Captain of the Lich King

Good strategy, its very in-depth. I like the idea of using a blink dagger with this hero. 9/10

2nd woot.

yeah, the blink dagger idea is really good.

10/10 :D

also, why would lune be an easy hero to kill, all she needs to do is ulti if its 1v1 and gg

Old school Lich build but still powerful effective. Dagger is undeniably a "must" for Lich . Slightly diff priority skill build from mine. Just priority which mine is FN first then DR. Everything is exactly the same. I really love the Frost Armor buff. kewl!! icefro rocks!!

What if his enemies had ' Hood of Deviance '?

Very detailed thought-out guide. The only things I didn't like was the bias that you are assumed to be Scourge (yes you did point out that its not always so but it was continuously Scourge based references) and some of the typical support hero tactics you threw in that could really apply to any hero.

Still a good guide, recommend Shiva's Guard or Refresher Orb as additional item options. 10/10 from me.

very detailed guide,full of links of infos,covers fully about survivability as well as good start.nice supporting lich.however,i believe that EoS is much a better option rather than aghanim,since people will focus more on survivability later on,and extra 100 damage to each bounce isnt really helpful as major pushes are commencing.i also prefer necro rather than euls/gsv but,you do have your point that 3sec disable is priceless.9/10

Amazing job!! Well done! 10/10!!
That tip about taking dark ritual at lvl 1 is nice. Lot of details, emphasis on certain phrases and even quotes!!! You must have put a lot of blood and sweat into this guide...
I think you should also add the ring of basilus as a potential early game item. Reasons: Gives armor to everyone thus synergizing nicely with frost armor and mekansm. Cheap. If you are laned with a nuker it improves all round mana regen even if you dont need it. In pushes it makes your creeps tougher and gives them +3 armor which is 1 more than mekansm, AND you have to hit mekansm for that... All ths for just 500. Why not? Another potential after core build item I suggest is Shiva's Guard. Gives you mondo mega armor again synergy, etc. etc. Gives you and extra AoE slow to keep enemies in chain frost bounce range and adds some minor AoE damage. Makes life even more miserable for DPS heros because of the attack spd. slow aura which BTW synergizes when melee heros hit a unit with frost armor or even to an extent, ranged heroes.
Again 2 thumbs up!! And keep up the good work.

Yea i agree wit everyone else!! very in-depth and helpful staregy!

but i do agree that 1v1 luna would own you with her ulti early!!

9/10

Great guide, very detailed. Understandable for noobs.
And the item build are same with mine. 10/10

Very nice guide; but as you said, it is still not truly finished. Being too lazy to finish(or even start lol) my own Lich guide, I'd like to pour all the info and screenshots I acquired into this guide. If you don't mind old man Orochi helping out lol.

I recommend refresher orb. SPAM like wild!

refresher orb is qite good... since once u reach lv16, u'd have a lot of mana.. i used and do 2 ultis at once and 2 times ulti, once will hit at least twice.. means 4 times the dmg hahahha

all that recommend refresher

it sucks
its expensive
it doesnt pawn on lich
it doesnt give any hell of survivability
60 sec CD ulti is not worth refreshing
you can use the money and grab linken instead

Is Shiva's guard recommended for lich?

woah... very in-depth. great blink dagger idea... 10/10

Wow, this guide is very well detailed and complete, I can't really find anything wrong with this. 10/10

@16
shiva is nice but its also expensive.armor is quite not needed since caspian includes mek as well as usage of frost armour.but it is a good item anyway.

i love the format :D
10/10

refresher orb is qite good... since once u reach lv16, u'd have a lot of mana.. i used and do 2 ultis at once and 2 times ulti, once will hit at least twice.. means 4 times the dmg hahahha

@everyone

Thanks for the compliment.

@refresher orb question
I think it's an okay item but you should not really rush for it. Getting a guinsoo/orchid (if you want) helps your teammates more than aiming for double chain frost. 60-second cooldown compared to 210-second is also quite a wide gap that tells you refresher orb on the lich is really taking a chance that may or may not exist. If you miscalculate your opportunity you'd really waste your refresh ability.

wow..there are many comments and suggestions,is guinsoo great for lich too?since he has no disabling spell,(only CF has that ministun)i prefer to have guinsoo(euls)rather than dagger first..since it has the additional int. and mana regeneration and you can survive with it, what do you think?
but all in all, i like your strategy, mostly on the level one DR..
enjoy your New year..

wow... really detailed and well-thoughted out. My first time leaving a comment becuz u've done such a good job in this strat 10/10

Wow, the most in-depth guide I've ever seen on this site 9/10! Very good work

I do have to say a shiva could be an optional item.

wow that was a nice strat...
no complaint at all..lols
10/10 for me..

