"So where should i start?", you gurgle through the larynx mangled prenatally with a coathanger as your father learned of your conception.

The first step is understanding when to pick Riki. Just as you wouldn't try to force yourself on your neighbour's dog without first giving him a good scratch behind the ears, you should never pick Riki, unless:

The enemy team has picked heroes with True Sight abilities

Some people claim True Sight is another word for Kryptonite. Since Riki = Superman, you shouldn't have to worry about this at all.

The enemy team has picked heroes with silencing abilities

Does Riki cast spells? Like ♥♥♥♥ he does. Pick Riki and show them how YOU silence.

The enemy team has picked any support heroes

Supports are greedy beasts, loaded to the brim with gold. Hunt them down and claim your rightful reward. Like Jews!

Your team has other invisible heroes

If they were thinking about buying dust for another invisible hero, there's no way they're going to now. Try to dust Riki and you get dead!
If you're not sure which heroes buy Shadow Blades, remember: every hero needs a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Shadow Blade.

Has your team already got a carry?

Why not have another one? Riki's the perfect accompaniment to any carry. Bonus points for taking Safe Lane. They might try to compete for last hits, but honestly, who can compete with like eleventy damage from backstab? Nobody, that's who.
Top Tip: Faceless Void might be purple, but he's not Riki. Don't give him the satisfaction of taking your last hits.

"So when should i not be picking Riki?", you murmur, your father thrusting deeper and deeper into your gullet, reducing you to tears and evoking the strange sensation of both arousal and severe disgust as the cheesy taste overcomes you.

Well, "with great power comes great responsibility", as Uncle Ben's always says -- and like Uncle Ben's, you want to be Perfect Every Time.



Everyone has a weakness, and Riki is the exception. Kid's got some allergies, though.
Whenever Riki comes into contact with dust, his asthma plays up, causing him to walk around like a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ cripple. He just needs a breather, though, so ask the other team politely and they'll send you right back to the fountain to recuperate.

Riki is one of the most complex heroes in the game. It takes careful timing to know when to come out of invisibility, with a thousand calculations going on in the average player's mind per minute.
Is his health low enough? Am i near a tower? Am i level 6 yet?
Under no circumstances should you "just pick Riki". You'll give us Riki pickers a bad name.

To be a stealth assassin, you have to think like a stealth assassin. You have to be a stealth assassin.
The key words here are stealth and assassin. They go together like Yin and Yang; Night and Day; Dad and Swallowing What You're Told To Swallow.
The first step is not to break your stealth.
...UNLESS...
You can assassinate someone. Watch your teammates, and learn from their mistakes. Did they come to the fight without invisibles? WELL THEY'RE GONNA GET ♥♥♥♥♥♥ DEADED.

Don't forget these tips, to make sure you're the best carry-oriented Riki in the game! Picking Riki is the way to success in any DotA 2 matchup!
-- Daniel "Puppi" Putschnik.