In Dota, there is one hero that stands out above the rest with his unparalleled and lethal potential. He is known as the Monkey King, a master of deception and trickery, who can strike his enemies with blinding speed and devastating force. With his incredible mobility and capacity to deal with damage, the Monkey King is a true force to be reckoned with. Whether he is darting across the battlefield, leaping from tree to tree, or unleashing a barrage of deadly attacks, he is always a formidable foe. But to truly unleash his full potential, a skilled player must master his various skill and item builds, utilizing them to their fullest to dominate the game and claim victory.
To help you climb MMR with this mischievous monarch, we bring you the Best 5 Monkey King Builds that will help you win games. These builds contain the best skill allocation and the best items that help you in dominating your games with Monkey King.
5. Yatoro Build
There is no doubt that Yatoro is one of the best carry players in the current professional scene. This is due to his impressive understanding of the game and impeccable map awareness. He is known to be a menace to a dozen of heroes, and Monkey King is no different. Monkey King has been highly lauded due to his excellent spell-casting and item builds. As the vicious bone fletcher, he focuses on shoving his enemy out of the lane and capitalizing on that by securing Roshan and having excellent farming patterns, ensuring he hits his item timings earlier than his opponents.
Even though Yatoro lost this game, his excellent playstyle and immaculate map awareness are worth taking a look at. Yatoro changes his build according to the heroes he is against, constantly shuffling between items like Radiance, Black King Bar, and Desolator. Yatoro is quite an aggressive and dominant player, and Monkey King for sure suits his play style. You can see his highly dominating playstyle right off the bat, the way he shoves enemies out of the lane with his massive physical damage. You may feel like he is playing the game in easy mode considering how effortlessly he dominates the game.
Use This Build If:
- You want an extremely reliable carry build for the late game
- You are facing heroes with low mobility and little to no escape potential
- You want a sustainable Monkey King build that allows you to Rosh quite early on in the game
- You want to join teamfights and fight right from the early game
Skill Points
Level 1: Boundless Strike: Monkey King stuns units in a targeted area, damaging them with a critical hit based on his attack damage. It also has true strike, making it an ideal spell against evasion-based heroes. MK can use this spell to escape a sticky teamfight or initiate one.
Level 2: Jingu Mastery: Upon 4th hit on the same hero, Monkey King gains four charged attacks that have lifesteal and bonus attack damage. Jingu Mastery works well in tandem with Boundless Strike, dealing loads of damage in the late game, while also healing up MK.
Level 3: Jingu Mastery
Level 4: Tree Dance: Allows Monkey King to jump on trees, providing flying vision in that area. If the tree which MK is on is cut, then he gets stunned for 4 seconds. When on a tree, Monkey also gets the Primal Spring ability which allows him to leap upon the ground after channeling, slowing enemies in an AoE while also dealing damage based upon the time channeled.
Level 5: Tree Dance
Level 6: Tree Dance
Level 7: Tree Dance
Level 8: Boundless Strike
Level 9: Wukong’s Command: Monkey King creates a circular formation of soldiers that spread out from his position. If he leaves the area his soldiers also disperse. The soldiers have Monkey King's attack and only target heroes. Monkey King is also granted bonus armor for the spell's duration.
Level 10: Boundless Strike
Level 11: Boundless Strike
Level 12: Wukong’s Command
Level 13: Jingu Mastery
Level 14: +0.3s Boundless Strike Stun Duration
Level 15: +450 Tree Dance Cast Range
Level 16: Jingu Mastery
Level 17: Stats
Level 18: Wukong’s Command
Level 19: Stats
Level 20: -7s Boundless Strike cooldown
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Quelling Blade (100 Gold) - Increases the physical attack damage on non-hero units, and can also be used to cut trees. It is a must-have item on melee carry heroes like Monkey King.
- Iron Branch (50 Gold) - Grants +1 of all attributes per branch. It provides decent sustain in the early game. The branch can be also planted to block paths for enemies or to deceive them under the fog.
- Circlet (155 Gold) - Grants +2 of all attributes. It helps Monkey King stay durable through the early game.
- Tango (90 Gold) - Provides health regen if used on a tree. It's the cheapest yet the most convenient way of healing up in the early stages of the game when you are playing in the side lanes. Regardless of the hero you play, Tangoes are a core item.
- Magic Stick (200 Gold) - Gains a charge each time an enemy uses a spell around you. Each direction grants 15 HP and mana and can have up to 10 charges. It is a perfect item in the laning stage if you face heroes who cast spells frequently.
- Wraith Band (505 Gold) - Bought at 1 minute. Provides increased attributes, armor, and attack speed. The bonuses are doubled after 25 minutes. It is a staple item on Monkey King, as it is built for the increased durability and farming potential that it offers in this matchup.
- Power Treads (1400 Gold) - Bought at 5 minutes. It provides 45 movement speed and 25 attack speed along with toggleable attributes, which offer everything from increased mana pool to armor and even strength, helping Monkey King in all stages of the game.
