What players buy
The items bought most in each of Valve’s four game stages
Public matches · each item’s own count
1stMost bought
365 buys
2ndSecond most
96 buys
3rdThird most
53 buys
4thFourth most
31 buys
5thFifth most
24 buysBy GamGem ResearchLast updated 22 Sept 2026
Sand King
Melee · Universal
- Win rate
- 49.1%
- Pick share
- 0.4%
- Matches
- 196,484
- Patch
- 7.41f
Draft coverage
BringsInitiatorDisablerSupportNukerEscape
NeedsCarryFrontlineTower damage
Recommendation
Pick
- The game is heading for 50 min + — that is where this hero measures best, at 50.6% over 1,317 matches.
- You are playing around Herald — its strongest medal, 51.8% over 6,412 picks.
Avoid
- Kez is on their side — this hero wins 25.0% of 44 matches against it.
- Largo is on their side — this hero wins 22.2% of 36 matches against it.
- Phoenix is on their side — this hero wins 35.4% of 79 matches against it.
365 buys96 buys53 buys31 buys24 buys
Skill Order
Which ability to max first, and where each point goes — what most league players on Sand King took at each level.
QBurrowstrike
Sand King burrows into the ground and tunnels forward, damaging and stunning enemy units above him as he resurfaces.
Point Target · Magical damage
WSand Storm
Sand King creates a fearsome sandstorm that damages enemy units and grants Sand King Invisibility while he is in it.
No Target · Magical damage
EStinger
Sand King strikes an area, performing an attack on all enemies in the area of effect, dealing extra damage to each.
Point Target · AOE · Physical damage
REpicenter
After a cast point of 2 seconds, Sand King sends a disturbance into the earth, causing it to shudder violently.
No Target · Magical damageMax Order
WQE
Max W first, then Q, then E. Most took R at 6 / 13.
Level-up Order
- QBurrowstrike
- WSand Storm
- EStinger
- REpicenter
- TTalent
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QBurrowstrike | Q | Q | Q | Q | ||||||||||||
| WSand Storm | W | W | W | W | ||||||||||||
| EStinger | E | E | E | E | ||||||||||||
| REpicenter | R | R | ||||||||||||||
| TTalent | T | T |
Matchup map
How Sand King performs against every opponent with 30 or more counted games
89 opponents · public matches40%60%Sand King's win rate
≥ 60%Very favorable
55 – 60%Favorable
50 – 55%Even
45 – 50%Unfavorable
40 – 45%Hard
< 40%Very hard
If this happens, use this
- They are running away
Something that holds them still, or closes the gap yourself. Matched on “slow”, “stun”.
- I am being jumped
A way out, a way to shrug the debuff, or something to eat the burst. Matched on “invisib”.
- Kill them in one window
Damage that lands now rather than over a minute. Matched on “magical”.
By medal
- Herald51.8%6,412
- Guardian50.5%19,902
- Crusader50.1%31,224
- Archon49.1%39,790
- Legend48.1%38,022
- Ancient47.4%23,222
- Divine46.5%13,214
One count per medal, not one rate split across them; a medal with no counted matches is left out.
By match length
- 0–20 min46.7%3,801
- 20–30 min49.4%9,613
- 30–40 min47.9%7,091
- 40–50 min48.9%3,023
- 50 min +50.6%1,317
Bands under 120 matches are absent rather than shown small.
Learning Sand King
Abilities
Burrowstrike
Point Target · Magical damageSand King burrows into the ground and tunnels forward, damaging and stunning enemy units above him as he resurfaces. Adds Caustic Finale poison to heroes hit Can be put on alt-cast to immediately cast in the desired direction, without walking towards the targeted location.
Sand Storm
No Target · Magical damageSand King creates a fearsome sandstorm that damages enemy units and grants Sand King Invisibility while he is in it. The effect ends when Sand King leaves the area.
Stinger
Point Target · AOE · Physical damageSand King strikes an area, performing an attack on all enemies in the area of effect, dealing extra damage to each. Enemies within an innermost radius of 125 take 40% extra damage. Applies Caustic Finale and a slow to all enemies hit.
Caustic Finale
Passive · Hidden · Magical damageSand King's attacks inject a venom that causes enemy units to violently explode when they die that does a flat amount of damage and an additional amount based on the dying units max health.
Epicenter
No Target · Magical damageAfter a cast point of 2 seconds, Sand King sends a disturbance into the earth, causing it to shudder violently. All enemies caught within range will take damage and become slowed. Each subsequent pulse increases the radius of damage dealt.
Base attributes
- Strength
- 23 +2.3
- Agility
- 19 +2.0
- Intelligence
- 17 +2.0
- Move · range
- 290 · 150
Talents
- 4Stinger DamageSand Storm Slow and Blind
- 3Burrowstrike CooldownEpicenter Pulses
- 2Sand Storm Damage Per SecondBurrowstrike Cast Range
- 1Stinger SlowCaustic Finale Radius
Aghanim’s Scepter
Changes Epicenter
When the pulses start, 3 Stinger attack areas are created every =0.5s at random locations, each measuring 35% of the Epicenter's current radius, that apply =50% of Stinger damage to enemies hit. Shard pulses cause 1 attack(s).
Aghanim’s Shard
Changes Epicenter
Increases Epicenter damage per pulse. Every 3.0s causes a small single Epicenter Pulse around Sand King.
Sources
- Kit, talents and upgrades · mechanicalread 22 Sept 2026
Ability names, icons, behaviour, damage type and text, plus the Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard descriptions — as the game itself ships them. Nothing here was counted over matches.
- Win rate by medal · countedread 15 Sept 2026
The same hero at each of Valve’s eight medals, over 4,610,063 public matches. Each medal carries its own sample, because the eight buckets are nothing like the same size.
- Matchups and match length · counted, on a narrower windowread 16 Sept 2026
Win rate against each opponent and across five match-length bands. This channel reports far fewer games than the medal figures above: the median hero pairing is 51 matches and the largest on the whole roster is 707. Rows under 30 games are absent rather than shown small, and the ones that remain are ORDERED by a figure shrunk toward even by its own sample — the rate you see is the real one, the ranking is the careful one.
- What players build · countedread 15 Sept 2026
The five most common items in each of Valve’s four game stages, with each row’s own pick count.
- Skill order · counted, in league matchesread 3 Oct 2026
Where skill points go, read off every player's own learning order in premium and professional league matches on patches 7.41 and 7.40. Each level shows the ability most players took there and the share that did — a column only a third agree on is printed as a third, not as the rule. Heroes under 30 counted games show no path.
- Situation index · derived, and checkableread 22 Sept 2026
Each situation is a phrase match against Valve’s own ability text, and every row shows the phrases that matched. No win rate is attached, because nobody counts one per situation.
Mechanics are the ones Valve publishes for patch 7.41f. GamGem is not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve Corporation.