Murmaid of doom


The complete guide for abusing naga to her full potential.


Writer note:This is my first try and thanks to people which are writing their notes, I am able to make more accurate guide, please keep writing comments if you see that something is missing or wrong.
Edit: this is my second time updating this guide, you should tell me more of your opinions so I can post better ideals of how to use naga to her full potential.

Her Skills

Attack Animation: 0.5 / 0.5
Damage: 56 - 58
Casting Animation: 0.5 / 0.7
Armor: 5.94
Base Attack Time: 1.7
Movespeed: 320
Attack Range: 128 (melee)
Sight Range: 1800 / 800
Strength: 21 + 2.3
Agility: 21 + 2.75
Intelligence: 18 + 1.95



Disadvantages:

- Her skills go way beyong her mana pool.
- Her ultymate is situational and most times is useless.
- If you try to attack with your illusions, they will instantly die againts Roshan.
- Item Dependent (Feedback)

Advantages:

+ You get a GREAT attack speed, Base Agility and Agility Gain, making your attacks to be your deadly tool in fights, and together with your illusions, feedback become totaly required.
+ You has above the avarage 300 movement speed, which means she can nearly outrun anyone, and only Luna (330) and Chaos Knight (325) can outrun her - and she can move from lane to rune to lane very fast in order to gank.
+ You can afk farm while your illusions fight.
+ You can push towers while being in the other side of the map.
+ Got 3 escape mecanisms. -> illusion 1 second invulnerability after cast, ultimate that hold your enemies in their place and finnaly your ensnare that set your enemy movespeed into 0.
+ Can Ensnare one enemy for 5 seconds.


Special Mentions:
This is the item you are dependent on:

2x = 1000x2 = 2000
1x = 450
1 or 2 x = 850 or 1700
Total Cost: 3300 or 4150

+22/26 Agility
+6/10 Intelligence

Feedback (passive) - Causes your attacks to burn 20 (36 when upgraded) mana and deal bonus physical damage equal to the amount of mana burned.

Purge (active) - Purges a target unit, removing buffs, slowing, and dealing damage if it is a summoned unit

Disadvantages:

- Once used 16 times, you lose your best hold.
- If you want a better feedback, you must level it even if there is a few charges that you still haven't used.
- Upgrading this item does not increase the ability of the purge, it remains the same purge on level 2, and it's unchargedable.
- Both Orb Effect and also Buff Placer, forcing you to get lifesteal only from Vladimir's Offering, which don't benefits for your illusions.


Advantages:
+ Comes in small peaces.
+ Once you paid 3300, after a few sure kills, you get the money to level it.
+ Safe Buy: All of the parts can be bought without risking by walking into secret shops that who knows who hide near them.
+ Easy buy: That's a 3300 core item, that is required by a summoner of illusions that kill creeps for you.
+ Your hero allready have 3 escape mekanisms, the purge make it possible to purge enemy to slow him down when he chase you, or to make a very disturbing buff on you to be removed instantly, therefore once you get this item you have 4 escape mecanisms.
+ enemies under your ultimate are targetable by the purge, dooming them before they can react.
+ Deals 99999 damage to summoned units like morph's illusion.
+ Slow Heroes for 4 seconds, the first 1 second is slow 100% (stand in place) Purge has a 8 second cooldown, and a 600 cast range.
+ Vladmir's Offering grants Lifesteal which treat the damage from the feedback as normal damage.
+ Adds Attack Damage, Attack Speed and Mana - The 3 things you need.
+ Cover your weakness of being targeted by Spells since enemies under Ensnare can still cast spells on you.


Epicness Abilities:

Mirror Image
Confuses the enemy by summoning 3 copies of Slithice, which can deal damage. Images take extra damage.

Level 1 - they deal 30% damage and take 600% damage
Level 2 - they deal 35% damage and take 500% damage
Level 3 - they deal 40% damage and take 400% damage
Level 4 - they deal 45% damage and take 300% damage

Cost 70/80/90/100 mana.
Cooldown 40 seconds.

