Best Aghanim’s Shards in Dota

Aghanim’s Shard adds yet another layer of depth to the already complex game that is Dota 2. On some heroes, Shard upgrades are pretty mediocre (or even sometimes useless), but on others, they should be purchased in nearly every game. Here are the best Aghanim’s Shard upgrades in Dota 2. 

Clinkz

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: Burning Barrage

If I were to give an award for the best Aghanim’s Shard in the game right now, it’d go to Clinkz’s Burning Barrage. 

This ability allows Clinkz to channel and fire six arrows in a target direction, dealing 75% of his attack damage while also applying attack modifiers. 

The amount of value this Shard provides is plain stupid. Clinkz is already a strong laner and outputs a lot of damage, but he isn’t the fastest farmer by default. Burning Barrage completely solves that issue, allowing him to shred through jungle camps and creep waves. 

It also turns Clinkz into an obnoxious split pusher. He can walk up to a wave, clear it in two seconds, and disappear into thin air. On top of that, Burning Barrage lets him deal even more damage in fights than he already does.

It’s a stupidly strong Shard that provides way too much value for its cost. This is one you’d buy as soon as the timer hits 15:00. 

Witch Doctor

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: Voodoo Switcheroo

Witch Doctor’s Aghanim’s Shard allows him to turn into a Death Ward for a few seconds. Voodoo Switcheroo allows him to deal damage while also making him untargetable, meaning he’s pretty much invincible during the duration.

This Shard upgrade lets Witch Doctor deal an extra bit of damage onto targets affected by Maledict, but the real value comes from its defensive utility. Voodoo Switcheroo gives Witch Doctor a self-save that he can use when an enemy hero jumps on top of him, buying himself time for teammates to help him out. 

Voodoo Switcheroo has been an S-Tier shard for the longest time, and even though the Death Ward attack speed was nerfed, it’s still a must-buy on Witch Doctor. 

Skywrath Mage

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: Upgraded Arcane Bolt

Skywrath Mage’s Aghanim’s Shard upgrades Arcane Bolt. When you cast Arcane Bolt, two additional bolts are created. One hits the original target, while the two others are fired at random units, with heroes prioritized. So, you’re pretty much getting a “Buy 1, Get 3” for the price of one Arcane Bolt. 

Skywrath is probably one of the slowest farmers in the entire game, but with Shard, he can now clear multiple creeps with a single use of Arcane Bolt. Of course, it also massively amps his damage output in fights, as he’s shooting three bolts every two seconds at max level.

If you’re seeing Skywrath Mage in the mid-lane in your games, this is the reason why. 

Ancient Apparition

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: Upgraded Ice Blast

AA’s Aghanim’s Shard causes enemies hit by Ice Blast to also be immediately stunned by his current level of Cold Feet, though the stun duration is halved.

Ancient Apparition has always been a strong hero for his ultimate – Ice Blast – but lacks in other departments such as disables. This Shard pretty much patches that weakness as he can apply stuns across a massive area during a teamfight.

On top of that, he can still cast Cold Feet on a target after his Ice Blast lands, effectively allowing him to stun a target twice. 

Slark

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: Depth Shroud

Slark gets an additional ability in the form of Depth Shroud which allows him to place a cloud on the ground that hides both himself and allies standing inside it. 

Depth Shroud pretty much functions like a second use of Shadow Dance, and its usage is extremely flexible. Slark can use it to save himself and escape, or he can also use it offensively to farm Essence Shift stacks on an enemy target. 

However, the real value of this Shard comes from its teamplay potential. Slark can save teammates caught in life-threatening spells like Duel, Chronosphere, or other hard lockdowns like Fiend’s Grip. 

Though this is undoubtedly an S-Tier Shard, Slark might have to delay it to hit his other core item timings first. 

Tidehunter

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: Dead in the Water

Tide gets a new ability – Dead in the Water – which allows him to attach an anchor to an enemy hero. This anchor leashes them, heavily slowing their movement speed. To break out of it, the anchor can be destroyed after four hero attacks. 

Tidehunter has one of the strongest disables in the game with Ravage, but outside of that, he doesn’t offer much reliable control. Dead in the Water helps fill that gap very well. 

Disables are scarce in Dota. You either get them from built-in hero abilities, or must pay a high price through items like Scythe of Vyse or Abyssal Blade. However, Tidehunter can get a valuable level of control for just 1,400 gold with Dead in the Water.

Necrophos

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: Death Seeker

Necrophos’ Aghanim’s Shard allows him to transform into a traveling Death Pulse. He moves to a target unit’s location and releases a Death Pulse on arrival.

The Death Seeker ability effectively works as a second Death Pulse. Necrophos is notoriously a very slow farmer, and this ability, combined with a regular Death Pulse, allows him to clear creep waves and jungle camps very quickly. 

However, the most important aspect of this Shard comes from the mobility it provides. Necrophos can use the travel component to get out of sticky situations, especially when playing against Nullifier. Nullifier is the hardest counter to Necrophos, and he can’t save himself using Eul’s Scepter or Force Staff. Death Seeker allows him to escape and buy time for the debuff duration to end. 

Axe

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: Upgraded Berserker’s Call

With Aghanim’s Shard, Axe’s Berserker’s Call applies the current level of Battle Hunger to all affected units. 

Aside from Blade Mail and Counter Helix spins, Axe doesn’t really deal much reliable damage to targets caught under his Call. Aghanim’s Shard helps address this by adding extra damage and also opening the possibility for stacking multiple Battle Hungers on an enemy hero.

Axe can manually cast Battle Hunger and get the additional application from the Shard to deal some really high damage, especially if the enemy hero gets affected by three or more stacks. 

The Battle Hunger application also affects creeps, allowing Axe to clear creep waves or neutral stacks quickly, too. 

Faceless Void

Aghanim’s Shard Upgrade: Reverse Time Walk 

Faceless Void gets access to Reverse Time Walk, which allows him to backtrack his Time Walk to his previous cast location.

Faceless Void is naturally a very squishy hero who can easily be burst from a hundred to zero if he jumps in poorly. This Shard gives him an additional safety net, allowing him to say “nope, never mind” and bail himself out. 

It also adds a lot of flexibility to his gameplay. He can scout enemy positions and immediately retreat, or he can jump in, apply Time Dilation, and then get out safely.

Reverse Time Walk has also opened up the possibility of Faceless Void being played as a support. Overall, it’s a very solid Shard that offers a high level of flexibility and utility.