The Mystery of Oracle, Dispels, and Debuffs
Finally, a year after his release, Oracle is now enabled in Captains Mode, which raises the question: what does the hero even do? His skills involve the interactions of buffs and dispels, which are some of the most obscure and least understood mechanics of Dota. There’s no tutorial that runs through the list of exceptions for what is a basic dispel, a strong dispel, or what draws the line between a removable and unremovable buff. This kind of knowledge requires both practice and study. Judging by the meager win rate and popularity of Oracle, it’s fair to say that the public has accomplished neither.
Oracle’s Unpopularity
The Dota playing public suffers from the unpopularity of 
Oracle. He’s currently the 3rd least popular hero, right
above Chen and Visage. When it comes to learning a hero, the organic method is to either play the hero, or play against it. With Oracle, he’s in 1.97% of games with a 40.97% win rate(bottom of our charts, before Arc Warden arrived). It’s a rare sighting to see Oracle in the game, and when he’s there, his impact is evidently low. This also follows even at higher skill brackets, where his win rate peaks at 45% in the 5k+ MMR bracket, and at the recent WCA tournament in China, where he had a 44.4% win rate across 9 games. His utility in the pro scene is still nascent, but his win rate in pubs has bottomed consistently.
A significant reason for is that Oracle is just weak, in the efficacy of his spells and his role in the meta. He is subpar as a core, and as a support he relies too heavily on levels to maximize the synergies between his skills. Each skill on its own is lukewarm in its effect. Fortune’s End is a poor stun; Fate’s Edict a poor Repel; Purifying Flames a poor nuke. However, each of these skills has a subset of interactions and synergies with dispels, buffs, and debuffs. It’s in these complexities where Oracle may have potential.
Dispels and Debuffs: Unlocking Oracle’s Skills
There are three categories of dispels: basic ones, strong ones, and ones from spell immunity, such as activating a BKB. Dispels allow you to remove buffs from opponents or debuffs from you allies. Basic dispels can remove basic stat effects such as slows and stuns, whereas strong dispels can in addition remove hard disables, such as stuns. Some of the most familiar examples involve using 
Aphotic Shield or 
Press The Attack to free a stunned ally. These two skills are both considered strong dispels. A basic dispel, such as 
Tornado or Diffusal Blade’s Purge, will not remove stuns but can remove a rune’s effect or slow such as 
Venomous Gale. With Oracle, the main interactions are between his own skills, but there’s a chart for the diligent who wish to dive deeper.
Oracle’s skills incorporate a basic dispel and a strong dispel, with 
Fortune's End and 
False Promise. False Promise is an improved version of 
Shallow Grave:doubles healing and removes debuffs, such as stuns, upon intial cast. Fortune’s End is Oracle’s basic dispel, and the essential spell that unlocks the potential in his other two spells: 
Fate's Edict and 
Purifying Flames. Both of these two spells can be used offensively and defensively on allies or enemies, and the dispel from Fortune’s End is what determines their utility:
Fate’s Edict has a buff and debuff component, so it can be used offensively for it's disarm and defensively for it's 100% magic resistance. Both effects are considered as a single buff or debuff, and dispelling Fate's edict would remove both effects.
Purifying Flames has interactions with both Fate’s Edict and Fortune’s End. Used defensively, Fate’s Edict can be cast on your ally before Purifying Flames to nullify the damage and allow your target to heal. Used offensively, Fortune’s End can dispel the life regeneration from Purifying Flames, turning it into a nuke.
Compared to Oracle, a hero like Invoker is straightforward and simple. Even with ten spells, each of Invoker’s spells serves an obvious purpose—Ghostwalk to evade, Coldsnap to stun. With the exception of False Promise, each of Oracle’s skills are situational. They can be used on any hero target, whether ally or enemy, and it’s up to the player to determine which is the best spell to use, and the best way to use it. Then, follow that with the corresponding spell that maximizes its potential.
Bringing It Altogether
Not only do Oracle's four spells have intertwining mechanics but they also involve the web of interactions of dispels vs. buffs and debuffs. It's not a surprise that after all this time he still hasn't shown his full potential yet. However, that potential is highly dependent on his ability to gain levels, the composition of heroes and their spells in the game, and the understanding of the player using him. Pub players have a year to showcase Oracle’s potential. With Oracle now enabled in Captain’s Mode, it’s the pros turn.
