Wraith King

A 54.8% win rate at a substantial 12.5% pick rate is one of the strongest combinations anywhere in the current patch, and Reincarnation is the reason Wraith King can afford to play so aggressively — a guaranteed revival on death means every risky engage carries far less downside than it would for almost any other carry. The read most new players miss is that Bone Guard's skeletons respawn once when killed and specifically target whoever Wraithfire Blast hits, so casting the stun on a priority target redirects the entire skeleton army onto them instead of whatever they happened to be attacking already. Below is the current 7.41e patch, the build that leans into the revive-and-crit identity, and the picks that make it much harder to use.

Role and Position Wraith King Plays

Wraith King is almost exclusively a carry, with the large majority of his games played in that role.

When to pick Wraith King:

• your team wants a durable carry who can play aggressively thanks to Reincarnation's guaranteed revival;
• the draft benefits from Bone Guard's growing skeleton army for both farming and fighting;
• the game plan rewards a straightforward, high-damage teamfight presence with real crowd control attached.

When to skip him:

• the enemy has strong ways to prevent Reincarnation or burst Wraith King down before he can capitalize on his lifesteal;
• the team needs a carry with more independent mobility or ranged utility;
• the map favors a hero who can contribute meaningfully before reaching his core items.

Wraith King's Strengths

• Reincarnation guarantees a revival on death with bonus stats, letting Wraith King fight aggressively without fearing the consequences of a lost engagement;
• Wraithfire Blast provides a reliable stun, useful for both trading on the lane and redirecting Bone Guard's skeletons onto a priority target;
• Bone Guard builds charges from creep and hero kills, summoning a growing army of skeletons that respawn once when killed;
• Mortal Strike passively deals a guaranteed critical hit on a cooldown, adding real burst to Wraith King's basic attacks;
• Overall durability and lifesteal make Wraith King a strong, low-variance fighter who scales cleanly with items.

Wraith King's Weaknesses

• Reincarnation has a long cooldown, so a second death before it recharges is permanent for the rest of that fight;
• Bone Guard's charges take time to accumulate from creep and hero kills, delaying the skeleton army's full strength;
• relatively low mobility outside of item choices, with no dedicated gap-closer or escape;
• Wraithfire Blast requires melee range to land, exposing Wraith King to counter-engage after the stun;
• value depends heavily on farm — an under-itemized Wraith King has a much smaller skeleton army and weaker lifesteal to work with.

Wraith King's Abilities

Wraithfire Blast (Q) — stuns and damages a target enemy, and causes Bone Guard's skeletons to focus their attacks on that target.

Bone Guard (W) — gains charges from creep and hero kills; activating spends all charges to summon skeletons that respawn once when killed and benefit from Vampiric Spirit's lifesteal.

Mortal Strike (passive) — Wraith King's attacks have a chance on a cooldown to deal a guaranteed critical strike.

Reincarnation (ultimate) — upon dying, Wraith King revives after a brief delay with bonus health, mana, and stats, provided the ability isn't on cooldown.

Build, Items, and Strategies

Skill order: start Wraithfire Blast for lane control and the stun, take an early Bone Guard for skeleton support, and prioritize Reincarnation at every level it's available.

Talents: the level 20 pick granting extra Bone Guard skeletons rewards a build that leans into maximizing the summoned army's overall presence.

Starting items: Quelling Blade, a stack of regen, and enough sustain to farm efficiently while building toward Bone Guard charges.

Farming build — the default path: a fast-farming item into core Strength and damage items, since Mortal Strike and overall survivability both scale with these stats.

Fighting build — once core items land: prioritize items that boost lifesteal and attack speed, letting Wraith King and his skeletons both sustain through extended fights.

Reactive items: Black King Bar once fights routinely involve disables that would otherwise prevent Wraith King from engaging safely.

Pro tip: use Wraithfire Blast on the enemy's priority target during a fight to redirect Bone Guard's skeleton army onto them, rather than letting the skeletons attack whatever they happen to be nearest to.

Footnote: exact item order flexes around whether the priority is maximum farming speed or scaling toward extended teamfight sustain.

Timings, Roshan, and Power Spikes

0–10 minutes: farm efficiently with Wraithfire Blast pressure, building Bone Guard charges through creep kills.

10–20 minutes: first power spike — Reincarnation online lets Wraith King fight aggressively without fearing a single lost engagement.

20–35 minutes: second power spike — with core items and a grown Bone Guard army, Wraith King's overall teamfight presence scales up significantly.

Roshan window: Bone Guard's skeletons and Mortal Strike's guaranteed crits both help Wraith King contribute to or solo a Roshan attempt.

35+ minutes: commit to fights aggressively, using Reincarnation's guarantee to justify riskier engagements than most other carries could afford.

Footnote: these timings shift earlier when the lane goes uncontested, since Wraith King's whole game plan depends on reaching his core items and Bone Guard charges on schedule.

Wraith King Counters

Any hero who can prevent or punish Reincarnation is a strong answer: some effects can deny the revival outright, removing Wraith King's biggest safety net.

— Silencer: Global Silence prevents Wraithfire Blast and Bone Guard from being cast at the moment they matter most.

— Any hero with strong burst damage: punishing Wraith King before his Bone Guard army and core items come online exploits a real early-game weakness.

— Any hero who can quickly clear Bone Guard's skeletons: AoE damage that wipes the summoned army reduces a meaningful share of Wraith King's overall pressure.

— Doom: the ultimate blocks item and ability usage, cutting off Wraith King's ability to cast his combo.

Where Wraith King is strong on his own: against drafts without reliable AoE clear, where Bone Guard's growing skeleton army and Wraithfire Blast's stun both go largely uncontested.

Footnote: most of these counters share a theme — denying Reincarnation's safety net or clearing the skeleton army both cut deeply into what Wraith King contributes.

Synergies with Other Heroes

— Any hero who benefits from a durable frontline: Wraith King's tankiness and guaranteed revival let squishier teammates fight more aggressively behind him.

— Tidehunter: Ravage groups enemies together for Wraithfire Blast's stun and Bone Guard's skeletons to hit multiple targets.

— Any hero with strong AoE follow-up: a target stunned by Wraithfire Blast is a clean window for teammates to finish.

— Warlock: Fatal Bonds punishes a group of enemies caught by Bone Guard's skeleton army.

— Any hero who benefits from a reliably aggressive carry: Reincarnation lets Wraith King commit to fights other carries would need to play more cautiously around.

These pairings work best around capitalizing on Wraith King's durability and Bone Guard's skeleton army in grouped fights.

What Experienced Wraith King Players Do

• use Wraithfire Blast on priority targets to redirect Bone Guard's skeletons onto them;
• play aggressively when Reincarnation is available, since a lost fight carries far less risk;
• build Bone Guard charges consistently through creep kills between fights;
• track enemy AoE clear and Reincarnation-denial tools before committing to a risky engagement;
• prioritize farming efficiency early to reach core items and a strong skeleton army faster.

Insider insight: the real strategic value of Reincarnation is behavioral — it changes what risks are worth taking, since a Wraith King with the ultimate available can commit to fights that would be reckless for almost any other carry.

Conclusion

Wraith King rewards a player who plays aggressively when Reincarnation is available and more cautiously when it isn't — the ultimate fundamentally changes the risk calculus of every fight he's part of. He's one of the strongest and most popular carries in the current patch, combining durability with real teamfight presence through Bone Guard's skeleton army. Pick him when the draft can protect his early farm; be cautious against lineups that can deny Reincarnation or clear his skeletons quickly.