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Pick another hero

Hero Mastery

Witch Doctor

A burst witch doctor: Maledict punishes wounded enemies by % HP, Paralyzing Cask bounces a stun, Voodoo Restoration heals an area, and Death Ward rains attacks.

Pos 4 · Soft SupportPos 5 · Hard Support
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Mastery parameters

Your XP and damage per game against other Witch Doctor players — average vs Top 20%. Supports are not graded on GPM.

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Learning journey

  1. 1 Know the kit
  2. 2 Win the lane
  3. 3 Timing & rotations
  4. 4 Win the fights
  5. 5 Master

5 stages, each with one target from your own games and one short quiz. Make Witch Doctor your mastery hero to start — progress shows on Home and Arcana.

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Phase by phase

Laning: zone their carry with your offlaner

You 40%Team 60%

  • Skills in lane — Pro supports max Maledict (E) first — 94% of 389 games since patch 7.41, then Paralyzing Cask (Q). First talent at level 11.

  • Cask → Maledict combo — Paralyzing Cask stuns a group, Maledict then punishes their missing HP — a big AoE burst to open a fight.

Skills 1–7

  1. E1
  2. Q2
  3. E3
  4. Q4
  5. E5
  6. R6
  7. E7

Starting items

  • Iron Branch27%
  • Tango15%
  • Blood Grenade14%
  • Smoke of Deceit13%
  • Faerie Fire10%
  • Sentry Ward8%

Items this phase

  • Tango
  • Clarity
  • Observer Ward
  • Sentry Ward
  • Iron Branch
  • Magic Wand
  • Boots of Speed
The Soft Support's job this phase
  • Stand between the enemy carry and the creeps — make them choose between XP and HP.
  • Secure the minute-6 power rune for your mid — that's your first rotation.
  • Place Observers on rune spots or enemy rotation paths, not random cliffs.

Witch Doctor

Counters & weaknesses

Channeling hero

The items that shut Witch Doctor down, 5 heroes that trouble it, and your answer when you play it.

Members only
Why this way? How OpenAI Five learned

  1. One hero, one role first

    OpenAI's first bot played only Shadow Fiend, only mid, until it mastered it. Stay on Witch Doctor in one role before moving on.

  2. Small, measurable rewards

    OpenAI Five was rewarded for last hits and staying alive long before it understood winning. That's why each journey stage has one number to hit.

  3. From yourself to the team

    Its 'team spirit' rose over the game: early on, look after yourself; late, play for the team. Each phase's meter shows the split.

  4. Use proven builds

    OpenAI Five's builds were hand-written, not trial and error. Start from the pro build, then experiment.

Phase items: what pros buy on this hero (OpenDota). Parameters: percentiles of players on this hero (OpenDota). Item effects checked against Valve's own item data.