Kunkka is an extremely useful hero that fits into many lineups. He is an amazing ganker and his impact throughout the whole game should not be underestimated. Because I feel that some players underestimate this hero, I've chosen to write my own guide on him. Although he is hard to master, he is very fun to play and is extremely effective. This is a guide geared towards organized games, where you, your team, and your opponents know what they're doing.Pros/Cons
Pros:
+ A game-changing hero once mastered
+ Very fun to play
+ Has 1(.5) disables
+ Very good initiator
+ Excellent lane control via Tidebringer
+ Excellent ganker
+ Can roam, solo or dual lane.
Cons:
- Fairly item dependent
- No real escape mechanism
- Slow attack speed
- Fairly mana dependent early game
- Requires practice to be effective
- Tricky to use
Skills And Spells
Torrent* Ability Type: Active
* Targeting Type: Area
* Ability Hotkey: E
Using his unparalleled knowledge of the sea, Kunkka is able to summon a blast of water at a targeted area. After 2 seconds a fierce torrent of water erupts from the ground, the stream blasting enemies caught in the AoE into the sky, dealing damage and slowing movement speed by 30%.
This is your main disable, and its very effective for ganking, escaping or initiating minor battles. It has an AOE of 225, costs 120 mana, has a casting range of 1500, a disabling period of 1.53 seconds and a cooldown of 12 seconds. All of these remain the same at all levels.
However, the length of slow (1/2/3/4) and damage (120/180/240/300) increases.
Notes
• Damage type: magic
• The initial bubble effect is only visible to allies.
• Units tossed in the air will be paused and still able to be attacked.
• Part of the damage occurs right as the torrent erupts, the rest occurs over time as the units are in the air.
• Don't underestimate the casting range of 1500. It is farther than you think, so don't be afraid to use it even if the enemies seem to be out of your reach.
Tidebringer* Ability Type: Passive
* Targeting Type: N/A
* Ability Hotkey: D
Daelin's legendary sword Tidebringer is infused with the very power of the sea. Akin to the ebb and flow, Tidebringer passively grants the hero increased damage and large AoE cleave for a single strike every once in awhile.
Your signature spell. Every 16/12/8/4 seconds, your sword will glow with water, which means you will gain a stronger attack (+15/30/35/60 dmg) and have a splash attack (AOE of 380/420/460/500) on the next attack that you perform. This is the spell that gives kunkka such good lane control. Excellent for harassing enemies and for getting last hits. Be careful not to push the lane too much with this, unless you are purposely trying to.
Notes
• Cleaved damage is only reduced by armor type, not by armor value.
• Cooldown is not activated on denies, so the damage bonus is maintained.
• If a hero is running away from you and there is a creep in front of you, attacking the creep will possibly splash the damage onto the enemy and maybe kill him/her. This is a slightly more advanced technique, but keep it in mind.
X Marks The Spot* Ability Type: Active
* Targeting Type: Unit
* Ability Hotkey: X
In order to make an assembly for his troops, Admiral Proudmore targets a hero and marks its current position on the ground. After a few seconds, the hero will instantly return to the mark.
After you cast this on an enemy, an X will appear where they were when you casted the spell. Then, after 1/2/3/4 seconds, the enemy will return to the "X" location. Another useful spell that is extremely helpful for ganking and even escaping. Synergizes very well with your other spells, but can be tricky to use.
Has a mana cost of 80/90/100/110 and a very long cooldown of 30 seconds, so only use it when you really need to. Casting range improves per level (500/650/800/950 range). Again, very useful spell for many situations.
Notes
• If target becomes magic immune after this spell has been cast, target will not return to the X after the duration ends.
• It interrupts channeling spells.
• If the enemy is TPing, use it and they will return to where they TP'd away.
Return* Ability Type: Active
* Targeting Type: Instant
* Ability Hotkey: R
Returns the target to the X.
