Q from an old player getting back into the game..

As the title suggests i played awhile ago but now im trying to get back involved and relearn the basic and advanced mechanics of the game and theory crafting as a whole mainly cuz it interests me. So im creating this thread now in hopes that anybody (preferably someone who is experienced) can answer some of the Questions i may have.
New Questions in green
Answered Questions in red

I would imagine, because it's a great item for snowballing, people use it to get a solid early lead over their opponent and then sell it for something they need more once they're a few levels ahead of their lane opponent, with the opponent having very little chance of catching up.

Fairly certain they build it early because it is cheaper. Later game, a more damaging item is preferred and thus the weaker is sold.

With the stats it has (140 magical power), it is the 3rd best item for raw power stat.
So, I don't think it's the reason why we sell it.

But all it does is give magical power (mana and mp5 stats are marginal late game).
So, sometimes, you need something else than just power, especially if you already have the 2 best power items in your build.
However, it's stats for the price makes it one of the most efficient damaging item f.
We buy it early game or we don't buy it at all.
The added mp5 and mana makes it even more appealing for early game.

However, the stats rely on stacks, and you lose half the stacks upon death.
During laning phase, getting 50 stacks isn't an issue. But late game, you won't be killing much creeps.
So, generally, you sell it late game after you died and you know you aren't going to focus minions to get back those stacks.
Otherwise, you would sell it only when you need to buy your last item of your full build, and that build does not include Doom Orb, because you need others stats (More penetration, life steal, CDR, defense, etc).

0hhh see this one makes sense thank u! .. i suppose in my time away i completely forgot about the losing half stacks upon death .. as well as ur other good points

Compared to other modes, Conquest is often less flexible in many aspect of the game
- Team Composition
- Item builds for each role
- Starting setup
- Laning presence
- General strategy

It is not that you can't try something different, it is just that some patterns are just better than others, proven with the win ratio.
These patterns are called META.
Basically, during a game where 5 players play against 5 players of the same skill level (which it should be, because we have to trust MMR), if a team is using the META and the other team don't, according to statistics, the team using the META will win.

That doesn't mean the META is the only way to go, but that means if you don't follow it, you better know what you are doing.
Also, in solo queue, getting out of the META is a good way to get trash talk.



That question is about 1 point of the META : Items build for each role.
At some point in the time, some item builds tend to perform better than other (statistically wise).
These builds are then being copied by other players, so that build is seen very often.
Instead of calling a build with its 6 items (which is long, and all players know them), they gave them a name.
I say at some point in the time, because the META is always changing, due to balancing patches from HiRez.

Unicorn, Pegasus and the Crit builds were the 3 builds for ADC hunters that were in the META during the Season 1 (back in 2014)

Unicorn build :
Devourer's Gauntlet, Warrior Tabi, Qin's Sais, Asi, Brawler's Beat Stick, Titan's Bane

Pegasus build :
Devourer's Gauntlet, Warrior Tabi, The Executioner, Rage, Qin's Sais, Deathbringer

Crit build :
Devourer's Gauntlet, Warrior Tabi, The Executioner, Rage, Deathbringer,
( Titan's Bane / Malice)
During that time, the solo lane was mostly played by Warriors, so Titan's Bane was used more often. But if only 1 tanky enemy, the triple crit was a good option too.


There are probably other builds with name, but I don't play Conquest enough to know them.
Plus, HiRez is trying his best to avoid this kind of "The One Build" and allow more diversity in the builds.
So far, in Season 3, I don't think there is a META build for any role yet.

Smite gone more to a player preference in building nowadays. especially for warriors and jugnlers. adc, mages and sups kinda too (only still having a pretty specific core build)

thanks i get it now :)