The Butterfly is one of the most iconic and powerful items in Dota 2, widely regarded as a game-changing asset, particularly for agility-based heroes. Its range of attributes, including increased agility, damage, attack speed, and evasion, ensures that a hero becomes faster, deadlier, and much harder to kill in combat. While this item is a staple choice for many carries in the game, it also comes with strategic considerations that influence when and how it should be built.
Butterfly – Overview of Stats and Bonuses
The Butterfly is a premium item in Dota 2, offering a comprehensive mix of offensive and defensive benefits. It is designed to fit the playstyle of agility heroes who need to survive against heavy physical attacks while dishing out significant damage. Here’s a breakdown of its stats and bonuses:
- Agility Bonus: Grants +35 agility, enhancing attack speed, movement speed, and armor.
- Damage: Provides +25 extra damage.
- Attack Speed: Adds a 20% bonus to base attack speed.
- Evasion: Offers a 35% chance to evade physical attacks.
The combination of these stats makes the Butterfly invaluable in both offensive engagements and defensive maneuvers.
Cost and Build Recipe
The Butterfly’s total cost is 5450 gold, making it one of the pricier items in the game. Its recipe requires components from both the main shop and the secret shop. As of the 7.35 patch, the item’s build path was updated to include a Claymore (1350 gold) instead of a Quarterstaff (875 gold). This change has increased the overall investment for purchasing the item.
Required Components
- Eagle Song: 2800 gold
- Claymore: 1350 gold
- Talisman of Evasion: 1300 gold
While its cost is steep, the return on investment in terms of stat boosts and survivability is immense, especially in the mid-to-lategame.
Why Choose Butterfly? – Strategic Benefits
The Butterfly is a must-have item for many carries due to its transformative effect on a hero’s survivability and damage potential. Below, we explore the specific circumstances in which building Butterfly can tilt the game in your favor:
1. Enhanced Evasion
The 35% evasion provided by Butterfly is highly effective against physical damage dealers. It allows you to tank more hits in team fights and emerge victorious in one-on-one duels.
2. Amplified Offensive Power
Boosting agility by 35 gives heroes increased attack speed and armor, as well as higher movement speed, making it easier to chase or escape enemies. The added 25 damage further amplifies your hero’s right-click effectiveness.
3. Late-Game Impact
Being an expensive, late-game item, Butterfly is most effective when other core items have already been built. It helps agility cores dominate drawn-out games by outliving their opponents and out-damaging them in return.
Heroes That Benefit Most from Butterfly
While the Butterfly can be used situationally by various heroes, it truly shines on agility-based carries who rely on evasion, attack speed, and raw damage. Below are some of the heroes that frequently build this item:
- Phantom Lancer: Butterfly enhances his illusions, making them harder to kill and deadlier in attacks.
- Faceless Void: The agility and attack speed bonuses synergize perfectly with his Chronosphere.
- Medusa: Butterfly increases her survivability, allowing her to tank damage while dishing out considerable punishment.
- Anti-Mage: The enhanced attack speed and evasion benefit his split-pushing and dueling capabilities.
- Luna: Butterfly is a core item for Luna due to its synergy with her glaives and quick attack speed.
How to Use Butterfly Effectively in Dota 2
Using the Butterfly effectively requires understanding when to build it and how to leverage its full potential in combat. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting the most value out of this item:
Step 1: Evaluate the Enemy Lineup
If the enemy team features multiple physical damage heroes, Butterfly’s evasion can mitigate a significant amount of incoming damage.
Step 2: Build Butterfly After Core Items
Butterfly is a late-game item. Ensure your hero has sufficient sustain or snowballing potential with earlier items like Black King Bar, Manta Style, or Diffusal Blade, before opting for Butterfly.
Step 3: Positioning and Evasion
With evasion in your arsenal, you can engage frontline heroes comfortably and dodge a large percentage of physical attacks. However, always be cautious of being countered by items like Monkey King Bar.
Butterfly in Team Strategy
While Butterfly is an exceptional personal upgrade, its effectiveness also depends on your team’s composition and the game’s state:
- If several teammates already rely on evasion, consider other survivability items to avoid overlapping counters like Monkey King Bar.
- In the late game, Butterfly can be a decisive item for contesting Roshan fights and high-ground defenses.
Counterplay to Butterfly
The primary downside to Butterfly is the availability of its hard counters, most notably the Monkey King Bar (MKB). MKB negates the 35% evasion, making it crucial to assess whether the enemies are likely to build this item. Keep an eye on the inventory of heroes like Sniper or Drow Ranger, who frequently favor MKB as a counter.
FAQ – Butterfly in Dota 2
What is the total cost of Butterfly?
The total cost of Butterfly is 5450 gold.
What heroes benefit most from Butterfly?
Heroes like Phantom Lancer, Faceless Void, Medusa, Anti-Mage, and Luna benefit greatly from Butterfly due to its agility, evasion, and attack speed boosts.
How does Butterfly’s evasion work?
Butterfly provides a 35% evasion chance, allowing you to dodge a physical attack 35% of the time. This evasion stacks diminishingly with other sources of evasion.
What items counter Butterfly?
Monkey King Bar is the primary counter to Butterfly, as it enables attacks to pierce through evasion.
Can Butterfly stack with other evasion items?
Yes, but evasion percentages stack diminishingly, meaning the combined effect is less than the sum of the individual chances.
When should I build Butterfly?
Butterfly is typically built in the mid-to-late game after completing essential sustainability and damage items.
Is Butterfly viable on non-agility heroes?
While rare, some non-agility heroes may opt for Butterfly situationally if they benefit from evasion and attack speed enhancements.
What patch changed Butterfly’s recipe?
As of the 7.35 patch, Butterfly replaced Quarterstaff with Claymore in its recipe.
Does Butterfly improve illusions?
Yes, the agility boost from Butterfly improves illusion damage and survivability.
Can Butterfly prevent stuns?
No, Butterfly only provides evasion against physical attacks; it does not prevent magical stuns or disables.
Source : PainDota
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