What players buy
The items bought most in each of Valve’s four game stages
Public matches · each item’s own count
1stMost bought
95 buys
2ndSecond most
95 buys
3rdThird most
85 buys
4thFourth most
78 buys
5thFifth most
61 buysBy GamGem ResearchLast updated 22 Sept 2026
Skywrath Mage
Ranged · Intelligence
- Win rate
- 50.0%
- Pick share
- 1.2%
- Matches
- 539,399
- Patch
- 7.41f
Draft coverage
BringsSupportNukerDisabler
NeedsCarryInitiatorFrontlineTower damageEscape
Recommendation
Pick
- The game is heading for 40–50 min — that is where this hero measures best, at 50.6% over 2,608 matches.
- You are playing around Crusader — its strongest medal, 50.7% over 86,749 picks.
Avoid
- Treant Protector is on their side — this hero wins 28.6% of 77 matches against it.
- Snapfire is on their side — this hero wins 40.1% of 344 matches against it.
- Monkey King is on their side — this hero wins 32.0% of 75 matches against it.
95 buys95 buys85 buys78 buys61 buys
Skill Order
Which ability to max first, and where each point goes — what most league players on Skywrath Mage took at each level.
QArcane Bolt
Skywrath Mage launches a slow-moving bolt of arcane magic, dealing damage to an enemy unit based on Skywrath Mage's intelligence.
Unit Target · Magical damage
WConcussive Shot
Skywrath Mage sets off a long range shot that hits the closest hero within a long range.
No Target · Magical damage
EAncient Seal
Skywrath Mage seals the targeted unit with an ancient rune, silencing it and causing it to take additional damage from spells.
Unit Target
RMystic Flare
Skywrath Mage uses his ultimate magical ability to conjure a precise and violent mystical field that lays waste to his adversaries.
Point Target · AOE · Magical damageMax Order
QEW
Max Q first, then E, then W. Most took R at 6 / 13.
Level-up Order
- QArcane Bolt
- WConcussive Shot
- EAncient Seal
- RMystic Flare
- TTalent
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QArcane Bolt | Q | Q | Q | Q | ||||||||||||
| WConcussive Shot | W | W | W | W | ||||||||||||
| EAncient Seal | E | E | E | E | ||||||||||||
| RMystic Flare | R | R | ||||||||||||||
| TTalent | T | T |
Matchup map
How Skywrath Mage performs against every opponent with 30 or more counted games
115 opponents · public matches40%60%Skywrath Mage'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”.
- I am being jumped
A way out, a way to shrug the debuff, or something to eat the burst. Matched on “barrier”, “shield”.
- Kill them in one window
Damage that lands now rather than over a minute. Matched on “magical”.
By medal
- Herald50.4%15,553
- Guardian50.4%52,257
- Crusader50.7%86,749
- Archon50.1%112,594
- Legend50.1%112,370
- Ancient49.4%70,601
- Divine48.9%44,599
One count per medal, not one rate split across them; a medal with no counted matches is left out.
By match length
- 0–20 min47.8%4,053
- 20–30 min47.2%10,226
- 30–40 min47.5%6,434
- 40–50 min50.6%2,608
- 50 min +48.8%1,173
Bands under 120 matches are absent rather than shown small.
Learning Skywrath Mage
Abilities
Arcane Bolt
Unit Target · Magical damageSkywrath Mage launches a slow-moving bolt of arcane magic, dealing damage to an enemy unit based on Skywrath Mage's intelligence.
Concussive Shot
No Target · Magical damageSkywrath Mage sets off a long range shot that hits the closest hero within a long range. Upon impact, it deals damage and slows in an area of effect.
Ancient Seal
Unit TargetSkywrath Mage seals the targeted unit with an ancient rune, silencing it and causing it to take additional damage from spells.
Shield of the Scion
Hidden · PassiveEvery time Skywrath Mage deals magical damage to an enemy hero with his abilities, he gains a small magic damage barrier. Each buff stacks independently.
Mystic Flare
Point Target · AOE · Magical damageSkywrath Mage uses his ultimate magical ability to conjure a precise and violent mystical field that lays waste to his adversaries. Deals massive damage distributed evenly among any Heroes in the area over 2 seconds.
Base attributes
- Strength
- 21 +2.0
- Agility
- 13 +0.8
- Intelligence
- 25 +4.1
- Move · range
- 325 · 625
Talents
- 4x Arcane Bolt Int MultiplierMystic Flare Damage
- 3Global Concussive ShotAncient Seal Increased Magic Damage
- 2Ancient Seal CooldownConcussive Shot Slow
- 1+1.5 Mana RegenArcane Bolt Cast Range
Aghanim’s Scepter
Changes Mystic Flare
When Skywrath Mage casts Mystic Flare, another Mystic Flare will be created on the position of a different random target enemy within 500 range of the original target. Heroes will take priority.
Aghanim’s Shard
Changes Arcane Bolt
When Skywrath Mage casts Arcane Bolt, 3 bolts are created, one aimed at the original target, and two others aimed at random enemies within %extra_bolt_search_radius% range of the original target. Heroes will take priority.
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.