-eXtasY-
19th April 2008, 05:43 PM
This guide is written by Suizida and taken from dota-allstars from , with his permition.
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/575/lichqy9.jpg
Guide to Kel Thuzad
The Lich by Suizida
Table of Contents
Introduction
Pros and Cons
The Lich's Role in the Team
Statistics
All about Kel'Thuzad
Lich's Skills
Items Info
How to play Kel'Thuzad
On to the build
Skill Build
Core Item Build
Other Items
In Build Items
Items to Avoid
Levels 1-7
Levels 8-12
Levels 12-16
Levels 17-25
Important Strategies
Mini Guide to Chain Frost
Knowing the creeps
Wards and Blink around the map
Allies and Enemies
Good Supporting Heroes
Tough Enemy Heroes
Replays
Frequently asked questions
Updates
Final WordsIntroduction
Hey guys, I've decided to re-write basically my whole Lich guide for the HGC. Expect a lot of changes since this guide is incredibly out-of-date. This is my 2nd guide and previously this guide spoke about Lich's awesoem soloing skills. The fact of the matter is that Lich's solo skills don't fit into the 'metagame' that is DotA. This new version will focus more on the dual laning skills of Lich. I also used to have quite a long list for the item build. Lich doesn't really need all those items, so I'm going to make the core items and you choose the rest, like in Tucker's or De_dust's guides.
Pros and ConsProsNot-item dependant
An endless supply of mana
Game breaking ultimateConsBelow average starting stats
Below average movement speed
No escape mechanism
Terrible strength gain
Kel'Thuzad's Role in the Team
Kel'Thuzad's role in the team now-days is to do all the damage he can, support and die. It's that simple. Much like Venomancer he is in the majority of team-battles going to die. But him dieing isn't what he goes into battles for, he goes into battles so he can create rip-**** riot with chain frost. So what do you do with a hero that dies a ton? simple support your allies and spend your $ to gain total map-control
Statistics
Range: 500 | | Move Speed: 295 | Primary: Intelligence
Str: 18 + 1.55 | Agi: 15 + 2.00 | Int: 18 + 3.25
Damage: 37 - 49 | HP: 492 | Mana: 234 | Armor: 1
HP Regen: 0.79 | Mana Regen: 0.73 |Attack Speed: 1.48 (+ 15% IAS)
All about Kel'Thuzad
Skills Info
Frost Nova
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/9042/frostnovago7.gif
Blasts enemy units around a target enemy unit with a wave of damaging frost
slows movement and attack rates for 4 seconds.
Level 1 50 target damage and 75 nova damage. (Costs 125 mana, 9.25sec cooldown)
Level 2 - 100 target damage and 100 nova damage. (Costs 150 mana, 9.25sec cooldown)
Level 3 - 125 target damage and 125 nova damage. (Costs 175 mana, 9.25sec cooldown)
Level 4 - 175 target damage and 150 nova damage. (Costs 190 mana, 9.25sec cooldown)
Your sole nuke. Quite straight forward. This nuke does 175 to the targeted enemy and 150 nova damage to a 200 AOE. A common misconception is the Nova damage doesn't hit the main target also, but that is incorrect. So technically, Frost Nova does 325 to one unit and 150 damage to the rest (level 4, before spell resistance). Coupled with Dark Ritual, there is an unlimited amount of times you can use it. This is the skill that gives you your lane dominance early game. Mid game Frost Nova is used in team battles as it damages and slows everyone and to assist ganks. Late game this is also used to assist ganks and farming. This skill will be maxed out first with Dark Ritual
Frost Armour
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/3654/frostarmourgw2.gif
Creates a shield of frost around a target friendly unit. The shield adds armour and slows attacking melee units for 2 seconds.
Lasts 40 seconds. Cost: 50 mana. Cooldown: 6 seconds.
Level 1 - Adds 3 armour.
Level 2 - Adds 6 armour.
Level 3 - Adds 9 armour.
Level 4 - Adds 12 armour.
As of 6.45, this skill is pretty good, but still situational. The increase in Armour is amazing for late game now. The slow is nice, but only works on melee heroes. It's nice to have on when ganking, but sometimes you don't have the opportunity to use it. The armour is also nice, but the fact it's casted armour it is usually overlooked. Between Frost Armour and stats I usually choose stats. But now with the armour buff it can be taken instead of stats. With the buff recently upgrading the armour per level, Frost Armour can be taken straight over stats. Obviously the way the game is going and who your team is versing will make that decision.
