Pebbles Strategy Guide

Pebbles is the same as Tiny in Dota. If played correctly, he can be devastating for the enemy team. It has a disable, huge shear force and can even get allies out of dangerous situations.

Pebbles

1. Skills Description

Stalagmites

Description: Pebbles summons forth an eruption of stalagmites at a target location, stunning and damaging all enemies in the area. Mana cost 120

• Level 1: Deals 100 magic damage and stuns each unit in 200 radius for 2 seconds
• Level 2: Deals 180 magic damage and stuns each unit in 200 radius for 2 seconds
• Level 3: Deals 260 magic damage and stuns each unit in 200 radius for 2 seconds
• Level 4: Deals 300 magic damage and stuns each unit in 200 radius for 2 seconds

Increases cast range by 50/100/150 Cooldown 20 seconds
Units affected by Chuck takes double the damage

Usage: This is probably one of Pebbles' most used skills. It is an aoe ability that can stun the enemy even when they are in groups. It is effective to defend towers when they are being attacked and also push. Do note that this spell has a huge cooldown, so use it wisely. Since it is a disable, it can also cancel ultimates of Magmus, Glacius and other chanelling spells

Chuck

Description: Pebbles throws a nearby unit to target location, damaging it and all enemies in an area around where it lands.

• Level 1: Deals 75 magic damage to enemies in 300 radius. Buildings recieve 33% damage. Deals 15 magic damage to thrown unit.
• Level 2: Deals 150 magic damage to enemies in 300 radius. Buildings recieve 33% damage. Deals 30 magic damage to thrown unit.
• Level 3: Deals 225 magic damage to enemies in 300 radius. Buildings recieve 33% damage. Deals 45 magic damage to thrown unit.
• Level 4: Deals 300 magic damage to enemies in 300 radius. Buildings recieve 33% damage. Deals 60 magic damage to thrown unit.
  
  Mana cost 120, Cooldown 15 seconds

Usage: This spell is one of the spells that makes Pebbles the most fun to use. This allows pebbles to throw a unit to a specific area dealing damage on impact to the surroundings. Pebbles can throw anything from neutral creeps to enemy heroes. This is when this spell is fun to use, just get behind the enemy and throw him to your allies and use stalagmites to pin him down. The other way of using it is to throw one of your allies on an enemy hero that is running away so that your ally can finish him off. Since the last patch, Chuck has been buffed, and its damage even increase with Pebble's ultimate. Use it to get last hit on towers as well. This can be done by chucking any unit on another unit very close to the tower.

Slab skin

Description: Grants bonus armor and reduces the duration of debuffs.

• Level 1: +2 Armor. -10% Debuff durations.
• Level 2: +4 Armor. -20% Debuff durations.
• Level 3: +6 Armor. -30% Debuff durations.
• Level 4: +8 Armor. -40% Debuff durations.

Pebbles has low armor and low hp, so more armor is always a plus, especially against melee heroes.

Enlarge

Description: Makes Pebbles grow larger, increasing his attack damage and adding to the power of his other skills.

• Level 1: 40 Bonus attack damage, 20% reduced attack speed and +5 movement speed.
• Level 2: 80 Bonus attack damage, 35% reduced attack speed and +10 movement speed.
• Level 3: 120 Bonus attack damage, 50% reduced attack speed and +15 movement speed.
  Stalagmites range increase by 50/100/150
  Chucked units damage increased by 35/50/65

Usage: This is the one skill that will make Pebbles a Heavy hitter; you will get bigger and do more damage. But beware: this will also decrease the attack speed.

2. Skill Build and Usage

1. Stalagmites
2. Chuck
3. Stalagmites
4. Chuck
5. Stalagmites
6. Chuck
7. Stalagmites
8. Chuck
9. Enlarge
10. Slab Skin / Stats
11. Enlarge
12. Slab Skin / Stats
13. Slab Skin / Stats
14. Slab Skin / Stats
15. Slab Skin / Stats
16. Enlarge

Max out Stalagmites and Chuck first because these spell are key to pebbles success. Others prefer to get "Enlarge" at lvl 6. However, I just think that having the first 2 skills maxed out will get make it easier to get kills.

3. Item build

3.1 To start with:

1x Health potion
1x Runes of blight
1x Mark of novice
1x Pretenders crown
1x Mana potion

Pebbles has a low mana pool and low armor. These items should allow you to survive and also gank until you need to come back to the fountain. Always keep a health potion as well; it might get you out of critical situations and save you from going back to the fountain to heal.

3.2 Then..

Marchers
Talisman of exile
Ring of sorcery
or
Bottle
Portal key

Pebbles has a movement speed of 285, so the marchers are important to get first, complete talisman of exile. Now, there is a choice between ring of sorcery and bottle. Ring of sorcery will allow you to regain mana and any ally thats near when upon activation whereas bottle will heal you by 135 hp and regen 70 mana over 3 seconds. Depending on how well you are doing, buy what you can afford. Most people would go for bottle so that they can get other items earlier. Portal key is a must since Pebbles has strong but melee AOE spells. Portal key is great for pebbles but not as good as it was for tiny, nevertheless it is still an item to go for. It will allow you to get in the action and finish the enemy and even escape from harsh situations.

3.3 Mid-late game items

Steamboots (Strength)
Frostfield Plate (optional)
Behemoth's Heart
Daemonic Breast Plate

Steamboots gives you more health and move speed, but the best thing is you can change them to intelligence later, so you will have a greater mana pool. Frostplate would be a very good item for pebbles since it will give you more tanking abilities, greater mana pool and slows the enemy. This combined with portal key will be devastaing, not to mention stalagmites to put the cherry on the cake.

4. Hero Specific Strategies and Techniques

4.1 Laning

Pebbles has a good disable and this should be taken into consideration. To begin with, team up with an ally that has a disable would be great since then it will be easier to get those kills early on in the game. If you are getting harassed much, don't hesitate to move ahead and stalagmites him and use chuck to cause even more damage. Remember to deny and last creep hit and always stay in motion so as to avoid nukes from the opponents. Remember call for "miss" when there is 1 or more enemy hero missing in your lane, this will allow your team mates to be on their guards.

4.2 Ganking

This can be done easily as from LvL9, as you can leave your lane, allowing your teammate to gain experience, while you go and help gank on other lanes. The chuck ability is also very useful in ganking since you can throw and ally on a running enemy to finish him off or you could go around the enemy and throw him to your allies followed by stalagmites to kill him; he will not even know what hit him.

4.3 Escaping Ganks

If you are getting ganked, use your stalagmites to stun them and run away. if the enemy is close to you, just use chuck to throw them away from you and if it is mid game, just blink away using the portal key. Map awareness is also very important; remember, to check the mini maps all the time to see if there are people on the map. if you see no enemy heroes you can guess that they might be coming for you.

5. Changelog

08/25/09 First release
10/15/09 Updated the boots change

This guide is from gamereplays