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Rubick
Unknown Hero icon
Strength attribute symbol
Agility attribute symbol
Intelligence attribute symbol
19 + 1.5
14 + 1.6
27 + 2.4
Level 0 1 15 25 30
Health 120 538 1000 1594 1792
+0.25 +2.15 +4.25 +6.95 +7.9
Mana 75 399 795 1227 1395
+0 +1.35 +3.03 +4.83 +5.53
Armor -1 1.33 5.07 9.73 11.4
Magic Resist 25% 27.7% 31.06% 34.66% 36.06%
Damage Block -
Damage

1
1

28
28

61
61

97
97

111
111

Attack Rate 0.59/s 0.67/s 0.8/s 0.97/s 1.03/s
Attack Range U 600 ( ? )
Attack Speed 100 (1.7s BAT)
Attack Animation 0.4 + 0.77
Projectile Speed
Move Speed 290 (Nighttime 320)
Turn Rate Takes 0.209s to turn 180°. 0.5
Collision Size 24
Bound Radius 24
Vision Range (G) 1800 (Nighttime 800)
Gib Type Default
Internal Not Provided

Rubick the Grand Magus is a ranged Intelligence hero best known for his ability to copy the spells of his enemies and use them as his own. Although he is mostly played as a support and is extremely fragile the entire length of the game, he can still prove to be one of the most influential heroes if he utilizes good positioning and well-timed usage of his ultimate, Spell Steal. Spell Steal allows Rubick to cast an enemy hero's most recently used spell, giving him supreme versatility throughout the game. By stealing the right abilities, the Grand Magus can aid himself and allies by casting crippling disables, applying curses, unleashing powerful nukes, disorienting the enemy team, supporting his allies with buffs, escaping from rough situations, or even enhancing his own physical attacks. His other abilities are just as worthy of a Magus: Telekinesis lets Rubick magically lift an enemy into the air, rendering the target helpless and vulnerable, before hurling the lifted enemy to the ground up to a short distance away and stunning nearby foes on impact. Fade Bolt blasts enemies with a stream of arcane energy which bounces to all enemies nearby, dealing damage and reducing their attack damage. Null Field is a passive aura, which grants himself and nearby allies bonus magic resistance to shrug off magical assaults. Rubick's versatile ability-set and his infamous Spell Steal make him a flexible and powerful hero that can work in any lineup although he does suffer from long cool-downs and the surfacing predictability of his ultimate.

Bio

Rubick minimap iconRubick, the Grand Magus
▶️ "No sorcery lies beyond my grasp."
Any mage can cast a spell or two, and a few may even study long enough to become a wizard, but only the most talented are allowed to be recognized as a Magus. Yet as with any sorcerer’s circle, a sense of community has never guaranteed competitive courtesy.

Already a renowned duelist and scholar of the grander world of sorcery, it had never occurred to Rubick that he might perhaps be Magus material until he was in the midst of his seventh assassination attempt. As he casually tossed the twelfth of a string of would-be killers from a high balcony, it dawned on him how utterly unimaginative the attempts on his life had become. Where once the interruption of a fingersnap or firehand might have put a cheerful spring in his step, it had all become so very predictable. He craved greater competition. Therefore, donning his combat mask, he did what any wizard seeking to ascend the ranks would do: he announced his intention to kill a Magus.

Rubick quickly discovered that to threaten one Magus is to threaten them all, and they fell upon him in force. Each antagonist's spell was an unstoppable torrent of energy, and every attack a calculated killing blow. But very soon something occurred that Rubick's foes found unexpected: their arts appeared to turn against them. Inside the magic maelstrom, Rubick chuckled, subtly reading and replicating the powers of one in order to cast it against another, sowing chaos among those who had allied against him. Accusations of betrayal began to fly, and soon the sorcerers turned one upon another without suspecting who was behind their undoing.

