Aether Lens in 7.07 - A better item for supports
The 7.07 rework improved the Aether Lens’ mana and cast range. Combined with the new talents, IceFrog boosted its qualities as a support item. Pudge thanks Valve.
Let’s have a quick look at the bonuses provided by the old and the new version.
Old
+220 Cast Range
+250 Mana
+100% Mana Regeneration
+6% Spell Amp
New
+250 Cast Range
+450 Mana
+1.25 Mana regeneration
Note
It affects the cast ranges of abilities and items, but not their area of effect.
It increase the max distance of Blink and any blink-like spell.
Team Secret's captain Clement "Puppey" Ivanov got the Aether Lens on Shadow Demon in less than 30 minutes - Video by Dota 2 Pro.
Spell amplification loss
The 6% spell amplification bonus was a nice addition, but too poor to make a real difference on most heroes - the item was bought principally for the cast range.
The change will hurt slightly the damage of magic cores, but most of the supports won’t notice any variation.
Increased cast range
From 220 to 250 cast range. It isn’t a lot, but it can still give you the upper hand in some situations.
Dota 7.07 introduced different new talents, and now even more heroes can increase the range of their spells through them. The cast range bonus of multiple Aether Lens doesn’t stack, but it works together with the talents, giving an extra edge to some heroes.
For a support a correct positioning is vital in teamfight - further expanding the range from which they can affect the battle will improve their survivability.
Casters with increased cast range talents
In the list below you can find all casters/supports and the relative increase updated to 7.07c.
Bane: +100
Chen: +200
Crystal Maiden: +100
Dark Willow: +125
Dazzle: +125
Death prophet: +150
Disruptor: +150
Jakiro: + 125
Keeper of the Light: +250
Lich: +175
LIna: +100
Lion: +75
Ogre Magi: +75
Oracle: +150
Rubick +100
Shadow Shaman: +125
Tinker: +75
Underlord: +100
Venomancer: +150
Visage: +125
Warlock: +125
Zeus: +200
Note: not all heroes above really need the Aether Lens, but you will find it useful on most.
Check out the list of all talents updated to the latest patch and the comparison with the 7.06 ones.
Mana boosted
200 extra mana is especially helpful on supports and casters that have three mana consuming spells. For example, on Tinker you can level up the second level of Ream earlier than usual, earning more firepower in the mid game.
OG.Johan "N0tail" Sundstein on Tinker, he built the Aether Lens at 23 minutes - Video by Dota 2 Pro.
The Aether Lens is now the third best item to get raw mana. The first one is the Octarine Core with 725, while the Eye of Skadi holds the second place with 550.
Both of them have a cost equal or higher to 5,500 gold, instead the Aether Lens is available for half the price (2,350). It even gives you more mana than other expensive items such as the Bloodstone that “only” provides 425
Aether Lens and Pudge
Many asked this question - in my opinion now the item is even better on Pudge. He will benefit from the extra mana pool as he will be able to roam for a longer time, plus the small boost to cast range will make his hooks even more unpredictable.
Did you check out all the items introduced by the new patch? Have a look at our quick guide.
Header Image: Valve
