Techies
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Techies
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Squee, Spleen, and Spoon, the Techies, are a trio of ranged Intelligence heroes, known for laying deadly traps around the field with a wide array of mines.
Having little direct combat ability, the Techies have an unorthodox, if effective, method of dealing damage to the enemy team in the form of powerful laid explosive mines and stasis traps that enable other heroes to set up a gank or retreat. Their mines, set across key points of the map -and even less conventional locations- are an effective method of denying area and guaranteeing damage if enemies dare to initiate. They have an even more bizarre ability in the form of their Blast Off! which causes them to violently explode and lose half their life but deal massive damage in a moderate area of effect.
The unique mechanics of the mines mean that the Techies utilise mechanics not used by any other hero, including preemptive mine clusters and such strong area denial that they actively play a large role in securing the area controlled by friendly heroes. The Techies have statistics aligned to those of semi-carries, but play a largely passive, defensive role throughout the game.
Contents
Bio[edit]
 Squee, Spleen, and Spoon, the Techies
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| Play "Measurements made." "Bombs built." "Powder's dry." "Okay, let's blow something up!" | |
| Role: |  Nuker /  Disabler
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| Lore: | In the storied saga of Dredger's Bight, no business has ever been more reviled than Techies Demolitions. Then again, Dredger's Bight no longer exists. Nor does Toterin. Or even Trapper Town. In fact, if one were to track the history of Techies Demolitions they might notice that shortly after Techies appear, towns tend to disappear.
Like every inevitable disaster surrounding Techies, the obliteration of Dredger's Bight began with an invention. Tasked with designing a safer way of detonating explosives in the mines beneath the city, pyrotechnic prodigies Squee, Spleen, and Spoon developed their most outlandish creation yet: a button which, when pressed, would trigger a distant device to spark a fuse. Overeager to test their invention, the trio stuffed barrel after barrel with flamesalt explosives, piling every corner of their tiny workshop high with the newly developed remote bombs. From this stockpile they plucked a single payload, burying it in a far away field. As they cowered in a ditch, Spleen pressed the detonator button. Yet after a moment, nothing happened. Confused, he stood up, pressing his button again and again until, finally, an explosion tore a hole in the field. Elated, Squee and Spleen turned toward home just as a massive wave of sound and force arrived to knock them over. Bewildered, their ears ringing from the unexpected blast, they gathered in the dingy miasma to see a smoking ruin where their workshop once stood. Chunks of wood and stone continued to fall as the yawning crater before them slowly deepened into an expanding pit. The whole of Dredger's Bight shuddered, and then gradually started to slide into the mines below as its panicked residents fled. Sitting at the edge of their sinking home they grinned and giggled, as giddy at the possibilities as they were oblivious to the scorn of their former neighbors. They wondered only one thing: how could they trigger an even bigger blast? |
| Voice: | Dee Bradley Baker (Responses) |
Abilities[edit]
| Proximity Mine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Plant an invisible mine that cannot be detected by True Sight, but is visible if an enemy is within the active 400 AoE of the mine. Mines detonate if an enemy is standing within the active AoE for 1.6 seconds. The explosion deals full damage in the blast radius, and deals 25% damage to buildings.
Cast Animation: 0+0.47
Cast Range: 100 (
300)
300)Trigger Radius: 400
Damage Radius: 400
Activation Delay: 1.75
Detonation Delay: 1.6
Damage: 150/350/550/750
Building Damage Percentage: 25%
12 ( 9.6)
110/The bane of Toterin!
Notes:
- It takes 3.35 seconds for a Proximity Mine to detonate when placed right next to an enemy unit or structure.
- Proximity Mines are visible during the activation delay.
- The mines only damage enemies when they get triggered, not when they are destroyed by attacks.
- The mines only detonate when an enemy stands within its trigger radius for 1.6 seconds
- This means quickly entering and leaving the area does not cause them to trigger.
- Upon entering its trigger radius, a sound is emitted from the mine, warning the enemy that they just got within the trigger radius.
- This sound is audible to everyone and audible through the fog of war. The mine's explosion is also audible through the fog of war.
- Proximity Mines can be triggered by invisible, but not by invulnerable or hidden units.
- Proximity Mines cannot be placed within the trigger radius of other allied Proximity Mines.