Well written strategy. Easy to follow, well explained, very indepth and it makes sense. You have also included the possibilities of what if scenarios making the strat more realistic and have a considered many aspects. Item build is a bit old school though. I prefer shiva's guard for a combat lich as i can deal a massive amount of aoe damage like:

Shiva's guard+
Frost nova+
Chain frost nova=

Carnage.

overall a very nice strat.
10/10

u can also have dark seer...
vaccum + chain frost!! boomm

what a strategy 10/10 ^^v keep up the strategy!

Kelen's dagger is weird... at the very least. I would recommend Shiva's Guard: Why? You have frost armor already, and a gigantic damage reduction from it, however more Int and more armor and never a bad deal. And Shiva is good for running away or snaring them - it slows them down, if you save the item spell for last. Not to mention the -AS aura is more than useful!

Consider adding it as an optional item. Also, I'm not sure if I agree with Mekansm... The Lich isn't exactly Dirge, he can dish out some serious damage (contingent on the fact you play him well).

My favorite item for the Lich is the Bloodstone - Why? Your ulti can pretty much own any hero that strays from creeps, and as you rack up more kills, the Bloodstone regen becomes more and more powerful. However, if you can't rack up kills, the bloodstone is useless. It's quite expensive, but worth the investment.

As far as Guinsoo goes, it's an OK item for the Lich, but I'm sure you've found that sometimes, turning him into a sheep only makes your life worse because you can't target him properly because of all the creeps. I prefer Shiva because it silence him (generally there's enough time to deal more damage, or finish him off because he can't use running skills or something) and AMPLIFIES received damage. Also, it gives attack speed which is always a plus.

Also, as far as early game is concerned, I generally take Perseverance - it's much more useful than Mekansm if you know how to use it. HP regen, mana regen... and +7 damage. Hell, I've even played with Battle Fury on Lich when the mood struck -- Hey, why not? Life regen, mana regen, a ton of damage -- even if the "professionals of dota" laugh at it, they'll most likely be the ones owned if you play it right.

(Oh, and those of you who will laugh at the use of Battle Fury on a caster should smack your heads into a rock -- there are no restrictions, or just ONE WAY to play a hero.)

@comment 30
shiva is better than dagger on Lich?
in term of cost effectiveness ,dagger wins
in term of better survivability ,dagger wins(given frost armor is learned)
in term of gank effectiveness dagger also wins.
pers is better than mek in terms of hp regen?youre kidding?
battlefury ?on caster is weird,but on ranged caster its simply stupid.

@TheLucas

I will not dispute your item build. If you are confident it works (even battlefury) you are always welcome to share it with us. The strategy builder exists for that purpose. Let the masses decide if they are comfortable with your strategy. As for me, I am confident with mine, I know it works and how to make it work, so I stand by what I have said in the above.

About the item which silences a target and amplifies incoming damage, it's Orchid Malevolence (not Shiva's Guard) and I have already included it as an optional item.

Lastly thank you for giving me a 10 despite the fact you don't agree with parts of my strategy.

@Shiva advocates
If you really want to know my opinion about Shiva's here it is. It's so-so, some parts of it connect well with the lich (armor, slow), some do not (-ve attack speed aura). To use Shiva effectively a hero has to be positioned at the center of a battle so that the aura and the slow affects enemies. However, the Lich is not a good hero to do that because his spells have a longish range that he can stay out of danger in a battle. He's unlike Tormented Soul who MUST cast spells at melee range for maximum damage. In Leshrac's case the armor helps loads against normal damage and the -ve ASPD aura helps against agility heroes. But if I use the Lich I cast Frost Nova at 600 range, CF at 750, and if I need to escape I use a 2150-gold item. I don't need something over 6000 gold to help me escape when 2150 does the trick. The same goes for chasing a target. 2150 is enough to do it. Since Arctic Blast does not stack, the immediate conclusion is we can leave this on another hero if possible. This item could be used on the Lich but it's definitely not on the top of his list. May I even boldly suggest that Orchid on Lich can do better wonders that Shiva on Lich. After all one is limited to 6 items per hero.

@Orochi
Yes why not? Everyone can work together to make this strategy rival our beloved Steve-O's guides.