Corrections: Oracle has been in Dota 2 for only one year, instead of two (in Dota 1). False Promise cooldown was incorrectly implied. Fate's Edict is considered as a single buff or debuff, and dispelling it would remove both effects
Ayy 1st lmaooo
i am a perfect oracle player and the hero is too weak even if you unlock 100% of his potential, like I do, plis buff
Already two years? Im not so sure... But okay
@meinseinerino
Calling yourself a "perfect oracle player" with 8 games is something I do really not understand. I have over 130 games and still have much to learn.
Good hero
@eggs
You made a HUGE mistake in the first paragraph about Fate's Edict. Fate's Edict is ONE SINGLE BUFF, which means Fortune's End removes both effects. (so much about people not knowing what he does :D )
What? since when did they add oracle? new hero?
It's been 1 year since he's been added, I started playing on August 2014, and definitely wasn't in the roster.
"Basic dispels can remove basic stat effects such as slows and stuns, whereas strong dispels can in addition remove hard disables, such as stuns."
Either this is a mistake or there are multiple kinds of stuns in the game
also : "False Promise is an improved version of Shallow Grave Shallow Grave: half the cooldown ..."
Can someone explain what's this "half the cooldown" to me ?
So many mistakes in this article he has been out for 13 months not two years and the mechanics are slightly out and Fates Edict has half cooldown if oracle is lvl 16 and dazzle only has one point in grave... This needs revised big time. Apologies only saw the note at the bottom after writing this.
@eggs "Basic dispels can remove basic stat effects such as slows and stuns, whereas strong dispels can in addition remove hard disables, such as stuns." Fix this
after full nerf his ulti, I'm not playing this hero anymore.
At least, buff the Fortune's End stun so it can be done well with the Flame. Stun just too short (0.5, make it 1s la =P) if not full channeled, but full channeled can't be combo-ed with the Flame. Dilemma. IMHO
@Jang 1 second for no channel is too OP, imo. I'd rather see it do interrupt (ministun).
The fact that this article needed 3 quite major corrections at the bottom kind of sums oracle up; no-one has any idea what's going on!
Oracle is just too damn squishy, a single disable and the other team can kill him before it's off.
The problem with this hero in pub is that you need coordination with your teammates. Its not a surprise if your team ask you to explain what this hero's spell does. Fortunately this latest version of Oracle is probably my favourite so far. Although they took away the Slark debuff effect at his ulti, his Fortune's End can now purge allies which is HUGE! This can purge your allies under fate edict effect right after you heal him so that he/she can combat.
In an meta that works around pushing and team fighting, Oracle is very weak in both departments. He can keep heals up to keep team pushing and can do some burst and crowd control in team fights, but both require solid communication.
He is like Io in that there is a high ceiling for application, but a low win rate because far too often when I use false promise on someone they run away rather than stay in the fight where they get 2x heal and is very hard to kill for 9 seconds at lv 3. If you want better application of healing, clutch saves, and high magic burst damage just draft a dazzle and lina
Hyatt is right with the hard to make work int he current meta. He really struggles in the early game unless you get ahead a little. An Oracle with first blood and a small lead can be a nightmare for the other team.
The big issue is you are completely trusting the player who you false promise to make the right decision. This is why i think of him as a VERY hard support. Your influence on a game is limited - and quite often you will get accused of KSing all day - which you almost have to do to get the farm/level advantage.
He can't farm jungle very well at all, has no escape and is slow and squishy. But with a little farm and the right lineup he can be very scary. If oracle has a Euls he can probably combo down most squishy support until the late mid-game when they have enough HP to avoid that.
maybe its not the best option as a support comparing it to winter,witch doctor but u have a ton of spells and options in teamfights a fun hero to play
Currently the Enchanted Mango only has a 34.43% win rate. Together, we as a community, have the ability to fix this problem and end this horrific tragedy. Please help. It is our duty as gamers to give this item the respect it is due.
The fact that several corrections had to be made to this article really highlights the complexity problems this hero suffers from.
Not necessarily saying he needs to be changed... let's see what the pros do with him. :)
One other thing that made the hero more difficult to understand was that while his skills are centered around buff and debuff interactions as you wrote, all the recent changes to the hero have made him more nuker-oriented. Thus we have a hero whose skills have secondary effects that have a high ceiling in a support role, but are designed in a way that the hero is more effective dealing burst damage in a teamfight than sitting back and saving allies/disabling enemies.