Note: Frost armour won't slow Ursa warrior as he is considered a range hero. It will slow him if he has Enrage on As of 6.44 Ursa is MELEE.
Dark Ritual
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/6889/darkritualqc2.gif
Sacrifices a target friendly unit to convert its hit points into mana.
Cost: 25 mana.
Level 1 - 15% of hit points to mana. Cooldown: 60 seconds
Level 2 - 30% of hit points to mana. Cooldown: 55 seconds
Level 3 - 45% of hit points to mana. Cooldown: 50 seconds
Level 4 - 60% of hit points to mana. Cooldown: 45 seconds
WOW. One of the best non-ultimate abilities in the game. This gives Kel'Thuzad his endless supply of mana. It also denies experience from the enemy. This together with Frost Nova gives Kel'Thuzad his awesome laning skills.
Note: Dark Ritual does not dispel Battle Hunger
Chain Frost
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/5529/chainfrostqm8.gif
Releases a jumping breath of frost that jumps 6 times.
Level 1 - Deals 280 damage per hit. Cost: 200 mana. Cooldown: 145 seconds
Level 2 - Deals 370 damage per hit. Cost: 325 mana. Cooldown: 115 seconds
Level 3 - Deals 460 damage per hit. Cost: 500 mana. Cooldown: 60 seconds
Aghanims - Deals 550 damage per hit. Cost: 500 mana. Cooldown: 60 seconds, 7 bounces
One of the best team ultimate's in the game. The move that ensures that you can win a 1v2 situation. The projectile is a bit tricky as the Chain Frost jump will hit the enemy before it actually touches them. The bounces from the Chain Frost have a bounce range of 600 to hit another target. Coupled with an AOE stunner, it is a combo that promises some serious destruction.
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1671/chainfrostprojectorycf3nj5.jpg (http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/2852/chainfrostprojectoryxl7.gif)<---Click me
Here is a slideshow of how deceiving Chain Frost's projectile is.
Note: The casting range of Chain Frost is 750, with Aghanims it is 850
Core item build
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/7974/newitembuildqm3oo1.gif - Mekansm = Optional
OR
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/7509/itembuild2yi6.jpg
Item Build Justifications
As you can see now, there are 2 choices for core item builds. The only difference is the choice between Boots of Travel and Blink Dagger. Blink Dagger is used mostly for escaping, aiding teamates and setting up perfect Chain-Frosts. Boots of Travel is used for total map control and with the superior MS to help eenemies chase, support etc. So what do you choose? It comes down to 2 things. No.1 Preference. Some people prefer BoT over Dagger and Vice-Versa. No.2 The way the game is going. If your versing a massive pushing team then you would take BoT but if your versing a team that lusts on tema battles then you go
Dagger.
A chicken is optional early game and 95% of the time I buy one. Since Lich buys all his items in little bits and he needs to by observer wards constantly, a chicken would seem mandatory on him. The Tango of Essifation is also an optional item, but he helps Lich's lane control tremendously. A Ring of Regeneration is next to give Kel'Thuzad survival in his lane. Turn RoR into Headdress as soon as you can.
Kel'Thuzad is one of, if not the best choice to put down Observer Wards for the Scourge. Since he doesn't need expensive items to be effective he can use his spare change to have sight around the map. Ward-spots will be shown later in the guide.
Mekansm suits Kel'Thuzad very well (as oppose to my previous thoughts on it :P ). Since Kel'Thuzad always has mana, he has no problem with holding it. It helps Kel'Thuzad and everyone in the team with pushing also. In a team battle Kel'Thuzad uses Frost Nova then Chain Frost, then DPS's the rest. With Mekansm, you can seek out heroes who are in need of aid. Mekansm is now being deemed optional in the first build since Lich with a Blink Dagger early can rape almost any hero early.
Blink Dagger is a great item on every hero, because it gives all heroes an escape mechanism. But it is better used for the heroes who can assist the DPS'ers or do massive burst damage. Kel Thuzad is a prime candidate for blink dagger. He has no escape mechanism, his Frost Nova assists allies taking down heroes. It is also used to get close to enemy heroes so he can use his Chain Frost. When Kel'Thuzad uses his ultimate, he will automatically be focused fire, using Blink Dagger to escape will cause confusion for the opposition and your DPS'ers and stunners can finish off what Chain Frost left. The amounts of uses for Blink Dagger are endless. The main usage for Chain Frost (which I actually forgot :D) is to get into position to pull off a perfect Chain Frost. Dagger helps out with this due to the slow movement speed of the first bounce in Chain Frost. The bounce is incredibly slow, so by getting Blink Dagger you can blink right next to the opponent thus eliminating the ugly process of waiting for the first bounce.
