Hello and welcome to my first ever guide on a hero I've often picked in public/local games. I'm no where pro nor am I a noob but this guide is based on my humble experience and my only intention is to help those who I've seen play Lanaya the bad way, make a difference. Forgive my English and grammar mistakes, suggestions and feedbacks are welcomed.

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A much more general, noob-friendly statistics and overview of The Templar Assassin can be viewed here. Obviously.

Introduction

Strength: 18 + 2.1
Agility: 23 + 2.7
Intelligence: 20 + 2

Having a general and fairly balanced stats, Lanaya plays well as a semi-carry throughout a game. Through mid-game and late, she is well played in ganks where she would often initiate team fights and finish off escapees with her very spammable abusive ulti. But as a carry, she needs to farm well or else her game would easily turn-around when played roughly.

General Overview

Lanaya is well picked to solo mid with most solo heroes such as Zeus and Lina etc. She works to counter nukers very well with Refraction. So go for solo mid if no one wants to. This would really help you farm faster which you should. Learn how to last-hit and harass heroes all the way with Psi Blades.

Pros:
[+] Fairly balanced stats
[+] Ranged during mid-game
[+] Counters most nukers
[+] Very item independent
[+] Has scouting ability

Cons:
[+] Low ranged early game
[+] Easily countered by items
[+] Pwned when no mana left

Skill Overview



Refraction, provides you the early game protection and counter for nukers. The late 5 instances gives you both the DPS boost and nuke protection, 100% guaranteed without item interference that is. With the bonus damage, it helps you last-hit better and harass at the same time. It's low mana cost makes it spammable, abuse this when confronting nukers or when you're being chased to death when a plan fails.



Meld, although it has the fairly low burst damage, it's armor reduction pays off. Add this with Refraction early, this skill is unique in ganks and setups. It's fairly low cooldown and mana cost makes it spammable and abusive in many ways but NOT to hide UNLESS you have a dagger with you. Blink in the forests when needed, heal, Refraction and blink back into the battlefield. Why simply do we not hide in the way? Lanaya's Meld is very predictable so don't mess up anyone who has a gem or dust, you're dead by the next second. Take note, invisibility will stay as long as you remain still.

Take note that you can evade skills like Lucent Beam and Shukuchi by going invi.

Psi Blades, is a unique skill in DotA. This is what makes Lanaya fun early and safe in mid. Further of these is situational during early. When getting this, make sure you position yourself so that your attack on creeps hits the enemy hero behind it, sometimes, people are just too stupid to not know what'd hit them. Your total range during mid should be safe by then.









Psionic Trap, is your ultimate. Not a powerful for one, but provides you considerably one of the best slows in DotA aside from Enchantress'. With a 50% slow for 5 seconds, infinite trap duration, vision, low mana cost and cooldown and a 2000 casting range, abuse this in fairly any fight you need. Initiate ganks with this, it would surely help the whole team. Other than that, use this to scout rune spots and secret shop. Once you get level 1 trap, set them up to scout areas and enemies.



Self explanatory, use this to detonate traps either the nearest or selected. Consider selecting when setting up a fight. Refraction, put trap and then Meld. This is to ensure you don't break invisibility when doing so. Use tab to select the trap and detonate and then begin the fight. This would help make sure your invisibility stays when your setting this up.

The Skill Build

1. Psi Blades
2. Refraction
3. Refraction
4. Meld
5. Refraction
6. Psionic Trap
7. Refraction
8. Meld
9. Meld
10. Meld
11. Psionic Trap
12. Psi Blades
13. Psi Blades
14. Psi Blades
15. Stats
16. Psionic Trap
17. Stats
18. Stats
19. Stats
20. Stats
21. Stats
22. Stats
23. Stats
24. Stats
25. Stats

The above skill build should work fine throughout most games. 1 level of Psi Blades help make up the small range early game and allows early game harassing. Also helps to make sure you're on a safe distance. Psi Blades should be maxed later on mid-game.

Refraction will help you counter against heavy nukers and harassments. Abuse it early to help last-hit. This should be maxed out first since the early game protection ensures you farm well.

Meld should be maxed second, one level early should help you hide away at hard times. This should be safe since most don't have gems or dust early game. Get away from first blood attempts as much as possible. Other than that, counter at the same time.

Psionic Trap should be obtained anytime available, use it to scout and lay kills from escapees. Set these on rune spots on one level for rune dominance of mid lane.

Alternatively, replace Psi Blades during mid-game with stats according to your situation. Whether you need more HP from heavy nukers, that depends and is situational.

The Item Builds

Core Items


Why these? Magic wand ensures the charges you get from nukers pays off to providing more spams on Refraction. Also goves in considerably good replenish during early game if you farm one fast.

Bottle helps you in keying those runes. Since you are most likely to be in mid lane, solo, rune dominance is easy with your ulti. Save them when you don't need it. Also replenishes you to enable more spams on Refraction also.

Str Treads gives you survivability, damage and attack speed. Lanaya doesn't need DPS during early game due to her intensive use of Refraction. Save the extra change and get these instead. The HP is needed to stay on lane more, a good one though you can prefer for phase if you want to.

Dagger maximizes the potential of meld. Blink to safety into forests to heal and meld hide or blink and meld to finish escapees. Or simply use this to position yourself well in team fights or out of traps. Works well anytime.

Luxury/Extension Items


A few of the best, Butterfly ensures you're safe with evasion most of the time and gives considerably good DPS and attackspeed. Buy this after farming up the cores, worth it for Lanaya.

Desolator adds in DPS and more effect to your Meld. Makes everything hurt even more. A good item to get after sometimes mid-game, farmed up cores and have BKB, thumbs up.

Get a Curaiss, an item giving high armor boost and an aura that boosts Meld even further with deso. Get this if you can.

Buriza or Crystalys, get one of these when you have farmed up almost everything. Though not necessary, they give a high DPS that would surely help late game. Get a Crystalys and then go for Buriza afterwards.

Situational Items


MKB ensures your hits hit a butterfly or buffs. Pretty crucial late game. Helps to hit your meld and not mess up. Plus the HP and DPS is nice at the same time.

Linken's helps to shield away heavy nukers and harassers, also gives stats that grab your attention.

Need map control? Dump your treads late-game and get BoT instead. Gives you great chase capability though not necessary. You already got dagger anyways.

Buy Dominator when needed, gives survivability and DPS. Great early game and can be sold late afterwards. So much useful in-lane when up against tanks and nukers who don't wanna have peace.

Supporting your chasing capabilities, Sange and Yasha provides you cheap components and considerably fair stats and speed bonus. Though not as cool an orb as deso, get this when your not farming well.

Rejected Items


Arcana Boots... nah. Bottles and magic sticks are more practical here than having to replenish a few times. Lanaya doesn't actually need a lot of mana where wand and bottle should have handled better. Other boots give better stats btw.

Satanic and MoM, totally rejected, why? Satanic with high cost, doesn't give a lot of useful effects and stats while MoM would make Lanaya even more fragile. Don't consider these items.

Lothar's, rejected. Meld provides and even better effect. Lothar's would mean having to waste the bonus DPS and mana. Don't, but doesn't actually mean rejected too much. Some prefer this.

I wouldn't be naming everything on the list but these can be taken into consideration to the most. Though items are sometimes rejected and are situational, these hugely depends on you and the situation at the current game period.

Friend and Foe

(Work-In-Progress/Suggestions?)