Notes
• During the casting, Slithice is invulnerable for 1 second. This can be used to avoid spells, missles of attack and missles of spells - but it cannot be used againts Bara's charge, Bara will still make stun and damage and target the real you.
• Upon cast most effects will be removed from Slithice - but tango's heal wont be remove, which means it's best if you eat tango before you are using your mirrors to fight in your place.
• If Slithice is targeted with an attack or skill before the attacker is in range and she uses Mirror Image the attacker will hit the real Slithice, as mantioned about Bara.
• Naga Siren and her illusions have 8 collision size, which means she is an horride creeps blocker.
• Since illusions can benefit from feedback, your feedback core will make your enemies have no mana againts you.
• When your team is roshaning , those can be used both to scaut or to asign a Move order on roshan to tank for you, they can take his damage but will disapear if they attack him.
• Can be used in mind games to take damage: it is a good idea to send one to attack, then it dies from enemy nukes, send the other and get the exp while it creeps for you as you micro it, if the enemy try gank the real you+your last illusion - send the last illusion fling crazy while you walk into the base with your experience and gold.
• Can have the effect of radiance
• Since illusions can benefit from Gem, you should spread them over when u search for wind walkers.
• Special Mention: Best use is to check roshan, runes, and techies bombs since they activate them, it works even better if you have a gem.

Ensnare
Entraps an enemy unit in a net, rendering the unit unable to move.

Level 1 - 2 seconds.
Level 2 - 3 seconds.
Level 3 - 4 seconds.
Level 4 - 5 seconds.

cost 75/85/95/105 mana.
14 seconds cooldown.

• Works on magic immune units.
• Interrupts channeling spells.
• A few spells, including Blink, will also be disabled when Ensnared.
• Ensnare sets the movement speed of the affected unit to zero.
• Ensnare dispels non-combat consumables (LOL HEALING SALVE) .
• used for both escape and hunting.
• Since your enemies can still cast spells, they will most likely use their area stuns as soon as you reach them, don't worry, area stuns cant kill you, just delay you. If you can manage to get Sven while his stun on cooldown then you get a certain kill.

Rip Tide

Calls upon the power of the seas, creating an enchanted wave that deals damage and degrades enemy unit's armor for 8 seconds.

Level 1 - 130 damage, -2 armor.
Level 2 - 160 damage, -3 armor.
Level 3 - 190 damage, -4 armor.
Level 4 - 220 damage, -5 armor.

cost 80/90/100/110 mana which you most times won't have.
cooldown 12 seconds.

• Damage type: magical
• Can affect units up to 1000 range away.
• This nuke has less than avarage damage - Used for team initiation or for final hit running away low hp heroes, don't spam it since the mana cost is allways more than you can afford.
• Once you get Arcane Boots, you can use this spell to trick your enemies who think that bashing illusions is fun into death while hitting innocent poppet.


U-L-T-Y-M-A-T-E
Song of the Siren

Releases a melody around you the puts enemy units to sleep while they are in your range. Units wake up if you leave the area or the duration of the melody runs out. Slithice can choose to end the melody at any point.

Level 1 - maximum 7 seconds 180 cooldown.
Level 2 - maximum 7 seconds 160 cooldown.
Level 3 - maximum 7 seconds 120 cooldown.

cost 100 mana.
• Use it when your hp bar in danger , and save allies in the same danger.
• Sleeping units are invulnerable until the end of the spell - and you can stop it at any given time using the same hotkey - Casting the spell again will end its duration after 0.5 second, and the second click botton is delayed by 1 second to help players not double-click it by mistake.
• Enemy units wake up when you leave the area, or at the end of the duration - therefor blinking heroes such as magina and akasha will have their blink cooldown end, and can blink in to end the job, what make this skill most likely to be used combined with a teleport.
• does not improved by scepter but does get improved by Boots Of Travel and a Teleport which ensure you will get out alive.
• Situational use, most time best to use when your hero is allready as good as dead and you don't care since you have nothing to lose, use this skill with Teleport to support your escape. You have 20% chance to make it back to the fountain without deing before you reach when you don't have the Teleport - 20% since they might target the other 4 team members.
• Can be used to allow centaur and other close combat fighters to get close to the sleeping enemies.
• Warning!!! - some ultimates such as Chain Frost of Lich or Which Doctor ultimate are blocked by this and might ruin their killing moves. -> Best to wait after they allready finished their ultimates effects.

