Smoke of Deceit Guide
Master smoke timing and coordination for game-winning ganks and objectives
Understanding Smoke of Deceit
Smoke Restock Timing
7 minutes
Smoke of Deceit restocks every 7 minutes with a maximum of 3 smokes in stock at any time. Track smoke availability to coordinate ganks at optimal timing windows throughout the game.
Smoke of Deceit is one of the most powerful strategic items in Dota 2. Available at the side shop for 50 gold, it grants invisibility to nearby allied heroes and allows teams to move undetected across the map for ganks, Roshan attempts, and high ground pushes. Mastering smoke timing and coordination separates good teams from great teams.
Smoke Mechanics
Duration
35 seconds
Once activated, smoke provides 35 seconds of invisibility. Plan your route and timing to reach objectives within this window.
Break Radius
1025 units
Smoke breaks when within 1025 units of enemy heroes or towers. Understanding this range is crucial for successful ganks.
Restock Time
7 minutes
Smokes restock every 7 minutes. Time your ganks around restock intervals for maximum availability.
Maximum Stock
3 smokes
The shop can hold a maximum of 3 smokes. Don't let stock cap - use smokes strategically to maintain availability.
How Smoke Breaks
Smoke invisibility is dispelled when:
- Coming within 1025 units of enemy heroes
- Coming within 1025 units of enemy towers
- Performing any action (attacking, casting spells, using items)
- The 35-second duration expires
Optimal Smoke Timing Windows
Early Game (0-15 minutes)
Smoke timing in the laning phase and early game:
- First smoke (7:00): The first smoke becomes available at 7 minutes. Use for mid gank or to secure power runes at 8:00
- Roaming support smokes: Position 4/5 heroes can smoke to gank mid or safelane, creating space for cores
- Tower dive setups: Smoke behind enemy towers to set up kills on overextended laners
- Ward protection: Smoke to safely place deep wards in enemy territory without being detected
Mid Game (15-30 minutes)
Critical smoke timing windows during the mid game:
- Power spike smokes: Smoke immediately after cores get key items (BKB, Blink, Aghs) to capitalize on power spikes
- Roshan timing (8-11 min window): Smoke to safely approach and take Roshan without enemy detection
- Pickoff smokes: Target isolated enemy cores farming in jungle or lanes for quick kills
- High ground preparation: Smoke to get vision and positioning before attempting to push high ground
- Break enemy momentum: When behind, smoke to catch enemies and swing momentum back
Late Game (30+ minutes)
Game-deciding smoke plays in the late game:
- Buyback punish: Smoke after winning a fight to catch respawned enemies without buyback
- Base infiltration: Smoke into enemy base to catch heroes or force defensive positioning
- Roshan control: Late game Roshan (with Cheese and Refresher Shard) requires smoke for safe approach
- Before final push: Smoke to clear wards, gain positioning, and force out enemy detection before the deciding fight
Team Coordination for Smoke Ganks
Pre-Smoke Checklist
Before purchasing and using smoke, verify:
- Team availability: Ensure key heroes are alive, have mana/HP, and aren't farming crucial items
- Target identification: Know who you're looking for or what objective you're taking
- Route planning: Decide the smoke path before activating to avoid wasting time
- Vision setup: Place wards along smoke route or at destination for information
- Enemy positions: Check minimap for visible enemies and estimate where others might be
- Timing window: Ensure you have 35 seconds to reach destination and execute
During the Smoke
While smoked, maintain coordination:
- Move as a unit: Stay together to ensure all heroes remain smoked and can initiate simultaneously
- Avoid towers: Stay beyond 1025 units from enemy towers to prevent breaking smoke early
- Watch the timer: Keep track of remaining smoke duration (35 seconds total)
- Scan if needed: Use team scan to check areas before committing if you suspect enemies
- Adjust on the fly: If primary target isn't found, switch to secondary objectives quickly
- Initiation timing: Coordinate who initiates and when - don't break smoke too early
Communication is Key
- "Gathering for smoke" - Alert team to group at a specific location
- "Smoking to [location/target]" - State the objective clearly
- "Smoke breaking in 10 seconds" - Keep team aware of duration
- "I see [enemy hero]" - Call out targets immediately
- "Go on [target]" - Clear initiation call when ready