When the battle finally drew to a close, all were singed and frozen, soaked and cut and pierced. More than one lay dead by an ally’s craft. Rubick stood apart, sore but delighted in the week’s festivities. None had the strength to argue when he presented his petition of assumption to the Hidden Council, and the Insubstantial Eleven agreed as one to grant him the title of Grand Magus.
Voice:
[[Voice actors#|]] (Responses)

Gameplay

Abilities

Telekinesis
Ability
N/A
Affects
Enemies
Rubick uses his telekinetic powers to lift the enemy into the air briefly and then hurls them back at the ground. The unit lands on the ground with such force that it stuns nearby enemies.
Cast Animation: 0.1+0.97
Cast Range: 550/575/600/625
Stun Radius: 325
Lift duration: 1.5/1.75/2/2.25
Stun duration: 1/1.25/1.5/1.75
Cooldown symbol
 22
Mana symbol
 120
Even the Grandest Magus may use his powers for enjoyment.

  • The lift duration consists of 1.2/1.45/1.7/1.95 seconds static air time and 0.3 seconds landing time.
  • The lifted unit is stunned while in air and is not affected by the area stun upon landing.
  • The lifted unit loses its collision during the lift, so that other units can pass below it.
  • When the lift ends prematurely, the lifted unit instantly lands and applies the area stun.
  • Destroys trees within 325 radius of the lifted target upon landing.
  • Cannot lift Roshan, he will be stunned for the lift duration instead.


Telekinesis Land
Ability
N/A
Affects
Enemies
Chooses the location the target will land when Telekinesis finishes.
Cast Animation: 0.1+1.07
Cast Range: Global
Max Throw Distance: 375
Stun Radius: 325
Stun Duration: 1/1.25/1.5/1.75

  • This ability replaces Telekinesis icon Telekinesis for the lift duration.
  • Telekinesis Land has an instant cast time.
  • Allows Rubick to determine where the lifted unit will land after the lift duration. Does not prematurely end the lift.
  • Targeting further than the maximum allowed throw distance will throw the target 375 distance towards the targeted point.
  • The unit moves towards the targeted point during the last 0.3 seconds of the lift duration, so the speed varies between 0 and 1250, depending on the chosen distance.
  • Can be cast multiple times during the lift. The unit will land on the last chosen location.
  • The center of the targeted area is marked with green particles, which are visible to allies only.


Fade Bolt
Ability
N/A
Affects
Enemies
Damage
Magical
Rubick creates a powerful stream of arcane energy that travels between enemy units, dealing damage and reducing their attack damage. Each jump deals less damage.
Cast Animation: 0.1+0.93
Cast Range: 800
Bounce Distance: 440
Number of Bounces: Infinite
Base Damage: 70/140/210/280
Bounce Damage Reduction: 4%
Hero Attack Damage Reduction: 14/20/26/32
Creep Attack Damage Reduction: 7/10/13/16
Duration: 10
Cooldown symbol
 16/14/12/10
Mana symbol
 120/130/140/150
Rubick's favorite spell for dispatching would-be assassins is a rather simple conjuration.

  • Fade Bolt has no bounce limit. Bounces in 0.25 second intervals. Each bounce decreases the bolt's current damage by 4%.
  • Can never hit the same unit twice per cast.
  • This is how much damage the first 20 bounces on each level deal (before reductions):
    • Level 1: 70/67/65/62/59/57/55/53/50/48/47/45/43/41/40/38/36/35/34/32/31 damage, 1008 total damage, 104 bounces to reach 1 damage
    • Level 2: 140/134/129/124/119/114/110/105/101/97/93/89/86/82/79/76/73/70/67/64/62 damage, 2014 total damage, 121 bounces to reach 1 damage
    • Level 3: 210/202/194/186/178/171/164/158/151/145/140/134/129/124/119/114/109/105/101/97/93 damage, 3024 total damage, 131 bounces to reach 1 damage
    • Level 4: 280/269/258/248/237/228/219/210/202/194/186/179/172/165/158/152/146/140/134/129/124 damage, 4030 total damage, 138 bounces to reach 1 damage


Null Field
Can be used by illusions. Disabled by Break. Pierces spell immunity. EN
Ability
N/A
Affects
Allies
Rubick's mastery of the arcane protects nearby allies against weaker magics, granting them magic resistance.
Radius: 900
Magic Resistance Bonus: 5%/10%/15%/20%
Not every magus can be a Grand Magus...

