, and attack speed. Sniper in particular greatly benefits from all the stats, which conveniently double past the 25-minute mark. The build is growing increasingly popular at low MMRs thanks to its powerful damage output and very strong mid game.
The build relies on one of the biggest changes added in patch 7.31. Wraith Bands, Null Talismans, and Bracers now double all of their stats after 25 minutes. Once the sun sets on the third day-night cycle, Wraith Bands double to 10 agility, 10 attack speed, four armor, and four secondary stats. Multiply that by five, and Snipers can boost up to 50 bonus agility and 100 attack speed from barely more than the price of a Blink Dagger.
This build idea works with tons of heroes, but Sniper is particularly suited to Wraith Band stacking. His main drawback in the laning phase is his low damage, but a few Wraith Bands put him on par with most potential opponents. Take Aim’s active component further boosts his damage, and the three-second duration greatly rewards attack speed. His Aghanim’s Shard Concussive Grenade functions as a cheap defensive option that doesn’t take up an item slot.
How to build Wraith Band Sniper in Dota 2 7.31
The new Sniper build is all about stacking Wraith Bands, but there’s a little more nuance to it than meets the eye.
This Sniper build generally goes mid, but it can also work as a safe lane carry. Of course, the first step is to start putting Wraith Bands together. At 505 gold each, it’s easy for Sniper to grab one every two minutes or so. Sniper still needs to go boots, and Power Treads is the obvious option. 10 agility is another big damage and attack speed boost. From there, fill the other five slots with Wraith Bands.
The ideal timing for all of this is to have four Wraith Bands and Power Treads around the 12-minute mark, but a little later is okay. Five Wraith Bands is an option, but it’s important to note that players should almost immediately start replacing them as soon as possible. If you think you’ll get a big expensive item before the 25-minute mark, stick with just four.
As for those replacements, Wraith Bands can’t win a game on their own. Since this build is all about agility, Swift Blink is one of the more popular options. When activated, Swift Blink grants an incredible total of 60 agility. It functions as both an offensive and defensive item while also speeding up farming. From there, standard Sniper items like Hurricane Pike, Satanic, and Black King Bar are good choices. This build does so much damage that gold is better spent on keeping yourself alive.