- "Back out, smoke failed" - Don't force bad fights if smoke doesn't work
When to Use Smoke
Roshan Attempts
Smoke is essential for safely approaching Roshan:
- Avoid detection: Smoke past enemy wards to reach Roshan pit undetected
- Timing coordination: Smoke during Roshan respawn window (8-11 min) to secure Aegis
- Contest enemy Roshan: If enemies are doing Roshan, smoke to approach and contest
- Post-Roshan escape: After taking Roshan, smoke out to avoid enemy response
- Bait and switch: Smoke toward Roshan, then pivot to gank enemies rotating to defend
Pickoff Opportunities
Use smoke to catch isolated enemy heroes:
- Farming cores: Target enemy carries farming jungle or pushing lanes alone
- Split pushers: Smoke to catch heroes like Nature's Prophet, Tinker, or Arc Warden
- Lone supports: Eliminate key supports warding or positioning for vision
- Post-death advantage: After killing an enemy hero, smoke to extend the numbers advantage
- Courier sniping: Smoke to key courier paths and snipe crucial item deliveries
High Ground Approaches
Smoke helps break high ground stalemates:
- Vision clearing: Smoke into high ground to clear enemy wards and gain vision
- Positioning advantage: Get past choke points and reach favorable fight positions
- Force defensive rotations: Smoking high ground forces enemies to group and defend
- Shrine control: Smoke to contest shrines and deny enemy healing
- Barracks approach: Use smoke to get close to barracks without being poked out
Map Control and Vision
Strategic smoke usage for map dominance:
- Deep warding: Smoke supports to safely place aggressive wards in enemy territory
- Deward missions: Smoke to find and destroy enemy observer wards
- Jungle invasion: Clear enemy jungle camps and deny farm with smoke protection
- Outpost control: Smoke to capture or defend outposts safely
- Triangle invasion: Smoke into enemy triangle to disrupt farming patterns
Common Smoke Routes
Radiant Side Smoke Paths
Mid Lane Gank - From Dire Side
Radiant jungle → Behind Radiant mid T1 → Mid lane high ground
Smoke from Radiant jungle, circle behind Radiant mid T1 tower, approach from high ground. Catches mid laner off guard.
Roshan Approach - River Path
Radiant safelane → River → North of Roshan pit
Smoke from safelane, follow river while staying away from mid T1 tower, approach Roshan from north entrance. Safest Roshan smoke for Radiant.
Dire Jungle Invasion
Radiant jungle → Through mid → Dire triangle
Smoke through Radiant jungle, cross mid lane carefully, enter Dire triangle. Great for catching farming cores or establishing deep vision.
Dire Side Smoke Paths
Mid Lane Gank - From Radiant Side
Dire jungle → Behind Dire mid T1 → Mid lane high ground
Mirror of Radiant mid gank. Smoke from Dire jungle, position behind Dire mid tower, gank from high ground advantage.
Roshan Approach - Jungle Path
Dire offlane → Through Dire jungle → South of Roshan pit
Smoke from offlane area, navigate through Dire jungle, approach Roshan from south entrance. Dire's preferred Roshan smoke route.
Radiant Jungle Invasion
Dire jungle → Through mid → Radiant triangle
Smoke through Dire jungle, cross mid carefully, invade Radiant triangle. Effective for disrupting Radiant cores and supports.
Universal Smoke Strategies
Behind Enemy Lines
Your base → Through jungle → Behind enemy T2/T3 towers
Deep smoke to get behind enemy fortifications. Extremely aggressive but can lead to game-winning pickoffs or vision.
Lane Rotation Smoke
One lane → Through jungle → Adjacent lane
Smoke to rotate between lanes undetected. Show in one lane, smoke, appear in another to create confusion and gank opportunities.
Retreat and Re-engage
After lost fight → Back to base → Smoke back out
After losing a fight but surviving, smoke immediately to re-engage from unexpected angle while enemies push or take objectives.
Pro Tips for Smoke Usage
Track Smoke Stock
Monitor smoke availability (max 3, restocks every 7 min). Deny enemy smokes by purchasing them first during key timing windows.
Don't Force Bad Smokes
If smoke doesn't find targets or breaks unexpectedly, back out immediately. A failed smoke is better than a forced bad fight.
Use Scan with Smoke
Combine smoke with team scan to check areas before committing. Scan ahead to detect enemies and adjust your path accordingly.
Smoke After Objectives
After taking tower, Roshan, or winning a fight, smoke immediately to extend your advantage and catch enemies out of position.
Secondary Objectives Ready
Always have a backup plan. If primary target isn't found, know what to do next - ward, take camp, push lane, etc.