  • Null Field is an aura and its buff lingers for 0.5 seconds.
  • Increases Rubick's and most heroes' magic resistance to 28.75%/32.5%/36.25%/40%, if they do not have any other source of magic resistance and are not Meepo minimap icon Meepo or Visage minimap icon Visage.
  • Increases Meepo minimap icon Meepo's total magic resistance to 38.25%/41.5%/44.75%/48% and Visage minimap icon Visage's total magic resistance to 14.5%/19%/23.5%/28% if they have no other sources.


Spell Steal
Ability
N/A
Rubick studies the trace magical essence of one enemy hero, learning the secrets of the last spell the hero cast. Rubick can use this spell as his own for several minutes or until he dies.
Cast Animation: 0.1+0.93
Cast Range: 1000 (Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter. 1400)
Spell Duration: 180/240/300
Cooldown symbol
 20/18/16 (Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter. 2)
Mana symbol
 25
Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter.
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade:
Reduces cooldown and increases cast range. Stolen spell receives Aghanim's Scepter upgrade.
...but even their lesser magics can be a source of much utility.

  • The stolen spell travels as a projectile towards Rubick at a speed of 900. Rubick gains the spell as the projectile reaches him.
  • Cannot steal passive abilities, item abilities, active attack modifier. Can only steal from heroes.
  • Always steals the current level of the last cast spell, not on the level the spell was as it was cast the last time.
  • Can not have more than 1 stolen spell at a time. Sub-spells from spells are automatically acquired and cannot be manually stolen.
  • The cooldown of all stolen spells is saved. When re-acquiring a lost spell which was used recently, it will not be instantly ready to use again.
  • Spell Steal has no effect on the stolen spell when stealing the same spell twice in a row. The cooldown will not be refreshed and its level will not be updated. However, it will refresh the duration that the stolen spell will be retained.
  • Rubick loses the stolen spell when the duration is up, when he dies, or when stealing a new spell. The old spell is lost as soon as the projectile reaches Rubick.
  • A full list of unique interactions with Spell Steal can be found here.