- When selecting the spell, all own Proximity Mines display a red circle, indicating their trigger radius.
- The damage source is the mine itself, meaning certain on-damage effects react on the mine rather than on Techies (e.g.
Blade Mail).
- Flying units cannot trigger or be damaged by the mines.
- Wards cannot trigger or be damaged by the mines either.
- A Proximity Mine deals 37.5/87.5/137.5/187.5 damage to buildings.
- Provides 300 radius flying vision at its location for 1 second after detonating.
- The damage is based on the current level of Proximity Mines, rather than its level as the mine was placed.
- Proximity mines cannot be targeted by
Quelling Blade and its upgrades.
- Proximity mines do not block neutral creep camps.
| Stasis Trap | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ability
Target Area
Target Area
Affects
Enemies
Enemies
Plant an invisible trap that roots nearby enemy units instantly when triggered.
Cast Animation: 1+0
Cast Range: 150 ( 350)
350)Trigger Radius: 400
Root Radius: 600
Activation Delay: 2
Root Duration: 2/3/4/5
20/ 16/12.8/10.4/8) 80/Modifiers
Stasis Trap Stunned: Dispellable with any dispel.The scourge of Trapper Town!
Notes:
- Roots the targets, preventing them from moving and casting certain mobility spells.
- Does not interrupt the targets' channeling spells.
- Does not provide True Sight over the targets.
- The traps only root enemies when they get triggered, not when they are destroyed by attacks.
- When a stasis trap triggers, all other stasis traps owned by the player within 600 radius of the triggering trap are destroyed.
- Despite this, the traps can still be placed within 600 range of each other.
- Stasis traps do not trigger on spell immune, invisible, invulnerable, or hidden units.
- However, invisible units are rooted when within range as a trap is triggered.
- Provides 600 radius flying vision at its location for 1 second after detonating.
- The root duration is based on the level of Stasis Trap as the trap was placed, and not as it detonates.
- The trap's explosion is audible through the fog of war.
- Stasis traps can be targeted and destroyed with Quelling Blade and its upgrades.
- Stasis traps do not block neutral creep camps.
Blast Off!
Techies hurtle themselves into the enemy's midst, detonating charges upon impact which deal massive area of effect damage and silence enemies. Upon landing, the assault deals Techies damage equal to 50% of their max health.
Cast Animation: 1+0.9
Cast Range: 1000 ( 1200)
1200)Radius: 400
Max Health as Self Damage: 50%
Area Damage: 300/400/500/600 ( 700/800/900/1000)
700/800/900/1000)Leap Duration: 0.75
Silence Duration: 4/5/6/7
35 ( 28) 100/Modifiers
Suicide Leap: Undispellable. Silence: Dispellable with any dispel.Where we going?
Notes:
- The leap always takes 0.75 seconds, so the speed varies between 0 and 1333.33 ( 1600).
- Leaps in an arc up to 281.108 range high, so that other units can pass below them.
- The self damage is lethal, so that Techies can deny themselves with this ability.
- The self damage is pure damage flagged as HP Removal and therefore cannot be blocked or altered by most sources of damage manipulation.
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Borrowed Time, 
Ghostship and 
False Promise are the only ones able to interact with the self damage. -
Shallow Grave prevents dying to the self damage.
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- Damages enemies in the area before damaging Techies, so Techies still gets the experience when enemies die to this spell.
- This means Techies can die to Blade Mail,
Spiked Carapace, 
Dispersion, 
Last Will and Static Charge if his health was low enough on cast.
- This means Techies can die to
- Destroys trees within 400 radius around Techies upon landing.
- Can be interrupted by forced movement during the leap but is not interrupted by any other sort of disable.
- Can be cast while rooted and getting rooted during the leap does not interrupt it.
Minefield Sign
Affects
Plant a warning sign to remind enemies to step lightly. Only one sign can exist at a time. Lasts 180 seconds.
Cast Animation: 0+0.53
Cast Range: 10 ( 210)
210)Effect Radius: 0 (
125)
125)Max Signs: 1
Duration: 180
360 ( 288)
Allows Minefield Sign to hide any Proximity Mines, Stasis Traps, and Remote Mines in an area around the sign from True Sight.Modifiers
Minefield Sign Aura: Undispellable.Watch your step!
Notes:
- This is an innate ability and cannot be learned or leveled.