Simple as that; It immediately returns the target to the X, so you don't have to wait for the full 1/2/3/4 second(s). Very useful for returning them to a torrent that you have placed on the X. Costs 50 mana and has a cooldown of 5 seconds.
Notes
• This ability is automatically gained when X Marks the Spot is learned.
• Due to Kunkka's fairly long casting animation (0.51 seconds, which could mean the difference between hitting or missing your torrent), Return will take a moment to actually bring the enemy back.
• Using this spell alone makes Kunkka raise his sword. This is the casting animation for all your spells, so make use of this when chasing enemies. Cast return without using X Marks The Spot, making it look like you casted Torrent. Smart opponents will turn around or walk to the side, attempting to dodge the "Torrent", giving you and your teammates time to catch up.
Ghost Ship* Ability Type: Active
* Targeting Type: Point
* Ability Hotkey: T
The admiral summons the mythical ghost ship S.S. CoCo to the battlefield. Allies are doused in Captain CoCo's Rum, inebriating them for 10% bonus movespeed and numbness to incoming damage, causing them to feel only half of the pain now and half after the Rum wears off. Enemies, pirates and scurvy knaves are dashed on the rocks for damage and a brief stun when the ship crashes.
This is a very complicated spell with many effects. Firstly, Kunkka raises his sword and a huge boat comes from behind him. The boat travels forward 1000 range and crashes, stunning all opponents in the 400AOE for 1 second, dealing 300/400/500 damage. All allied heroes, for the next 5/6/7 seconds, have their movespeed increased by 10%. Additionally, all allied heroes will take only 50% of the incoming damage for the 5/6/7 seconds, and will take the other 50% after 5/6/7 seconds. Since a large battle lasts around 6-10 seconds, you and your teammates will be able to tank a lot more in the battle, and take the rest of the damage after. I find this buff part of the skill unnoticed and underestimated, which is why I described it in detail. The cooldown for this spell is 100 seconds, which is short enough for you to use it to gank enemies, or in a 2v2 fight, for example. Use it to initiate battles, as it has a huge casting range, and so the damage reduction will be active during the fight.
Notes
• Damage type: magic
• Actual AoE of ship's collision is larger than the boat itself.
• The boat has a movement speed of 650.
• Damage dealt after CoCo's rum wears off is non-lethal and can never kill a hero. It leaves the hero with 1 HP.
• The boat does not crash exactly where you aim it. Instead, it heads that direction for 1000 range, then crashes. It takes practice and prediction to hit a perfect Ghost Ship.
Proper Building
Note: There are lots of skill builds that you could use (some people even suggest getting Torrent + X first for early ganking power, but this is very mana dependent, and Kunkka does not have great int gain early game. Don't do this unless you have a CM or Ezalor on your team, or if you have some other form of mana supply.)
Aggressive Dual Lane Kunkka
Level 1 - Torrent/Tidebringer
Level 2 - Tidebringer/Torrent
Level 3 - Torrent
Level 4 - Tidebringer
Level 5 - Torrent
Level 6 - Ghost Ship
Level 7 - Torrent
Level 8 - Tidebringer
Level 9 - Tidebringer
Level 10 - X Marks The Spot
Level 11 - Ghost Ship
Level 12 - X Marks The Spot
Level 13 - X Marks The Spot
Level 14 - X Marks The Spot
Level 15 - Stats
Level 16 - Ghost Ship
Level 17-25 - Stats
Item Build
Recommended Items
A good item on every single hero, and Kunkka is no exception. You will get into a lot of sticky situations where the ~150 hp and mp could turn the tides of a fight. Always good to have this. The 3 to all stats from Magic Wand is also nice. Unfortunately, it becomes nearly useless later on, and still takes up an item slot.
Good to have 1 or 2 Bracers. Kunkka doesn't have great strength gain for an initiator, so the added hp and the boost of mana is always useful.