Oh no, I'm sorry, Steve-O is untouchable!

Well. I said both Shiva and Refresher (as optionals mind you, I agree with your strategy more) and for good reasons, but you have some points there.
Shiva is actually only 4700 though. One thing is, if you're playing right, you'll be kicking their butts, and they will go for you first - therefore it won't matter if you're in the middle of it or not to use Shiva. Your comparison to ie Leshrac however, is correct. I might finish that of course, Shiva would be most effective if you were against image heroes, because they will just eat your Chain Frost for lunch then come for you.
Refresher, so-so item for Lich, not as devastating as on Lina or Lion but still notable.

i need your opinion on this caspian.
"lich has the ability to dominate early game,up to mid ,however its most like hes gonna be less effective later on,no matter what item you equip him with,a simple bkb/repel makes him almost useless.based on this fact,most lich players whose playing in a complete teams consisting of friends with good communication and understanding,eventually becomes,the ward buyer and stuff".this is a league statement.my question is,in a pub play,where most player ignores team play although not 100%,at what level does lich eventually loses effectiveness?

good work but a refresher with a scepter would be GG

Very nice guide, that's what I see Lich being played most times... I would suggest a Ring of Basilius early on... It helps you become even more of a killing machine, and it also gives you a little bit of armor, helpful if combined with Frost Armor... But that's just me...
Very good guide, looking forward to the pics (don't you feel like seeing a sequence showing a double kill with CF?)
Nicely done...

Now I know How to use Chain Frost Thanks aLot!

very good guide 10/10

shivas definetly a good item with lich

can some1 explain bloodstone to me plzzz
one of the posts got me curious XD

Great start, however a few pictures would be nice, but its still an A+ strat ^^

cool dude 10/10

Great guide, great guide :D Everything is in it 10 of 10

gosh..
this guide help me to own those chinese people in the cyber cafe

In pub play you should carry no matter what hero you are using, so a pub lich might just finish off with a Radiance. A pub lich should keep his opponents underleveled and finish the game while they are. Even at late game Chain Frost is still powerful enough to bring team clashes to your favor.

great strategy. never kknew how to use lich. 9.9/10

NEAT GUIDE..Supremely easy to understand. and to think, you did this on the 30th?

of course not.if all hero ideas take only 1 day to get approved ,DS would be a thousand guides like on DA

CAN I put refresher orb so i can have a 2 golems

Correction : 2 chains

can i buy eos?

ya shiva's guard is a nice item for him!

shiva is not quite needed IMO.you already have good EHP against physical DPS with frost armor.there are a lot more good users of shiva.TS,SandK(approved and works well),raigor,puck,CM(shes wayyyy fragile).using up 4700 gold for 2 useful part in an item that has 3,is not something cost effective,but it is a good item.

Since I'm new to Lich, can FN use to farm?

"Since I'm new to Lich, can FN use to farm?"

Between intervals where you don't have to do anything (support, gank etc.) you could use spells to kill creeps, however it is advantageous if you practise last-hitting with the lich especially in the early stages when you use FN to damage heroes not farm.

Some people say last-hitting with the lich is difficult, some easy, so you should really explore for yourself how to time his hits.

Hehehe...you`re damn right: creativity is the limit!

Awsome just simply awsome.

should the lich use a refresher?

@57
no
No
NOOO
NOOOOES
noooooo
nose

how bout shivas guard?ultimate slow for lich

I should do a poll of how many people read the comments of any guide besides their own. Read above comments and you will find answers to pretty much every one of your questions... Shiva and Refresher have been discussed?

indeed.leaving an already answered stuff is smart,rather childish,like my younger 3 years old brother that keeps asking me why our cat couldnt talk.

Nice guide, 10/10.
When I played lich, I never use CF when creeps are near. Now I know. BTW, in the late-game section, boots are missing in the inventory.

Guinsoo>Orchid

Orchid has unnecessary attack speed. Orchid's amplification doesn't compare to hex's total removal of spell resistance.

Shiva's Guard

Just because it's frost doesn't mean it goes well with Lich. It delays your build. You already have nova for the slow and frost armor for the armor. The money and inventory space would be better spent on other items.

nc!!!!!!! tnx....

I can't find the idea about the blink dagger...where is it?

nice guide though

It seems that my Desktop's CPU is being shipped ahead of me to another country, and it sadly contains the notepad file where I saved my half-finished lich guide, not to mention the screenies. It'll have to wait til mid-Feb.

