The Ancient Evil Survives
A Guide to Lion the Demon Witch
Written by Lapis Lazuli
Also written by BtrflyKssBlade
~Table of Contents~
I. Introduction
II. Hero Statistics & Skills
III. Guide Distribution by Roles
[Complete with Skill Build + Item Build + Strategy for each role]
A. Hard Carry
B. Semi Carry
C. Ulitility Carry
D. Support
IV. Allies & Enemies
V. Media & Replays
VI. Closure
~Introduction~
Changelog
I'm not keeping a log
Well you should
Hello, this is Lapis Lazuli
And BtrflyKssBlade
This might seem weird now, but we decided to make a new approach to making a DotA guide, and that's co-narrating
If you think this is hard to read, then you probably have no idea how hard it was for us to do it like this
If push comes to shove we would have to remove this part and make it a bit more "normal" but right now I'm just glad the two of us got to work on this idea instead of just shrugging this off like many epic ones we had before
To save you the rest of this pointless bickering, just skip to the introduction
Now, it has been a WHILE since any good guide for Lion has come up and make it onto the judging panel on this site. The existing ones are great, and by great we mean epic, but they all suffer from the same fate: no longer updated. So we decided to do something about it, easy as that. Now, without further ado, let's start.
~Hero Statistics & Skills~
Here comes the boring part
Well we're doing it anyway
Strength
Agility
Intelligence
16 + 1.7
15 + 1.5
22 + 3
Affiliation: Scourge
Attack Animation: 0.43 / 0.74
Damage: 42 - 48
Casting Animation: 0.3 / 0.51
Armor: 1.1
Base Attack Time: 1.7
Movespeed: 290
Missile Speed: 900
Attack Range: 600
Sight Range: 1800 / 800
Pros
*600 Ranged
*Many disables
*Good animations
*Versatile
Cons
*Slow
*Squishy
*Mana Intesive
*Has a giant "Hate me" sign on his head
Explain why cyan is "pros" and green is "cons"
Not... necessarily meaning anything
A renegade wizard who delved deeper in studying demonic arts, this old aged archmagus was sentenced to damnation by the Dalaran council. As a last resort of escaping death, he performed a forbidden ritual and sold his soul to Archimonde's bidding. Without trace of compassion and with a twisted mind, he seeks retribution to his comrades. He commands earth to stagger those who hinders his path with sharp spikes or siphons their will out. Never hesitating to transmogrify others to impunity nor doubtful of ripping his enemy inward out with his fatal touch, Lion like a predator loves doing it all over again.
The background story obviously has nothing to do with the guide, it's just there because it looks cool
Also a note for the part below. Any animated picture show the skill's maximum cast range.
Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Point
Ability Hotkey: E
The Demon Witch releases his demonic magics into the ground in order to thrust solidified rock spikes along a straight path. This sends all his enemies into the air, only to take damage on their painful impact with the ground.
Well this is a straight-forward spell, quite literally. It basically stuns in a straight line. The AoE is decent enough so that is quite comfortable with hitting a few enemies at once. You should align yourself with your targets in order to hit more enemies. However, sometimes it's accuracy over prediction. Ground target impale DOES miss, doesn't matter how good you are, it happens. Sometimes it's just better to just straight target impale your designated kill, especially when times you can't possibly afford to miss.
This also applies to ground target animation canceling on Impale. It sucks, but sometimes doing so would cause the tendrills to run JUST a little bit shorter. And having played DotA, you know how small failures make differences. Now that the strategy part is over, below are the mechanics of the spell for those who are interested. Also a little bit lower below are visual aids, just there for being there. A side note: as the impaled units fly in the air, they become pause, thus having the lowest possible attack priorty. This means if there are other units nearby, all auto attacks would turn into those instead of the impaled units.
Mechanics
The wave of tendris travels at 1600 units per seconds. As the casting range for Impale is 400 on all levels, this means that it'll take 0.25s at most to hit the farthest targets. Take this into consideration when casting Impale or you may see the enemy windwalking/leaping/getting away from your deadly chain of disables. Sometimes, Voodoo can be proven more useful for disabling heroes that can get away/cast a skill before being disabled (e.g. Death Prophet's Exorcism, Enchantress's Nature's Attendants).
