Welcome! Prepare to dominate The International with the ultimate resurgence of a forgotten powerhouse—Necrophos is back, and he’s ready to crush the competition in Dota 2 Patch 7.39d! Once considered a slow, outdated hero, Necrophos has emerged as a monstrous Position 1 carry, poised to redefine the meta at TI and in your ranked games. This guide unveils the secrets behind his meteoric rise, showcasing a game-changing performance that highlights why Necrophos is the hero to master right now. From innovative item builds like Force Staff before boots to the game-breaking Rapid Decay facet, we’ll break down every detail to help you steamroll lanes, farm efficiently, and secure kills with devastating precision.
Whether you’re aiming for MMR glory or just want to carry your pubs, this 1500+ word guide will arm you with the strategies to make Necrophos an unstoppable force. Let’s dive into the necromantic madness and claim victory with this best Dota 2 Boost Guide!
Why Necrophos is the New Meta King
Necrophos’s resurgence in Patch 7.39d is no fluke—his kit has been refined to exploit the current meta, making him a formidable carry despite his historical weaknesses. Previously sidelined in pro play due to his sluggish 280 movement speed, vulnerability to early ganks, and lack of burst damage without Reaper’s Scythe, Necrophos now thrives with the right build and playstyle. His ability to sustain, deal consistent damage, and scale into a tanky frontline menace makes him a nightmare for opponents when played correctly.
The key to his revival lies in his synergy with specific items and the Rapid Decay facet, which transforms his Ghost Shroud (W) into a mobility and anti-healing powerhouse. This guide draws from an exceptional game where Necrophos, paired with a Shadow Shaman, dominated against a challenging Axe and Dark Willow lane. By leveraging early defensive items, efficient farming, and strategic rotations, Necrophos snowballed into an unstoppable force. Let’s explore how to replicate this success.
Facet and Talent Choices: Maximizing Necrophos’s Potential
Choosing the right facet and talents is critical to unlocking Necrophos’s carry potential. In Patch 7.39d, the Rapid Decay facet is the standout choice over Sadist’s Covenant. Rapid Decay enhances Ghost Shroud, granting Necrophos movement speed based on the amount enemies lose when affected by the ability, while also reducing their heal restoration by up to 90% at max level. This dual effect makes Necrophos stickier in fights and counters heroes reliant on regeneration, such as Juggernaut or Dazzle. The movement speed boost—up to 29 units in the early game and more with scaling—addresses his mobility issues, allowing him to chase or escape effectively.
For talents, prioritize those that amplify his survivability and damage output:
- Level 10: +20 Death Pulse Heal for sustained fights.
- Level 15: +16% Ghost Shroud Slow to enhance Rapid Decay’s mobility advantage.
- Level 20: +15 Heartstopper Aura Regen Reduction for increased teamfight impact.
- Level 25: +20% Reaper’s Scythe Damage/Heal for devastating ultimates.
These choices synergize with Necrophos’s item build, particularly Holy Locket, which amplifies all his healing abilities, including Death Pulse (Q), Ghost Shroud, and Sadist stacks from creep kills. This combination turns Necrophos into a sustain machine capable of outlasting opponents in prolonged engagements.
Laning Stage: Surviving and Thriving
Necrophos’s laning phase as a Position 1 is surprisingly strong when played with discipline. In the highlighted game, Necrophos faced a tough Axe and Dark Willow lane, a matchup that could easily run him down due to Axe’s Battle Hunger and Dark Willow’s crowd control. However, with Shadow Shaman as his support, Necrophos secured farm and avoided early deaths by focusing on last-hitting and denies. His Sadist passive (now available at level one) provides significant HP and mana regeneration when killing creeps or denying, making it crucial to maximize CS and denies early on.
Skill prioritization is key. Start with Death Pulse (Q) for poke and sustain, but consider an early point in Ghost Shroud (W) at level two or three if facing kill pressure from stuns or Battle Hunger. Ghost Shroud’s 50% heal amplification, combined with Magic Wand charges, can turn a potential death into a full heal. In this game, Necrophos opted for Heartstopper Aura (E) early, which is situational but effective for passive lane pressure. However, holding a skill point at level two can be wise to adapt to the lane’s dynamics, ensuring you have Ghost Shroud ready for gank attempts.
Avoid using Death Pulse to farm neutral camps early unless securing contested creeps, as its 130-mana cost can deplete your mana pool quickly. Instead, focus on lane creeps and use Raindrops to mitigate mana issues, as seen in the game. Necrophos’s early item build—Fluffy Hat, Bracer, and Magic Wand—provided crucial defensive stats to survive Axe’s aggression, proving that defensive items are essential before rushing Radiance.
Item Build: The Power of Force Staff and Holy Locket
Necrophos’s itemization in Patch 7.39d is what makes him a broken carry. The game showcased an unconventional build: Force Staff before boots, followed by Boots of Travel (BoT), Holy Locket, and Radiance. This build prioritizes mobility, sustain, and farming efficiency, addressing Necrophos’s core weaknesses.
Early Game Items
- Fluffy Hat, Bracer, and Raindrops: These provide HP, armor, and mana regeneration, making Necrophos harder to gank. Raindrops are particularly effective for sustaining Death Pulse usage.
- Magic Wand: Essential for burst healing with Ghost Shroud, especially when stacked with charges from high-spell lanes like Dark Willow.
