After my discussion about the Shadow Blade, I would like to talk more about another mobility item, the Blink Dagger. The shadow blade definitely has it’s perks, especially for heroes that like to stay hidden when preying on opponent heroes. It’s downfall is that it is not really an all rounded item if purchased in a late timing. What I mean by that is that Shadow Blade can easily be countered if played accordingly.
Blink dagger however, can be bought in almost any matchups by cores. It provides excellent mobility for slower heroes, and serves both as an escape mechanism and also an initiating one. A very good hero for this item is actually Templar Assasin. As Blink dagger gets cancelled when your hero is hit, Templar Assasin’s first skill Refraction prevents the dagger from going into cooldown, making it much easier for the hero to escape in tight situations.
For heroes like tidehunter, a shadowblade isn’t really an optimum purchase, as it gives time for opponent heroes to react if an area is warded. With blink however, this problem is solved as tide can get up close with the opponents easily with just one click of the mouse!