I prefer Phase Boots over Treads and Boots of Travel. The attack speed on Treads is wasted because Kunkka should never be attacking too much. Although teleport from BoT is nice, TP scrolls will be enough. Kunkka needs burst movespeed, so Phase Boots is preferred. Also, the phase ability is priceless. The +24 damage is good for last hitting as well.
Kunkka should be ganking a lot, so the "burst" heal is very useful for him. Refill it with runes between ganks. He takes a fair amount of damage and he uses quite a bit of mana, so Bottle is essential.
Always carry one of these. Whether its for escaping or defending, its always good to have TP scrolls on hand.
Extremely useful item for Kunkka. Unless you want to use Ghost Ship, Torrent, then watch the battle from a safe distance, get BKB. It will help you a ton in battles. Although you have no channeling spells, you are extremely vulnerable to spells and you, the initiator, will probably get targeted first. The 10 strength and 24 damage are always helpful. Keep in mind that every time you use BKB, it will lose 1 second of duration the next time you use it, so don't use it to dodge a Stifling Dagger. However, it will only go down to a 5 second duration, long enough to dodge the major spells in a team fight. Do keep in mind that bashes go through BKB.
Very helpful item for Kunkka. Since he is the initiator, hence the target, he will usually be aimed first. Activate your blademail as the enemies start to attack you, and with your 50% damage reduction from Ghost Ship, the enemies will take 2 times more damage than you.
Situational Items
Some people have Battlefury as their first core item, but although it is a nice item that synergizes with Tidebringer, it costs 4350 gold for a splash you already have. This can be a good item if your team has some sort of aoe disable that pulls everyone together (Magnus, Enigma, etc.). If not, it will not be as effective as it first seems. For 4350, you could have a BKB and a Bottle. Bottle provides more reliable burst heal for when you need it, and BKB provides 34 damage, 190 hp, and the priceless Avatar ability. Battlefury is not a total waste at all, but it is situational.
Useful for tanking, as Kunkka is the initiator, he will need the HP boost. He should not be going back all the time, so the 2% regen will go farther than you think. Always good for a strength hero.
Very useful item not only for you, but for your team. The -5 Armour reduction to enemies is like a free deso, and the IAS is quite nice if the game is lasting longer than expected.
Vanguard is a waste of money on many heroes, but getting it on Kunkka is a viable choice. He does benefit from what vanguard gives, since physical DPS is your main concern after BKB. Not a bad item for you, but definately not a must.
Pipe is another situational item. Because you have BKB, it could go to waste, but your team could greatly benefit from this. Synergizes well with Ghost Ship, but is geared more towards a defensive/safe strategy. Not a bad item at all.
Satanic seems perfect for Kunkka at first, providing survivability and lifesteal, but its not. Satanic lasts 3.5 seconds, in which you will get around 3 hits, 4 at the most because of your slow attack speed. The only way you could make this useful would be if you farmed a Hyperstone, but you'd be buying an item to make another item useful for you. Its like buying a Mystic Staff so you have the mana to use refresher. Although there are many cons to Satanic, pairing it with Buriza could be good, but that will take an extremely long time to farm, and you should not be focusing on that.
Both Hex and Shiva are very useful, but are a hassle to farm and delay other items that you could be getting. Situational, but look at your team's situation and be logical. If you have some extra cash, a hex could help a lot, and the stats from both items fit fairly well into your hero's needs.
Vlads is a good item on Kunkka only if nobody else on your team is buying it. Kunkka, again, is not the carry, so buying items like Vlads will help him and his team. Kunkka himself does not benefit greatly from Vlads, but the auras and lifesteal are always useful. Don't buy this only for yourself; Buy it if most of your team benefits from it.
Unless your team chooses 4 AOE Disabling heroes and does not need your help at all early-mid game, allowing you to farm 2 battlefurys, do not buy Mask Of Madness. Kunkka does not have the survivability to take the extra damage. Also, Tidebringer will not activate more often if you have faster attack speed; You will always have to wait 4 seconds for it.
