Analyzing Aghanim’s Scepters on position five supports is really hard: it is rare for the most sacrificial position to have the money for a relatively costly item. For the sake of the current blog post, we are going to disregard the economic aspect and fully concentrate on the actual power level of the upgrade.

Disruptor

Mutes items.

This is easily the strongest Aghanim’s upgrade on supports and one of the strongest upgrades in the game. Preventing the enemy from using BKB, while also being fully effective against anyone who went the status resistance build is one of the reasons this Agh’s is often prioritized by professional teams and high-level pubs players.

If the game goes sour, do not hesitate to ask for farm priority, especially if your team relies on magic damage and lockdown.

Witch Doctor

Death Ward attacks have True Strike and bounce between nearby enemies.

Aghanim’s scepter isn’t really something the Witch Doctor needs, but it is amazing to have in the late game. The amount of damage it provides is massive and with the recent change it is an incredible tool against illusion heroes as well.

Do not skip safety and utility items to get the Aghanim’s, but do consider it in the later stages of the game or ask for it if your team kills Roshan. It is probably the only Aghanim’s Scepter on a support hero that can outright win a teamfight solo.

Grimstroke

Grants you a new ability, Dark Portrait. Creates an ink illusion of a target enemy hero.

It is hard to understand why exactly the Dark Portrait illusion deals bonus damage, but in certain matches it can be game-changing. It is at it’s best when playing against heroes like Luna and Medusa, with their natural multi-shot abilities, but it can be beneficial against most stat-based carries.

It is also a pretty reliable way to steal some auras and equalize your engagement. Things like Radiance, Assault Cuirass or passive auras on heroes like Shadow Fiend can completely turn the tide of battle.

Omniknight

Increases duration, provides HP regen, radius becomes global and affects buildings.

Position five Omniknight is a pretty rare sight nowadays, but the hero is still viable in certain scenarios. His Aghanim’s is also viable in every single game: the amount of protection it provides is unparalleled and in some cases it can even be used as a glyph.

Be vary of it in games against heroes like Oracle and Shadow Demon, however, as well as in games against cores that might build Nullifier.

Abaddon

Increases duration.

While Borrowed Time is active, anytime an ally takes more than 525 damage while within 1600 range of Abaddon, an individual Mist Coil will automatically fire towards that ally.

Once again, Abaddon isn’t the most viable of position five heroes in the current patch, but his Aghanim’s upgrade is still pretty powerful. Mist Coil might not be the most powerful of heals individually, but the sheer amount of them in a given teamfight is both effective and spectacular.

It is at its best against heroes with many low-cooldown, moderate-damage nukes, so strongly consider it versus the currently popular Queen of Pain and Void Spirit.

Treant Protector

Adds new ability: Eye in the Forest.

When Overgrowth is cast, it is also cast around Eye of the Forest.

Vision is always great. Flying vision is even better and it is the reason Beastmaster is so popular right now, Night Stalker Aghanim’s got reworked and Keeper of the Light Agh’s got nerfed.

It is hardly an item Treant Protector should rush, but as a late-game option for extra vision and potential map control it is unparalleled. Just don’t try to afk-farm with it, it is not worth it.

Shadow Demon

Cooldown is removed, replaced with 3 charges that replenish every 60 seconds.

Causes Demonic Purge to break its target’s passive abilities while active.

This Aghanim’s is one of the strongest silver bullets in the game. In some games it is going to be close to useless, since Shadow Demon isn’t really about dealing damage. In some games it can allow for an easy kill on a problematic target.

Heroes like Bristleback, Phantom Assassin and Bloodseeker become close to useless in a teamfight while under the effect of Demonic Purge and will have to change into a status resistance build, if they need to remain fully effective.

Shadow Shaman

Causes Serpent Wards to have split shot, attacking two units for full damage.

Increases attack range of Serpent Wards.

This is a pretty underwhelming Agh’s in the professional scene and high-level pubs, but it is very, very good in mid-tier matchmaking games. The reason for it is simple: pub players don’t know how to close the games and generally draft with little to no push.

Shadow Shaman solves this problem, while also providing the hero with a pretty strong teamfight presence on top of all the control the hero provides. Definitely not an item Shadow Shaman should rush, but a very strong option in the later stages of the game in certain drafts.

Warlock

Calls 2 golems with reduced stats and bounty.

Very similar reasons to the ones discussed above. It is a nice teamfight booster and a good pushing option.

It is also a lot better than many assume in terms of damage output, since Permanent immolation auras stack fully and that means Warlock can easily deal 140+ damage per second to enemies in a small AoE.

Undying

Increases strength steal.

This Agh’s got a lot better, given how Undying’s ultimate now scales with Strength. While in the Flesh Golem form, Undying is getting +16 Strength from each Decay. It is a lot.

If the game goes late and you’ve already gotten an Aghanim’s Scepter, strongly consider going the -2 Decay cooldown at level 25. The reincarnation is very strong and allows Undying to triple- and even quadruple-Tomb, but at this point in the game, it’s effectiveness can be pretty limited.

As seen on Dotabuff