Skill Tree:
• 1) Ensnare level 1. ( First blood /escape reasons )
• 2) Mirror Image level 1.
• 3) Mirror Image level 2.
• 4) Ensnare level 2.
• 5) Mirror Image level 3.
• 6) Song of the siren level 1.
• 7) Mirror Image level 4. ( At this point, as soon as you get your Feedback item, you are the godlike)
• 8) Ensnare level 3.
• 9) Ensnare level 4.
• 10) Rip Tide level 1. (Since the nuke has very low damage and only now the team gangs are on, you can use this to reduce the armor in team fights while taking the initiation role)
• 11) Song of the siren level 2. (If you want this skill have least cooldown like when you have centaur and wanna help him get close)
OR • 11) Rip Tide (Since in most situations having your ultimate with a small cooldown is useless, your ultimate is an escape tool agains ganks, which not happen that frequently)
• 12) Rip Tide level 3.
• 13) Rip Tide level 4.
• 14) Attributes Bonus level 1.
• 15) Song of the siren level 2/3.
• 16) Song of the siren level 3/ Attribute Bonus.
• 17 And on) - Attributes Bonus at all levels.

Justifications:

With Ensnare you can reveal rushing winwalkers, stop rushing blinkers and stop Spells Immune Naix, Stop regeneration of Healing Salve and Clarity Potion and get final hits on rushers who failed - by killing them while they retrete on low hp or to kill heroes who gets too near into the Tower you are guarding on. It also used to early gank with yurnero-like heroes, therefore 1 level on the beginning of the game is a must.
First

Mirror Image can be used for Creeping, Pushing a Lane, Farming a Lane, Destroying a Tower, Checking Rune Spawns, Triggering And Destroy Mines(like storm's summons), Checking Roshan, Ganking by early cast and getting advantage of 4v1 while inside 1v1 fights. It aslo gives you 1 second of invulnerability and allows you to spread the area of reveal from gem and increase your potential of feedback drainning.
Since Mirror Image is so important but don't serve as hold for gank/counter gank it must be maximized as soon as possible after that one level of ensnare.
Second

Rip Tide choosen last because it is used to make small spell type damage in large area, both on you and your illusions, but if your illusions aren't tanky enought they will die before they can get close enough to the 1% hp enemy and trigger their damage.
- .Rip Tide is an ability which totaly depends on Miror Image. -
and therefor there is no point in leveling it early, when both your attributes and your mirror image levels are still low.
Rip Tide is not useless, it can help your team fights by a lot since it reduce the enemy armor and chase enemies who ignore illusions, therefore I won't recommand getting Attribute Bonus instead.
Third

Your U-L-T-I-M-A-T-E: Song Of The Siren - Allthough when you carry a Teleport this your very best escape mekanism, you will not really care if it has low or massive cooldown since it is useless most of the times, It is used only in ganks, when all your enemies focus just you OR when your team gank your enemies and you are focused the most, since this situation is rare to happen, having 180/120/60 seconds cooldown will not bother you. On team fights, it is mosly useless. It is only usefull if your allies are close combat fighters that need good placement, also keep in mind that whenever you decide to use your ultimate, not only you and your team get their abilities refreshed, but the sleeping enemies as well.
Since having Song Of The Siren on small cooldown is not that usefull and even might become risky ( cross ultimates, refreshing enemies spells ) it becomes less usefull than attribute bonus or few more levels in rip tide which have less than avarage damage on all levels and would prefered over to gain some extra spell damage points.
Forth - or just one level and thats it


Starting items:

Tango - 90 (for 3 charges)
It helps you regenerate hit points even while you fight -> because when you cast Mirror Image (if something happen suddenly) the healing remains.



