Hero Guide to Drow:
After reading up on the Drow's new abilities and tried it in games, I noticed she is a lot weaker early games and has severe weaknesses that require items to supplement. I guess she got "nerfed." However, her abilities also make her better in some regards, especially lategame. While in the old days, this hero was much more well rounded, the current version is better mid-late carry and severely weak early. The ability changes I've noticed is silence use to be like DP's but now it has a pushback, her aura is changed from straight % to agil based, and her ult has more agil but has a range limit. This hero is an agil range DPS, flanker (with lothar), and assassin role.
Wrong Way to Build:
So let's get right to it. Drow has severe weaknesses early - HP and manapool. The new pushback in silence gives her an escape option, which is a good plus. But this hero has now a much higher natural DPS gain, so what she really needs is HP, manapool, IAS, and some movement. She doesn't need lifesteal. Frankly I think any range hero with attack modifier such as frost arrow or flame arrow should not get another orb. If you're going to do that, then why bother research their attack modifier or pick that hero. And yes, I have seen Drows not getting frost arrows at all.
The reasons I've gotten from other players on Satanic is they say it is good for healing early and tanking later. Again, this is a 5v5 game and your hero has strength, weakness, and roles you want to play. I don't think one of Drow's roles is tank. Getting a 2000 gold item just so you can heal early in lane is a waste considering you could use that for your core items to supplement your weaknesses. Remember, when that melee hero runs within 400 range of you, you lose all that agil which are your main source of IAS/damage and you lose a lot of that damage aura. That satanic becomes weak. Either way, any range hero lategame is vulnerable to melee with fast IAS and bash even with satanic. You can counter with butterfly, but they'll counter with mkb. You know the dance. There is 0 reason to get helm --> satanic, considering what your hero really needs.
Now, MoM makes a little more sense in that you get the fast IAS and movement. But again, the trade off is 30% more damage taken on an already weak hero. The only time this works for your hero is when you are in a team gank or you're chasing down a weak hero. But still early game you don't have enough damage to take down tanks, nukers/disablers can disable you and run. And most importantly, getting MoM on a paper hero is just bad idea. Again, considering the cost, you can get items you actually need.
You also do not want to get early damage items. This hero already naturally has high DPS, this can sustain your hero for most of the game until lategame. Also, every agil item you get, increases IAS and damage.
Early Game: First 15-20 minutes
Start this hero with basic hero items - STR tread, RoA and you should be fine for the beginning. Your 1st item should be lothar. Most people already got it, but some people cringe and say this is a weak item which can be easily countered with dust. Though that is a valid rebuttal, however I still recommend it. Here's why.
Lothar does a lot more than give you invisible. It gives you IAS, damage, and movement. With heroes such as Drow, you need the invisible in order to flank enemy lines during team fights, which is where she is most valuable. While teams are engaged, you take out their Rhasta, Silencer, even agil DPS such as Clinkz or Sniper. Drow has great natural early DPS to take them out fast. Also, having a lothar makes the other team waste money and item slot on dusts.
After lothar, and moving into mid game, the 2nd item is actually SnY. Now, some may skip this if you feel you don't need extra movement, especially when you have lothar. However, I find that having a little faster movement allows her to position herself into position faster and quicker. Also, she's extremely vulnerable to melee heroes b/c they cancel 2 of her abilities. Yes, both her ult and it reduces her damage amplifer b/c it is now based on her agility. Also, the maim gives her a 2ndary slow to stack, for those times when you run out of mana for another frost arrow. I would recommend getting sange first as you desperately need HP and already has lothar.
Skills: You want level 1 frost and silence, but then up the damage aura all the way. Early game 3 sec silence is just fine as you can kill most weak heroes fast. Frost actually only gives movement reduction, doesn't give extra damage or reduce IAS. So it is only good for slowing heroes running away or moving on to you. Early game most heroes have some sort of boot and level 1 is more than enough especially when you have fast IAS to keep them frosty. Later they start having BoT and SnY, you would need the higher frost.