- Radiance (5050 Gold) - Purchased at 14 minutes. Deals 60 damage per second in an AoE, while also causing them to miss 15% of their attacks. It also makes enemies miss 15% of their attacks. Radiance is an exceptional item on Monkey King as it allows him to deal high damage in fights and also farm fast with the help of his items.
- Black King Bar (4050 Gold) - Purchased at 21 minutes. Provides magic immunity upon usage, making Monkey King invulnerable during team fights. It is essential in most matchups as he has low magical resistance.
- Desolator (3500 Gold) - Purchased at 26 minutes. Desolator provides +50 Attack Damage to Monkey King while reducing enemy armor by 6 upon physical attacks. It also works on towers. It is an ideal item to carry Monkey King as it increases your attack damage and reduces enemy armor upon attacks, making it viable in certain matchups.
- Linken’s Sphere (4600 Gold) - Purchased at 31 minutes. Blocks one targeted spell every 14 seconds, and also increases stats and mana regen. This build has enough offensive items, and having a balance of offensive and defensive items can be extremely useful in the late game, helping Monkey King stay alive in the high-pressure teamfights.
Neutral Items
- Occult Bracelet - Each time Monkey King is attacked, he gains 0.5 mana regen, for up to 5 stacks. Monkey King has a serious mana problem in the early game, and hence this bracelet provides him with a massive mana bonus.
- Dagger of Ritsul - Consumes 100 HP to gain 40 damage for 8 seconds. As Monkey King has decent HP in the middle game, he can afford to sacrifice the 100 HP for a significant amount of damage in a teamfight.
- Vambrace - It acts as a secondary Power Treads which provides Monkey King the stats depending upon the attribute he has set it to. It is essential to survive through the early game.
- Enchanted Quiver - Provides true strike to Monkey King, while also providing him with 225 magical damage upon his physical attack. Has a 4-second cooldown. It is an effective neutral item if you are facing heroes who have high evasion.
- Quickening Charm - It increases Monkey King’s health regeneration by 10% while also reducing his spell and item cooldown by 10%.
4. Miracle Build
Miracle’s high octane and intelligent gameplay have gained him fame and attention from all over the world. The early game build is the most prominent Monkey King build which Miracle loves to try out in his pub games. Miracle’s map awareness and mechanical skills on Monkey King are truly breathtaking and something we all can learn from. He quite well knows everything the hero can do, this helps him induce fear in the mind of his enemies with his immense push and fight potential.
Monkey King is played differently by Miracle as he opts to play the hero in an extremely fast-paced manner, often wishing to buy the spellcasting and mobility items as soon as he can to paralyze the early game of his enemies. He prefers ganking and helping his team in teamfights instead of farming away as he can just push with Boundless Strike, ending the game as soon as he can. Miracle’s item choices and skill build allow him to go aggressive on his enemies as early as possible. This build is ideal if you are facing enemies with low armor.
Use This Build If:
- You want to push and pressure the enemy mid-laner
- You want a spellcasting build that helps you deal terrific damage in teamfights
- You want to be involved in more skirmishes from the early game
Skill Points
Level 1: Jingu Mastery: Upon 4th hit on the same hero, Monkey King gains four charged attacks that have lifesteal and bonus attack damage. Jingu Mastery works well in tandem with Boundless Strike, dealing loads of damage in the late game, while also healing up MK.
Level 2: Boundless Strike: Monkey King stuns units in a targeted area, damaging them with a critical hit based on his attack damage. It also has true strike, making it an ideal spell against evasion-based heroes. MK can use this spell to escape a sticky teamfight or initiate one.
Level 3: Jingu Mastery
Level 4: Tree Dance: Allows Monkey King to jump on trees, providing flying vision in that area. If the tree which MK is on is cut, then he gets stunned for 4 seconds. When on a tree, Monkey also gets the Primal Spring ability which allows him to leap upon the ground after channeling, slowing enemies in an AoE while also dealing damage based upon the time channeled.
Level 5: Jingu Mastery
Level 6: Boundless Strike
Level 7: Jingu Mastery
Level 8: Boundless Strike
Level 9: Boundless Strike
Level 10: +0.3s Boundless Strike Stun Duration
Level 11: Tree Dance
Level 12: Wukong’s Command: Monkey King creates a circular formation of soldiers that spread out from his position. If he leaves the area his soldiers also disperse. The soldiers have Monkey King's attack and only target heroes. Monkey King is also granted bonus armor for the spell's duration.
Level 13: Tree Dance
Level 14: Tree Dance
Level 15: +130 Jingu Mastery Damage
Level 16: Wukong’s Command
Level 17: Stats
Level 18: Wukong’s Command
Level 19: Stats
Level 20: -7s Boundless Strike cooldown
Level 25: Additional Wukong’s Command Ring
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Quelling Blade (100 Gold) - Increases the physical attack damage on non-hero units, and can also be used to cut trees. It is a must-have item on melee carry heroes like Monkey King.
