Slark is one of the stealthiest and most deadly carry heroes in the game. This vicious creature of the deep sea knows no bounds! His lethal skills make him quite popular in the current meta. Though not many can understand the true potential of Slark, the ones who do, know ho indestructible and truly ruthless he is.
We bring you the best 5 Slark builds that wreck the enemy team. These builds are built by the best players in the world and are extremely relevant in the current meta.
5. Bzm Build
Bzm is not only an impressive mid-laner but also exceptional in the carry role. He is known for his versatile hero pool and exceptional Slark plays. He has a very hyper-aggressive but disciplined play style. His insane reactions made him fall under the radar for OG
Bzm loves to cripple his enemies by building items like the Orchid of Maleovalence, not giving them any chance to use their spells! Along with that, he is known to build items like Shadow Blade, and Mage Slayer that allows him to become more elusive and sustain himself from his foes. The build is highly situational but works amazingly versus high magic damage heroes.
Use This Build If:
- You want to have a fast-paced build that can translate well into the later stages of the game. The mentioned items provide you with all the qualities necessary to withstand a teamfight.
Skill Points
- Level 1:Essence Shift - Steals enemy agility on physical attack, making it an exceptional level 1 ability to steal enemy damage and reduce their attack speed.
- Level 2: Pounce - Slark pounces and latches on enemies if they are in the AoE, making them unable to get away from him.
- Level 3: Dark Pact - After a small duration, Dark Pact deals damage in a small AoE, purging any debuffs on Slark while also dealing damage to him.
- Level 4: Dark Pact
- Level 5: Dark Pact
- Level 6: Shadow Dance - Upon activation, it hides Slark in a dark cloud which makes him invulnerable from attacks, making him immune to any targetted spells and increasing his passive regen even when enemies are around.
- Level 7: Dark Pact
- Level 8: Essence Shift
- Level 9: Essence Shift
- Level 10: Essence Shift
- Level 11: Stats
- Level 12: Shadow Dance
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Power Treads - Bought at 6 minutes. Power Treads provide Slark with a bonus of three attributes, which can be toggled, providing increased HP, movement speed, or mana according to the attribute set.
- Diffusal Blade - Bought at 11 minutes. Slows down targetted enemy upon activation and burns their mana on physical attacks. Diffusal is not a meta item but it is often used in certain situational matchups.
- Orchid of Maleovalnce - Bought at 17 minutes. On usage, Orchid silences the targetted enemy and makes them take a percentage of the damage at the end of the duration. It can later be upgraded into a Bloodthorn if needed.
- Shadow Blade - Bought at 20 minutes. Shadow Blade allows Slark to go invisible and disengage or initiate the fight. It is further upgraded into Silver Edge at 26 minutes, which allows you to disable the passive abilities of enemies by applying Break.
- Aghanim’s Shard - Bought at 23 minutes. The Shard provides Depth Shroud ability which creates a cloud that hides all allies and Slark under it. It is helpful during teamfights or aiding your teammates in escaping.
- Mage Slayer - Bought at 28 minutes. Upon physical attacks, it reduces enemy magical damage by 35% for 6 seconds. It is exceptional against enemies with heavy magical damage. It is further upgraded into Bloodthorn by 29 minutes.
- Eye of Skadi - Bought at around 34 minutes. On Slark’s physical attacks, it reduces the enemy’s regen while also providing stats, it also slows their movement as well as attack speed.
4. Ame Build
Ame is undoubtedly the best carry player in the current meta, this is due to his high mechanical skills and impressive understanding of the game. He is known to be versatile, but Slark remains one of his favorites. High tempo and fast pace are the names of the game on this hero.
Ame loves building items that provide him insane fighting potentials, such as the Diffusal Blade, followed up by the Aghanim’s Scepter. These items elevate his gameplay and ensure his enemies do not return alive. Crippling his foes with Nullifier and Aghanim’s Shard is the norm whenever you see Ame play Slark in the pubs.
Use This Build If:
- You want to emulate Ame’s farming and fighting patterns. This is quite a standard Slark build, but there is nothing standard or common about Ame's playstyle, his extraordinary playstyle deserves a mention.
Skill Points
- Level 1:Essence Shift - Steals enemy agility on physical attack, making it an exceptional level 1 ability to steal enemy damage and reduce their attack speed.
- Level 2: Pounce - Slark pounces and latches on enemies if they are in the AoE, making them unable to get away from him.
- Level 3: Essence Shift
- Level 4: Dark Pact - After a small duration, Dark Pact deals damage in a small AoE, purging any debuffs on Slark while also dealing damage to him.
- Level 5: Dark Pact
- Level 6: Shadow Dance - Upon activation, it hides Slark in a dark cloud which makes him invulnerable from attacks, making him immune to any targetted spells and increasing his passive regen even when enemies are around.