Recommended items

Template:Recommendeditems

Equipment

Rubick/equipment

Tips

  • Rubick is renowned as one of the most flexible casters in the game due to his ability to turn the enemies' abilities against them with Spell Steal. However, this also makes him one of the hardest heroes to master due to the timing and positioning required to utilize his ultimate effectively.
  • Despite possessing attributes typical of the archetypal support caster, the possession of Spell Steal allows Rubick to be built differently. While he only has one innate disable, he should generally be built with mobility and casting in mind, with items that help with initiation taking priority due to the utility that Spell Steal provides.
    • Despite his high base intelligence, Rubick suffers from mediocre intelligence growth, and his spells have relatively flat mana costs; as well, consistent use of Spell Steal will further tax his mana pool due to the need to support not only his innate spells, but also any stolen abilities, particularly mana-expensive ultimates. As well, the mana cost for his abilities have a relatively flat scaling, meaning that they cost a larger fraction of his mana pool in the early game. As a result, items that grant Rubick a larger mana pool and increased mana regeneration are very helpful for keeping him in the game.
    • Although a great disabler and potential initiator with the right items and stolen spells, Rubick is still very frail and can be easily killed if caught out of position by the enemy team. Rubick should focus on building items that grant him more mobility rather than increasing the size of his HP pool, as increased mobility can help with both initiation and escape rather than simply delay his death in the face of enemy attacks.
  • During the mid- and late-game, stealing key teamfight spells and keeping yourself alive should be your main goals. Spell Steal only has a 0.1 second cast time and high cast range, so quick fingers and fast reaction time will give your team a huge advantage.
  • Rubick is a very flexible caster who can be played as a support, roamer or core farmer. The role that he is selected for will largely change his how much farm he gets, and in turn how effective he can be with his abilities. However, his skill build remains largely the same.
    • As a support, Rubick generally performs lane harassment and creep pulling duties, getting low farming and experience priority. Telekinesis allows him to catch the enemy off-laner and pull them back, as well as making chain-disables by his tri-lane easier to execute due to Telekinesis's ability to reposition the enemy precisely.
    • As a roamer, Rubick aims to disable and disposition enemies with Telekinesis, setting up kills for his lanes to give them an early advantage. A roaming Rubick prioritizes in mobility, disable and nuking.
    • As a core, Rubick goes to the mid lane, using Fade Bolt to nuke and harass, and Telekinesis to set up kills if his supports and roamers rotate to mid for a gank. Due to being given farm and experience priority, mid Rubick's goal is to get level 6 as fast as possible and use his gold and level advantage to start moving around the map for ganks and kills. Gold should be spent on mobility items, particularly a fast Blink Dagger, as well as utility and disable items to turn teamfights to his team's advantage.
  • Telekinesis icon Telekinesis is a short disable, but can be extremely powerful as it can displace the enemy upon landing, putting them in a very disadvantageous position.
    • No matter what role Rubick is played in, at least one point should be spent on this ability in the laning stage. Because leveling it up increases its disable duration (both lift and stun on secondary targets) as well as cast range, this ability benefits from being maxed out early in a match in order to increase Rubick's disable potential.
    • Rubick is a very strong supporting disabler when placed in a side lane, since Telekinesis can disable a target for a disproportionate amount of time (lift time, as well as displacement upon landing). This allows him to greatly magnify the effects of chain disables by his team as he can prevent a target from dodging area-of-effect stuns and increase the length of their retreat path.
    • Remember that any enemies within a certain radius of a lifted target will be stunned upon the target landing. Telekinesis Land icon Telekinesis Land allows Rubick to select the area that the target will land in, allowing him to utilize the secondary stun as needed. This can be extremely powerful when counter-initiating during enemy ganks, as Rubick can immediately disable one attacker with the lift, and then stun any other enemy heroes with the land.
    • Remember that when choosing a location for Telekinesis Land, it is possible to place the target on a different elevation than their lift point. You can use this to your advantage by placing the target over a ridge, forcing them to take the long way around, which can be useful for extending a fleeing enemy's escape path or preventing a chasing enemy from easily pursuing. As well, targets can be placed on the elevated cliffs near the rune spots, potentially trapping them in place unless they have a Town Portal Scroll.
  • Fade Bolt icon Fade Bolt is a bouncing nuke that allows Rubick to deal a respectable amount of damage to enemies while also reducing the damage their physical attacks deal.