- 3x Iron Branch (50 Gold) - Grants +1 of all attributes per branch. It provides decent sustain in the early game. The branch can be also planted to block paths for enemies or to deceive them under the fog.
- Slippers of Agility (140 Gold) - Grants +3 Agility. It is a usual early item on Monkey King, as he lacks the early game attack speed and stats which is hence fulfilled by this item.
- Tango (90 Gold) - Provides health regen if used on a tree. It's the cheapest yet the most convenient way of healing up in the early stages of the game when you are playing in the side lanes. Regardless of the hero you play, Tangoes are a core item.
- Magic Stick (200 Gold) - Bought at 0:19. Gains a charge each time an enemy uses a spell around you. Each direction grants 15 HP and mana and can have up to 10 charges. It is a perfect item in the laning stage if you face heroes who cast spells frequently.
- Gloves of Haste (500 Gold) - Purchased at 1 minute. Provides +20 attack speed to Monkey King. It is ideal for all heroes as you can further purchase Power Treads with it.
- Power Treads (1400 Gold) - Bought at 4 minutes. It provides 45 movement speed and 25 attack speed along with toggleable attributes, which offer everything from increased mana pool to armor and even strength, helping Monkey King in all stages of the game.
- Circlet (155 Gold) - Purchased at 5 minutes. Grants +2 of all attributes. It helps Monkey King stay durable through the early game.
- Magic Wand (450 Gold) - Bought at 6 minutes. Gains a charge every time an enemy uses a spell in an AoE. It can store up to 20 charges, with each charge healing you up to 15 HP and mana. It is an ideal starting item as it allows MK to sustain himself in the lane if he is facing spellcasting heroes.
- Orb of Venom (275 Gold) - Purchased at 7 minutes. Poisons the target, dealing 2.0 magical damage per second and slowing movement by -13%. Exceptional in the early game.
- Wraith Band (505 Gold) - Bought at 7 minutes. Provides increased attributes, armor, and attack speed. The bonuses are doubled after 25 minutes. It is a staple item on Monkey King, as it is built for the increased durability and farming potential that it offers in this matchup.
- Echo Sabre (2500 Gold) - Bought at 12 minutes. Provides increased damage, strength, attack speed, mana regen, and intelligence to Monkey King. Its passive allows him to do physical attacks twice in a succession. The attacks apply 100% movement slow for a brief duration. MK benefits heavily from such early-game stats.
- Maelstrom (2700 Gold) - Bought at 17 minutes. Upon physical attacks, it has a high chance of releasing a lighting bolt that passes through enemies in proximity and deals damage to them. This allows Monkey King to farm faster while also providing him with increased attack damage.
- Black King Bar (4050 Gold) - Purchased at 21 minutes. Provides magic immunity upon usage, making Monkey King invulnerable during team fights. It is essential in most matchups as he has low magical resistance.
- Mage Slayer (2400 Gold) - Purchased at 23 minutes. Mage Slayer is an exceptional item if you are facing heroes that deal immense magical damage. MK’s physical attacks on such enemies reduce their magical damage output by 35% for 6 seconds. It is a staple item on the monarch due to his low magic resistance. It can further be upgraded into Bloodthorn.
- Bloodthorn (6800 Gold) - Bought at 29 minutes. It silences the targeted enemy for 5 seconds, making them take 30% of the total damage dealt during the silence. The attacks will also have True Sight, and deal critical damage under its duration. Monkey King prefers this item as it provides him with much-needed disables in the early game.
- Skull Basher (2875 Gold) - Purchased at 31 minutes. Grants Monkey King a high chance of bashing enemies upon physical attacks. It also increases his attack damage and allows him to deal bonus physical damage.
- Rod of Atos (2750 Gold) - Bought at 34 minutes. Upon usage, it roots the targeted unit. It can be the much-needed lockdown that Monkey King needs to stop enemies from TP’ing after he uses his Rupture. It can also be combined with Boundless Strike to lock enemies down and silence them.
- Gleipnir (6150 Gold) - Bought at 34 minutes. Maelstorm and Rod of Atos can be upgraded into Gleipnir which roots multiple heroes in an AoE, all at once. Gleipnir is an essential item that provides Monkey King with that much-needed lockdown he needs to beat enemies down without much effort.
- Abyssal Blade (6250 Gold) - Purchased at 39 minutes. Skull Basher is upgraded into Abyssal Blade, which stuns the targetted unit, it pierces spell immunity. Hence, it can be a useful item to temporarily disable any heroes under the effect of Black King Bar.
- Monkey King Bar (4975 Gold) - Purchased at 42 minutes. Grants Monkey King’s attacks a chance to do true strike upon physical attacks. It also provides increased physical damage, making it an exceptional item for dealing great damage in fights.
- Blink Dagger (2250 Gold) - Purchased at 44 minutes. Blink Dagger is the classic item for Monkey King, allowing him to initiate and use his spells upon multiple enemies. It is an essential item for him regardless of the meta.