- Level 7: Dark Pact
- Level 8: Pounce
- Level 9: Pounce
- Level 10: Pounce
- Level 11: Essence Shift
- Level 12: Shadow Dance
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Soul Ring - Bought at 3 minutes. Soul Ring converts a percent of Slark’s HP pool into mana, providing him extra mana whenever needed.
- Power Treads - Bought at 7 minutes. Power Treads provide Slark with a bonus of three attributes, which can be toggled, providing increased HP, movement speed, or mana according to the attribute set.
- Diffusal Blade - Bought at 11 minutes. Slows down targetted enemy upon activation and burns their mana on physical attacks. Diffusal is not a meta item but it is often used in certain situational matchups.
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Bought at 19 minutes. The Scepter provides Slark with increased cast range on Pounce along with two charges.
- Eye of Skadi - Bought at around 28 minutes. On Slark’s physical attacks, it reduces the enemy’s regen while also providing stats, it also slows their movement as well as attack speed.
- Aghanim’s Shard - Bought at 29 minutes. The Shard provides Depth Shroud ability which creates a cloud that hides all allies and Slark under it. It is helpful during teamfights or aiding your teammates in escaping.
- Butterfly - Bought at around 36 minutes. Butterfly provides Increased evasion, agility, and movement speed which complements the already existing evasion and makes her untouchable due to her high damage.
- Nullifier - Bought at 44 minutes. Upon activation, Nullifier mutes enemy items and actively purges any buffs, making it an essential item in the late stages of the game.
3. Ana Build
Ana’s Slark is quite different from everyone else’s on this list, this is because it’s one of his most played heroes. He quite well knows everything the hero can do, this helps him induce fear in the mind of his enemies.
Ana has been praised widely for his intense and nail-biting performance on this hero. Everything from pouncing on enemies with Aghs ult to diving the fountain, he knows it all! Ana loves Aghanim’s Scepter combined with the Eye of Skadi on this hero, this essentially makes him a tanky initiator!
Use This Build If:
- You want to be highly elusive. This build is essential if you are also facing heroes which are elusive i.e. they have escape potential. Purchasing the trio of Swift Blink, Silver Edge, and Aghanim's Scepter ensures you grab your enemies by the neck.
Skill Points
- Level 1: Essence Shift - Steals enemy agility on physical attack, making it an exceptional level 1 ability to steal enemy damage and reduce their attack speed.
- Level 2: Dark Pact - After a small duration, Dark Pact deals damage in a small AoE, purging any debuffs on Slark while also dealing damage to him.
- Level 3: Pounce - Slark pounces and latches on enemies if they are in the AoE, making them unable to get away from him
- Level 4: Dark Pact - After a small duration, Dark Pact deals damage in a small AoE, purging any debuffs on Slark while also dealing damage to him.
- Level 5: Dark Pact
- Level 6: Shadow Dance - Upon activation, it hides Slark in a dark cloud which makes him invulnerable from attacks, making him immune to any targetted spells and increasing his passive regen even when enemies are around.
- Level 7: Dark Pact
- Level 8: Pounce
- Level 9: Pounce
- Level 10: Pounce
- Level 11: Stats
- Level 12: Shadow Dance
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Wraith Band - Bought at around 3 minutes. It provides all 3 Basic attributes along with 4 armor and 10 attack speed
- Power Treads - Bought at 6 minutes. Power Treads provide Slark with a bonus of three attributes, which can be toggled, providing increased HP, movement speed, or mana according to the attribute set.
- Echo Sabre - Bought at 12 minutes. Echo Sabre provides increased stats and attributes along with providing increased attack speed.
- Silver Edge - Bought at 20 minutes. Silver Edge allows Slark to go invisible and apply break when hitting an enemy under its duration, breaking their passive abilities.
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Bought at 28 minutes. The Scepter provides Slark with increased cast range on Pounce along with two charges.
- Aghanim’s Shard - Bought at 29 minutes. The Shard provides Depth Shroud ability which creates a cloud that hides all allies and Slark under it. It is helpful during teamfights or aiding your teammates in escaping.
- Blink Dagger- Bought at 34 minutes. Blink Dagger allows Juggernaut to initiate with Bladefury or Omnislash. It is further upgraded into Swift Blink at 47 minutes.
- Black King Bar - Bought at 36 minutes. Provides magic immunity, making Slark invulnerable during teamfights. It is essential in most matchups.
- Abyssal Blade - Bought at around 42 minutes. Can bash enemies on physical attacks and prevents them from escaping, which allows him to stun and lock down the targetted enemy.
2. 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 Slark build which Miracle loves to try out in his pub games.
Slark is played differently by Miracle as he opts to play the hero in an extremely fast-paced manner, often wishing to buy the damage dealing high ticket items as soon as he can to paralyze the early game pressure of his enemies. He prefers ganking and helping his team in teamfights instead of farming away, 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.