    • Due to its nuking power and attack damage reduction on targets, Fade Bolt can be a surprisingly effective counter-gank spell, as it will both deal damage to the enemy and reduce their attack damage, decreasing their chances of securing a kill with their attacks as well as their chances of surviving and escaping after the gank. It can be a useful spell to break up or at least hinder enemy gank attempts.
    • Fade Bolt can be a powerful harassing tool during laning, as not only does it deal damage but reduces the enemy's attack damage. However, mind its mana cost, and remember that casting it will push your lane both due to the nuke damage on nearby creeps and the reduced damage that the creeps will deal.
    • Remember that Fade Bolt deals the greatest damage to the first target struck, and decreases in strength as it bounces to other enemies. Keep this in mind if trying to cast this spell to finish off an enemy, as the bounces may cause it to weaken to the point where it cannot guarantee a kill. If possible, try to directly target the enemy you are trying to kill in order to maximize the amount of damage they take.
    • Conversely, Fade Bolt's range can be augmented by using the bounce to hit an enemy at range. If a weakened enemy is out of range from being directly targeted, they can still possibly be finished off by a bounce as long as they are not already in the fog of war, and there are other units nearby that can be used as a relay.
    • Due to its nuking and pushing power, Fade Bolt is a useful tool for a mid-lane Rubick, as the damage can harass the enemy mid while reducing their last-hitting power. As well, pushing the creep wave into the enemy tower can keep them occupied when the runes spawn, and force them to last-hit against their tower, possibly reducing the amount of gold they get.
  • Null Field icon Null Field is a survivability aura that grants Rubick and all nearby allies increased magic resistance.
    • Null Field generally should not be picked up during the laning stage, as it does not scale well and reduces the damage of already weak magic nukes by small amounts. However, it should still be maxed out by level 14 as it can greatly improve teammates' survivability against magic nukes.
    • Keep in mind that Null Field affects allied creeps, not just heroes. If pushing alongside creep waves, Rubick can increase the survivability of his lane against enemy magic nukes, forcing them to expend more effort to halt pushes. However, beware that the enemy can simply choose to jump on Rubick instead, so try to push only when teammates are also nearby to provide support.
  • Spell Steal icon Spell Steal is one of the most powerful spells in the game, as used properly it can turn teamfights around completely. However, its use requires impeccable positioning, timing and judgment to ensure that the right spell is stolen and used at the right time. Keep in mind what abilities your enemies have, which of those you plan to steal, and in what situations the enemy will use those spells, so that you can be ready when an opportunity presents itself.
    • Spell Steal is one of the hardest spells in the game to use properly, as it requires extensive game knowledge to understand every aspect of the spells you are able to steal. As well, its long cooldown without Aghanim's Scepter means that there is no room for error if you intend on stealing a specific spell during a fight rather than taking what comes.
    • Virtually all spells stolen by Rubick will retain his 0.1 second cast animation. This means that spells such as Fissure icon Fissure, Ice Path icon Ice Path and Split Earth icon Split Earth will cast almost immediately. Any spell that requires channel time or extended casting animations will still have extended durations.
    • Certain spells can be extremely powerful against the heroes that they are stolen from. For instance, if there is a Bounty Hunter minimap icon Bounty Hunter on the enemy team, stealing Track icon Track from him allows Rubick to completely negate his Shadow Walk icon Shadow Walk, as well as drastically increase his gold gain. Stealing Mystic Flare icon Mystic Flare from Skywrath Mage minimap icon Skywrath Mage can allow Rubick to destroy him by holding him in place with Telekinesis, and so on.
    • Stolen spells can often fill in any deficiencies that Rubick has, allowing him to diversify greatly. For instance, stealing an area-of-effect magic nuke can allow Rubick to farm more easily as he can combine it with Fade Bolt, stealing a stun can allow him to double up disable duration when combined with Telekinesis, and so on.
    • While a stolen spell can be powerful by itself even factoring in the reduced cast times, Rubick's true strength comes from combining those spells with his innate ones. For instance, stealing Shackleshot icon Shackleshot can be extremely powerful as Rubick can lift a target at will and displace them in a location where a full-duration shackle can be lined up, stealing Enfeeble icon Enfeeble can drastically neuter a target's attack power when stacked with Fade Bolt, and so on.
    • Don't forget that stolen spells can synergize with allies' abilities as well, not only those of Rubick. If the enemy has a spell that can synergize well with that of a teammate, it can be very beneficial to attempt to steal that spell in tandem with an ally. For instance, if there is a Dark Seer minimap icon Dark Seer on the opposing team and Disruptor minimap icon Disruptor on yours, stealing the Dark Seer's Vacuum icon Vacuum can allow your Disruptor to get off a perfect Kinetic Field icon Kinetic Field + Static Storm icon Static Storm combo.