- The cast of Minefield Sign is not registered as a spell cast and thus does not proc any on-cast effects.
- Only one sign can exist on the map at a time.
- Planting a second sign causes the previous one to immediately disappear (although there is a visual delay).
- The sign has no collision and cannot block unit pathing.
- The sign does not block neutral creep camps.
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Aghanim's Scepter grants the Minefield Sign an aura, applying invisibility which is immune to True Sight and has a 0-second fade time.
- The aura only affects
Proximity Mines, 
Stasis Traps and 
Remote Mines. Other kinds of wards are not affected. - The aura affects the mines of all allied players, not just the ones of Techies himself, but not enemy mines.
- The aura's invisibility hides Proximity Mines and Stasis Traps during their initial activation delay.
- The aura's invisibility hides the Remote Mines during their initial 2-second invisibility fade time.
- The aura's invisibility prevents enemies from seeing Proximity Mines even within its trigger range, or from seeing Remote Mines during their detonation delay.
- The aura's buff lingers for 0.5 seconds.
- The aura only affects
| Remote Mine | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Remote Mines
Plant an invisible explosive that will only detonate after a brief delay when triggered. Does not damage buildings.
Cast Animation: 1+0.13
Cast Range: 500 ( 700) ( 700, 900)
700) ( 700, 900)Damage Radius: 425
Activation Delay: 0
Detonation Delay: 0.25
Damage: 300/450/600 ( 450/600/750)
450/600/750)Mine Duration: 600
10 ( 8) 200/ Increases damage and cast range.The downfall of Dredger's Bight!
Notes:
- The mines only damage enemies when they get triggered, not when they are destroyed by attacks or when they expire.
- Remote mines can be instantly detonated after placing them, but detonate with a very short delay.
- The damage source is the mine itself, meaning certain on-damage effects react on the mine rather than on Techies (e.g. Blade Mail).
- The mines can be stacked on one spot and cannot block unit pathing.
- Can have up to 55 ( 67) remote mines at a time with the default cast time, cooldown and duration.
- Provides 500 radius flying vision at its location for 3 seconds after detonating.
- The damage is based on the level of Remote Mines as the mine was placed, and not as it detonates.
- However, they do upgrade/downgrade when picking up/dropping Aghanim's Scepter.
- Level 2 mines are 10% bigger than level 1 mines, and level 3 mines are 20% bigger than level 1 mines.
- Remote mines can be targeted and destroyed with Quelling Blade and its upgrades.
- Remote mines do not block neutral creep camps.
Focused Detonate
Ability
Target Area
Target Area
Affects
Enemies
Enemies
Detonate all remote mines in the target area.
Cast Animation: 0+0.53
Cast Range: Global
Radius: 700
1 ( 0.8)Why light one fuse when you can light them all?
Notes:
- Focused Detonate is unlocked when Remote Mines is learned.
- The cast of Focused Detonate is not registered as a spell cast and thus does not proc any on-cast effects.
- Focused Detonate can be cast without having to face towards the targeted area.
- This ability can be used while Techies is dead, but not while Techies is disabled.
- If there are no remote mines within the search radius, nothing happens, wasting the cooldown.
Remote Mine ability[edit]
Pinpoint Detonate
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Ability
No Target
No Target
Affects
Enemies
Enemies
Detonate all selected remote mines.
Cast Animation: 0+0
0Kablooey!
Notes:
- This is cast from the mine itself, making it possible to detonate mines when unable to use
Focused Detonate due to disables.
- The cast of Pinpoint Detonate is not registered as a spell cast and thus does not proc any on-cast effects.
- Detonates all selected remote mines with a 0.03 seconds delay from each other.
Talents[edit]
| Hero Talents | ||
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| +250 Damage | 25 | 20% Cooldown Reduction |
+400  Blast Off! Damage
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20 | +120 Gold/Min |
| +200 Cast Range | 15 | +30% XP Gain |
| +2 Mana Regen | 10 | +20 Movement Speed |
Notes:
- The mana regen is added as a bonus and does not benefit illusions.
- Gold granted from the talent is unreliable gold.
- The attack damage is added as bonus attack damage, and therefore does not benefit illusions.
- Cooldown reduction affects abilities and items. Stacks multiplicatively with
Octarine Core and additively with 
Arcane Rune.