Linkens could be useful on Kunkka, but if you have a BKB, you won't really need it. A good alternative to BKB though; The stat & regen bonuses are nice and a Spell Block every 20 seconds is great. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive, but consider this item before getting BKB.
If you somehow are able to farm a Buriza and a Hyperstone, you will be a real threat. Although these two cost a heck of a lot, it will pay off after you see the critical damage splashed amongst the enemies. I don't recommend getting this item for every game, but it is definately a Luxury item if you can afford it.
Many people suggest getting Lothars as a core item, but it is way to situational and expensive for its use. It costs 3500 gold, and even though it gives you 125 backstab damage splashed among the enemies, and gives you an escape mechanism, you really need the gold for a BKB. Chances are that you'll get stunned for a long time in a fight, and without BKB, you are very vulnerable. Also, Lothars doesn't synergize with Torrent or Ghost ship, so only get this if the other team has few/no stuns, or if you are so farmed that you are confident that it will help you.
Rejected Items
Armlet.
This is a very good argument for getting Armlet. However, Kunkka does not have a great amount of HP, making it very risky to use Armlet. Also, Kunkka should not be built like a full DPS hero. Unless you buy Lifesteal and some survivability to make up for the 35 hp/second loss, the 2850 gold for Armlet could be used for more important core items. Lastly, Kunkka will not be the hero getting disabling support from the team. Instead, he is the AOE presence and should not be using Armlet, charging in and auto-attacking.
Again, Kunkka should not be continuously whacking the enemies in a battle. Although SnY provides decent movespeed and survivability, it costs 4500 Gold. Certainly not a good deal, especially for a hero like Kunkka. You already have burst movespeed from Phase Boots, and have better survivability from BKB.
Kunkka does not have excellent attack speed, so bashers is a waste. It does not give Kunkka things that he needs, and there are many other things that the money could be used for. Don't get bashers.
Hardcore DPS items are not recommended unless the game drags on so long that even Tidehunter is making a Buriza. Don't focus on farming these items. Instead, leave the gold for your carry, buy more practical items and gank.
The first two builds provide a solid, aggressive start that provides you with a fair amount of hp. Have your team's chick/crow grab you a bottle asap if you are farming well. You will need it because you only have 1 tango/salve. If you are facing heavy lane harassment, have the chick/crow ferry over a healing salve or two as soon as possible.
The third build is more defensive and provides more heal. They both give the same amount of strength, but this one is more safe incase you face heavy lane harassment. Feel free to switch the 2 tangos with 2 salves or 1 tango and 1 salve.
Core Items
Fairly straightforward Core build. You need Phase Boots for the burst movespeed and the priceless ability to walk through units. Bottle is required for the quick heal between ganks, and can be used to capture runes as well. A bracer is recommended just to provide that extra kick in HP and Mana. BKB is the first expensive but essential item that you should aim for. It provides nice stats (10 Strength, 24 DMG) and gives us the thing we need to be useful in team battles - Avatar. If you go straight for a strong DPS item here, you will die a quick and painful death after you use your Torrent + Ship combo. Lastly, always carry a TP scroll because you'll never know when you'll need it.
Lolwtf1!1 Nub guide writer forgot magic stick11!!lol!1one!
No, I didn't. Magic stick is the only item in your core that can be taken out because, as you can see, we already have a full inventory with this Core build. Although its always nice to have that instant heal, take it out if you know that you will need to buy other items. However, don't restrict yourself from buying it just because you're scared of a full inventory. You can always sell it. It costs less than 600 gold.
Luxury Items
Get these items if you really have the gold to afford it. There is no exact rule to what you "should" get after your core, so be reasonable. If you don't even get to attack more than once in a battle, please don't get Buriza. You will rarely have the gold to finish more than one of these items before the game ends, considering that you have bought your core items, so you don't have to be too worried about what exact Luxury Item to get. Again, be reasonable and look at the game's situation.