- Arcane Blink (6800 Gold) - Purchased at 44 minutes. Blink Dagger can further be upgraded into Arcane Blink which provides 25% Mana Cost Reduction, 20% Debuff Application, and 50% Cast Point reduction on all Monkey King’s spells and items upon usage. It is an ideal item in the late game which helps you deal that extra damage in a teamfight.
Neutral Items
- Ring of Aquila - Grants 1.25 mana regen and 2 armor to nearby allies and allied units. This is an exceptional teamfight item for MK.
- Blast Rig - When Monkey King gets attacked by an enemy within 400 AoE, it deals 250 damage in the same AoE, causing all the foes in the AoE to miss their attacks for two seconds.
- Trickster Cloak - Provides Monkey King with increased evasion and magic resistance. Its active allows him to turn invisible for 6 seconds, making it easy for him to escape.
3. Topson Build
It is no doubt that Topson is one of the best mid-players in the game. His determination and grit was the major reason behind OG winning back-to-back Tis. Topson regards Monkey King as one of his favorites due to the damage he can dish out on him quite early on in the game. He is known for his unorthodox builds and playstyles. His sheer skill and game sense ensures he triumphs even with the strangest builds. Even when this hero was nerfed into oblivion, Topson made him look viable and very much relevant. His exceptional farming style and aggressive demeanor ensure there is no stone left unturned when it comes to winning the lane.
Topson rotates as early as he can with this build with the mischievous monarch. He ensures that all his lanes are secured and no one is lagging in terms of levels or farm. He goes for items that help him disrupt the fight and save his allies if need be. Topson makes the game look like a cakewalk. He prioritizes farming and damage items, which allow him to beat multiple enemies down at once and carry the team quite effortlessly. Topson’s impeccable prowess and skill rank him so high on this list.
Use This Build If:
- You want an extremely reliable mid-build prioritized for the late game
- You want to deal extreme magical damage as a mid-Monkey King
- You want to be involved in more skirmishes from the early game
Skill Points
Level 1: Jingu Mastery: Upon 4th hit on the same hero, Monkey King gains four charged attacks that have lifesteal and bonus attack damage. Jingu Mastery works well in tandem with Boundless Strike, dealing loads of damage in the late game, while also healing up MK.
Level 2: Boundless Strike: Monkey King stuns units in a targeted area, damaging them with a critical hit based on his attack damage. It also has true strike, making it an ideal spell against evasion-based heroes. MK can use this spell to escape a sticky teamfight or initiate one.
Level 3: Jingu Mastery
Level 4: Boundless Strike
Level 5: Jingu Mastery
Level 6: Boundless Strike
Level 7: Tree Dance: Allows Monkey King to jump on trees, providing flying vision in that area. If the tree which MK is on is cut, then he gets stunned for 4 seconds. When on a tree, Monkey also gets the Primal Spring ability which allows him to leap upon the ground after channeling, slowing enemies in an AoE while also dealing damage based upon the time channeled.
Level 8: Jingu Mastery
Level 9: Boundless Strike
Level 10: Tree Dance:
Level 11: Wukong’s Command: Monkey King creates a circular formation of soldiers that spread out from his position. If he leaves the area his soldiers also disperse. The soldiers have Monkey King's attack and only target heroes. Monkey King is also granted bonus armor for the spell's duration.
Level 12: Tree Dance:
Level 13: Tree Dance
Level 14: Wukong’s Command
Level 15: +130 Jingu Mastery Damage
Level 16: +0.3s Boundless Strike Stun Duration
Level 17: Stats
Level 18: Wukong’s Command
Level 19: Stats
Level 20: -7s Boundless Strike cooldown
Level 25: Additional Wukong’s Command Ring
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Quelling Blade (100 Gold) - Increases the physical attack damage on non-hero units, and can also be used to cut trees. It is a must-have item on melee carry heroes like Monkey King.
- 2x Iron Branch (50 Gold) - Grants +1 of all attributes per branch. It provides decent sustain in the early game. The branch can be also planted to block paths for enemies or to deceive them under the fog.
- 2x Slippers of Agility (140 Gold) - Grants +3 Agility. It is a usual early item on Monkey King, as he lacks the early game attack speed and stats which is hence fulfilled by this item.
- Tango (90 Gold) - Provides health regen if used on a tree. It's the cheapest yet the most convenient way of healing up in the early stages of the game when you are playing in the side lanes. Regardless of the hero you play, Tangoes are a core item.
- Orb of Venom (275 Gold) - Purchased at 1 minute. Poisons the target, dealing 2.0 magical damage per second and slowing movement by -13%. Exceptional in the early game.
- Boots of Speed (500 Gold) - Purchased at 2 minutes. Provides +45 movement speed to MK. It is ideal for all heroes as you can further purchase upgraded boots with it.
- Orb of Corrosion (925 Gold) - Purchase at 5 minutes. Deals 3 damage per second to the attacked enemy, reducing 3 armor and slowing them by 13% of their movement speed. It is a staple item on Monkey King, highly useful in the early game.