Playing him as a straight up nuker will probably work in the low brackets, but IMO the hero has too many weaknesses/has a very fine line between being trash/effective, that can be exploited to make it a good pick amongst the pros, hence the lack of a trickle-down effect in the pubs.
I love this hero so much, not only supporting that he can do, Nuker is the one that he does great. His skills are very flexible to play along.
He can kill enemy sup so quick and can heal teammate also.
The first thing that a lot of people did not pick him because they did not know exactly how to use him in the right way.
For me Oracal is the hero that funny to play. He can be stopper, nuker, ganker, supporter or semi carry in the 5-20 minute of match.
With less CD skill using and low mana usage, he is one of the my favorite hero that funny and variety to play.
Hope to see him more in tournament after he was added in Captain mode.
Alliance picked him three times at WCA and lost 2/3. In the finals they picked dazzle twice and won both games with him. Oracle's current ultimate is a 9 second shallow grave on a 30 second cooldown compared to dazzles 5 second shallow grave on 15 second cooldown. That Oracle's current ultimate is the same as the basic skill of another hero tells you all need to know about the hero and why neither pubs nor pros are able to win with him.
i think he`s quite good as is. but is very situational.
also pubs are really hard `cause people be nuking disarmed targets hard.
the article was 3/10
"Finally, two years after his release"
No, one year xD
venomous gale only can dispelled by strong dispel, isn't it?
he works well in a 1v1 lineup especially outside of midlane, you can out-lane a shadowfiend easily if you coordinate your nukes and take advantage of low base attack time, i personally think he should be played in a semi-core role as without some kind of survivability or escape he's free food.
also a casual maelstrom can be worth it for banter
nice!!!
I love oracle. I wish they would just buff his ulti so you can cast it on enemies and it doubles damage instead of healing for enemies.
oracle mid. botle, mana boots, dagon, eblade, rapier.......
2 years? lol. Its barely been one year.
The most recent patches make him a lot more level relying, 6.86 made Fate's Edict scale with levels and be weak on level 1 while 6.85 made level 1 Fortunes end deal 15 more damage but having 3 seconds more cooldown (16->13). Oracle has been nerfed severely by nerfing every single ability of him besides Purfying flames, that got buffed slightly 3 patches ago by reducing cooldown and manacost by a little, which only got increased a few patches before that. The hero got nerfed too heavily only to not stomp competitive scene from the start, but this will lead to him never getting any light on him until he gets buffed. His ultimate is a Shallow grave with slightly longer duration and the double healing, which can't save an ally from focus of multiple enemies since you still die after the duration if the damage is too much. The recent patches made Oracle look like a mid hero, enabling him to nuke creeps to either deny them or lasthit, and making him scale very well with levels. I forsee no future for Oracle support if the patches continue in the general direction they have right now. The fact that Fates Edict doesn't increase physical damage anymore shows that IceFrog and his team still want him to be a support, while all the other changes make him look more of a level-relying mid laner that needs help from his supports. At least the hero can barely get crippled even further.
Buff Oracle or rework him altogether, there is no future for a hero that needs tons of levels but offers very few offensive capabilities.
I've played a lot of Oracle and though I'm no Pro, I can say that in my 350 games I've learned a lot of intricacies with him.
For one I don't think he's an ideal position 5 at all. I think Position 4 like an earth spirit is where you want him. Every Patch since his invis nerf has made him more reliant on levels.
Even this patch made his edict worse at low levels and amazing at higher levels.
His kit and Lore is entirely based on unreliability and the fact that he needs to combo/channel so many spells to actually babysit leaves him very mana hungry and not great for taking care of a carry compared to dazzle/winter or CC/zoning compared to the likes of shadow demon, lion etc.
If you want space you'd actually want Oracle making the best of his immense power spike at level 7 where he can kill almost any hero in the game, with a little assistance he can kill all the likes save for except maybe Bristleback with his 360/2s cd nuke.
Also letting someone else be a true pos 5 gives Oracle the space to make the second to second decisions when it comes to disarming, false promising, channeling fortunes end on the right targets etc.
Just my 2 cents
@oracleisfornoobs so you want his ulti to be slardar basically?
im just not understand with his 2nd skill (w). 100% magic resistance for the enemy -_- i hope it will be change to increeses magic damage
It also disarms the target, making them unable to attack, its good against to allow your auto attacking core to win duels against other auto attacking cores (or a dueling legion for example...)