so what makes Viper work as a position 5? well it's because he deals the exact same damage with or without items (barring ofcourse really expensive damage items like MKB, Mjolnir/Gleipnir) it's basically a Veno it that the entire kit of Viper is what makes the hero, and not the items you have for it… Magic Stick + Force Staff + Tranquil Boots is basically all you need (and Shard for luxury, and Grove Bow if lucky)
I am currently gold rank on this hero and have been playing him exclusively as a pos5 (safelane support) for months now… I am not Immortal Rank (I'm fairly low mmr *Archon*) but I am just happy to see this hero finally be used as a support instead of a core… the most insane combo I had with him is with CK and DK because of the long duration stuns they offer (I prefer CK because of the cast range of Chaos Bolt and potential 4s stun)
how did I start using Viper as a support? honestly? because of his voice line "Air support arrives" I was just looking for an off-field support pick to be as annoying in lane as possible and I found him…
btw I'm the same guy who is level20 Riki and played him strictly as a pos5 until they changed how Quelling Blade works so finding Viper as an absolute menace in lane is just very nice (his movespeed sucks so much though, how do you fly and be the slowest hero in the entire game, seriously, how is Sniper with his stubby legs faster than Viper? COME ON!)
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/comments/uplyvu/about_viper_as_position_5/