- Power Treads (1400 Gold) - Bought at 6 minutes. It provides 45 movement speed and 25 attack speed along with toggleable attributes, which offer everything from increased mana pool to armor and even strength, helping Monkey King in all stages of the game.
- Magic Stick (200 Gold) - Bought at 7 minutes. Gains a charge each time an enemy uses a spell around you. Each direction grants 15 HP and mana and can have up to 10 charges. It is a perfect item in the laning stage if you face heroes who cast spells frequently.
- Magic Wand (450 Gold) - Bought at 8 minutes. Gains a charge every time an enemy uses a spell in an AoE. It can store up to 20 charges, with each charge healing you up to 15 HP and mana. It is an ideal starting item as it allows MK to sustain himself in the lane if he is facing spellcasting heroes.
- Wraith Band (505 Gold) - Bought at 9 minutes. Provides increased attributes, armor, and attack speed. The bonuses are doubled after 25 minutes. It is a staple item on Monkey King, as it is built for the increased durability and farming potential that it offers in this matchup.
- Echo Sabre (2500 Gold) - Bought at 13 minutes. Provides increased damage, strength, attack speed, mana regen, and intelligence to Monkey King. Its passive allows him to do physical attacks twice in a succession. The attacks apply 100% movement slow for a brief duration. MK benefits heavily from such early-game stats.
- Black King Bar (4050 Gold) - Purchased at 18 minutes. Provides magic immunity upon usage, making Monkey King invulnerable during team fights. It is essential in most matchups as he has low magical resistance.
- Desolator (3500 Gold) - Purchased at 24 minutes. Desolator provides +50 Attack Damage to Monkey King while reducing enemy armor by 6 upon physical attacks. It also works on towers. It is an ideal item to carry Monkey King as it increases your attack damage and reduces enemy armor upon attacks, making it viable in certain matchups.
- Blink Dagger (2250 Gold) - Purchased at 29 minutes. Blink Dagger is the classic item for Monkey King, allowing him to initiate and use his spells upon multiple enemies. It is an essential item for him regardless of the meta.
- Arcane Blink (6800 Gold) - Purchased at 32 minutes. Blink Dagger can further be upgraded into Arcane Blink which provides 25% Mana Cost Reduction, 20% Debuff Application, and 50% Cast Point reduction on all Monkey King’s spells and items upon usage. It is an ideal item in the late game which helps you deal that extra damage in a teamfight.
Neutral Items
- Occult Bracelet - Each time Monkey King is attacked, he gains 0.5 mana regen, for up to 5 stacks. Monkey King has a serious mana problem in the early game, and hence this bracelet provides him with a massive mana bonus.
- Vambrace - It acts as a secondary Power Treads which provides Monkey King the stats depending upon the attribute he has set it to. It is essential to survive through the early game.
- Mind Breaker - Provides Monkey King with increased attack damage and attack speed while also causing his attack to silence the enemy for 1.75 seconds. Has 12 seconds cooldown.
- Spell Prism - Reduces the cooldowns of Monkey King’s spells and items by 25%. This combined with Arcane Blink can make Monkey King a menace.
2. 23Savage Build
The glorious 23Savage gained notoriety for being a consistently high-ranked pub star and further an exceptional carry player for numerous SEA teams. This rising superstar from the east is known for his insane gameplay, he can win with pretty much any hero he plays. 23Savage can play a variety of heroes, but Monkey King remains his favorite! His Monkey King is said to be extremely dangerous. He is known to be quite the aggressive laner, often picking the elemental giant, to synergize with other heroes on his team, especially when his team has followed up for his ultimate, Wukong’s Command. 23Savage has been picking Monkey King even when it got nerfed, his gameplay and mechanical skills triumph over the patch changes
23Savage has a very orthodox Monkey King build, but the way he plays out his laning phase is highly commendable. This is the preferred build by 23Savage. This build provides great sustain and stats, it also guarantees immense damage in team fights, most of which can’t be negated. 23Savage alters his build according to the heroes he is facing, which is an impressive skill to learn. 23Savage loves items like Daedalus and Aghanim’s Scepter that provide stats and damage in team fights. This build allows him to stand his ground and utilize Void to his true potential.
Use This Build If:
- You want an early game fight oriented build which does not falter in the late game
- You want a highly self-sustainable build that can help you stay durable and withstand immense damage
- You are facing enemies with high regen or lifesteal potential
- You want a carry Monkey King build which helps you farm and fight from the early game
Skill Points
Level 1: Boundless Strike: Monkey King stuns units in a targeted area, damaging them with a critical hit based on his attack damage. It also has true strike, making it an ideal spell against evasion-based heroes. MK can use this spell to escape a sticky teamfight or initiate one.
Level 2: Jingu Mastery: Upon 4th hit on the same hero, Monkey King gains four charged attacks that have lifesteal and bonus attack damage. Jingu Mastery works well in tandem with Boundless Strike, dealing loads of damage in the late game, while also healing up MK.
