Hero Tips and Tricks: Razzil Darkbrew, the Alchemist

He is the most low-profile of all heroes. I have not seen anyone in weeks use him except in All Random matches, or when a hero got him from availing of a random hero. Why is he this unpopular? Was it because of the 6.43 “nerf” on him? A lot of people say he is really weak, but I beg to differ. I strongly disagree with this claim, because for me, the Alchemist is a strong team player—a pusher, a farmer, an offensive and defensive supporter, and a potential late-game killer.

Pusher – Razzil is a good pusher mainly with his Chemical Spray skill, which allows him to clear out an entire wave of creeps in seconds. Secondly, his ultimate, Chemical Rage, which regenerates HP in huge amounts, allows him to stay indefinitely in a lane, allowing him to dominate that lane.

Farmer – Chemical Spray and Goblin's Greed theoretically make Razzil DotA is best farmer because of the simple fact that he gets more gold per kill. Being the farmer he is, he can amass gold faster than the others, giving him access to good items—for himself, and maybe for his carry teammates. (It is really wise come late game for Razzil to farm Level 4 recipes for the carry heroes in his team.)

Support – Chemical Spray and Unstable Concoction are two very good skills, and even “imba” if really used in conjunction with the team. I will go into detail with these two skills later.

Late-game killer – When properly equipped, and in his Chemical Rage, Razzil Darkbrew can slice and dice enemies with ease. Combined with the help of his stun and the armor reduction from the chemical spray, he can match most agility and strength heroes in hand-to-hand combat.


1. Items
I am not making an Alchemist hero guide here but I feel I must include an item build for readers to have a better idea on how to use Alchemist.

Early game, I suggest an Arcane Ring and some Stat Items to boost make him last longer in a lane. Next he should aim for “all-around items”, items which raises many hero aspects, in contrast with items which focus on one aspect alone. (Compare Eye of Skadi and Heart of Tarrasque).

Some items I recommend are Sange and Yasha, Eye of Skadi, Battle Fury, and Linken's Sphere. These items buff him out, and also give him damage bonuses and some point regeneration. While building these items, it is advisable to get Kelen's Dagger of Escape. It helps him get into position. Note that when you cast spray, enemies often flee backward to avoid it. The dagger enables Razzil to blink right next to enemies and start hitting them before they can flee. Dagger also works well with his stun. After stunning, blink right next to enemy to avail of the free hits.

It is also good to get Assault Cuirass when the game drags on. The armor bonus helps Razzil a lot, while the attack speed aura makes the team more powerful as a whole.

How about his footwear? Treads or Travel? It depends on what role you are performing for the team.

If you have become a seasoned pusher already, pushing lanes to their limits, then farming, get Travel, to improve your game.

If you have decided to join your teammates in ambushes and in team pushes, get Treads, since you would be attacking more often.
However, in my opinion, Travel is usually the better choice because I am assuming Alchemist would have no money problems. Late game, Travel always makes a difference.


2. The Chemical Spray
This is your bread-and-butter skill, if you are that Ogre-Goblin team. By mid-game, you should have enough mana regen to be able to spam this. However, at this juncture, I would focus on its role in team clashes (to justify my claim that Razzil is a good supporting hero).

Never, ever cast this before your team engages the enemy. This will pre-empt the fight causing enemies to fall back, wasting your spell. Cast this when the first few spells have been cast—like stuns, disables, ultimates. Then jump into the fray and start slicing enemies. If you cast this a few seconds AFTER the fight has begun, enemies will be at a quandary. Will they turn back or will they fight it out? This is good. You have confused them. The cowards might pull back, enabling your teammates to focus fire on the remaining heroes, ensuring you victory for that clash.


3. The Unstable Concoction
As I have said above, Spray is not an initiator. Unstable Concoction IS the initiator. It is one of the most controversial spells in DotA. Many claim it is useless, but after it was improved in 6.43b, I will be the first one to tell you that this is a very underrated spell—its role in the team is very vital. True, it is hard to master, but again, practice makes perfect. It is one of those spells that really require skill on the part of the player. But I assure you, it IS a strong skill.

Show-Stopper

If you see someone channeling a spell, just cast this one and release immediately. Cancels teleport, Epicenter, Freezing Field, Black Hole and so on.


Early Game


Honestly, this is the first skill I get when I use Alchemist. Why? Because it is a nuke-stun. So go partner with another stunner/disabler/nuker, and go for First Blood.

Timing is the crucial thing to master with this spell. To get the maximum stun length, Razzil has to channel for five seconds, which is crazy, as some people would say. Actually, it is not. So here is what you do: After a creep wave defeats the opposing creep wave, stay behind your creeps and wait for the enemy hero to come in sight. Once he does, start channeling. Chances are, he will continue moving forward, thinking his creeps are there to back him up. Once the stun is released, your lane partner should start availing of the free hits, then following up with another disable/nuke/stun. Razzil, after channeling should jump right into the fray too.


Ambushes/Ganks
This spell is a very useful ambush tool. Just go to the woods then find a spot that overlooks the spot where the enemy is. Tell your ally to engage the enemy while you start channeling this spell. Chances are, by the time your ally has begun attacking your enemy, the latter is stunned for five seconds. Jump into the lane and aid your friend. An easy kill.

But what is not easy is timing the channel. I do not think I can enumerate concrete steps on how to get the timing right. It really is a matter of skill, so just practice. Your efforts will pay off.


Team Battles/Defending


When a team battle is about to start, pick someone for your team to focus fire on then aim this spell on him. While you are channeling, your teammates should engage the enemy to officially start the battle. Once the guy you are aiming at is stunned, focus fire on him, and do not forget to cast Spray! If your team play is perfect, you would cause disarray among your enemies, making them indecisive. Because you initiated the fight with this subtle stun, chances are they would not anticipate it.

When defending, the same principle should be applied. Use your higher ground advantage (in case you are defending the base towers already). Anticipate the moment when your enemies will storm the tower. Channel Concoction 5 seconds before that so the target would be stunned at a spot where he is really vulnerable. The 5-second stun makes a difference—that I assure you.

Alchemist can also choose to hide among trees outside base and channel from there. After the stun is released, he back stabs the enemy and pours his chemicals all over the place. That way the enemies are somewhat sandwiched, making some of them think they are going to lose the battle. This is good, because if they start retreating, that means you did a great job.