Have you ever been in a game when your teammate(s) are saying "we need wards" just shortly after getting ganked and you immediately shop to buy more but they're out of stock? This is the result of your wards being dewarded because of careless and common ward spots. As a 5k support player, one of the worst feelings to have in-game is when the enemy team immediately dewards a freshly-placed, 65 gold value Observer Ward. If you want the most value from your wards, not only do you need them to survive for as long as possible, but you also need them to provide great vision in crucial areas around the map (bounty runes, jungle camps, shrines, etc.). The only way to accomplish this is to get a little creative and explore the art of effective warding. In this top secret guide I am going to reveal a few examples of some effective wards that will prove difficult to deward for most players, and at the same time provide a great deal of vision to help ensure that your lanes are safe. I am sure many of you have heard the phrase "The best defense is a great offense" and I do believe that this applies very much to DotA, particularly with warding. Offensive wards provide deep vision, giving you more time make smart initiations/pick-offs. This also provides a strong defense as well, since your cores will be able to farm safer if your team has vision in deep spots.

The first set of wards I am going to focus on will be for Radiant. Each ward placement will have two pictures to show the various areas that the ward gives vision to. These wards will be focused around the Dire's top bounty rune and deep jungle camps, which will provide vision to coordinate ganks, or to ensure safe farming and objectives.

Ward #1: This ward is located deep in the Dire jungle, just north of the Dire shrine.

This is actually one of my favorite wards to use this patch because it provides such a great deal of information. It actually provides the possibility of spotting the enemy carry/mid farming 3 different jungle camps. It is also very effective at spotting rotations to the top lane. You can use this ward at pretty much any point in the game, but I find it most effective once Dire T1 Top Tower is down, allowing your team to securely split push the top lane, or securing the objective of the T2 Top Tower.

Ward #2: This ward is located just southwest of the Dire top Bounty rune.

This is what I would consider a basic, yet effective ward. The strengths of this ward are the massive amount of crucial vision it provides, and the ease of placing it. This ward is effective at spotting rotations to the top lane and heroes going for the bounty rune.  I typically use this early game to provide uphill vision for contention of the bounty rune and to spot support rotations mid or top.

Ward #3: This ward is located northwest of the Dire top Bounty rune.

This is probably the ward that is most likely to be dewarded, but I would still say it is a fairly difficult ward to deward.  This provides a great deal of uphill vision of the bounty rune, and should keep a strong eye on the enemy supports, possibly spotting smokes and other shenanigans. If you plan on contesting the bounties, I would highly recommend using this ward. Wards placed too close to the bounty rune are almost guaranteed to get dewarded. This would definitely be one of the early game wards, helping to secure the Dire T1 Top objective.

For the second set of wards, I will be switching to the Dire side of the things. The same idea behind the wards will still apply, aggressive and deep. With this vision we are hoping to spot support rotations or enemy cores farming for ez ganks.

Ward #4: This ward is located directly south of the Radiant bot bounty rune.

This is a deep and effective ward, I'd say it is quite unlikely to be dewarded unless you're spotted placing it. This provides exceptional vision of the Radiant jungle Bounty, allowing for ease of access to securing the rune. This should spot TPs to the T2, and support or mid rotations, providing ample time to react accordingly. Ideally, I would say this ward is most effective when the T1 Radiant is still up, allowing for easy pick offs to any lone heroes rotating.

Ward #5: This ward is located west of the Radiant bot bounty rune.

This is another sneaky deaky like ward which should prove quite an annoyance for the Radiant side. As you can see from the second picture, this ward is not dewardable by the common sentry on the high-ground eye. This ward will usually spot supports trying to ward/deward on the eye. This is also a common route into the jungle for Radiant side, giving Dire advantage for team fights or pickoffs. The fact that it provides vision of the bounty is a plus, giving the ability to jebait the bounty rune for ez kill + bounty.

Ward #6: This ward is located south of the Radiant mid T1 tower.

This ward serves a few purposes as it is defensive and offensive. It can be utilized aggressively as the vision it provides makes it very useful for smoke ganks on the enemy mid when he rotates to the jungle camps nearby. Defensively, it is effective because it provides vision of TPs to the T1, and it is a common smoke spot for the Radiant. This is definitely one of my favorite wards because it is fairly easy to place without being seen and provides vision where Radiant least expect it.

Hope you guys learned a little something from this guide, I will be sure to keep working on new ideas for you, and if you have any ideas you would like to me to work on, let me know! As a support player, I will be focusing mostly on how to improve in the support role. I want all of my guides to be open for discussion, so if you have any comments or constructive criticism I would be happy to hear it! Thanks, and may the MMR Gods be in your favor.

Resources: Interactive Ward Map

-SZ | James