It's allways nice to have survival items on early game, especialy those which can be replaced afterwards into Vladimir's Offering.


You have one of the best farming ability, it will look weird if you can't reach boots while everyone else allready have those.


Core items:


Diffusal Blade - 3300/4150
Special mantion for this item: with this item and 5 empty slots you can go godlike, it allows to cast pausing purge - even on sleeping units, making your enemies unable to move and remove their mana so you can get close to them without being at risk, best to use ultimate, then go purge and mirror image, wait for ultimate finish, go wave of less armor and then ensnare and attack he enemy into his spawn location. This is a must have, and you should creeo using your mirrors for getting this, without this , you are meanningless.

Diffusal Blade - Level 2 - +850
Get as soon as your purge charges have finished, to make better mana drain and more purges.


Bottle - 600
Nothing is more fun than going ensnare on enemy hero, getting close and casting 3 illusions, then go bottle of illusions and make 2 more illusions and then send him to spawn location. The mana - hit point heal is also nice and the regeneration rune is the best after casting your ultimate, masterpiece item that you should get if you have the money.



Vladimir's Offering - 2050
When you allready have the Feedback, you can help your team by having this item:
It adds Armor, Attack Damage, Mana Regeneration and a Melee-Attackers Lifesteal.
While none of those apply to your illusions, it stucks with you Feedback like no other lifesteal. It also very kind of you to remove 2050 gold cost from your friendly Leoric/Ursa/Sven, making their Blink or Hot easier to reach.
Get this AFTER you get your Feedback, this must never be purched first since the Purge is way more usefull.


Lothar's Edge - 3300
If your team allready have a Vladimir's Offering, or your team is made of 4 rangers, you could consider this item as your core after Feedback: with your 3 abilities that are escape mecanism and purge, why not make 5th escape tool? It helps you mind game with your illusions, give you small speed boots for final hits or better cast range, and provides your illusions with 10% Attack Speed. It can also be used for scouting and the wind walk extra damage is nice.




Tranquil Boots - 1025
While giving you nothing you need as a hero who fights standing enemies that nuke you, this item can be dismembered later on when you get enough money for Vladimir's Offering, it helps you creep and increase your speed when you arent get focused. But it will not help you at all in late game, just make another type of boots and vlad from it.


Arcane Boots - 1500
Without this you can't use your spells and ultimate on need, Those boots are accepted since you gonna need much more mana than your hero neturaly have, the movespeed applies to your illusions as well.


Boots of Travel - 2500
Better than mana boots in speed, that speed is apply to your mirrors as well and it allows to use ultimate and get away alive 100% of the times. The only problam with having those boots is that after paying a lot of gold (2000) you still going to have zero mana when you try to summon your illusions and use ensnare, making the boots acceptable but only if you are rich and going to buy a lot of mana items afterwards.


If you find yourself having a rare team that helps you to have mana regeneration such as or simply you notice that somehow mana is not a problam in the game, you could go agility boots that can allways be clicked into intelligence boots , when the mana problams comes. It is also a good idea to know that Destroyer's Aura gets trigger by Tranquil Boots due to a bug, you can use that better if your aiming for intelligence mana reg. I don't really recommand these boots personaly, they give you less mana and less movement speed than Arcane Boots, but since many many many TONS of comments was told that for some unknown reason she needs it, I thought it will be pointless to fight and posted it, please explain to me why she needs this item in comments.


Extra items when you are wealthy:


Batterfly - 6000
The evasion and agility are working for your illusions, making them the best bodyguards since they become much harder to hit, however the raw damage only works for your hero.


Heart of Tarrasque - 5500
your hit points can be improved greatly using this, and if the enemy misses, you get increased heal.

Assault Cuirass - 5350
The 15 armor will only work on the main hero, not for illusions, but the attack speed will. and the 5 armor reduce does stack with Rip Tide, not really recommanded unless you have a big need for only main hero armor.


Radiance - 5150
Use mirror image and spread them over the map. The Radiance Aura works for them, but the extra damage does not work for your illusions.
Heart of Tarrasque will benefit you much more for 350 more gold.