Mid Game: 15/20-30/35 minutes
I have NEVER seen anyone get the right core item for Drow. That item is SKADI. First complain I hear is, "but she has frost arrow!" Skadi gives you a lot more than just a frost. It gives you stats, IAS, bulk, some damage, manapool, basically everything your Drow needs and wants. There is NO reason not to get this. Prior to getting skadi, My level 11-15 Drow still only has 400-500 manapool. That goes away really quickly with a few frost arrows.
But there's more! Even with skadi, I still find myself low on mana after surviving in the map too long without going back to fountain. So this is when a 2nd frost comes in handy. Say you are engaged in a teamfight with only 200 mana. You cast silence and a few frost, you're out of mana. This is where skadi naturally kicks in, you don't even have to turn off the frost. Skadi will replace your missing frost and you keep going.
But wait! There's more!
The new changes to Drow requires all her enemies to be outside the 400 range else she loses 2 abilities. Against a range, this is not a problem. Against a melee, big problem. The reason to get frost at all is because at level 4 it is a 60% movement reduction. No slow items in the game can match that. You want to use the pushback when they're at 400 to push them to 700, then kill them as they come closer to you. Most melee heroes you can handle, but what if it is a biggie tank hero? or Sb who charges right on to you, so even with push back, he is within 400? Turn off the frost arrow once they reached you and use skadi since skadi slow comes with IAS reduction. Late Game: 35 min +
Now you can actually skip SnY, but I wouldn't. This would put the skadi closer to midgame. Otherwise skadi is much closer to late. You can get a manta instead of SnY too, but image hero with a damage modifier will give away your position. With just lothar and SnY, you can do a lot of damage to the other team, with skadi, you're already pretty unstoppable in most situations.
This leaves the last 2 items up for grab depending on the game. Now, BkB would be a good situational item especially against BM. But again, I don't really find it necessary as you can deal with casters with your silence and if they turn on BM, just ignore them. In most cases, tanks turn on BM, you just wack their supports. Or if the melee with BM is going after you, you hit once with the 60% slow and run away with or without lothar. They can't touch you. Play hit and run. You can also consider getting that satanic now if you really have to tank. Satanic at this point stacks with the skadi. Or ... get a guinsoo, lol they won't see it coming.
I recommend 1 IAS and 1 damage item for the last 2 items. You probably guessed it by now, it is the same items I recommend for another frost range DPS, the Wyvern - butterfly and abyssal. Now butterfly goes without question b/c you need the agility gain and the IAS, hence why it is better in this case than cuirass. But some would ask why abyssal instead of crit? Crit will give you really high damage especially with your damage aura and ult. It might be necessary in some cases if you are going against huge LCs or even Specs. But again, in most cases I find it unnecessary. Your hero already has high IAS, high DPS, and the abyssal gives you another 100 damage. 10% chance of bash in my opinion is better than having crit. It allows you to stop TPs and when it comes to melees, if you get that 1 stun in there, you pretty much can finish them even if they are tanks. Of course, the abyssal is also castable should that melee get too close to you.
Summary:
I think the changes to Drow were good. Now she requires some skills to play, hit and run and keeping your enemies at 400 distance away. However wrong item choices and not knowing the basics of this hero still makes a Drow feed early and ineffective late. Item choices must supplement weakness or increase their efficiency. With that, please I do not want to see any more MoM or Helm drows out there.
The strategy of this hero is hit and run during chases and flanking during team fights. If you're taking out INT support, don't silence right away if you can access their reflex speed. I find that for some weak INT, I can take them out before they even realize I was hitting them, especially when they're preoccupied with supporting. Take one out quickly and then silence the 2nd support for the kill. With melee heroes, you want to lothar up to them at 400 range and push back. I notice many Drows themselves move too close to melee, almost next to them and the push back doesn't push them far enough out of the 400 range.
Item Recommendations: STR Tread/BoT, Lothar, SnY, Skadi, Butterfly, Abyssal
Skills: Frost, Silence, Aura, Aura, Aura, Ult, Aura, Silence, Silence, Silence, Frost, Frost etc...
what can I say? I pick off weak agil and int heroes all the time b/c they want to skip fundamental steps in building heroes and go straight for IAS/damage, etc... and run around with a paper heroes for 30 minutes.