Anyway, I would suggest that you put more emphasis on these: The benifits of CF's ministun, how to use neutral creeps to your advantage when using CF, farming with CF(lvl3/4), and the amazing effect of Frost Armor against Roshan, making it possible to slay him as early as level9.

As for the item build, I belive that Lich's items should always be situational; You just need the core items(mekansm, dagger and BoT) and you're all set. I usually only end up with a sheepstick after completing my Scepter, since I devote most of my money on wards.

That's all for now lol.

thx 4 your s

Very good guide , clear concise and straight to the point 10/10

Ps u say frost armour last for 40 seconds when the skill description says 25? is that your mistake or ds mistake

woot! Nice strategy, 10/10. Aside from how insightful it is, it's about time someone put up a relevant strat for the Lich King.

10/10 man, nice guide.

to Redmption:

the hero database is not yet updated, hence I needed to point out the buffs to the skills.

Also remember that Icefrog has buffed various items in 6.49b which means indirectly giving more advantages to the lich.

nice strategy

Very Good Strategy.Nice Idea Using Dagger You gone in all the details and i think that only the bigest noobscudent play with this hero if the reade this.Hope you post a new strategy soon Bye-Bye

The same skill build as mine its great
getting 3rd skill in level 1 is good
it makes ur enemy be gapped by eating ur creep and denying makes a great difference in ur level and money

cant find a hole in this strat
1/1

sry for double post

Getting Refresher doesnt suck
1 thing is when u combo ur heroes and
consuming ur mana is not bad since you use it for a good purpose.

wkwkwk its so swt


i like that

refresher sucks,compared to any other possible-to-get items available.nuff said of these.tires me to hell

very nice guide. it's good that you pointed out the runes. 10/10

Nice guide, also an affordable build...

Excellent guide to standard nuker. I play Zeus with similar items, minus Mek, and adding Pers. I see why this lich has this build. But, I don't get the title...:/

Still, great guide, 9.5 out of 10.

to Necron:

Titles have to look nice, but if you have a good grasp of the lich he can really be like your army captain figuratively speaking.

Perfect guide mate 10/10 ;) looking forword for the videos ^^

keep up the good work

i prefer Dagon1 first cuzz when u have lvl 1 cf u can extremely more damage in early stages
fn+cf probably enemy dies if he/she near a hero or creep but if not when u have dagon "prabably" becomes "exactly"

and i choose EoS instead of AghanimS cuzz i prefer more resistant not power and we're talking about here +110 damage(with damage reduction it becomes less) and 7th bounce. any dota player i know doesn't be damaged 2nd bounce cuzz of chain frost is sooo slow every1 have a time to (think:D and) escape. i think 7th is unnecessary.
and snot soul booster i prefer linken cuzz regen more important than high hp spaces
PLUS
worst enemy is omni cuzz he have REPEL damn i hate him when im playing with lich :D
but nearly good guide 7/10

Hey!! You noob!!!

Your skill build is a trash man!!
why? Because the no.1 skill in there is dark ritual, where will you use the mana you just gained with you dark ritual...!!!!! You noob!!WTF!? #%@$#$

I don't need to respond to comments that are trash in themselves.

guess he's illeterate coz all good lich guides recommend ritual first with basic short explanation on why

@ 83, read the guide. Skill build IS EXPLAINED. Dense noob poster.

Pardon this double post, but I just noticed that the same total twit who posted 83 just cut-paste most of the page of another guide and put that as his comment. Ban from DS please!

marvelous guide... really well done.... 10/10

first i thougth the invisible was very witty and over a very in depth guide, the only negative that i really see is the lack of pictures to help sink the liches supporting abbilities and to show how to use his ult

Also a counter to lich's ulti is ww (wind walk)

@dr_gigles
picture wont make any difference.the inly good of pictures in guides to help 'peoples' who dont read guides but only 'watch' some part of it

ADD A REFRESHER!!!! DOUBLE CHAIN

duh,
stupid

How about the new item, Shiva's Guard... it gives 15 armors, I tried it before and tried maxing my armor and it reaches something like 10+55 with a vanguard, its dmg reduction is like 88% XD. The tower hit me once, only 5 damage hit me XD!

yet again,
READ THE DAMN PREVIOUS COMMENTS

Agree with above. All is explained. Sigh I wish people would read. Hell, half the people who comment on guides do not read them and think it is a chat forum about the hero, whereupon they just post random things that were, in fact, addressed several times in the guide. Such as Shiva.

this hero used to be my favorite...

but when Hood of Defiance came...

nukers lost their full power...

i mean...

for example if you equip any hero(Magina with HoD + Mana Shield) spells done to him will damage like FART..and we know that even if you equip Lich with the items stated in this guide there is a chance he will still not survive late game...

nice guide though..8/10

good thinking nice strategy you should continue that for us to help Thankyou

even if you wear a HoD CF would still hurt!!!....
though if it was a 1 on 1 match against magina.. i'd turn lich to a battle mage.. XD
and also put points on his frost armor....