Manta Style - 4900
Have you got addicted to have mass illusions that much that you don't care even that the next item will destroy enemy towers so they gonna need to search another game on DotaCash Bot? (Get this )



Situational items:


Poor Man's Shield - 550
It gives you and your illusions +6 agility but know that the damage blocks will not work for them. It is taken first to allow you to creep properly, though it would be better if you had item that works fully for your illusions like ring of regeneration.


This item however, can give you AND your illusions a nice stats, but the +3 damage won't apply to your hero. It can be combined into this .
The Armor Aura does not apply for your illusions - The Ring Of Aquila meant to be dismembered if you decide on having Vladimir's Offering later on.


Medallion of Courage - 1075
In case you don't get bother by giving the enemy 100% knowing who you are, this cheap item can be used to make -6 armor reduce to the target and you - Lasts 7 seconds, has a 7 second cooldown, and a 800 cast range, making special visuall effect on both the main hero and the target and does stacks with rip tide, making maximum of -11 armor reduce with tide level 4.


Gem of True Sight - 700
If no other player on the team can afford to buy a gem, since you are the best farmer on dota, you should be the one, and it works for your illusions as well, so you can spread the search.


REJECTED ITEMS.


Hand of Midas - 1900
Your hero is ->

the best farmer, wtf item.


Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse - 5675
INTELLINGENCE!!! - Does not add attack damage.


Kelen's Dagger - 2150
Though In the last update I wrote that this item get cooldowned together with her ultymate, I reject it now after I realized that its cost not worth it, sides, boots of travel give much better distance teleport and are more benefical - this item is REJECTED.


Battle Fury - 4350
Though I though that cleave works for illusions, it seems it does not (according to http://www.dotastrategy.com/library-...ionsFacts.html) Therefore the item is rejected for not being benefical enough.


Mekansm - 2306
Heals your illusions but not worth the cost and illusions does not gain the passive armor bonus.


Playstyle:

I think that there is no such thing as "game start game middle game end" since you can never tell what's coming, will your hero become biffy in time? will you be ganged repetedly and become useless? this kinda stuff are hard to get , I will use other terms then start middle end.

You heared the ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR and the creeps started spawn:

Going middle is the best case for you , but if not , go to lane where your side creeps are - then go web on enemies that go too near to your tower, spam the mirror on enemy units , if the enemy hide behind tower send mirror to search runes and go creep with them , if the enemy try gang you up use escape mecanism - ensnare - mirror 1 second of invul - 3 mirror to make wrong choose - and ulty in worst case senario.


Your team have enought items for gang , you especialy:

Tell in chat "go gang ____" the ___ can be any hero that don't have good escape mecanism such as nortron, yes I know what you think "but I will have 4 seconds silence you crazy?!" well, do the mirrors before you close to him, then send just one on him , he go some waist mana on it , then go ensnare and you not need the tide untill he runs off , then if he go near death go tide and finish him , if you lost go ulty , and ur team will finish him off when they get close and the effect ends.
don't try to gang heroes like Crix or Magina - they can blink off from your web! (Magina will be ensnared in an unknown far place while Crix will never be ensnared ) .
in this time you should also kill enemy towers when they are not around or while your team support you.


Your team and your enemy team have no much towers left:
ok this is the most easy part, your hero is a one man army, you can kill whoever you want in 1vs1 fight as long they have no real escape or mega stun, go mirror earlier and web the first alone hero you see , steal his mana with your feedback , purge him , and web him again, then you will see "___ just killed___ for ___ gold NAGA SIREN ON GODLIKE SOMEONE KILL HER" depends on the names and levels, in this time you can also go kill Roshan with mirror who have the "MOVE" order on roshan, it possible that you got strong enough to beat roshan alone, but you might need grab an ally or two, anyone that can hold a sword will fit.
In both the time when all towers dead and the time when you start gank, if someone need player to carry a gem you should do it (and if dropped from enemies take it as soon as possible) since your illusions can spread the effect, resolting in 4 gems in the price of one (or more , depends on how many illusions you have XD).