Boots of Travel. I shouldn't need to argue between Travel and Treads, but I will for pubbers sake. Treads cost 1530. They give 65+MS and 30%attack speed. Travels cost 2700. They give 90+MS and a 60 second teleport. Although Treads are considerably cheaper, Boots of Travel are still the better choice. Why? Kel'Thuzad needs as much movement speed as he can get. With his below average movement speed, he won't be able to catch any hero with treads when they have treads and he won't be able to outrun any heroes when he has Treads and they have Travels. The 30% attack speed from treads is a waste on Kel'Thuzad. He doesn't need any attack speed and his base damage is nothging special as he is a spell casting hero. With proper animation cancelling, he can last hit fine. The extra 30+ movement speed from Boots of Travel gives Kel' Thuzad the opportunity to catch up to enemies and slow them with Frost Nova. BoT coupled with Blink Dagger makes it very hard for enemies to catch you. These 2 items +Frost Armour will make it near impossible for any melee hero to catch you. The free teleport ensures map control, especially with Kel'Thuzad. Since he will be your lane solo'er, his level advantage + Travel will make it very hard for any heroes to establish dominance in a lane.
With Mekansm in the build, it makes a lot of the items interchangeable. If you like to rush Mekansm like I do, then I rush everything ASAP. If you like to have more HP early, then get the Bracer after Headdress.
As I said I like to rush Mekansm, but I don't gank as frequently as others. If you are a constant ganker, then
Blink Dagger takes priority over Mekansm. This is all a matter of preference.
After Core Items
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/557/btnnecromancermasterah7.gif
Necrominicon:For people who like to grab a couple more kills with Lich, then the Necrominion build is the one for you. Obviously to be able to use this build efficientelly your going to need sufficient micro. This build focuses around having your enemies constantly slowed with Frost Nova. The MS buff from your Range demon gives you a nice edge when chasing enemies. That coupled with Boots of Travel makes it tough to catch Lich. Also if the other team is constantly trying to gain Map-control with wards then you can use your minions, since the range one has true sight. If you want to learn more about this truly sexy item then check this guide (http://forums.dota-allstars.com/index.php?showtopic=162566) by MightyDraenei.
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/6360/btninvwand05tl3.gif
Aghanims Scepter:
Quite a nice boost to Lich's MP and HP. Also the increase in damage and the extra bounce from Chain Frost is also strong
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/5585/btninvmiscgembloodstonefx1.gif
Bloodstone:
The debated item. Before my update I said that this item was **** since you would need to spend 900 gold on nothing (Void Stone). After trying it out it is quite good. As I said earlier in the guide, Lich tends to die, so why not take advantage of it? The benefits from dying are quite strong, especially for your team (400 HP aoe heal.) So if your team tend to be getting into a lot of team battles, this item will keep you and your team alive for that much longer.
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1820/guinsooik4.gif
Guinsoo:
Another item where the regeneration is a waste. But once again the benefits are to good to dismiss, the Cyclones/Hex is a great asset for the team
Other Items
The Other Item build:
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6274/bracersgn3.gif
If you are getting sick of the general core builds and feel like going on constant killing sprees then this is the build for you. This build is based mainly in pubs. If you manage to farm Dagon quickly (With Lich I would say about by 18min) then you go around and do some serious burst damage. Basically turn into a roaming hero and own lanes creating total map control, this can be done well since everytime you pass a lane, Dark Ritual a creep so you are constantly replenished. If you feel that you are lacking health in this build then throw in a Point Booster.
In Build Items
Hood of Defiance
Ever since this item was introduced to DotA, it has been a favourite for basically every hero. Tanks who have enough HP use it, Agility and Intelligence heroes use it so they don't die from nukes and for a very affordable price. Kel'Thuzad is no exception to this item. Like Mekansm if you're being outnuked, skip the Bracers, stack branches and delay stat points. Just remember, that nukes do become harmless in the later stages of the game, so if you think you can handle the nukes early then just leave Hood. But if the majority of your enemies team are nukers, then by all means, this is the item for you.
Items to Avoid
Attack speed items
Hyperstone, Midas, Treads etc. Kel'Thuzad is not a DPS hero. He is a spell caster and he supposed to be played as a spell caster.
