Support guide

Watch the fight, take their best spell and give it back.

582 HP363 manaLevel 1

RubickDota 2 hero

Rubick is an Intelligence support who lifts enemies with Telekinesis, drains damage with Fade Bolt and turns the enemy's best spell against them with Spell Steal.

IntelligenceRanged

#5of 127 heroes
by pick rate

Pick rate: 20.5%
Hero win rate: 49.8%

Our game-phase read Editorial · impact 1–5

Source & our read · Sep 12, 2026

OpenDota · retrieved Sep 12, 2026. 776,059 Rubick picks and 386,578 wins in approximately 3,780,175 rank-classified public matches. Excludes Turbo and pro stats. This is a sample, not all players.

Pick rate = hero picks ÷ estimated matches; win rate = hero wins ÷ hero picks. Estimated matches = all hero picks ÷ 10, following OpenDota’s calculation. Tied pick counts share a rank. The API does not provide observation timestamps.

Our impact scores · 1 low, 5 high
Early · 3/5	Fade Bolt wins trades and Telekinesis saves the carry, but he has no kill of his own.
Mid · 4/5	Blink Dagger and a good steal turn one enemy ultimate into two every fight.
Late · 4/5	Aghanim's Scepter and Octarine Core keep stolen spells strong, as long as he survives.

The Dota2Freaks take Editorial

Why pick Rubick?

Pick Rubick when the enemy has big area ultimates and your team wants a support who scales with the enemy's own spells.

When to think twice

Avoid him against lineups built on right-clicks and single-target spells, where Spell Steal has little to copy.

The usual mistake

Do not blink in to steal. Steal from the back, then position for the spell you now own.

Our picks · Support

Rubick item builds

Choose for the game in front of you.

Standard

Default support path built around Blink Dagger, cast range and Aghanim's Scepter.

01Starting
Empty inventory slot
Lane with wards and sustain
02Lane
Empty inventory slot
Cheap stats and mana
03First core
Empty inventory slotEmpty inventory slot
Reposition for steals
04Mid game
Empty inventory slot
Longer range on every spell
05Late game
Upgrade the stolen spells
06Luxury
Cooldowns and survival

Blink DaggerPositions Rubick for the angle a stolen spell needs.Guide ↗

How to use these builds

These are our editorial build paths. Labels describe their purpose, not measured popularity or win rate. Click an item for its use. Each stage is an inventory snapshot: keep earlier items, use consumables, upgrade components, and replace small items as space runs out. Boots, defenses, and late slots can change with the draft.

More match and build examples: Dota 2 Pro Tracker. Item names and images: Valve.

The draft check

Friends & counters

Our picks, based on how the spells work together.

5 friends to play with

Tidehunter

Ravage is one of the best spells to steal and Rubick casts it from further away.

Enigma

Black Hole holds enemies while Rubick lifts the hero who escaped it.

Lion

Earth Spike and Hex hold the target that Telekinesis sets up.

Crystal Maiden

Arcane Aura covers the mana a stolen spell costs.

Faceless Void

Chronosphere gives Rubick time to pick the spell and cast it.

5 counter picks to watch

Bloodseeker

Rupture and Blood Rite punish Rubick's movement and silence his steal.

Nyx Assassin

Spiked Carapace stuns him through his own spells and Mana Burn empties him.

Silencer

Global Silence stops Spell Steal in the moment it matters.

Clinkz

Burns a support who stands at the back before he can react.

Anti-Mage

Mana Break and Blink reach a support with few spells worth stealing.

About these picks

These are useful ability interactions, not a statistical ranking or guaranteed matchups. Positioning, items, and cooldowns change the result. Hero links open a full guide when available, otherwise the directory.

Ability references from Valve: Tidehunter · Enigma · Lion · Crystal Maiden · Faceless Void · Bloodseeker · Nyx Assassin · Silencer · Clinkz · Anti-Mage. Checked 2026-10-14.

The buttons

QWER · open for spell values

TelekinesisUnit targetLifts an enemy into the air and throws it to a chosen point, stunning enemies where it lands.

Mana: 110
Cooldown: 22 / 19 / 16 / 13s
Lift duration: 0.95 / 1.2 / 1.45 / 1.7s

Fade BoltUnit targetLaunches a bolt that jumps between enemies, dealing damage and lowering their attack damage.

Mana: 110 / 125 / 140 / 155
Cooldown: 16 / 14 / 12 / 10s
Damage: 85 / 165 / 245 / 325

Arcane SupremacyPassivePassively increases Rubick's cast range and spell amplification.

Mana: —
Trigger cooldown: 0s
Spell amplification: 11 / 16 / 21 / 26%

Spell StealUltimateCopies the last spell the enemy hero cast and lets Rubick use it with a reduced cooldown.