@LeeMinwoo

Lich isn't made to last late game anyway.

I do not consider Wind Walk and Hood of Defiance to be worthy counters against the Lich. I don't need to repeat this fact that has been repeated a gazillion times - Wind Walk has plenty of counters by itself. While Hood of Defiance may reduce damage from spells they cannot counter the Lich's Frost Armor and the Mekansm heal - 2 abilities which distinguish the Lich from the pure nuker heroes like Zeus/Lina. Thus against a Lich equipped with my build I can boastfully claim that neither Wind Walk nor the Hood can overcome the Captain of the Lich King.

GREAT STRATEGY!!!!, like the extra things you have written in your strategy

^you look familiar

like that sentence from Sun Tzu

Wouldnt necromonicon be a good item for Lich?? Because he can sacrafice them when needed with Dark Ritual. Endless mana

Necrominicon? LOL better get the mana from the scourge/sentinel denying thme from experience, and well Necrominicon would just take space in your inventory for much better items to use . .

try sandking as a combo SURE KILL!!..


and ogh try refresger orb :D plus bkb :D


Radiance will be helpful :D

pro pwd bang perseverance at boots muna ang uunahin kong item?

shivas guard is perfect 4 a lich

un smart people are plainly un smart when thinking. Give me 3 reasons why shiva>GC or necro

sry, i meant GSV

Shiva has armor, AOE bullsh!t nuke and the -AS aura - I hadn't even considered this, the -25% coupled with Frost Armor's slow? Not to mention the dual armor gain between those. But the points regarding Guinsoo and Necro are totally valid.

Was just a idea for the Necro , but it's skills can still be usefull at early-mid stage of the game.

You know what? Actually Necronomion happens to be a good item for the Lich. If you think you can manage the summons by all means get it. As the necronomicon is a strategy in itself I do not put it here; rather I only wish to outline the basics while giving greater freedom for higher level players (who probably don't even need to read this anyway).

GooD

Good strategy same item build as me lolz

9.7/10 just don't want to say its perfect

omg you're so mean

9/10

shivas guard is really good for lich cause first : the armor, low hp heroes with high armor can be very tricky,, second: the mana and damage gain,, lich is an int hero, silly,,, third: the slow and the blast spell,, lich has much mana,, a good spell should occupy it,, and another is its a support item,,, good partnered with mekanism and assault cuirass,, lich do nned lots of armor,,,, and when he does have this items,, hell, he is really difficult to deal with,,, i have tried it,, really,,, any pro can do that also,,,,

to those whos still dont get that
GSV provides disable. slow+silence+stop attack.Damage? hex removes spell resistance. Armor? you already have FA.INT? like GSV doesnt supply that.and lich having an AC for battlle mage is absurd and doesnt make sense. what later? mjolnir on lich?

damn it i never thought about the dagger.. played apem just a moment ago and it went very well.. i had scepter,boots, orchid and frost armor but still smth was missing in the late game :/

hayup ang galing mo,
yan ang pinoy

11/10

your effective hit point note is wrong, the damage reduction bonus diminishes as the unit gains more armour. it still gains reduction, but not as much as you say

THIS STRATEGY RAWKS.

I've layed this 3rice an always ended up with firstblood in a solo lane.
i start with headress, and then start nuking FN. By level 3 - 4 i get firstblood.