Level 3: Jingu Mastery
Level 4: Tree Dance: Allows Monkey King to jump on trees, providing flying vision in that area. If the tree which MK is on is cut, then he gets stunned for 4 seconds. When on a tree, Monkey also gets the Primal Spring ability which allows him to leap upon the ground after channeling, slowing enemies in an AoE while also dealing damage based upon the time channeled.
Level 5: Boundless Strike
Level 6: Boundless Strike
Level 7: Boundless Strike
Level 8: Wukong’s Command: Monkey King creates a circular formation of soldiers that spread out from his position. If he leaves the area his soldiers also disperse. The soldiers have Monkey King's attack and only target heroes. Monkey King is also granted bonus armor for the spell's duration.
Level 9: Tree Dance
Level 10: Tree Dance
Level 11: Jingu Mastery
Level 12: Wukong’s Command
Level 13: Tree Dance
Level 14: Jingu Mastery
Level 15: +450 Tree Dance Cast Range
Level 16: +0.3s Boundless Strike Stun Duration
Level 17: Stats
Level 18: Wukong’s Command
Level 19: Stats
Level 20: -7s Boundless Strike cooldown
Level 25: Additional Wukong’s Command Ring
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Circlet (155 Gold) - Grants +2 of all attributes. It helps Monkey King stay durable through the early game.
- Magic Stick (200 Gold) - Gains a charge each time an enemy uses a spell around you. Each direction grants 15 HP and mana and can have up to 10 charges. It is a perfect item in the laning stage if you face heroes who cast spells frequently.
- Quelling Blade (100 Gold) - Increases the physical attack damage on non-hero units, and can also be used to cut trees. It is a must-have item on melee carry heroes like Monkey King.
- Iron Branch (50 Gold) - Grants +1 of all attributes per branch. It provides decent sustain in the early game. The branch can be also planted to block paths for enemies or to deceive them under the fog.
- Tango (90 Gold) - Provides health regen if used on a tree. It's the cheapest yet the most convenient way of healing up in the early stages of the game when you are playing in the side lanes. Regardless of the hero you play, Tangoes are a core item.
- Orb of Venom (275 Gold) - Purchased at 1 minute. Poisons the target, dealing 2.0 magical damage per second and slowing movement by -13%. Exceptional in the early game.
- Boots of Speed (500 Gold) - Purchased at 2 minutes. Provides +45 movement speed to MK. It is ideal for all heroes as you can further purchase upgraded boots with it.
- Power Treads (1400 Gold) - Bought at 4 minutes. It provides 45 movement speed and 25 attack speed along with toggleable attributes, which offer everything from increased mana pool to armor and even strength, helping Monkey King in all stages of the game.
- Infused Raindrops (225 Gold) - Purchased at 5 minutes. Passively provides +0.8 Mana Regeneration while consuming a charge to block 120 incoming magic damage from instances over 75 damage. It comes with 6 charges, helping MK fare well against heroes with high magic damage output.
- Magic Wand (450 Gold) - Bought at 5 minutes. Gains a charge every time an enemy uses a spell in an AoE. It can store up to 20 charges, with each charge healing you up to 15 HP and mana. It is an ideal starting item as it allows MK to sustain himself in the lane if he is facing spellcasting heroes.
- Battlefury (4100 Gold) - Purchased at 14 minutes. It allows melee heroes like Anti-Mage to deal 70% of their damage as cleave damage. As the Prominent focus of this build is to split push and farm quickly as a carry Monkey King, which pays off in the late game, Battlefury is quite essential as it is the gateway to acquiring other items quickly.
- Orb of Corrosion (925 Gold) - Purchase at 15 minutes. Deals 3 damage per second to the attacked enemy, reducing 3 armor and slowing them by 13% of their movement speed. It is a staple item on Monkey King, highly useful in the early game.
- Black King Bar (4050 Gold) - Purchased at 22 minutes. Provides magic immunity upon usage, making Monkey King invulnerable during team fights. It is essential in most matchups as he has low magical resistance.
- Aghanim’s Scepter (4200 Gold) - Purchased at 26 minutes. Spawns a monkey soldier near Monkey King at regular intervals. Soldiers do not spawn while invisible or on trees. Soldiers only attack buildings when Monkey King himself is nearby. It is an ideal item to buy if you are lacking damage and survivability in a teamfight.
- Crystalys - (1950 Gold) Bought at 29 minutes. It grants each attack a 30% chance to deal 160% critical damage. The damage can be extremely useful in the early game to fend off enemies and neutralize them.
- Daedalus - (5150 Gold) Purchased at 32 minutes. Daedalus allows Monkey King to deal critical damage. This high damage allows him to be a devastating hard hitter, as he can also solo kill and does not always need follow-up from his team due to the items he has built earlier.