Mana: 25 / 25 / 25
Cooldown: 16 / 10 / 4s
Stolen spell duration: 180 / 240 / 300s

Base stats & innate Level 1 · no items

Strength21+2 / lvl

Agility23+2.2 / lvl

Intelligence24+3.7 / lvl

Attack damage: 49–55
Armor: 4.8
Move speed: 290
Magic resist: 25%
Attack range: 550
Base attack time: 1.7s
Health regen: +2.3500001/s
Mana regen: +1.7/s

DOTA2FREAKS GUIDE · REVIEWED Oct 14, 2026

Dota 2 Rubick guide: support builds, abilities and tips

Rubick is an Intelligence support who lifts enemies with Telekinesis, drains damage with Fade Bolt and turns the enemy's best spell against them with Spell Steal.

What role does Rubick play in Dota 2?

Rubick is a ranged Intelligence hero. Our recommended role is support.

Rubick has no fixed game plan because his ultimate copies the last spell an enemy cast. Telekinesis lifts a target into the air and throws it, Fade Bolt damages a chain of enemies and lowers their attack damage, Arcane Supremacy gives him extra cast range and spell amplification, and Spell Steal takes the enemy's most recent spell for minutes at a time. Pick Rubick when the enemy team relies on big area spells such as Ravage, Black Hole or Chronosphere. He is weak when the enemy has nothing worth stealing, when he gets jumped early and when fights are decided by right-clicks.

How to play Rubick in Dota 2

Rubick laning and early decisions
Rubick lanes like a classic position five. Fade Bolt is your harassment and last-hit security because it hits the enemy hero and the creeps near it while lowering their damage. Telekinesis is for saving your carry or setting up a kill: lift the enemy and throw it toward your ally. Buy Tangos, a Healing Salve, wards and cheap stats, and keep mana for one Fade Bolt in every trade.
Rubick positioning and teamfights
Stand at the back of the fight and watch what the enemy casts. The moment a big spell lands, steal it with Spell Steal and cast it back from your longer range. Telekinesis stops a jumping hero or pulls a key target into your team, and Fade Bolt on a group of enemies cuts their damage for the whole fight. Rubick dies quickly, so a Blink Dagger or Force Staff is your reposition tool, not your opener.
Dota 2 Rubick item build decisions
Arcane Boots or Tranquil Boots and a Magic Wand carry the lane. Blink Dagger is the usual first core because stolen spells need the right angle, and Force Staff is the safer alternative. Aether Lens and Aghanim's Scepter make every stolen spell better, and Glimmer Cape, Eul's Scepter, Aeon Disk or Octarine Core finish the build depending on what the enemy throws at you.

Dota 2 Rubick tips and ability interactions

D2F ADVICE

Rubick: steal the spell you can use, not the last one you saw

Spell Steal takes the most recent spell the target cast, so timing matters. If a Tidehunter casts Ravage and then Gush, you get Gush. Steal in the moment the big spell goes off, or wait for the hero to cast it again. Stolen spells also keep a reduced cooldown and stay with you for minutes, so one good steal shapes the next fights.

Rubick: Telekinesis is a save and a setup

A lifted hero cannot act and lands where you throw it, with a short stun around the landing point. Lift an enemy who dived your carry and throw it back toward your tower, or lift the target your team wants to kill and throw it into your own heroes. Choose the landing spot after the lift, not before.

Rubick: Fade Bolt weakens the whole fight

Fade Bolt jumps between nearby enemies and reduces their attack damage for several seconds, losing a little damage on each jump. Cast it on a group so a carry loses damage before the fight starts, and use it in lane to make trades cheaper for your carry.

Dota 2 Rubick ability mechanics

Key Rubick mechanics · Valve snapshot Oct 14, 2026
Detail	What it means in your game
Telekinesis	Lifts an enemy into the air and throws it to a chosen point, stunning enemies where it lands.
Fade Bolt	Launches a bolt that jumps between enemies, dealing damage and lowering their attack damage.
Arcane Supremacy	Passively increases Rubick's cast range and spell amplification.
Spell Steal	Copies the last spell the enemy hero cast and lets Rubick use it with a reduced cooldown.

Dota 2 Rubick FAQ

Which role should Rubick play in Dota 2?

Rubick is a support. He works as a position five with cheap items because Spell Steal gives him fight impact without farm, and as a position four when the team wants him to roam with Blink Dagger and look for Telekinesis setups. Mid Rubick exists but is rare.

Which items should Rubick buy in Dota 2?

Tangos, Healing Salve, wards and a Magic Wand cover the lane. Arcane Boots or Tranquil Boots come next, then Blink Dagger or Force Staff. Aether Lens and Aghanim's Scepter improve stolen spells, and Glimmer Cape, Eul's Scepter, Aeon Disk or Octarine Core finish the build depending on the enemy lineup.

Is Rubick suitable for Dota 2 beginners?

Rubick is demanding. You need to know what every enemy spell does, when it was cast and how to use it, and you have to survive on a fragile hero while doing it. Beginners can learn him in unranked games by focusing on Fade Bolt and Telekinesis first and stealing only the big, obvious spells.

How should you use Rubick's ultimate in Dota 2?

Spell Steal copies the last spell an enemy cast. Wait for the spell you want, steal it immediately and cast it back with your longer cast range. Prioritise area stuns and ultimates, keep the stolen spell through the next fights and remember that stealing a new spell replaces the old one.

Next pick?