DK Fiend Standard

How it plays

• Open DK for Unholy Aura speed and Death Coil sustain — creep efficiently to level 3
• Rush to tier 2 around 5:30–6:00, start Fiend production immediately from Crypt
• Lich second hero with Frost Nova — obliterates clumped melee and provides burst damage
• Add Obsidian Statues at T2 for mana/HP regen sustain in prolonged fights
• T3 for Orb of Corruption on DK — armor debuff makes Fiend focus fire lethal
• Wins against: most standard openers, BM Grunt builds, AM Rifle builds
• Loses to: very fast Orc harassment preventing creeping, well-timed NE Bear timing pushes

Tier progression

Hero skill order

Death Knight

• Death Coil — level 3
• Unholy Aura — level 3
• Death Pact — level 1

Lich

• Frost Nova — level 3
• Frost Armor — level 1
• Dark Ritual — level 1

Core upgrades

• Web
• undead backpack

If you are new to this build

• Send your acolyte to summon all four T1 buildings, then send it straight back to gold. Undead acolytes summon and leave -- don't leave one standing at the build site.
• Make Ghouls until you have about five, then right-click three or four of them onto a tree. From here on, Ghouls are lumber workers -- they mine wood and stay home. They are not part of your fighting army.
• Creep with the Death Knight on the easy (green) camps, using Death Coil to keep it healthy. Leave the bigger camps until you have a couple of Crypt Fiends to help -- don't risk your Ghouls to creep faster.
• Don't worry about Destroyers or Tier 3 yet. Get to Tier 2, build a Crypt, and make Crypt Fiends non-stop. Fiends plus a couple of Statues is your whole army; everything past that is a bonus.

Common mistakes

Floating gold and lumber because you forgot to make Ghouls or click the T2 upgrade.

Keep Ghouls queued; the moment you have 5 Ghouls and the gold for T2, upgrade. Idle resources lose games.

Leaving the acolyte at the building site after it summons.

Undead buildings finish on their own -- the acolyte is free the instant the summon starts. Right-click it back onto gold.

Bringing Ghouls into a fight and losing them. A dead Ghoul is a dead lumber worker, and Ghouls need fast micro you don't have time for yet.

Keep Ghouls on wood. Let the Death Knight and your Crypt Fiends do the fighting -- Fiends are ranged and forgiving; Ghouls are not.

Teching straight to fancy units and getting no Crypt Fiends out.

Crypt Fiends + Statues is the standard army. Get that working first; only rush Destroyers if they go heavy on casters.

Before you try it

• Comfortable hotkeying your hero and using Death Coil mid-fight.
• Know how to send a Ghoul to mine lumber (right-click a tree).

Pro replays running this build

5 tournament games. Each opens in the 3D simulator on this player's side.