Worst allies ever!!!:

Ultimate Crossers -





Special mantion for this guy: You go ulty and run off, he blink into you, your ultimate ends after 7 seconds, but his ulty remains for 12 seoncds, a few more than 4 seconds he will be in enemy mercy. Also if he try make you faster he reveal the secret of who is the real you.


Special mention to Lich as worst ally to have - he gives you armor , you mirror - it lost , if he do after mirror your main hero is seenable. Lich go ulty you go ulty - your enemies escaped mega death.
never be on the same lane with lich, and try avoid cross ulty with him by letting him cast first and use only after his effect ended.


The best counter to allies with cross ulty (there is few more like which doctor), is using the chat to plan it, or going another lane.

Worst enemies ever!!!
Killers even while asleep -










Lich's ulty go nice and well vs your mirrors, and stays active even when you go for ulty, hard to escape death from him.


Escapers from ensnare and Hardcore mirrors damagers -









Destroyer - Not only that this hero have an escape mecanism which make him very harder to ensnare, he also have an attack that kill off illusions in one hit, giving him the advantage of 1vs1 without missing you.


Area of Effect Stunners -





Heroes with area stun can escape from the mirror gang - especially if it wasn't their ultimate and they can spam it as much as you can spam your illusions.


she stuns 2 units, which gives you 50% to be the one stunned, also she can make herself into 100% evasion and very fast sneak out, she have good nuke againts many units and if she can tell who is the real you, she can go ulty on you. but she is not the worst enemy of all, she is an int hero which is squishy and after a short chase or a 50% unluck, she is dead.

The one and only DIRECT COUNTER


The area of effect damage is a pain. Tiny can throw one illusion at you, go avalach and stun attackers - making 9999999 attack speed worthless. The complete counter to Naga is Tiny, you should avoid fighting him using your three escape mecanisms and find an easier target.

Global Note -
The best counter to whatever enemy that you can't kill is simply let your illusions do the job for you while you keep distance - and use your escape mecanism if you get attacked or distance web cast if he go red bar so your team can handle him.


Best Allies ever!!!:

Mana Drainers / Chasers -



Magina can drain mana and will make you approach enemies with only passive abilities (since you take off their mana totaly) Magina is also a chaser that can finish your enemies off.


Holders -







Rokhan is a permanent holder, making you do your job nice and clean.
A notice about the others: Entangle stacks with Ensnare.


The one and only DIRECT SUPPORTER


The Ogre Magi prolong your hold and counter escapers with better move speed for you - worst move speed for them. make any enemy possible to be stunned, unable to run, unable to move from his location, take damage over time, take instant damage, take damage from 3 illusions and 2 heroes, and be forced to fight fast naga with faster Feedback.


Global note -
If someone choose one of them, join his lane for faster Godlike streak, and if you know your ally and you can trust him, ask him to choose Ogre Magi.


Best Enemies EVER!!!
Invisable Fighters -












Whoever goes invisable and think that 5 seconds web won't kill him.


Pity Escapers -





Heroes with no real escape mecanism like this poor poor global blinker Furion, which Ensnare both interupt and prevent from clicking. of course get some tree eating items before ganging him.


Special mention for this guy: If you get to solo him, his area stun will not kill you: just purge his infernal with 99999 damage, then continue with slicing him off, send him back to base.


Heroes that can't win unless they know who is the real you:










I find this the most funny case
He will drain illusion Hit Points, giving you a kill on a golden plate.

Global Note -
The best way to react as soon as you see heroes with no escape mecanism is to say in chat "gang" and GO ALL OUT on them.

And now a picture to remind us all that life is funny:



6/10/11 Update: The picture and all reported mistakes, all thanks to the people who leave comments, please, keep them comming.
7/10/11 2nd Update: I had no idea so many people read my thread, since I got so many comments I was encouraged to contine on, and fix some mistakes about thinking illusions can get raw armor and raw damage, If you keep your comments comming I will make another guide on hero you mention of. my favorite is Cristal Maiden.
Please tell me your thoughts.