The Crystal Maiden is not just an powerful hero on her own, she makes the entire team better. From her Global mana regenerating aura, to her many crowd control spells she is always welcomed by her fellow teammates. On the flip side, like most casters she is quite squishy and most focus on positioning to avoid getting ganked or jumped on by enemy melee heroes. But if you're looking for a high quality support hero with a lot to offer a team she is one of the best. Here are our beginner tips for Crystal Maiden.

Pure Support or Jungle - There are really only two ways you can play Crystal Maiden, sticking with your carry as a pure support, or by jungling. The more popular choice is usually to stick with support because Crystal Maiden compliments most carries so well and can use FrostBite and Crystal Nova to slow enemy attackers and to harass.

Crystal Nova Gives Vision - Something that a lot of people forget is that Crystal nova gives vision on the target area for 6 seconds after it is used. Use it to check bushes for hidden opponents. The vision operates much like a ward, so try to use it on higher ground to get a larger vision area. You can even cast it over trees to get vision on any would be gankers lurking in the jungle.

Level Arcane Aura Early - The bonus mana regen your team receives from Arcane aura is an extreme leg up on the competition so consider putting a point into the skill early on in the game. This will enable your team to be a little more "spammy" with their abilities, increasing their farm rate and the odds that they get a kill.

Initiating Fights - Knowing when to initiate a fight becomes sort of an instinct the more you play the game, but there are a few things that anyone can look out for.

Overextended enemies are something you should keep an eye out for when deciding when to initiate a teamfight. If you can catch one or several enemies away from the rest of their teammates, you may be able to pounce on them and take them out before the others can react.

Another sign of a good time to initiate is if any of the enemy team are low on health, or simply if your team has a significant amount more than they do. Going into a battle where half of the health of an enemy carry is already gone is a huge advantage and should be capitalized on if given the chance.

Initiating fights with Crystal Maiden is a little more difficult because she is so squishy, but her ult can be a powerful too that will quickly shred and slow opposing teams if she can position it correctly. A good item to pick up to help with initiating is the blink dagger. This will allow her to quickly jump into the middle of the enemy team and unleash her ultimate to full effect.

Another strategy is to lure enemies into the fog of war (around a corner or into the forest) and springing the ult on them before they have a chance to escape. Whatever tactic you choose, the element of surprise is a huge bonus and will help land the full effect of her ult on their team.