Also, the units hit by Impale fly for 0.52 seconds before being stunned for the 0.5s/1.0s/1.5s/2.0s actual disable time.
Here is Impale Animation
And here is a picture showing ground targeting impale reaching further targets than it should. Upcliff at maximum range, courtesy of DarkMedina
Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Unit
Ability Hotkey: D
Transforms an enemy unit into a random critter, disabling special abilities.
Yet ANOTHER disable in Lion's arsenal. Do not dare underestimate it because it deals no damage though. Its value does not wain in time, nor does its manacost. Mostly you'll like to use this skill prior to Impale, because of Impale's some time painfully shaky accuracy, if able of course. Do keep in mind Impale's longer cast range and the ability to hit invisible/multiple/fogged units. So, whether to Impale first or Voodoo first entirely depends on the situation.
Having said that, there's nothing you from Impaling a group of heroes while Voodoo another. There's no reason they have to be used in conjunction, and do whatever promises the best outcome. Due to Impale's long disable time and Lion's instant hex, you can Voodoo TP out of a 1 man gank quite safely, given max level Voodoo of course. What comes below is already explained.
Animations for those who want it
No additional pictures this time around though, I don't feel like we need it
Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Unit
Ability Hotkey: R
Absorbs the magical energies of a target enemy unit by taking mana from it every second.
A channeling spell, not always worth it, but sometimes it pulls its weight. It is usable ONLY when you are either not suceptable to harass, or it would leave a specific target unable to use a certain important spell. Most of the time shadow walking (attack move) is better than standing and sucking (mana)
What she said might be pushing it a little. In my opinion Mana Drain is a perfectly fine spell, the only problem with it is its own tendency to be outclassed by additional points of Voodoo/stats. One can use it to harass in lane quite comfortably against melee heroes, or by using the infamous Impale Drain combo to safely harass the enemy, draining both their health and mana.
This is getting more awkward
It is, but it is certainly valuable to have a second opinion. By the way, since Mana Drain breaks illusions, it can be a 1-point investment for scouting. Hex breaks illusions as well, but it is way too costly sometimes. You know what comes below already
Mechanics
Transfers mana just like the ladder skill. Has 600/650/700/750 Casting Range and breaks if it goes up to 800 range.
Breaks illusion upon first instance of mana drain. Mana is drained in 0.25 seconds intervals.
Here is the animation for mana drain. Personally I think it's too blue, but well it hardly matters
Below is a chain of pictures demonstrating the Impale Drain combo
Start with Impaling
Cast Mana Drain in succesion.
Lion had a good 3 or so seconds of Mana Drain. At times when you can't kill and have absolutely no reason to waste your other spells, do it.
You forgot to said when you're safe. Oh, I forgot, here is a bonus animation piece of Impale Mana Drain combo
Ability Type: Active
Targeting Type: Unit
Ability Hotkey: F
Instantly rips at a target, attempting to turn it inside-out. Deals massive damage.
Well this is Lion's big red flash spell. Call it what you want, but seriously, if I see that kind of red lightning ripping out towards me, I'd be scared shitless. Not to mention its very intriguing naming rhythm, a finger that turns you inside out. Getting fingered always hurt
Not necessarily always, sometimes it's actually quite pleasurable
No sex jokes please
Oh.. right. Well, there are dilemmas one can encounter while playing Lion, and Finger of Death is probably the main reason for most utter epic fail ragequits. Some time, a random person just want to use Finger to KS or finish, entirely wasting its potential. However, there are also times when one Finger too rushed, losing out on precious shadow walking damage. It's complicated to always get right, but remember this: do not overkill with finger, do not save it to ks, sometimes it's best just not to save it. When you're playing ganking/supporting Lion, calculate the remaining enemy's hp. If you can kill him, hex, hit, stun, hit, finger, hit. Do NOT save finger for last, preferably.
