The new Aghanim’s Scepters may be the wildest part of Dota 2 7.23 and these three abilities are the most absurd of them all.
Dota 2’s newest update has a lot to dig into. Massive building and mechanics changes point towards longer games, which means more chances to pick up a luxury item like Aghanim’s Scepter. Several heroes got buffs, nerfs, or reworks to their 4,200-gold powerup, but three in particular stand out as having a ton of potential. These are the best new Aghanim’s Scepters to try out in 7.23.
Hitch a Ride seems like a joke spell at first glance. Centaur is usually in the thick of the fight, exactly where ranged cores like Sniper and Drow Ranger don’t want to be. The model used for the cart is also a bit ugly and comes with a wild graphical glitch, but Centaur Warrunner’s new 7.32 Aghanim’s Scepter is genuinely a useful tool. It’s also versatile with clear synergies with Stampede and Blink Dagger.
It seems intended for offensive use and it shines in that role. Suddenly blinking in with a six-slotted carry on your back is a fun way to win a fight, but it also works well as a defensive tool. Centaur can target stunned units and pull them away from the fight, as demonstrated in the video above. Tanky carries with attack modifiers like Medusa and Troll Warlord works surprisingly well with Hitch A Ride.
Clockwerk is like many Dota 2 heroes in that their spells are extremely strong only in certain situations. Battery Assault is only useful for one or two targets, and Cogs are great until you trap yourself with a dangerous melee carry. Clockwerk’s new Aghanim’s Scepter will applies huge buffs to all his skills in 7.23 at a price.
With Overclock active, Battery Assault now targets all nearby units. This makes him a situational counter to illusion heroes like Phantom Lancer and Naga Siren. Rocket Flare becomes massive while Cogs grants more than two Moon Shard worth of attack speed. Finally, Hookshot stuns everyone in an area. While usually more subtle in the late game, Clockwerk can now take on a bunch of new opponents. Unfortunately, the long self-stun at the end of Overclock is still there.
Doom’s Aghanim’s Scepter is strange on paper, but it opens up a ton of new possibilities for the hero. Fragile cores like Puck and Storm Spirit usually opt for a Linken’s Sphere to counter Doom, but the new Scepter turns the classic dynamic on its head by making it an AOE spell.
This change notably fixes two major problems for Doom. The first is Linken’s Sphere, as well as Lotus Orb to a lesser extent. The second is initiation speed, as blinking into a target while Doomed applies it automatically. There’s no reaction time to respond with blinks, Lotus, or even Manta Style. Support Doom has already started appearing in pro games, and this only buffs the hero’s potential.
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