Rune Battle / Level 1 Clash

Each game starts with the spawning of four bounty runes worth 100 gold and one power rune at either at the top or bottom rune spot at 00:00:00. Securing the safelane bounty rune for the mid hero and getting the offlane bounty rune for the offlane hero while a support can checks for power rune is the safe way to play. Supports with skills such as slows or disables can sometimes do more in the lane compared to a mid laner who cannot afford to miss the first creep wave. There are only a few scenarios where teams can choose to invade the enemy jungle to secure the enemy’s bounty rune. And in some cases, teams can get away with more than securing more runes at the beginning of the game.

The first question is will the enemy mid hero benefit greatly from the bounty rune? So far, only Alchemist and Io benefit the most from getting the rune. If the enemy team has these heroes, your team must quickly ward the rune area to get an advantage during the fight. In the case of the new bounty rune location, teleporting to one rune spot and planting an observer ward can tell which rune the target hero would take. If the enemy team chooses to dodge and go for the other bounty rune, stalk them and make sure they do not get the rune. Not getting the rune will push these heroes back in terms of getting their first core item.

The second question is, does the team have a good level 1 draft? Or simply put, can your team put up a good fight at the beginning? If your team has good catch, disables, and damage, then the answer is yes. Use a Smoke of Deceit and go around enemy lines and try to go for first blood. If possible, give the last hit to the team’s carry or mid hero. Getting the bounty rune is good, but getting a first blood with the rune is much better. The only reason not to go for this strategy is when the enemy also has a good level 1 draft.

Also be careful of cheesy picks like Pudge who can use any of the runes as lure.