Shadow Amulet has been out since the release of DotA 6.75. It is a basic item that can be bought from the base shop for 1600g.
Stats
+30 Attack Speed
Active Ability: Fade
Active Ability: Fade
Fade to invisibility. If you move you will become visible.
Cast Time: 2.6 seconds
CD: 0
At first glance this item may not be so appealing. It gives 30 AS for 1600 gold. Here is a comparison of the AS unit cost to two other AS items.
Gloves of Haste-500g-15 AS- g per AS 33.33
Hyper Stone-2100g-55 AS- g per AS 38.18
Shadow Amulet-1600g-30 AS- g per AS 53.33
If Shadow Amulet's cost per AS was the same as Hyper Stone, the cost would be 1145g. This means that you would be getting the Fade ability for roughly 455g.
As for the Fade ability, there are very differing views.
Pros:
-Can be used to hide self within trees during a juke.
-Can be used with various channeling skills, not canceling it.
-Can be used for a surprise initiation with a proper setup.
Cons:
-2.6 second to cast it means that it cannot be used to juke people if they are nearby even if you go uphill.
-Easy to counter with Dust or gem.
Some Heros that may use this item would include:
Warlock: Invisible while channeling upheaval
CM: Invisible while channeling Freezing Field
Enigma: Blackhole
Pugna: Life Drain
Final Rating: 6.5/10
To me, it seems too hard to use except for a few heros. The 2.6 second fade time feels way too long and usually I don't keep it long enough for it to be used since I would quickly build it into Lothar's(Shadow Blade).
Notes:
-The main reason why most people would get this would be to build Lothar's(Shadow Blade), however some others may prefer buying Claymore first for the bonus Dmg.
-Currently does not work with WD's ulti in DotA 1
There may be many other Heros that may use this or other factors that I haven't considered. Feel free to share your opinions and comments below.
Video of Shadow Amulet on CM
