If Dota were a person, it would be 18 years old today. The first map of Dota was released in 2002. Over the past 18 years, a lot has changed. Today, Dota 2 is one of the premier esports titles, backed by Valve and led by the legendary IceFrog.

How much have you changed in the last 18 years? You’ve likely gone through ups and downs, taking two steps forward and one or three steps backward. A lot has changed, but through it all, you remain the same.

Maybe you can relate to Riki? Riki has been through identity crises like few heroes have. Is he a core? Is he a support? What is he? Even the designers at Dota don’t know.

In Riki’s liquipedia change logs, it starts off with a preview of things to come:

• Reworked Riki
• Made Permanent Invisibility his ultimate

In patch 6.0 on March 1st, 2005, Riki began his identity crisis with a huge change. Permanent invisibility was turned into his ultimate.

Riki is unique because he’s the only hero with invisibility as a passive ability. Every other hero must activate invisibility or buy an item to turn invisible for a duration.

This ability is a core element of Riki, but it’s powerful in pub games. So, it makes sense that the game designers struggled with a hero whose unique characteristic is an innately powerful ability.

From patches 6.0 to 6.81b, there were minor changes to Riki. Some buffs, some nerfs, but invisibility being his ultimate stayed the same.

Then in patch 6.82 on September 24, 2014, everything changed:

• Permanent Invisibility is now a basic ability
• Blink Strike is now an Ultimate and can target Spell Immune

This patch also made the fountain on higher ground and added Bounty Runes.

Valve tried to make Riki a stronger core or support, but he became a hybrid that was mostly weak. He became a clear position 4 and was rarely picked as a core.

In subsequent patches, Riki saw minor changes, mostly buffs.

A new ultimate was added to Riki in patch 6.86 on December 16, 2015:

• Added a new ultimate for Riki, Tricks of the Trade
• Reworked Permanent Invisibility to include Backstab

Tricks of the Trade became a staple of Riki’s gameplay. Being only invisible and having Blink Strike wasn’t enough for his survivability, and having Backstab as an ability he had to level made his contributions on the map limited.

Now Riki had an area of effect ability where he could phase-out of the world and damage enemies on top of all his other skills.

At this point, Riki was clearly a support, but an awkward one. He was a greedy 4 and was rarely picked in pro games because of this. As a core, his upside was rarely worth the risk, and as a support, he didn’t offer enough for pro teams to want to pick him.

This was the state of Riki until 7.23.

7.23 was when all the changes came full circle and Riki found his role. Released on November 26, 2019, Riki saw the following changes:

• Cloak and Dagger is now the Ultimate
• Tricks of the Trade is now a basic ability

We’re back to 6.0 now. This patch included many other changes like everyone getting their own courier, free Observer Wards, Outposts being added, Neutral Items being added, and more.

With invisibility now becoming his ultimate, Riki could no longer be played as a support. He was no longer in limbo between core and support, Valve said Riki is a core.

This change saw pro players beginning to pick Riki as a carry, a role he is now known as. We see players like Arteezy and dream playing Riki as their carry semi-regularly. In pub games, a Riki carry or core is now common.

Riki is now a core. The changes to reach this point took many years and arrived at the destination with invisibility being his ultimate. Riki’s core characteristic is his invisibility, so it makes sense to make Cloak and Dagger his ultimate.

Just like Enigma’s core ability is Black Hole, Beastmaster’s core ability is Roar, and Lion’s core ability is Finger of Death, Riki’s core ability is Cloak and Dagger, all ultimates. Not Blink Strike, not Tricks of the Trade, Cloak and Dagger is his defining characteristic, so it should be his ultimate.

From September 24, 2014, to November 26, 2019, Riki was stuck in hero limbo. Not quite a support and not a core, Riki was a quirky pick for mainly specialists. Now it’s clear: Riki is a core. Until the cycle of changes begins again.