BTW, the best way to play klich is to eny / use DR like crazy, get the hero near tower, let him hit you so that tower targets him... FN him, and chase like crazy, with the awesome cooldown and slow of FN, its a guaranteed kill.

you know what is funny about Lich
most players are always saying that he's a lame hero but i tried him once and that was in random i had most of the fun then the others
i think you can call him also like "Dirge" an underestimated one
nice strat BTW thanks to your strat i had fun

There are some complex calculations that show each +1 armor gives +6% EHP. There's also a shown calculation on DotA-Allstars forum. Why else do you think I linked that info to Blizzard's Battle.net website? Evidently they knew their calculations were correct. I don't post doubtful things.

i think Blink is not useful to her b4 u buy blink its better to make ulse or dnecronomicon

Hmmmm just tried out the key bits of this strategy, namely the Dark Ritual level one tactic, and it works quite nastily. Game went downhill about mid game but the other side had shocking heroes anyway. Oh and I tried Shiva out, it just seems to make slightly more sense in synergy, and its quite potent. I mean, this caster with +30 armor, everyone goes wtf lol.

Regardless of anything I just said, I stand by my 10/10.

Ehm is everybody ever try double CF with refresher? At late game of course since it will cost 1500 mana.. Try it and enjoy your double kill even triple if lucky
Lich.. ah my favorite int hero

@caspian
he's right, it diminishes for each armor you gain for a lower %. thats why Omni don't get invulnerability with GA

refresher for lich? it sucks! 60 secs?! you'll say you nid a refressher? damn! noob...

LOVE IT!! lol

perfect build =) keep it up

similar to mine in no em, clan wars

i prefer not to get a meka and blink in em though

9.5/10

Good Strategy 4 LICH!!!

gr8

ur tee best dude i wanna see u play fell free to add me

jarakal_jarakal@hotmail.com

my name in GG is

VenomScout

Really nice guide, tho' I would like to see some pics too ^^

9/10 (with some describing pics; 10/10)

damn best guide i have read so far... pinpointed every do's and dont's... c'mon man, have you been playing lich all your dota existence? hehehe
how cheap can noobies get when they use your guide! i'll give it 11/10 if possible!

shis-- just reading it makes me sweat--

hood of defiance will just hinder the enemy's farming capabilities(its a bit expensive)... even if they have % reduction if you use your spell well they still end up crawling...
that's 1-0 lich advantage...

also if you are very much dominating/rich you may play along and build a refresher.. although not a must have! try throwing it inside the well instant UBER KEEELLLL!!!

kelen is the key... so if they decide to get kelen punish them... get guinsoo plus team up with stunners/disablers... again kelen goes out of the way for many heroe's item build... and not most of the team can afford it... assuming you harass them good...

^for being smart, and with those good criticisms, may i know where you play?

dont play gg sorry... or any battle online... just havin fun with my frieds at a local shop...

and besyds dont want to mess with you... im just new you see... i just like thinking ahead of my opponents thats why i come up with silly ideas of making fun... and owning at the same time! hehe

thanks though...

Nice, really in dept. Lich is also good with a desolator, #1 raises attack by 60. and the more important part is that it takes 5 armor off of the enemy!

A) its -6, B) don't ever say Deso Lich again or I'll have to kill you...

let me give shimrra a hand in killing those who say deso lich..

cmon man lich shoots like he's got a dislocated shoulder or whatever.. takes alot of time and in the end you'll end up recieving two hits from an agi/str hero(presumably 100/hit x 2 = 200) while you land one hit (100dmg + -6armor = @around 130 sumthing) you lost dude having the lower low hp!

concentrate on skills... cheap shots are good but every chance you get bite/nuke them! after they are slowed then go ahead land a shot or two...
its all about getting the upper hand yah see... usually when they get frost they would run back and not retaliate fearing more nukes(frost nova)... typical mindset!

piz out

Ei wheres SKADI, vanguard, and the best new item for Lich the Shiva's Guard!!

GJ on the guide! its rly good.

cOOl guiDe!!! are build up are the same!! except of one thing i got shiva's guard for the captain of the lich king!!

i think its between aghanim's and shiva's guard... for team play the frost effect of shiva is alot of help...

it almost ahs the same effect but agha would give you added hp too...

i cant decide! maybe both? haha as if lich can farm that much... that requires serious skillz on last hit and staying alive... not to mention too fat teamfates that they decide to feed you haha..

nice 10/10

Brilliant!
Well written, well thought-out.
I hope I never have to play against you.
Ever.

