Rod of Atos: A Closer Look

A favorite pick-up for Team Dignitas player Kurtis 'Aui_2000' Ling and friends on heroes as different as Doom and Disruptor, Rod of Atos is a niche item that is underused in both pub and pro play given the utility it offers and its synergy with certain heroes.

Can't afford a Bloodstone on squishy old Leshrac but desperately need mana and HP, plus a bonus disable to torment enemies within your spell range? Would you like a convenient way to shock an unsuspecting carry with a full Static Link drain as Razor? How about a hilarious double-whammy slow in combination with your Grave Chill as Visage or your Degen Aura as Omniknight? If so, Atos is your item! Let's see why this odd femur bone-shaped item deserves a slot in your hero's inventory.

What Can an Atos Do For Me?

"Atos, the Lord of Blight, has his essence stored in this deceptively simple wand."

At first glance, Rod of Atos comes across as a second-rate Scythe of Vyse, as both items are good pickups on similar heroes and offer somewhat similar benefits. Atos gives +25 INT, +325 HP, and an active 4 second 60% slow. Compare these stats to those Scythe of Vyse gives: +10 STR, +10 AGI, +35 INT, and 150% mana regeneration, as well as a 3.5 second hex.  The hex from Scythe slows, prevents the hero from attacking and disables damage block and evasion. The slow from Atos only slows the target's movement speed, allowing them to attack back or evade attacks with innate evasion abilities or items like Butterfly.

Item Specs:	Rod of Atos	Scythe of Vyse
Price	3100g	5675g
+INT	25	35
+STR	none	10
+AGI	none	10
Disable Type	60% slow	Hex
Disable Duration	4 seconds	3.5 seconds
Cooldown	16 seconds	35 seconds
Range	1200	800
Additional Benefits	+325 HP	150% mana regeneration



However, Atos costs 3100 gold compared to the 5675 gold Scythe, and has a fairly easy build-up with two Staff of Wizardry at 1000 gold each and a Vitality booster for 1100 gold. Scythe of Vyse requires a 2700 gold Mystic Staff, 2100 gold Ulti Orb and 875 gold Void Stone, making it harder to afford the individual components. Additionally, the cooldown for the Atos slow is 16 seconds versus the 35 second cooldown for Scythe hex; you could use the slow twice in the same time you could use hex only once. Lastly, the range for Atos is enormous at 1200, making it easier to close the gap in a chase or initiate from a distance than with a Scythe, which has only 800 range in comparison.

The relatively cheap build-up, short cooldown and long range disable make this item a reasonable mid-game choice for heroes that can benefit from the extra survivability that Atos offers with +325 HP, as well as additional 325 mana and an active slow for chasing or escaping. You can have the utility of an Atos to benefit your team in mid-game fights and ganks long before you will have enough farm for a Scythe of Vyse or similar, more late-game items.

Atos has excellent synergy with several heroes and their abilities. Heroes such as Undying and Doom, who need to stay alive as long as possible in team fights but need lots of mana for spells , benefit greatly from the extra mana and health that Atos provides. The active slow also makes it easier for Undying to lock heroes down in his Plague Aura and Tombstone spell range; just Atos them and watch as they try to limp away from your zombie horde. It can also allow Doom to inflict massive damage while pursuing foes with his Scorched Earth, Lvl? Death and Radiance burn.

Finally, Rod of Atos is a great item to give INT carries with limited mobility such as Outworld Devourer and Silencer more survivability and damage, as well as a way to finish off fleeing enemies.

So What's the Catch?

The main problem with Atos is that many heroes that would benefit from it are carries that could be farming up more effective disables like Scythe of Vyse and Orchid Malevolence or better damage and survivability items. Additionally, supports typically can't afford Atos due to spending funds on items such as wards, smoke, Mekansm and Pipe of Insight. In many situations, there are simply more cost-effective and game-changing items that you can put 3100 gold towards than a Rod of Atos.

When choosing whether or not to buy an Atos, here are some things to consider. Do you need HP and survivability? Do you need more mana? Do you need a way to pursue enemy heroes or keep them nearby during teamfights? If you are a support, does your team already have Mek and Pipe? Does the enemy team have heroes with innate evasion like Phantom Assassin or Brewmaster that would be better taken care of with a Scythe of Vyse?

Some heroes to play around with Atos on are Ancient Apparition, Axe, Death Prophet, Disruptor, Doom, Keeper of the Light, Leshrac, Omniknight, Outworld Devourer, Razor, Silencer, Undying, Ursa, and Visage. Don't expect this item to have a huge impact on the game, but its synergy with these heroes in particular when built early-mid game will certainly help swing fights and ganks in your favor.