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/575/lichqy9.jpg
Guide to Kel Thuzad
The Lich by Suizida
Table of Contents
Introduction
Pros and Cons
The Lich's Role in the Team
Statistics
All about Kel'Thuzad
Lich's Skills
Items Info
How to play Kel'Thuzad
On to the build
Skill Build
Core Item Build
Other Items
In Build Items
Items to Avoid
Levels 1-7
Levels 8-12
Levels 12-16
Levels 17-25
Important Strategies
Mini Guide to Chain Frost
Knowing the creeps
Wards and Blink around the map
Allies and Enemies
Good Supporting Heroes
Tough Enemy Heroes
Replays
Frequently asked questions
Updates
Final WordsIntroduction
Hey guys, I've decided to re-write basically my whole Lich guide for the HGC. Expect a lot of changes since this guide is incredibly out-of-date. This is my 2nd guide and previously this guide spoke about Lich's awesoem soloing skills. The fact of the matter is that Lich's solo skills don't fit into the 'metagame' that is DotA. This new version will focus more on the dual laning skills of Lich. I also used to have quite a long list for the item build. Lich doesn't really need all those items, so I'm going to make the core items and you choose the rest, like in Tucker's or De_dust's guides.
Pros and ConsProsNot-item dependant
An endless supply of mana
Game breaking ultimateConsBelow average starting stats
Below average movement speed
No escape mechanism
Terrible strength gain
Kel'Thuzad's Role in the Team
Kel'Thuzad's role in the team now-days is to do all the damage he can, support and die. It's that simple. Much like Venomancer he is in the majority of team-battles going to die. But him dieing isn't what he goes into battles for, he goes into battles so he can create rip-**** riot with chain frost. So what do you do with a hero that dies a ton? simple support your allies and spend your $ to gain total map-control
Statistics
Range: 500 | | Move Speed: 295 | Primary: Intelligence
Str: 18 + 1.55 | Agi: 15 + 2.00 | Int: 18 + 3.25
Damage: 37 - 49 | HP: 492 | Mana: 234 | Armor: 1
HP Regen: 0.79 | Mana Regen: 0.73 |Attack Speed: 1.48 (+ 15% IAS)
All about Kel'Thuzad
Skills Info
Frost Nova
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/9042/frostnovago7.gif
Blasts enemy units around a target enemy unit with a wave of damaging frost
slows movement and attack rates for 4 seconds.
Level 1 50 target damage and 75 nova damage. (Costs 125 mana, 9.25sec cooldown)
Level 2 - 100 target damage and 100 nova damage. (Costs 150 mana, 9.25sec cooldown)
Level 3 - 125 target damage and 125 nova damage. (Costs 175 mana, 9.25sec cooldown)
Level 4 - 175 target damage and 150 nova damage. (Costs 190 mana, 9.25sec cooldown)
Your sole nuke. Quite straight forward. This nuke does 175 to the targeted enemy and 150 nova damage to a 200 AOE. A common misconception is the Nova damage doesn't hit the main target also, but that is incorrect. So technically, Frost Nova does 325 to one unit and 150 damage to the rest (level 4, before spell resistance). Coupled with Dark Ritual, there is an unlimited amount of times you can use it. This is the skill that gives you your lane dominance early game. Mid game Frost Nova is used in team battles as it damages and slows everyone and to assist ganks. Late game this is also used to assist ganks and farming. This skill will be maxed out first with Dark Ritual
Frost Armour
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/3654/frostarmourgw2.gif
Creates a shield of frost around a target friendly unit. The shield adds armour and slows attacking melee units for 2 seconds.
Lasts 40 seconds. Cost: 50 mana. Cooldown: 6 seconds.
Level 1 - Adds 3 armour.
Level 2 - Adds 6 armour.
Level 3 - Adds 9 armour.
Level 4 - Adds 12 armour.
As of 6.45, this skill is pretty good, but still situational. The increase in Armour is amazing for late game now. The slow is nice, but only works on melee heroes. It's nice to have on when ganking, but sometimes you don't have the opportunity to use it. The armour is also nice, but the fact it's casted armour it is usually overlooked. Between Frost Armour and stats I usually choose stats. But now with the armour buff it can be taken instead of stats. With the buff recently upgrading the armour per level, Frost Armour can be taken straight over stats. Obviously the way the game is going and who your team is versing will make that decision.
