ponlo’s Early-Game Toolkit for Position Four

Published October 4, 2026

Singaporean support Remus “ponlo” Goh Zhi Xian has outlined an early-game framework for position-four players built around mana, regeneration, movement and vision. His recommendations include Sage’s Mask, Ring of Regen and situational Essence Distiller purchases, while treating Arcane Boots as a later team need rather than an automatic first target. The advice is a decision tree, not a fixed shopping list for every draft.

ponlo believes an active lane can justify two Sage’s Masks because one may later become part of Urn of Shadows. The immediate value is repeated spell use without committing all early gold to a larger component. The choice makes most sense when the support can convert mana into pressure, saves or secured resources; buying regeneration without using those spells would delay more impactful items.

Ring of Regen serves a different purpose. ponlo suggests buying it at the start or early in lane so health recovery consumes less gold over time. In his explanation, that economy helps a roaming support reach boots around minutes five or six and use the first night for movement. He presented the reasoning as his theory rather than an absolute rule, an important distinction when lanes vary in damage and kill threat.

Essence Distiller depends on how fights will form

ponlo generally wants one Essence Distiller between the two supports, but he also named conditions that can reduce its value. His example enemy lineup included Ember Spirit, Witch Doctor, Dark Willow, Dawnbreaker and Terrorblade. If those heroes intend to group continuously between minutes 15 and 25 and there is no isolated back-line target for the item to expose, the support may need a more direct answer.

His alternatives were Blink Dagger, Aghanim’s Shard, Eul’s Scepter of Divinity and Glimmer Cape. These purchases solve different problems: initiation range, a hero-specific upgrade, a dispel or temporary disable, and protection from magic damage or focus. The useful lesson is not to rank them universally. It is to identify the action the next fight demands before spending scarce support gold.

ponlo is notably sceptical of rushing Arcane Boots. He called the item poor as a default first purchase, while allowing it after the first key item when the lineup genuinely needs team mana. That ordering preserves the position four’s ability to reach a timing that creates plays. A team with extreme mana demands can still justify the boots; the criticism is aimed at habit without context.

This approach makes early inventory a map plan. Mana supports lane pressure, regeneration keeps the hero present, movement turns the first night into a threat and the first major utility item defines how the support enters fights. Each component should connect to the next action rather than exist because it appears in a generic build.

Wards create initiative before a fight begins

ponlo also emphasised Sentry Wards, pointing to Saksa’s games as an example of vision shaping movement. Dewarding creates safe areas, lets a support enter darker terrain with more confidence and opens locations for Observer Wards. Blocking enemy camps can force the opposing support to travel and spend resources, making that player react instead of starting a move elsewhere.

The counter is equally practical: carry at least one Sentry Ward so a blocked nearby camp can be opened immediately. ponlo also values holding an Observer Ward while moving, because the threat of an unseen placement forces the opponent to track the support’s route. Vision pressure can therefore exist before the ward is planted.

• Use Sage’s Mask when repeated spells can create real lane value.
• Consider Ring of Regen to preserve resources and reach early boots.
• Assign Essence Distiller to one support only when the fight pattern suits it.
• Choose the first major utility item for the next team action.
• Carry detection and place Observer Wards from controlled areas.

Tool	Primary purpose	Reason to reconsider
Sage’s Mask	Sustain active spell use	Low spell impact in a passive lane
Ring of Regen	Reduce health-restoration costs	Immediate burst survival is required
Essence Distiller	Create access to a valuable target	Enemy fights as one compact unit

ponlo’s framework rewards supports who connect purchases to timing and terrain. None of the named items wins a lane by itself, and the advice should bend with heroes and opponents. The consistent principle is preparation: buy for the action your team can take next, then use vision to make that action safer than the opponent’s response.