WOW... awesome strategy... thnx awfully dude... was very informative... i play Lich and this strategy tells me i'd be much better very soon

baho

It took me a long while to read your complete strategy. I didn't finish reading your entire strategy the last time I posted... Well, now I have, your strat's a little bit too long winded, and your start title made me think you were some sorta dude who couldn't type properly. But yes, like I said before, your strat's really in depth. I'll give it a 9.9/10 this time because(this isn't about your guide) you are in desperate need of screenshots. It's really hard to understand your calculations and all by just reading. Another thing, it seems you mastered using lich. It surprises me that you tell everybody EVERYTHING on how to use lich and own. Like the blink dagger idea. Now killing them when they least expect it, and escaping when they do not anticipate it." won't be that easy since you stated so clearly right there what the dagger's for. But lol, it's just a suggestion. Please don't flame me.

deso lich isn't that bad, if you have 8 slots which 2 came free with 2 hypers

LOL BOO

Impressive...
interesting suggestion on dagger..

10/10

nice work! keep it up! thanks for the guide.. ^^,

pangit ng build mo..

nice strategy

I'm just freaked out cause of the first skill to put in the skill build is dark ritual why? u don't need mana right when u are i level 1 and don't have spells yet but...... very nice strat! 9/10 blink dagger with him is just awesome!!

pangit build!

@multiplekiller

The dr at lvl 1 is for denying.

OMG this is amazing, u even include the saying of sun tzu, ha3. however there's nothing so surprising or totally new for me here, it is still amazing.

nice guide
10

just wondering how the recent blink dagger nerf is gonna affect your escape strat.. but gr8 guide nonetheless! 10/10

THE BEST LICH GUIDE AROUND ILL SUGGEST THIS ON DOTA-ALLSTARS.COM KEEP IT UP IF U CAN PLEASE GIVE ME A GOOD EFFECTIVE GUIDE FOR LUNA MOONFANG AND LEORIC.

This is the best guide ive seen written... it is very detailed/ very well explained. you should keep on making guides. keep up the good work 10/10

With the latest version of .50, would you still recomend the blink dagger?

sun tzu, nice quote, that was from the art of war right?

good guide by the way
peace

very very nice hero triple sumug!!

very very nice hero triple sumug!!

Good work, detailed and not too long. But nothing new, I mean every no noob players have been playing lich exactly like that since a long long time and there are really no better way of playing him. In last version the ulti has got once extra bounce if i remember well but the dagger is so messed up that i m not sure if it s worth it s price now. I mean it's still good for ulti placement as it flyes so slow that casted from far leave enough time for enemy to move far from each other, but u cant use it for escape anymore :(
Second point is that i would definetly consider shiva as another optional item, depending on the enemy heroes. U dont need the mana reg from guinsoo or orchid. If u have dagger then blink shiva and ulti are a great combo, and the slow att aura + frost armor will make their phisical attack sluggish.
GJ

To everyone who reads this strategy:

Due to the 6.50 changes I have to observer for a while the impact of the changes on this strategy. Therefore until I can be certain on some issues I'm thinking about I cannot yet update this.

But one thing is very certain: Icefrog has yet again buffed the Lich, directly and indirectly. The extra CF bounce is nice, but what is really shocking and could make the Lich doubly strong in 6.50b is that the blink dagger is disabled when attacked whether by spells or physical damage. As I mentioned blink dagger used to be the ultimate counter to CF, now with that protection removed enemies of the Lich are indeed going to suffer the full wrath of his ultimate because they cannot escape with it anymore.

This shows just how keen Icefrog is on making intelligence heroes stronger, and the Lich is definitely on his attention. So please continue using this hero, because Icefrog has given him more power in your disposal.

so what should we replace dagger with.....

linkens?
shiva?
euls?

seems like a good guide, sept the whole dark ritual first.. there is nothing to spend your mana on
at least go frost nova for early farm, then dark ritual..
this 1 thing makes me think that te guide in itself is a little... poor. sorry

you didn't read all of it didnt you? all good lich users gets dr lvl 1 for a sole purpose

wow..

i liked the akasha thing..

sonic wave then unleash the chain frost.. 8-

Very Detailed, awesome job sir :)
also has some other nice ideas
i really appreciate your work :)

awsome guide, the lich king is perfect teammate with lighning renevant too

10/10

Pure ownage just own early to late game.nice guide

what is the use of the observer wards??

this one need shiva and blizzard time

nice 1. lich is my hero i love....iys ful of evil.........hahahaha...tnx

Lol with shiva's guard his nuke+ulti AND the armor skill (ice blast or something= AUTO-KILL!!!!!!! Too bad shiva is waaayyyyyyyyy to xpensive for an early game XD

nice one!!!!! lich is a cold killing machine

Easy enemies?? what the hell man dont ever post the so-called Easy enemies that is like underestimating other heroes so I would give this guide 759/1000 needs more screeny

NOT GOOD 6.51 Dagger has been change..