- Satanic - (5050 Gold) Bought at around 36 minutes. Allows Monkey King to lifesteal quickly on physical attacks upon activation, and also provides basic dispel from the latter. Great to sustain in the ultra-late game as you can be surrounded by multiple enemies at once.
- Nullifier - (4725 Gold) Purchased at 40 minutes. Nullifier allows Monkey King to actively dispel any buffs that the targeted enemy may have, this disables their impact and prevents them from using any defensive items or spells in a fight.
- Refresher’s Orb (5000 Gold) - Purchased at 44 minutes. Refreshes the cooldown of all items and spells. It is an effective item on Monkey King as it allows you to use crucial spells like Wukong’s Command twice, along with items like Black King Bar.
- Eye of Skadi (5300 Gold) - Bought at 49 minutes. This causes Monkey King’s attacks to lower enemy attack and movement speed while reducing their health regeneration and lifesteal by 40%. It is an exceptional item if you are facing tanky heroes that regen or lifesteal fast. It also provides huge bonuses such as increased stats, HP, and Mana.
- Ghost Scepter (1500 Gold) - Purchased at 31 minutes. As 23Savage is fountain diving, he opts for Ghost Scepter which makes him unable to take any physical damage from the fountain attacks while also being unable to deal any physical damage at the same time. It also amplifies the magic damage that Monkey King takes, but there isn’t much magical damage that he is facing, hence he can safely purchase the Ghost Scepter.
Neutral Items
- Possessed Mask - It provides +7 of the primary attribute to Monkey King while also providing him with lifesteal. It is an exceptional item in the early game for a carry hero.
- Pupil’s Gift - Increases MK’s non-primary attributes by +15. It also provides increased agility and mana pool to him, increasing his potential to cast more spells and deal damage in a fight.
- Mind Breaker - Provides Monkey King with increased attack damage and attack speed while also causing his attack to silence the enemy for 1.75 seconds. Has 12 seconds cooldown.
- Penta-Edged Sword - Increases Monkey King’s attack damage by 45 and provides him with 100 increased attack range. It also has a chance to reduce enemy movement and attack speed for a brief duration. Monkey benefits briefly from this slow.
1. Pure Build
As mentioned earlier, Monkey King is a ferocious carry hero. His potential to be played in any core position makes him a hot pick in the current meta. Speaking of ferocious, Pure is a beast on Monkey King. He is one of the rising stars in the European region. Pure loves playing Monkey King aggressively due to his fight and tank potential on this hero. He is also known to fare well in pretty much all matchups due to his survivability. He can also farm extremely fast and rotate to the other lanes when he gets his ultimate. It is difficult to stop an early game-farmed Pure, he just snowballs and runs over his enemies effortlessly. Pure optimizes a late-game build which allows him to stay relevant and demolish all his enemies.
Pure loves farming in the early game as Monkey King, Desolator deals damage which helps him fight efficiently. He often builds items that ensure he has enough mobility and sustains to withstand a teamfight early on. Hence, items such as Black King Bar, Refresher’s Orb, and Aghanim’s Shard are highly preferred by him due to their efficacy. As the game progresses, you can also opt for Aghanim’s Scepter which offers incredible damage and fight potential, though it’s not seen in this game, it is a highly effective item in the extreme late stages of the game. This build is ideal if you want to be a dominating force right from the laning phase. Excellent and immaculate plays put Pure so high up on this list.
Use This Build If:
- You want a self-sustainable build that makes you tanky, making it extremely valuable against damage-dealing heroes
- You want to kickstart the game with high impact
- You want a sustainable Roshan-oriented build
- You want a late-game-oriented build that can obliterate even the worst enemies in the late game
Skill Points
Level 1: Boundless Strike: Monkey King stuns units in a targeted area, damaging them with a critical hit based on his attack damage. It also has true strike, making it an ideal spell against evasion-based heroes. MK can use this spell to escape a sticky teamfight or initiate one.
Level 2: Tree Dance: Allows Monkey King to jump on trees, providing flying vision in that area. If the tree which MK is on is cut, then he gets stunned for 4 seconds. When on a tree, Monkey also gets the Primal Spring ability which allows him to leap upon the ground after channeling, slowing enemies in an AoE while also dealing damage based upon the time channeled.
Level 3: Tree Dance
Level 4: Boundless Strike
Level 5: Tree Dance
Level 6: Tree Dance
Level 7: Boundless Strike
Level 8: Boundless Strike
Level 9: Wukong’s Command: Monkey King creates a circular formation of soldiers that spread out from his position. If he leaves the area his soldiers also disperse. The soldiers have Monkey King's attack and only target heroes. Monkey King is also granted bonus armor for the spell's duration.
Level 10: Jingu Mastery: Upon 4th hit on the same hero, Monkey King gains four charged attacks that have lifesteal and bonus attack damage. Jingu Mastery works well in tandem with Boundless Strike, dealing loads of damage in the late game and healing up MK.
