Invoker Dota 2 HeroStats, Builds & Counters

Hero guide

How to play Invoker in ranked: builds, matchups and timing

Kevin · Dota2Arena · updated Oct 27, 2026 · 4 min read · numbers live from our scanner

Invoker is picked in 18.9% of ranked matches, far above the 7.9% an average hero gets, and wins 50.9% of them, rank #40 of 127 heroes. The hero is strongest in the mid game (51.0%) and weakest in the early game (48.7%). The most common item is Boots of Travel, in 75% of games, while Shiva's Guard has the best win rate with 70.7%. The hardest matchup is Riki, the easiest Shadow Fiend.

Invoker in numbers

Before the advice, the baseline. These are Invoker's numbers against the average of all 127 heroes in our window, all ranks combined.

How to play Invoker

Invoker is a ranged Intelligence hero played mid. Quas, Wex and Exort are his three orbs; any combination of three orbs gives one of ten spells through Invoke. That makes him the hero with the most tools in the game, and also the one where mechanics matter most. He starts weak and slow, scales with levels rather than with a single item, and turns into a fight-winning hero once he holds two spells at once and has the mana to cast them back to back.

• Pick an orb focus for the laning stage. Exort gives damage for last hits and Sun Strike kills across the map, Quas and Wex give sustain and tempo with Cold Snap, Tornado and E.M.P.
• Level Invoke early enough to hold two spells at once. Most fights are won by the combination, not by a single spell: Tornado into E.M.P., Cold Snap into Forge Spirits, Meteor into Deafening Blast.
• Buy mobility and mana. Boots of Travel let you join every fight on the map, and the stat items keep ten spells castable through a long fight.
• Watch the map between waves. Sun Strike finishes kills your team starts anywhere, and a Ghost Walk escape costs nothing if the orbs are already up.
• Use the item numbers on this page: the items with the highest win rate on Invoker tell you where the hero scales.

When Invoker wins

Invoker's win rate by match length tells you when to push for the fight and when to hold. The hero peaks in the mid game and is weakest in the early game. The average match with Invoker lasts 41:48 minutes.

Matchups: who to fear, who to farm

From ranked matches, the three worst opponents for Invoker are Riki, Phantom Lancer and Visage. The best targets are Shadow Fiend, Terrorblade and Shadow Demon. If you can pick a partner, Wraith King and Phantom Lancer win the most games with Invoker.

What to buy

Boots of Travel (75%), Null Talisman (56%) and Meteor Hammer (47%) are in Invoker's final inventory most often. Aghanim's Scepter is bought in 6% of games and the Shard in 70%. The item with the best win rate is Shiva's Guard at 70.7%, which usually means the games were already going well when it was bought, so read it as a late-game goal rather than a first purchase. The build cards above turn this into a full purchase order.

Item	Bought in	Win rate with it
Boots of Travel	75%	55.5%
Null Talisman	56%	44.3%
Meteor Hammer	47%	52.4%
Aghanim's Scepter	44%	57.8%
Octarine Core	35%	63.6%
Black King Bar	29%	55.8%

Common mistakes

• Skilling all three orbs evenly early. One orb maxed gives a real spell, three low orbs give nothing.
• Casting Tornado without a follow-up. The lift only wins a fight if a spell lands when enemies come down.
• Buying damage before mana. Invoker without mana is a hero without spells.

Invoker's abilities explained

Invoke Innate · No target

Combines the properties of the elements currently being manipulated to create a new spell for Invoker to use. Invoke cooldown is reduced by 0.3 seconds for each orb level. Invoker gains a bonus ability point for his orbs at levels 6, 12, and 18. Invoker's vast knowledge of magic allows him to choose from Multiple Aghanim's Scepter and Shard options. The items must be activated before they can be used, and cannot be changed after they are chosen. Click the help button to see the list of possible spells.

Quas No target

Allows manipulation of ice elements. Active Quas instances imbue Invoker with bonus hp regeneration. Passively grants bonus strength per level of Quas.

Wex No target

Allows manipulation of storm elements. Active Wex instances imbue Invoker with bonus movement and attack speed. Passively grants bonus agility per level of Wex.

Exort No target

Allows manipulation of fire elements. Active Exort instances imbue Invoker with bonus attack damage. Passively grants bonus intelligence per level of Exort.

Cold Snap Unit target · Magical damage

Invoker draws the heat from an enemy, chilling them to their very core for a duration based on the level of Quas. The enemy will take damage and be briefly frozen. Further damage taken in this state will freeze the enemy again, dealing bonus damage. The enemy can only be frozen so often, but the freeze cooldown decreases based on the level of Quas.

Ghost Walk No target

Invoker manipulates the ice and electrical energies around him, rendering his body invisible and gaining health and mana regen. The elemental imbalance created as a consequence slows nearby enemies based on the level of Quas, and slows Invoker as well based on the level of Wex.

Tornado Point target · Magical damage

Unleashes a fast moving tornado that picks up enemy units in its path, suspending them helplessly in the air shortly before allowing them to plummet to their doom. Travels further based on the level of Wex. Holds enemies in the air for a duration based on the level of Quas. Deals base damage plus added damage based on levels in Wex. DISPEL TYPE: Basic Dispel

E.M.P. Point target · Magical damage

Invoker builds up a charge of electromagnetic energy at a targeted location which automatically detonates after 2.9 seconds. The detonation covers an area, draining mana based on the level of Wex. Deals damage for each point of mana drained. If EMP drains mana from an enemy hero, Invoker gains 25% of the mana drained.

Alacrity Unit target · Physical damage

Invoker infuses an ally with an immense surge of energy, increasing their attack speed based on the level of Wex and their damage based on the level of Exort.

Chaos Meteor Point target · Magical damage

Invoker pulls a flaming meteor from space onto the targeted location. Upon landing, the meteor rolls forward, constantly dealing damage based on the level of Exort, and rolling further based on the level of Wex. Units hit by the meteor will also be set on fire for a short time, receiving additional damage based on the level of Exort.

Sun Strike Point target · Pure damage

Sends a catastrophic ray of fierce energy from the sun at any targeted location, incinerating all enemies standing beneath it once it reaches the earth. Deals damage based on the level of Exort, however this damage is spread evenly over all enemies hit.

Forge Spirit No target

Invoker forges a spirit embodying the strength of fire and fortitude of ice. Damage and armor are based on the level of Exort while attack range, health, and duration are based on the level of Quas. The elemental's scorching attack is capable of melting the armor of enemy heroes. The number of spirits spawned is determined by the lower level of Quas and Exort.

Ice Wall No target · Magical damage

Generates a wall of solid ice directly in front of Invoker for a duration based on the level of Quas. The bitter cold emanating from it greatly slows nearby enemies based on the level of Quas and deals damage each second based on the level of Exort.

Deafening Blast Point target · Magical damage

Invoker unleashes a mighty sonic wave in front of him, dealing damage to any enemy unit it collides with based on the level of Exort. The sheer impact from the blast is enough to knock those enemy units back for a duration based on the level of Quas, then disarm their attacks for a duration based on the level of Wex.

Frequently asked questions