Use This Build If:
- You want to be tanky and deal high damage at the same time, this build is lethal if your enemies lack in both the heals and HP department.
Skill Points
- Level 1: Essence Shift - Steals enemy agility on physical attack, making it an exceptional level 1 ability to steal enemy damage and reduce their attack speed.
- Level 2: Pounce - Slark pounces and latches on enemies if they are in the AoE, making them unable to get away from him.
- Level 3: Dark Pact - After a small duration, Dark Pact deals damage in a small AoE, purging any debuffs on Slark while also dealing damage to him.
- Level 4: Essence Shift
- Level 5: Dark Pact
- Level 6: Shadow Dance - Upon activation, it hides Slark in a dark cloud which makes him invulnerable from attacks, making him immune to any targetted spells and increasing his passive regen even when enemies are around.
- Level 7: Dark Pact
- Level 8: Dark Pact
- Level 9: Pounce
- Level 10: Pounce
- Level 11: Stats
- Level 12: Shadow Dance
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Power Treads - Bought at 5 minutes. Power Treads provide Slark with a bonus of three attributes, which can be toggled, providing increased HP, movement speed, or mana according to the attribute set.
- Diffusal Blade - Bought at 9 minutes. Slows down targetted enemy upon activation and burns their mana on physical attacks. Diffusal is not a meta item but it is often used in certain situational matchups.
- Shadow Blade - Bought at 16 minutes. Shadow Blade allows Slark to go invisible, which can be useful to both initiate and disengage during a team fight. It is further upgraded into Silver Edge at 26 minutes into the game, which allows Slark to apply Break on enemy targets, disabling their passive abilities.
- Eye of Skadi - Bought at around 22 minutes. On physical attacks, it reduces the enemy’s regen while also providing stats, it also slows their movement as well as attack speed.
- Skull Basher - Bought at around 24 minutes. Can bash enemies on physical attacks and prevents them from escaping, can later be upgraded into Abyssal Blade, which allows to stun and lock down the targetted enemy.
1. Yatoro Build
Slark was a specialty of Yatoro’s when he was climbing up the MMR ladder. He is known to be an aggressive laner, often opting to chase and ward off enemies from the lane. His map awareness and mechanical skills as this hero are truly breathtaking.
Yatoro loves the Radiance into Silver Edge build, primarily due to its elusive nature. He loves to pounce on support heroes and exterminate them first! Yatoro prefers fast-paced games and is seen ending pub games in just under 30 mins.
Use This Build If:
- You want to play for the late game. Radiance is a highly unusual item for Slark, yet Yatoro makes it work as he is successful in dragging the game longer which helps him acquire more items and bulldoze his way through teamfights.
Skill Points
- Level 1: Essence Shift - Steals enemy agility on physical attack, making it an exceptional level 1 ability to steal enemy damage and reduce their attack speed.
- Level 2: Pounce - Slark pounces and latches on enemies if they are in the AoE, making them unable to get away from him.
- Level 3: Essence Shift
- Level 4: Dark Pact - After a small duration, Dark Pact deals damage in a small AoE, purging any debuffs on Slark while also dealing damage to him.
- Level 5: Dark Pact
- Level 6: Shadow Dance - Upon activation, it hides Slark in a dark cloud which makes him invulnerable from attacks, making him immune to any targetted spells and increasing his passive regen even when enemies are around.
- Level 7: Dark Pact
- Level 8: Dark Pact
- Level 9: Pounce
- Level 10: Stats
- Level 11: Pounce
- Level 12: Shadow Dance
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Wraith Band - Bought at around 1 minutes. It provides all 3 Basic attributes along with 4 armor and 10 attack speed
- Power Treads - Bought at 6 minutes. Power Treads provide Slark with a bonus of three attributes, which can be toggled, providing increased HP, movement speed, or mana according to the attribute set.
- Soul Ring - Bought at 7 minutes. Soul Ring converts a percent of Slark’s HP pool into mana, providing him extra mana whenever needed.
- Radiance - Bought at 17 minutes. Radiance deals AoE burn damage which is exceptional in the early game combined with the Dark Pact damage.
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Bought at 22 minutes. The Scepter provides Slark with increased cast range on Pounce along with two charges.
- Silver Edge - Bought at 28 minutes. Silver Edge allows Slark to go invisible and apply break when hitting an enemy under its duration, breaking their passive abilities.
- Aghanim’s Shard - Consumed from Roshan at 30 minutes. The Shard provides Depth Shroud ability which creates a cloud that hides all allies and Slark under it. It is helpful during teamfights or aiding your teammates in escaping.
- Moonshard - Bought at 31 minutes. It increases Slark’s attack speed along with increasing his night vision unless he consumes it.
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