In Dota 2, every hero is assigned a specific role if you want to make the most out of their abilities. However, there are times when you want to shake things up or just have fun with friends. For example, let's say you want to use a support hero like Crystal Maiden and play the mid-lane.
Now, before we look at what you can do with Crystal Maiden, you first need to understand the role of someone in the mid-lane. Your main goal is to create space, especially for the carry.
Skill Build
That said, let's start with the skill build. Since you'll be playing mid, you're going to focus on getting one point for each of the first three skills - Crystal Nova, Frostbite, and Arcane Aura. You'll need to max out Crystal Nova first, followed by Frostbite, and then Arcane Aura.
You're probably asking what about her ultimate ability Freezing Field? The thing is, while that ability deals massive damage, it uses a lot of mana. To be safe, you can put one point in this ability before maxing out the others.
Item Build
As a mid-lane player, your focus is to ensure you have mana regeneration, good mobility, and enough damage. This means that, at the start, you should have some Tangoes, Clarity Potion, and possibly a Healing Salve. After that, you should build into a Bottle, Power Treads, and of course, Magic Wand.
Before you get other items, be sure to have Blink Dagger first. You can then build into Aghanim's Scepter and possibly Eul's Scepter. It also helps to get Black King Bar ,especially during the mid-to-late game.
Gameplay
During the laning phase, you'll need to use Crystal Nova to harass the other team's mid laner and secure those precious last hits. Frostbite helps you disable enemy heroes when they're attacking or even trying to get last hits. Finally, Arcane Aura ensures that you have sufficient mana to cast those abilities.
Here's the thing, remember the Blink Dagger? Once you get this item, you should have upgraded Crystal Nova and Frostbite to a level that can have an impact on enemy heroes. With the Blink Dagger, you can now help your teammates by ganking other lanes.
Final Thoughts
While it is possible to play Crystal Maiden in the mid-lane, it's a bit difficult since she's a support hero. With some practice, you'll probably get the hang of it. If you want to watch how it's done, you can watch videos of Topias Miikka Taavitsainen playing Crystal Maiden on mid.
What do you think? Willing to try out Crystal Maiden?
Dota 2 is available on PC through Steam.