Note: Frost armour won't slow Ursa warrior as he is considered a range hero. It will slow him if he has Enrage on As of 6.44 Ursa is MELEE.
Dark Ritual
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/6889/darkritualqc2.gif
Sacrifices a target friendly unit to convert its hit points into mana.
Cost: 25 mana.
Level 1 - 15% of hit points to mana. Cooldown: 60 seconds
Level 2 - 30% of hit points to mana. Cooldown: 55 seconds
Level 3 - 45% of hit points to mana. Cooldown: 50 seconds
Level 4 - 60% of hit points to mana. Cooldown: 45 seconds
WOW. One of the best non-ultimate abilities in the game. This gives Kel'Thuzad his endless supply of mana. It also denies experience from the enemy. This together with Frost Nova gives Kel'Thuzad his awesome laning skills.
Note: Dark Ritual does not dispel Battle Hunger
Chain Frost
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/5529/chainfrostqm8.gif
Releases a jumping breath of frost that jumps 6 times.
Level 1 - Deals 280 damage per hit. Cost: 200 mana. Cooldown: 145 seconds
Level 2 - Deals 370 damage per hit. Cost: 325 mana. Cooldown: 115 seconds
Level 3 - Deals 460 damage per hit. Cost: 500 mana. Cooldown: 60 seconds
Aghanims - Deals 550 damage per hit. Cost: 500 mana. Cooldown: 60 seconds, 7 bounces
One of the best team ultimate's in the game. The move that ensures that you can win a 1v2 situation. The projectile is a bit tricky as the Chain Frost jump will hit the enemy before it actually touches them. The bounces from the Chain Frost have a bounce range of 600 to hit another target. Coupled with an AOE stunner, it is a combo that promises some serious destruction.
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1671/chainfrostprojectorycf3nj5.jpg (http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/2852/chainfrostprojectoryxl7.gif)<---Click me
Here is a slideshow of how deceiving Chain Frost's projectile is.
Note: The casting range of Chain Frost is 750, with Aghanims it is 850
Core item build
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/7974/newitembuildqm3oo1.gif - Mekansm = Optional
OR
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/7509/itembuild2yi6.jpg
Item Build Justifications
As you can see now, there are 2 choices for core item builds. The only difference is the choice between Boots of Travel and Blink Dagger. Blink Dagger is used mostly for escaping, aiding teamates and setting up perfect Chain-Frosts. Boots of Travel is used for total map control and with the superior MS to help eenemies chase, support etc. So what do you choose? It comes down to 2 things. No.1 Preference. Some people prefer BoT over Dagger and Vice-Versa. No.2 The way the game is going. If your versing a massive pushing team then you would take BoT but if your versing a team that lusts on tema battles then you go
Dagger.
A chicken is optional early game and 95% of the time I buy one. Since Lich buys all his items in little bits and he needs to by observer wards constantly, a chicken would seem mandatory on him. The Tango of Essifation is also an optional item, but he helps Lich's lane control tremendously. A Ring of Regeneration is next to give Kel'Thuzad survival in his lane. Turn RoR into Headdress as soon as you can.
Kel'Thuzad is one of, if not the best choice to put down Observer Wards for the Scourge. Since he doesn't need expensive items to be effective he can use his spare change to have sight around the map. Ward-spots will be shown later in the guide.
Mekansm suits Kel'Thuzad very well (as oppose to my previous thoughts on it :P ). Since Kel'Thuzad always has mana, he has no problem with holding it. It helps Kel'Thuzad and everyone in the team with pushing also. In a team battle Kel'Thuzad uses Frost Nova then Chain Frost, then DPS's the rest. With Mekansm, you can seek out heroes who are in need of aid. Mekansm is now being deemed optional in the first build since Lich with a Blink Dagger early can rape almost any hero early.
Blink Dagger is a great item on every hero, because it gives all heroes an escape mechanism. But it is better used for the heroes who can assist the DPS'ers or do massive burst damage. Kel Thuzad is a prime candidate for blink dagger. He has no escape mechanism, his Frost Nova assists allies taking down heroes. It is also used to get close to enemy heroes so he can use his Chain Frost. When Kel'Thuzad uses his ultimate, he will automatically be focused fire, using Blink Dagger to escape will cause confusion for the opposition and your DPS'ers and stunners can finish off what Chain Frost left. The amounts of uses for Blink Dagger are endless. The main usage for Chain Frost (which I actually forgot :D) is to get into position to pull off a perfect Chain Frost. Dagger helps out with this due to the slow movement speed of the first bounce in Chain Frost. The bounce is incredibly slow, so by getting Blink Dagger you can blink right next to the opponent thus eliminating the ugly process of waiting for the first bounce.