Respect the 1025 Range
Learn the 1025 break radius. Practice estimating this distance to navigate around towers and predict when you'll encounter enemies.
Night Time Advantage
Smoking at night provides extra advantage due to reduced vision. Combine with night stalker or other night vision heroes for maximum effectiveness.
Economy Management
At only 50 gold, smoke is incredibly cost-effective. Don't hesitate to buy smokes - one successful smoke gank pays for itself many times over.
Common Smoke Mistakes
Smoking Too Late
Waiting too long to smoke after calling for it wastes time and allows enemies to reposition. Once committed to smoking, group quickly and execute within 30 seconds of the call.
Walking Through Tower Range
Forgetting towers break smoke is a common mistake. Always path around towers with at least 1025 units of distance. One tower break ruins the entire smoke.
No Clear Objective
Smoking without a plan leads to wandering and wasted smokes. Always have a primary target (hero, Roshan, high ground) and secondary objectives before activating smoke.
Splitting Up During Smoke
When team members separate during smoke, you lose the power of simultaneous initiation. Stay grouped within smoke application range (1200 units) to ensure everyone remains invisible.
Ignoring Duration Timer
Smoke only lasts 35 seconds. Taking too long to reach destination or find targets wastes the smoke. Keep track of time and make quick decisions.
Solo Smokes (Usually)
Using smoke alone is rarely optimal unless you're a support warding or a core like Slark who excels at solo pickoffs. Smoke's true value is in team coordination.
Not Buying Smokes
The biggest mistake is not using smoke at all. At 50 gold, smoke is one of the most cost-effective items in the game. Buy and use smokes proactively, especially when stock is capped at 3.
Track Smoke Timing with Our Tool
Never miss optimal smoke timing windows again. Our DotaSense tool helps you track smoke restock timings, coordinate with team cooldowns, and plan ganks at the perfect moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many smokes can be in stock at once?
The maximum stock is 3 smokes at the side shop. They restock every 7 minutes, so if you have 3 smokes in stock, no more will be added until some are purchased. This makes it strategically important to buy smokes regularly to ensure availability for your team while denying them from enemies.
Can sentries detect smoked heroes?
No. Sentry Wards, Gem of True Sight, and Dust of Appearance cannot detect heroes under Smoke of Deceit. The only ways smoke breaks are: coming within 1025 units of enemy heroes/towers, performing any action (attacking, casting, using items), or the 35-second duration expiring. This makes smoke incredibly powerful for avoiding detection.
Does smoke work on creeps or only heroes?
Smoke of Deceit applies to all allied units within 1200 range when activated, including heroes, creeps, and summons. This means your dominated creeps, illusions, and summons will also become invisible. However, creeps don't benefit as much strategically since smoke is primarily used for hero movements.
What is the exact break radius from enemy towers?
Smoke breaks when you come within 1025 units of enemy towers or enemy heroes. For reference, most towers have 700 attack range, so you need to path significantly beyond tower attack range to avoid breaking smoke. This is approximately two hero body lengths beyond tower range.
Should I smoke for every Roshan attempt?
Not necessarily. If you have complete map control, know where all enemies are, and have vision dominance, you might not need smoke for Roshan. However, smoking to Roshan is generally safer as it prevents enemy wards from detecting your movement and gives you the element of surprise if enemies contest.
What's the most common smoke timing in pro games?
Professional teams frequently smoke around 10-15 minutes (after the first couple of smoke restocks) to capitalize on mid-game power spikes and make plays around Roshan timing windows. They also smoke immediately after winning fights to extend advantages, and during late game before high ground pushes. The key is using smokes proactively, not reactively.
Can I smoke inside the enemy base?
Yes, you can activate and use smoke anywhere, including inside the enemy base. However, smoke will break if you come within 1025 units of enemy towers, which includes tier 3 and tier 4 towers. Smoking inside the enemy base is risky but can be effective for getting positioning before final fights or catching retreating enemies.
Related Guides
Continue learning with these related timing guides
Communication & Pings
Master team coordination with pings, chat wheel, and positive communication.
Buyback
Understand buyback mechanics and strategic timing for critical fights.
Day/Night Cycle
Leverage day/night transitions for vision advantage and power spikes.
Glyph of Fortification
Optimize glyph usage for tower defense and highground holds.
Scan
Master scan timing to detect Roshan attempts, smoke ganks, and split pushers.
Warding
Complete vision control guide with Observer and Sentry ward strategies.