Recommended items[edit]
Starting Items:
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Tango gives Techies health recovery in-lane, mitigating harassment damage. -
Healing Salve allows for a quick way to regain your health after an early kill or escape attempt using Blast Off!. - Multiple stacks of
Clarity provide Techies with the mana needed for early-game Proximity Mines and Stasis Trap. -
Animal Courier is a necessary purchase for all teams at the start of a match. -
Town Portal Scroll is useful for planting mines in a lane or at rune spot before the enemy heroes have a chance of reaching them.
Early game:
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Null Talisman gives them mana, damage, and health. Combined with Soul Ring, they can be dropped to get more mana out of its active. -
Soul Ring is your most important early-game purchase, as it allows Techies to continue planting mines over extended periods of time. -
Arcane Boots fit Techies well in combination with a Soul Ring to compensate for their mines' mana cost, or to give mana to use Blast Off! without risking of dying/getting killed before they can deny themselves. Like Null Talisman, it can be dropped prior to using Soul Ring's active in order to restore more mana. -
Wind Lace is an alternative to picking the +20 movement speed talent. -
Infused Raindrop is good versus early harass and gives bonus mana regeneration. - Town Portal Scroll is extremely important on Techies, as the hero has to be globally mobile in order to plant traps in unexpected areas. The heroes' strong defensive potential allows them to instantly fortify a tower's defenses, discouraging the enemy from pushing.
Core:
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Force Staff gives Techies more mana and mobility, and can also be used to quickly displace themselves either to escape or to push enemies into your stasis traps (especially Gem carriers). -
Eul's Scepter of Divinity provides Techies with a bigger mana pool, scaling mana regen and more base movement speed, allowing the hero to be more mobile and plant mines more frequently. As well, the active ability can be used to disable an enemy (either to place a mine at their feet to deal nuke damage when they land, or deploy a Stasis Trap to stun them for a longer duration), or to provide temporary invulnerability and a self-dispel if the enemy jumps on them. -
Octarine Core reduces the cooldown on all of Techies' abilities, allowing them to place traps more frequently. With Octarine Core, Techies can place up to 70 Remote Mines on the field, compared to the default 55. Together with the Level 25 Cooldown Reduction Talent they can have up to 90 mines and their 
Minefield Sign downtime gets reduced to 22.5 seconds. Techies cannot lifesteal with their mines, however they can lifesteal with Blast Off!, but since the damage to themselves is applied after the damage to the enemies, it will only have any noticeable effects when they are already missing some health. Their health will never be above 50% after using it. By using the +400 Blast Off! damage level 20 talent and landing Blast Off! on all 5 enemy heroes, they can completely negate any damage to themselves, if their health was below 50%. Keep that in mind when trying to deny yourself with Techies, if you are carrying an Octarine Core.
Situational:
-
Aghanim's Scepter drastically increases Techies' effectiveness across the board. Remote Mines become a much bigger threat due to their increased damage, and Techies can place them from farther away, allowing them to be used tactically in teamfights and allowing Techies to place traps more safely. Additionally, Minefield Sign becomes a usable ability, allowing Techies to use the sign to place guaranteed undetectable traps or to trick the enemy into avoiding an area that does not have mines. -
Bloodstone gives Techies a great amount of health and mana, as well as tremendous regen, allowing them to place mines more frequently, and Pocket Deny can be used to deny yourself if you don't have time to do it with Blast Off!. -
Ghost Scepter is a great survival item, as it allows Techies to become temporarily invulnerable to physical damage when focused by the enemy. This can buy them more time to use Blast Off!, or to attempt to lead the enemy into mine traps. -
Shiva's Guard gives Techies much needed Intelligence as well as armor. The aura and active can be used in teamfights to hinder the enemy, reducing their ability to spread out from your area-of-effect nukes. -
Scythe of Vyse is a very powerful intelligence item, providing a lot of mana and a very strong disable that is useful in any situation. It allows Techies to provide additional lockdown in teamfights. -
Necronomicon gives Techies additional pushing ability, provides more health and mana, and the True Sight from the level 3 Warrior can spot enemy Sentry Wards, allowing you to place traps with confidence. -
Sentry Wards are a useful regular purchase on Techies, not only for de-warding enemy Observer Wards but also for destroying their Sentry Wards. Eliminating their Sentries from play can allow you to place traps in areas that they once considered safe, and forces the supports to buy more Sentry Wards, slowing their item progression considerably. - If you built one or two
Null Talisman in the early game, you upgrade them midgame to a 
Veil of Discord to amplify your damage. -
Bottle can be useful to purchase on a roaming Techies, as they often pass by runes on their way to set up traps. This allows them to replenish their mana and set traps over extended periods of time. -
Tranquil Boots are an alternative to 
Arcane Boots due to their low cost, passive health regen, increased armor and increased movement speed. Techies are the slowest hero in the game, so increasing their base movement speed allows you to be more mobile when planting traps. -
Glimmer Cape is a strong utility item, as it allows Techies to cloak themselves when traversing areas with possible ward coverage. As well, it can be used to help teammates initiate or can drastically increase an ally's magic resistance for a short period of time. -
Blink Dagger is a situational item, but can drastically improve Techies' mobility. -
Refresher Orb is largely situational, but has strong utility if used properly. The item itself grants tremendous scaling mana regen, allowing Techies to passively regain mana while placing mines in enemy territory. The active can be used to reset the cooldown on Minefield Sign, reducing its downtime from 180 seconds to 15.