Boots of Travel. I shouldn't need to argue between Travel and Treads, but I will for pubbers sake. Treads cost 1530. They give 65+MS and 30%attack speed. Travels cost 2700. They give 90+MS and a 60 second teleport. Although Treads are considerably cheaper, Boots of Travel are still the better choice. Why? Kel'Thuzad needs as much movement speed as he can get. With his below average movement speed, he won't be able to catch any hero with treads when they have treads and he won't be able to outrun any heroes when he has Treads and they have Travels. The 30% attack speed from treads is a waste on Kel'Thuzad. He doesn't need any attack speed and his base damage is nothging special as he is a spell casting hero. With proper animation cancelling, he can last hit fine. The extra 30+ movement speed from Boots of Travel gives Kel' Thuzad the opportunity to catch up to enemies and slow them with Frost Nova. BoT coupled with Blink Dagger makes it very hard for enemies to catch you. These 2 items +Frost Armour will make it near impossible for any melee hero to catch you. The free teleport ensures map control, especially with Kel'Thuzad. Since he will be your lane solo'er, his level advantage + Travel will make it very hard for any heroes to establish dominance in a lane.
With Mekansm in the build, it makes a lot of the items interchangeable. If you like to rush Mekansm like I do, then I rush everything ASAP. If you like to have more HP early, then get the Bracer after Headdress.
As I said I like to rush Mekansm, but I don't gank as frequently as others. If you are a constant ganker, then
Blink Dagger takes priority over Mekansm. This is all a matter of preference.
After Core Items
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/557/btnnecromancermasterah7.gif
Necrominicon:For people who like to grab a couple more kills with Lich, then the Necrominion build is the one for you. Obviously to be able to use this build efficientelly your going to need sufficient micro. This build focuses around having your enemies constantly slowed with Frost Nova. The MS buff from your Range demon gives you a nice edge when chasing enemies. That coupled with Boots of Travel makes it tough to catch Lich. Also if the other team is constantly trying to gain Map-control with wards then you can use your minions, since the range one has true sight. If you want to learn more about this truly sexy item then check this guide (http://forums.dota-allstars.com/index.php?showtopic=162566) by MightyDraenei.
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/6360/btninvwand05tl3.gif
Aghanims Scepter:
Quite a nice boost to Lich's MP and HP. Also the increase in damage and the extra bounce from Chain Frost is also strong
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/5585/btninvmiscgembloodstonefx1.gif
Bloodstone:
The debated item. Before my update I said that this item was **** since you would need to spend 900 gold on nothing (Void Stone). After trying it out it is quite good. As I said earlier in the guide, Lich tends to die, so why not take advantage of it? The benefits from dying are quite strong, especially for your team (400 HP aoe heal.) So if your team tend to be getting into a lot of team battles, this item will keep you and your team alive for that much longer.
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1820/guinsooik4.gif
Guinsoo:
Another item where the regeneration is a waste. But once again the benefits are to good to dismiss, the Cyclones/Hex is a great asset for the team
Other Items
The Other Item build:
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6274/bracersgn3.gif
If you are getting sick of the general core builds and feel like going on constant killing sprees then this is the build for you. This build is based mainly in pubs. If you manage to farm Dagon quickly (With Lich I would say about by 18min) then you go around and do some serious burst damage. Basically turn into a roaming hero and own lanes creating total map control, this can be done well since everytime you pass a lane, Dark Ritual a creep so you are constantly replenished. If you feel that you are lacking health in this build then throw in a Point Booster.
In Build Items
Hood of Defiance
Ever since this item was introduced to DotA, it has been a favourite for basically every hero. Tanks who have enough HP use it, Agility and Intelligence heroes use it so they don't die from nukes and for a very affordable price. Kel'Thuzad is no exception to this item. Like Mekansm if you're being outnuked, skip the Bracers, stack branches and delay stat points. Just remember, that nukes do become harmless in the later stages of the game, so if you think you can handle the nukes early then just leave Hood. But if the majority of your enemies team are nukers, then by all means, this is the item for you.
Items to Avoid
Attack speed items
Hyperstone, Midas, Treads etc. Kel'Thuzad is not a DPS hero. He is a spell caster and he supposed to be played as a spell caster.