Any item with a limited stock must be pretty special to receive such a treatment. The smoke of deceit is one the most powerful items in the shop, if you know how to use them.

It’s all about information

Most of us are aware of the fact that having proper information is key in a well thought out decision making process. When you are hanging out in the club and you see a well lit and groomed gentleman eye you up, you might make the decision to respond to his advances. But if this same individual is wearing a hood and brooding in a dark corner like your first D&D character, you might think otherwise. The difference is in the amount of information you have about this person.

A similar narrative plays out in the game of Dota 2. Knowing where your opponents hero’s are can be a great aid in your own decision making. Turning this around, it also means that when you deny information to your opponents, their decision making process will be severely deterred. But playing in areas that your opponents don’t have information about can only get you so far, as their wards will indicate specific areas that they do have information over. However there is one thing that is even more effective than a lack of information, something called disinformation.

Misinformation

Going back to our club night, imagine that your friend tells you the handsome guy is actually a notorious playboy. This would likely deter you from seeking any further contact with the man. However your friend is actually just really jealous and wants to seize this opportunity for romance herself. This is what one would call misinformation.

The smoke of deceit is the perfect tool to create misinformation in your game of Dota 2. As observer wards will often create a safety net of vision that your opponents will use to stay safe. The smoke will allow you and your team to pierce this veil of information without being seen. And being in a place where your opponent thinks they have vision, while they are unable to actually see you creates this misinformation.

As the information provided by their wards is no longer correct. Now you have the perfect position to strike towards your enemy with them being unaware of your angle of attack. This is why smokes are so incredibly powerful, as they are the only way to defy the information granted to your opponent through their wards.

Smoke maneuvers

We now know why we need to use smokes, but how does one use smokes? The harsh truth is that there are such a myriad of ways to use smokes, that it would be impossible to explain all possible maneuvers. However, there are two very simple maneuvers that will surprise many opponents.

Sneaking a roshan is a move often performed under the cover of a smoke. One simply identifies a moment where the opponents show at least two heroes far away from the pit. Subsequently you and your team pop smoke on yourselves and swiftly enter roshan’s home. This means that any wards scouting out roshan attempts suddenly create misinformation and before the enemy even properly notices how their enemies are no longer on the map, roshan has fallen. Allowing you to receive its rewards without directly competing for it with the enemy team.

The fake back is a maneuver used to knock the final nail in the coffin of a team that has its highground being assaulted. To perform this move one simply forces the enemy back towards the high ground as you poke up towards one of their tier 3 towers. Once the enemy has repelled your team through a spam of nukes you and your team simply retreat to the nearest highground under the cover of smoke.

Your opponents will likely assume that you backed away from the attempt and are regrouping on your side of the map, since their ward on this highground doesn’t see any opponents. But instead you stuck around on this same highground under the cover of smoke and are now in prime position to take a teamfight with massive advantage. Wiping your opponents close to their base allows you to instantly start destroying their final buildings often meaning a quick win coming your way.

Creativity is rewarded

These are just two of the easier and more effective ways the smoke can be used, but like stated previously there really is no end to the ways smoke can be utilized. From dodging sniper ultimates to sneaking in wards behind enemy lines, there is no limit. As a Dota player yourself you obviously are on a higher level of intelligence than many of your worldly comrades, and are therefore able to think of your own ways to use the smoke of deceit. An act I would only encourage. Especially now that you know how the misinformation they create is its most powerful asset. So buy those smokes and keep using them in any way you see fit, as they just might just be the most powerful item in the game, for one of the lowest prices in the game.

P/S: If you are interested in our blog posts and has been looking for ways to improve yourself as a dota 2 player, you can take a fast quiz test to find out more about our coaching lessons here at vikingdota.com.