He's really more of a ganker that later develops into a semish-carry if the game goes that long.
The real problem with CK is his ulti is too situational. It's duration is too short and cool down too long. You can't farm him to be a real carry, because there are simply stronger choices to do that with. He really is an odd hero, but armlet synergies extremely well with his abilities and play-style. His build is cheap, bracers/bottle/treads/armlet, and easy to farm. Rush level 7 and start ganking like a madman. I don't see diffusal too be as viable as it was in previous versions. In pubs, assault makes him a real tower shredder(.60).
For 'serious' play, he doesn't offer a whole hell of a lot. He really has to get lucky to offer much, which is not something 'serious' players want to rely on. He can offer some nice physical punch, but you aren't going to see him this version, as other heroes simply offer more. Images also don't do anything until way to late into the game. If the images had a faster casting animation and the recharge wasn't so hefty, he still wouldn't be any good in this meta, but he might be a more appealing choice for less competitive play.
I would like to see more synergy between his skill-set. Blinking+ Stun+Speed makes him a nice chaser. Crit is nice, and helps somewhat where his damage is lacking,but having no nuke really hurts his ganking potential. His ulti is just a bizarre skill thrown into the mix. Maybe if his images teleported with him when he blinked. No slow or any really reliable way to use his images makes them too risky.
Images in general are nice, but in this AoE heavy meta, they get raped so fast. I don't see Manta as viable outside a pug. It doesn't really add much to his playstyle, just makes him a better tower taker. Fully decked out in a pub sure, manta/heart/radiance maybe even assault.
This post was edited by deathbypepsi on Jun 26 2009 04:57pm