6.49c all heroes used dagger

then i call them NINJAs

thanks to 6.51 they cant escape!

nice guide man i was unsure how to use this guy effectively and now i know how to use him to the best of his ability thx to u 10/10 from me

Mm.. I actually Agree to this guy ^^ .. Blink dagger is core... everyone know's that, Even with the recent nerf to it, getting in position for Chain is important. well.. 9/10 (that's a first)

this is sooo cool

9/10
but i think a dagon can be a good item for the Lich

heheh...
i really like lich...
hes so strong if hes build is shivas guard awesome...

IMPORTANT FACT: +1 armor -> 6% EHP (effective hit point) increase

Therefore +12 armor -> +72% EHP

diminishing returns or? ;)

oh blast it, counted it twice now. easy maths. u are right about it >.

oh blast it, counted it twice now. easy maths. u are right about it >.

Thanks
Great Guide

Wow, caspian's last post (171) touches on some really crucial points. I hadn't quite thought about that, hes completely right too. No more screw-you-Chain-Frost-blink... and the extra bounce is indeed sweet.

This guide is in need of a new escape plan thanks to the nerf on blink dagger

10/10 dude!!!! Awsome!!!!

woot go lich man woot go lich man W00T

Lich king wow!!

i like that strategy but who is the best hero of all lich or crystal maiden,kel thuzad or rylai crestfall,rc or kt

GJ! I would also advise you to get shiva's

This hero is strong..

nice giude. Although, dagger now has been changed and i think it sucks.

Lich is stronger than crystal but will need disable item like scepter of divinity. Crystal is better if you play next to your allies.

i like it. good work.

@bambhu13:

No, actually, this hero is one of the most annoying next to razor.

A very good guide. Helps me to understand this ice man.

10/10

I spotted tat many people ask about shiva n refresher. Aint those has been explained before ????

I like the idea of putting DR at lvl1, kinda cruel to enemies =.=

I randomed Lich before n team with Slayer in mid lane.


Guess wat, we have a fun time nuking the enemies, n get a couple of kills


A very GOOD guide,
like Counter-Force[x]' TerrorBlade guide(Hero i loved most, but dint play well with it).

good guide pre...

dude try this combo guys... faceles void has crhono sphere right??. so if there are 2 or more heroes tell your teamate that he use chrono sphere so if you use chain frost they wont run away ,beacause somtimes.. they run away . ive tried it its awesome

N1

nice job buddy you should make a guide for razor as well. he seems pretty good!

nice job buddy you should make a guide for razor as well. he seems pretty good!

nice job buddy you should make a guide for razor as well. he seems pretty good!

yeah you are right...by using kelens dagger, you can escape lich's chain frost...gud strat 10/10

Kel'thuzad is strong and all but... he is sooo slow when moving.

try buying skadi

very good strategy but it could use some work

nice strategy man! 10/10 :D u rock! =)

100/100 perfect just what i need

Great

thank you titi

Good guide mate, a lot better than others have posted for Lich. Item build is a good build and wasn't over done.

Keep up the good work.

very nice guide gud work!!!! tried it and it worked!!!! btw i liked the crixalis lich combo works very well

nice strat..

The good thing about Lich is, when he wants to cast Frost Nova or his ulti, the Chain Frost or even his normal attack, the cast patern is the same. So, all the other enemy wouldnt know if he is casting skill or normal attack, and thus prevent BKB =)

And, i dont really prefer Blink Dagger, the new Blink Dagger is set that u cannot blink if u are damaged 3 sec ago.Any escaping hero would try to fight back with a stun, or hex

I seriously did not realize my strategy appeared again in the strategy section. This despite my screening of strategies. Sheesh~~

Nice Strategy i hop it works

can you use dagon with this hero??

you can add that an especially good time to use chain frost is against heros that have helm of domi, eg, troll, and hes walking around with his centaur right next to him ^.^

a short, nice, and understandable guide... the best lich guide i can find here... although, i agree with Shimrra_3 about the Shiva's Guard XD anyways, 10/10 for ya!

also, my friend is suggesting EoS...

ya know what, i just put a skadi on this thing. then i don't have to problem the ms much....

dude brilliant strategy and really well explained use of the blink dagger
11/10 :)

blink dagger!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

Blink Dagger What For ?
I'm Not Understand . .

Damn helpful for starters..