Gameplay[edit]
Audio[edit]
History[edit]
Equipment[edit]
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Trivia[edit]
- Before their release, Techies were showcased at the All-Star match of The International 2014, used by Artour "Arteezy" Babaev. He originally picked
Sniper, but right before the picking phase ended, his pick got replaced by Techies, fireworks were launched in the arena, Techies' portrait was shown on all screens and this Play sound effect played. - Techies' lines Play "They're going to have to glue you back together! Yeah, in Hell!" and Play "We're a sorry buncha losers. You said it" are references to similar lines lines spoken by the Demoman from Team Fortress 2 (as heard here and here).
- The flavor text of
Pinpoint Detonate "Kablooey!" is a direct reference to the line "Kabloeey!" spoken by the Demoman from Team Fortress 2. - Many of their lines also reference Counter-Strike, such as Play "Counter-Techies Win", Play "Bomb has been planted" or Play "Bomb has been defused. Darn!".
- Techies' attack line Play "See! Fore!" is a pun on the plastic explosive C4.
- The line Play "Who said we couldn't count to three, huh?" is a reference to a joke about the fact that Valve has not released a single game with the number three in the title (Half-Life 3, Left 4 Dead 3, Portal 3 etc.).
- The line Play "Continue testing." is a reference to GLaDOS, a character of Valve's Portal series.
- The line Play "Claymore! But not that kind of claymore" is a reference to a Claymore mine used by the U.S. military.
- The gag about Spoon being hidden in a barrel without the other two knowing is a reference to DotA, where only some time after Techies were released did people realize that there were actually three of them instead of two; the third one's feet could barely be seen under the barrel behind the other two (Techies used to be named "Squee and Spleen" and eventually became "Squee, Spleen and Spoon").
- The name "Spoon" may be a reference to a scene from the movie Matrix where a boy bends a spoon with his mind and then says to Neo "Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead, only try to realise the truth", followed by Neo asking: "What truth?" and the boy answering it with "There is no spoon. Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself."[1]
- Squee and Spleen think that Spoon died to the explosion in their workshop, so they thought "there is no Spoon" anymore and the voice is only in their heads Play.
- The names of the original two Techies most likely came from Magic the Gathering. Squee is a legendary goblin from Magic the Gathering lore, while Spleen was probably named after the flavor text on the Goblin Soothsayer card ("I see a great victory and rivers of blood. And . . . hmm, looks like a spleen.")
- There is a hidden trollface in Remote Mines' ability icon.
- According to Techies' in-game lip synching, Squee is the one sitting on the cart with the rocket launcher and the cigar. He has the deep voice and Spleen is the big one pushing the cart, with the high voice.
- Squee's design may be a reference to the soldier from Team Fortress 2, as his eyes are covered by a helmet, and he wields what appears to be a rocket launcher.
- The line Play "Loud noises!" is a reference to Brick Tamland, a character from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Gallery[edit]
Concept art
Concept art
Concept art
Concept art
Concept art
Concept art
Ability icon progress [?]
Hero icon progress
References[edit]
