i maxed ignite first in every single game. ignite deals 400 dmg, fireblast 220, even with a fireblast-multicast you only deal slightly more dmg than a normal ignite (without aoe!). i am still unsure when to go "full damage" and when i should take a valuepoint in bloodlust. i tried multicast at lvl6 and lvl8, but i prefer lvl6 just for the ignite aoe.

i usually start with 1 or 2 mangos (usually 2), a clarity, tangos and i buy my own ward. i don't really feel like i need anything special apart from rushing arcanes. i haven't tried rushing a soul ring, but that could be an option too. i bought mek/gg boots in most games, i don't know why but tranquils/soulring feels slightly underwhelming.

my play style heavily depends on the opponents. if it's a dual lane and they don't have much regen then i cast ignite once at lvl1 and trade as many hits as possible. at lvl 3 i start spamming ignite which is often enough to burn through their regen. then they either have to use the chicken (potentially wins my mid the lane), or they have to run back to base (wins my own lane). with 2 mangos i have now medium kill potential if someone is out of position.

against a trilane i literally just hope for the best ... there is not a whole lot i can do if the enemy has lots of magic damage.

i feel like i get heavily countered if the enemy starts with extra regen or has a healer like wyvern, because if i cannot burn through their regen then i'm not winning my lane. and my hero has no backup plan, i can't farm jungle, pull the creep wave back, i can only roam which is unreliable. in this case i essentially "degrade" to a support.

i think it's the small things that matter, when i say "outplay" then i think about things like blocking the medium camp with a ward. everyone pulls if the small camp is available, but nobody checks whether the medium camp is blocked ...