I'm interested in a single topic about timing and choices made. Yes, there are lots of topics about favor items, and who uses what with which DG, but that's not what I'm asking.

When I play Oak I wait as long as possilble to pick a favor item.  The main reason is that i will typically go with blood, but i really want to go with cloak or something else. Since BotF's benefit decreases in benefit percentage over time I will try to wait until i level up a bit and get some armor.  It also acts a suprise as an instant heal in melee.

Taken from Pacovs playbook page 42.

For other demi's where a different favor item is better to use, i just grab it at the beginning.

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I've been doing the same thing: BotF with any dg except reg (tho I might change that soon) - though ring is interesting with an assassin/minion combo. I just pick it some time between game start and arriving at the first flag.

I have seen a few guys wait to equip BotF until they are in combat and have successfully baited their opponent into overextending slightly.

I wish there was a BotF mana counterpart. Like just 800 mana.

It should be more like 700 mana, 6 mana regen aura... then it would be alright.

I usually decide from the start what I'll pick and get it either while the camera's still zooming in or when I'm walking towards my lane.

If you are getting botf, you can always do the baiting trick but don't wait for it too long if it takes away the control of lane. Also it might be problematic with level 1 engagements. 2 ubs fight to each other one gets blood later, which means he had less hp reg over the fight until he got it and the monk healed for less percentage. Unless you are playing a dg that you always get that specific favor, you can sometimes adjust it depending on the opponent. If you see the opponent is not stacking hp you can get renawel with reg and wait to see the opponent initial hp. Or you can get hw for first blood if it comes to that.Picking favor might matter the most in 1v1s, knowing what your opponent has might be helpful to counter favor it. Let's say you are playing ice tb vs fire tb match as ice tb(considering before game you decided on it). If fire tb gets anklet, you might wanna go anklet as well since he can kite you quite a bit. or lets say you like play cloak oak and playing against a erebus. You might wanna get blood instead, to deal with the initial harass. After saying this much, i also would like the add that most of the players use more or less the same stuff and it is not very very crucial.

The only favor worth not taking at the start is botf.  The better the player the less likely they will fall for it though so eh.

That being the case I only use botf with erebus.  Every other dg is best with either cloak, bots or sor. (Except DA who I've never played and can't comment on).

I've tried the ring of divine might but honestly minions are retarded unless the other team has 0 aoe or it's 2's or 1's or something.  Although I didn't know wand of speed made minions faster so I might try that and the ring with oak sometime.