    • Remember that stolen spells have a memory duration based on the level of your ultimate, so you should keep in mind how you can best use that spell before you forget it. If you have stolen a powerful teamfight ultimate, it can be wise to try to force the enemy into a teamfight that is disadvantageous for them. If you have stolen a strong area of effect nuke, you can use it to farm during downtime or push out lanes. If you have stolen a strong stun, you should attempt to find a target to gank as you can greatly extend the duration of your disable by combining the stolen disable with Telekinesis.
    • Aghanim's Scepter not only reduces Spell Steal's cooldown to 2 seconds and increases its cast range, it also (in most cases) grants Rubick the upgrade benefits of any spells he has stolen, regardless of whether the original caster has an Aghanim's Scepter or not. Therefore, a stolen Black Hole icon Black Hole will apply Enigma's current level of Midnight Pulse icon Midnight Pulse to the area, a stolen Heat-Seeking Missile icon Heat-Seeking Missile will fire up to 4 rockets, and so on.
  • Due to being able to be played as a support, roamer or mid, Rubick can benefit from building numerous other types of items.
    • A starting Null Talisman icon Null Talisman is greatly beneficial on a mid Rubick, as it gives him more last-hitting power to allow him to compete against the enemy mid. As well, it helps to shave down your starting build so that you can purchase a fast Bottle icon Bottle to give yourself regen.
    • Enchanted Mango icon Enchanted Mango can be situationally useful as a mid. The passive HP regen helps Rubick to keep his HP up in the face of enemy harass, but its main use is consuming the mango for an instant 150 mana, which can greatly help in getting a kill on the enemy mid.
    • Played in a hard support role, be sure to purchase Sentry Ward icon Sentry Wards regularly on top of Observer Wards, as denying the enemy map vision can give you leeway for initiating on them and stealing their spells.
    • Urn of Shadows icon Urn of Shadows can serve as a useful utility and survivability item when playing as a roamer. The extra strength gives you more HP while the mana regen bonus helps to maintain your mana pool. The item's active adds another damage nuke to the mix, or can be used to heal yourself or teammates after successful ganks.
    • Tranquil Boots icon Tranquil Boots are generally not very strong on Rubick, but can be situationally built as a support or roamer. The armor and passive HP regen help to give Rubick survivability, and the increased base movement speed allows him to position himself for casting his spells more easily.
    • Soul Ring icon Soul Ring is another unorthodox item to build on Rubick, but can be useful depending on the situation. While his base intelligence is respectable, his spells come on a fairly low cooldown, and his mana pool is often strained to the breaking point due to Spell Steal allowing him to utilize even more spells. A Soul Ring can give Rubick on-demand mana that allows him to cast one or two more spells in a teamfight, and can help mitigate the mana cost on his spells when using them to farm, making sure that he does not show up to fights with a half-depleted mana pool. As well, it can be used as a component for building a Bloodstone should the need arise.
    • Ghost Scepter icon Ghost Scepter is a useful item to purchase on any support, and is no exception for Rubick. Being able to become immune to physical damage can buy Rubick more time in the face of the enemy's carries to steal or cast stolen spells in order to change the course of a teamfight.
    • Glimmer Cape icon Glimmer Cape is a situational item that mainly provides utility, but can be very strong if used properly. The active can allow Rubick to initiate by walking in invisibly instead of using his Blink Dagger, or can be used to shield himself or an ally from enemy magic nukes (or to help them escape), augmented further with Null Field. It can be particularly useful for utilizing stolen channeling spells, as it helps to prevent easy interruption.
    • Veil of Discord icon Veil of Discord can be a useful upgrade if a Null Talisman was already purchased earlier. It provides all-around stats, additional armor, and the active ability can work alongside Null Field to create a space for magic damage to benefit your team over the enemy. It can also be useful depending on what types of spells can be stolen from the enemy, as well as if your team also has a plethora of magic nukes.
    • Solar Crest icon Solar Crest is a strong utility item that can benefit Rubick in any situation. By itself, the item grants scaling mana regen as well as survivability against enemy physical attacks due to a combination of armor and evasion, which can be useful as Null Field already protects him against magic nukes. However, the active is very strong since it can allow Rubick to transfer the armor and evasion to his carry, or can reduce the armor of a gank target during an initiation with Telekinesis.
    • Refresher Orb icon Refresher Orb is a very situational item to purchase, and should depend on if the enemy has a major teamfight ultimate that can benefit from it. However, as with a Refresher Orb purchased on any hero with a major teamfight ultimate, it can mean the difference between victory and defeat in the right situation.

Trivia

Update history

Template:Update History

Balance changelog

Template:Update History

Gallery

See also

References

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