The post is Deadwood Item Build for RTS Game "HoN"
Initial Items
Your initial items are mainly aimed at giving you better survivability and staying power in a lane, as well as better last hitting power.
Deadwood, with his high base damage and Uproot, shouldn't have any problem getting last hits, which is why I like to get two Crushing Claws on him rather than a Lodger's Hatchet. Feel free to get one instead of the Claws however if you're not that comfortable with your last-hitting skills, or if you suspect facing other heroes with high base damage like Pebbles or Blood Hunter.
The two Minor Totems will be used for your Power Supply, but I wouldn't bother upgrading your Claws into Bracers unless you really feel you need them.
Core Items
Your core items should always be finished before buying anything else. Deadwood needs items that boost his mana, and items that make him mobile.
Portal Key: This item is a must on Deadwood. It allows you to instantly port next to a hero to finish them off Deadwood Punch-style. If a target is hard to hit with a Rotten Grasp, you can alternatively just blink right next to them, punch them in the face with Willowmaker, and set up a guaranteed Rotten Grasp while they are stunned, but do note that Willowmaker won't benefit from the armor reduction you get by setting up Rotten Grasp first. Portal Key will usually be the last item you get for your core build, but if you find yourself having the gold at some point, you should definitely buy it.
Power Supply: One of the best items in the game for it's price, I feel this item is mandatory on every single hero. Clutch health and mana on demand, there's no reason not to get it.
Bottle: This item is what will let you keep roaming/ganking and spamming your skills without having to return to the base. Using the Tablets to refill it, your mana problems should be solved. Assuming you're laning mid, this should be one of the first items you get.
Blood Chalice: This item is somewhat OP if you can sustain the drawbacks. However, Bottle will in most cases be superior if you're a roaming mid, which I hope you'll be as Deadwood. Bottle also regenerates whatever damage you took during your gank, allowing you to go straight to the next. However, feel free to pick up Blood Chalice together with a Shaman's Headdress/Helm of the Black Legion over the Bottle if you're facing a team heavy on either Physical- or Magic damage where survivability is needed. You should swap one Crushing Claw for a Mark of the Novice in your initial items for the build up in this case.Ghost Marchers: These supply you with both great mobility and damage (for 1500 gold, +24 damage is a bargain in itself).
Striders: Get these if you somehow are having a hard time farming and need to go ganking as soon as possible.Homecoming Stones: Being able to port to help an ally in dare need, to stop a tower from getting destroyed by the enemy, or to quickly get to a lane to gank, you should always try to carry at least one Homecoming Stone at all times once the game starts to get on. There is no reason not to. Don't be the guy who never showed up in time to participate in a clash and end up losing a tower.
Steam Boots: Very situational. You should only go for these boots if you're the team's best candidate for carrying (auto-attack DPS). Deadwood is able to carry to a certain extent, so get these if you wanna focus on a DPS-build. If your team has a real carry, however (which you should), get Ghost Marchers.
Luxury Items
Luxury items are items you should aim for after you've finished your core. Always ask yourself: What does my team need the most? Listed are some possible alternatives:
If you're dominating, getting a quick Shieldbreaker is always a good idea. The item buffs your whole team's DPS on a single target. Additionally, it increases the power of your ultimate. Do note that you'll have to hit once to apply the debuff to the enemy before using Willowmaker to make the effect take place.
Daemonic Breastplate has great synergy with your ultimate and auto-attacks through armor reduction, just like Shieldbreaker. However, it has a more team-oriented approach, it's all auras so you don't have to hit an enemy to benefit from it or anything. Assuming you have someone else to DPS, it's generally always better to get this over Shieldbreaker, as it boosts both you and your allies' survivability and DPS.
Shrunken Head is a great pickup as your first luxury item if your team lacks good initiation. It allows you to blink in with Portal Key and bring down key targets uninterrupted. Even if your team has a main initiator, Shrunken Head is always a good item on Deadwood if you're facing a cast-heavy team.
Although it has no synergy with your abilities, Behemoth's Heart is an awesome item to pick up if you find yourself with a lot of gold in your pocket at some point. It boosts your survivability and makes you able to initiate and take the hits without going down.
Sheepstick or Hellflower lets you initiate and disable even better. Sheepstick is great at disabling carries, while Hellflower can boost your burst even more, or disable spell-reliant opponents. Both items solve your mana problems for good.
Not the first item you want to get, in rare cases Riftshards can be a good follow-up from Shieldbreaker etc. if you're gonna be the team's main source of DPS.
*If you need to free up space, you can get rid of Bottle and Power Supply. Keep your boots and Portal Key as part of your end game items.
Items to Avoid
Despite popular belief, these items are generally a bad pick-up on Deadwood. Do not get these!
A popular item among lower tiers, Runed Axe is attractive to newbies because it boosts your DPS, HP regen and solves your mana problems! Well, getting a Bottle and a Power Supply solves your mana and HP regen as well, for a much cheaper price! You don't need the cleave at all because you're supposed to gank, not farm, and there are better, cheaper items for DPS (which isn't your main role anyways).
Assasin's Shroud gives you invisibility, more burst and DPS all in one! What a great item! Well it's not. Once again there are way cheaper items for DPS than this one, and sure the invisibility allows you to sneak of on your opponents and punch them in the face, but it's also countable by True Sight. Know what item also allows you to get close to your target, that isn't countable by True Sight and provides way more precise positioning? Portal Key. Get it.
While walking up to a lone guy farming neutrals while stealthed from Assasin's Shroud, then literally OHKOing (well technically two hit KOing) them might be fun in noob stomps, Codex is a bad item. It's also expensive. It's Magic damage, while most of yours is Physical. Investing the money in say a Shieldbreaker syngergizes way more with the rest of your skills and play style. Codex is also one of those items that quickly loses it's effectiveness as the game goes on. Oh and did I mention Codex is a bad item - period?
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