Level 11: Jingu Mastery
Level 12: Wukong’s Command
Level 13: Jingu Mastery
Level 14: Jingu Mastery
Level 15: +450 Tree Dance Cast Range
Level 16: +0.3s Boundless Strike Stun Duration
Level 17: Stats
Level 18: Wukong’s Command
Level 19: Stats
Level 20: -7s Boundless Strike cooldown
Level 25: Additional Wukong’s Command Ring
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Magic Stick (200 Gold) - Gains a charge each time an enemy uses a spell around you. Each direction grants 15 HP and mana and can have up to 10 charges. It is a perfect item in the laning stage if you face heroes who cast spells frequently.
- Quelling Blade (100 Gold) - Increases the physical attack damage on non-hero units, and can also be used to cut trees. It is a must-have item on melee carry heroes like Monkey King.
- 2x Enchanted Mango (65 Gold) - Grants passive +0.6 health regeneration if not consumed. Upon consumption, it refills 100 mana instantly. Shadow Fiend lacks in the mana department and having a mango or two in handy can perhaps help him net kills in the early game.
- 2x Iron Branch (50 Gold) - Grants +1 of all attributes per branch. It provides decent sustain in the early game. The branch can be also planted to block paths for enemies or to deceive them under the fog.
- Faerie Fire (70 Gold) - Instantly restores 85 health upon usage for Monkey King It also passively grants 2 damage per instance. It is an effective item if you’re playing in the mid lane, or just want extra damage and sustain in the side lanes.
- Observer Ward - Grants vision of an area in an AoE upon the plant. The ward is stationary and can be destroyed by enemies if they purchase a sentry ward. It is a beneficial item for Monkey King as it provides him with the vision to see any incoming ganks or to secure the runes in the early game.
- Tango (90 Gold) - Purchased at 0:06. Provides health regen if used on a tree. It's the cheapest yet the most convenient way of healing up in the early stages of the game when you are playing in the side lanes. Regardless of the hero you play, Tangoes are a core item.
- Boots of Speed (500 Gold) - Purchased at 1 minute. Provides +45 movement speed to MK. It is ideal for all heroes as you can further purchase upgraded boots with it.
- Power Treads (1400 Gold) - Bought at 4 minutes. It provides 45 movement speed and 25 attack speed along with toggleable attributes, which offer everything from increased mana pool to armor and even strength, helping Monkey King in all stages of the game.
- Magic Wand (450 Gold) - Bought at 6 minutes. Gains a charge every time an enemy uses a spell in an AoE. It can store up to 20 charges, with each charge healing you up to 15 HP and mana. It is an ideal starting item as it allows MK to sustain himself in the lane if he is facing spellcasting heroes.
- Echo Sabre (2500 Gold) - Bought at 8 minutes. Provides increased damage, strength, attack speed, mana regen, and intelligence to Monkey King. Its passive allows him to do physical attacks twice in a succession. The attacks apply 100% movement slow for a brief duration. MK benefits heavily from such early-game stats.
- Black King Bar (4050 Gold) - Purchased at 14 minutes. Provides magic immunity upon usage, making Monkey King invulnerable during team fights. It is essential in most matchups as he has low magical resistance.
- Desolator (3500 Gold) - Purchased at 21 minutes. Desolator provides +50 Attack Damage to Monkey King while reducing enemy armor by 6 upon physical attacks. It also works on towers. It is an ideal item to carry Monkey King as it increases your attack damage and reduces enemy armor upon attacks, making it viable in certain matchups.
- Linken’s Sphere (4600 Gold) - Purchased at 25 minutes. Blocks one targeted spell every 14 seconds, and also increases stats and mana regen. This build has enough offensive items, and having a balance of offensive and defensive items can be extremely useful in the late game, helping Monkey King stay alive in the high-pressure teamfights.
- Nullifier - (4725 Gold) Purchased at 29 minutes. Nullifier allows Monkey King to actively dispel any buffs that the targeted enemy may have, this disables their impact and prevents them from using any defensive items or spells in a fight.
- Refresher’s Orb (5000 Gold) - Purchased at 33 minutes. Refreshes the cooldown of all items and spells. It is an effective item on Monkey King as it allows you to use crucial spells like Wukong’s Command twice, along with items like Black King Bar.
- Aghanim’s Shard (1400 Gold) - Purchased at 33 minutes. When Boundless Strike is set to auto-cast, Monkey King leaps to the end of his staff as soon as Boundless Strike hits the ground. It allows Monkey King to be more mobile and initiate fights in a much better fashion, you can also escape with the help of this mechanic.
Neutral Items
- Broom Handle - Provides increased armor, attack speed, and attack damage. Monkey King with increased armor which helps him fare well in a teamfight.
- Pupil’s Gift - Increases MK’s non-primary attributes by +15. It also provides increased agility and mana pool to him, increasing his potential to cast more spells and deal damage in a fight.
- Titan Sliver - Increases Monkey King’s base attack damage by 20%, it also increases his magic resistance by 16% and buffs up his status resistance by 12%. These stats allow him to be highly durable and resilient in a teamfight.
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