Core Items
- Force Staff: A game-changer for Necrophos, addressing his 280 movement speed. It allows him to reposition for Reaper’s Scythe, chase enemies, or escape ganks. In the game, Force Staff enabled a key TP mid to secure kills, showcasing its tempo-defining potential.
- Holy Locket: Amplifies all healing sources—Death Pulse, Ghost Shroud, Sadist, and Rapid Decay—making Necrophos nearly unkillable in fights. It also enhances the anti-healing effect of Rapid Decay, crippling enemies’ regeneration.
- Radiance: A farming accelerator that allows Necrophos to clear camps and waves efficiently by dragging them together. With Radiance, two Death Pulses can clear stacked camps, boosting his gold and experience gain.
Situational Items
- Boots of Travel: Chosen in the game for map presence, allowing Necrophos to farm multiple lanes and join fights. Phase Boots are a viable alternative for early armor and chase potential.
- Shard: Grants a second Death Pulse that travels with Necrophos, improving wave-clear and mobility. It’s particularly effective without Radiance for one-shotting creep waves.
- Black King Bar (BKB): Now compatible with Ghost Shroud, BKB counters heavy magic damage and crowd control, ensuring Necrophos can stay in fights.
- Sange and Yasha: Offers HP, status resistance, and movement speed, making it a strong alternative to Kaya and Sange for durability and chase potential.
This build avoids the outdated Radiance rush without defensive items, which leaves Necrophos vulnerable to ganks. Instead, it balances survivability, mobility, and farming power, making him a versatile carry.
Farming and Map Play: Hyper-Efficiency is Key
Necrophos excels at farming when left unchecked, and Patch 7.39d enhances this strength. The game demonstrated his ability to farm lane creeps and neutral camps simultaneously by dragging them together, leveraging Sadist and Radiance for near-zero cost. This hyper-efficiency is critical—avoid over-rotating to gank unless you have a high kill probability, as Necrophos thrives on securing resources early.
In the highlighted match, Necrophos stacked camps and used Death Pulse sparingly to secure large creeps, maintaining mana for fights. His Boots of Travel allowed him to farm multiple lanes and join fights, maximizing his tempo. When farming, prioritize lane creeps over neutrals unless contesting camps, and use Death Pulse to secure high-value targets like large camps. Stacking camps, as seen in the game, further amplifies your farm, especially with Radiance’s area damage.
When rotating, use Force Staff and Rapid Decay’s movement speed to close gaps or escape. The game showed Necrophos TPing mid with Force Staff to chase an Invoker, though the kill was missed due to early-game damage limitations. To avoid this, ensure your rotations are backed by allied setup (e.g., Shadow Shaman’s Shackles) or wait for Reaper’s Scythe to secure kills.
Teamfight Strategy: Frontline Menace
In teamfights, Necrophos shines as a durable frontline carry who sustains through healing and punishes with Reaper’s Scythe. Position yourself to maximize Death Pulse’s area damage and healing, using Ghost Shroud to amplify your survivability. The game showcased a critical moment where Necrophos survived an Axe Call by instantly using Ghost Shroud, Death Pulse, and a triple Lotus Orb, restoring nearly full health. This combo, paired with Holy Locket, makes him incredibly hard to kill.
When using Reaper’s Scythe, prioritize high-value targets like cores, but avoid wasting it on guaranteed kills. The permanent HP and mana regeneration (2 HP and 1 mana per kill) significantly boosts your sustainability, especially the mana regen, which equates to a 20-25% increase early on. Save Force Staff for repositioning to land Scythe or escape chain stuns, and use Shard’s second Death Pulse to maintain pressure in prolonged fights.
Against physical damage-heavy teams, consider Shiva’s Guard to address Necrophos’s armor issues, as seen in games against heroes like Sven. For late-game scenarios, items like Sange and Yasha, Heart of Tarrasque, or Scythe of Vyse provide the HP and utility to remain a frontline threat.
Countering Necrophos’s Weaknesses
Despite his strengths, Necrophos remains vulnerable to early ganks and mobility issues. To counter these:
- Early Ganks: Build defensive items like Bracer and Magic Wand, and use Ghost Shroud proactively against kill combos like Axe’s Battle Hunger.
- Mobility: Force Staff, Shard, and Rapid Decay mitigate his 280 movement speed, while Boots of Travel or Phase Boots enhance map presence.
- Lack of Burst: Rely on allied setup for early kills and save Reaper’s Scythe for high-impact targets to maximize its value.
In the game, Necrophos’s synergy with Shadow Shaman was suboptimal, highlighting the importance of pairing him with supports like Dazzle, who amplify his healing and survivability. When drafting Necrophos, communicate with your team to secure a strong laning partner.
Conclusion
Necrophos in Patch 7.39d is a broken Position 1 carry ready to dominate TI and your ranked games, you can see this in this amazing Dota 2 Boost Guide. His Rapid Decay facet, combined with a flexible item build featuring Force Staff, Holy Locket, and Radiance, transforms him into a hyper-efficient farmer and teamfight menace. By mastering his laning, farming, and teamfight strategies, you can exploit his sustain and scaling to crush opponents. Avoid common pitfalls like over-rotating or rushing Radiance without defensive items, and prioritize mobility and survivability to overcome his weaknesses. With this guide, you’re equipped to make Necrophos the star of your Dota 2 journey—now go forth and reap the rewards on the Rift!