Mechanics
You can't cast it on Magic Immune heroes, not that it's ever a good idea to anyways
As always, here is the animation, don't ask why Roshan is the one being Fingered though
And a picture, showing max range Finger of Death
Hard Carry Lion is a rare sight anywhere. Heck, I haven't seen anyone but me do it, and that was in a low level pub. However, it would be foolish to simply dismiss Lion simply because of his at first sight unappealing carrying stats. Would you please continue?
I have never done it before, remember?
Oh, sorry then. Well I guess this part is my territory. Fast explanation: Hard Carry Lion is when Lion go afk farm (still participates, but is the one aiming for the most gold and items). Now this might be strange to most of you, heck, it's even strange to the person sitting next to me right now, but it's don't knock it before you try it. Obviously I'm not going around advocating Lion as one of the better heroes for the job of a farmer, but I'm saying it's not completely useless like one would think.
Impale
Stats
Impale
Stats
Impale
Finger of Death
Impale
Voodoo
Voodoo
Voodoo
Finger of Death/Voodoo
Voodoo/Finger of Death
Stats
Stats
Stats
Stats
Finger of Death
Seems strange to you? Probably. Playing farming Lion, you're not ganking any time soon. You're simply trying your best to farm while using your high mana cost AoE disable to dispose of your opposing laner. With stats early you wouldn't have much trouble with mana early on, and your hp and damage would be improved by a noticeable margin. Voodoo is next since this is usually the time when you won't be facing too much of enemy heroes. At 11, taking either Finger of Death or Voodoo is up to you. Finger of Death is usually the more standard route, and works out quite fine. Only take Voodoo if you feel like you need that extra .5 sec of disable sooner while the increasing mana cost of Finger is not appreciated. However, that too is a rare situation.
Starting Items
Cheap and effective stats items are almost always the best choice for any lane for any hero, almost. Ring of Protection is strictly for upgrading into Tranquil Boots or Ring of Bassilus
Why aren't we getting?
Well, most of the time you're not going to need that burst stats to tank some tower hits for roaming or extra mana for spell spamming. We're going with stats anyways, those are generally uneeded.
Early Game Items // //
Once again, cheap and effective items are what we're aiming for. Since Lion can't compete with better dps heroes late game, he should generally try to come online with his farm much earlier, meaning items like these are much more appreciated.
So, when to get Treads and when to get Tranquil?
Well, Treads are useful for Lion because he can afford to stay in one place and hit people, due to his array of disables. Also the stats are really good in pumping up his early bulk and damage, which can transition into a very successful late mid game. Tranquil Boots on the other hand, makes laning for Lion a breeze, are easily upgraded from the Ring of Protection early on if you decide to go for that.
Does this affect other item build?
Of course, since if the Ring of Protection is spent towards Tranquil Boots, we'd be going for Django or Medallion to make up for our lack of early dps. While if we already has Treads, an earlier upgrade for the Ring of Protection into Ring of Bassilus already gives us a nice mana option and aura control. You can go either way though, because it's always dependent on the game.
So what about Phase?
You can thank Lycan for that. It is a cheap dps build, even though it is not quite recommended due to the fact that Treads give better static dps and Lion has so much disable already. Itis STILL the best mid game damage/gold item though
Core Items /
Since Lion possesses no natural dps ability (except maybe stats), he must rely on items to do physical dps. The two item above a probably the best in terms of relatively affordable orb effect dps item. Maelstorm possesses no greater ability to turn into a late game monstrous dps item that also somewhat fits Lion quite well. Desolator is a more immediate single target dps item. Maelstorm usually trumps in term of usefulness. Only at certain fast pushing situations Lion would need Desolator
/
IAS item. Choose mostly whether you are looking for more immediate disable or rather a much more centric dps power. Although more often than not, Manta is the better choice.
Why are you not considering ?
Because it is a jack of all trades and doesn't offer much of any needed utility that the above item has. It is not a bad item per se, but easily outclassed and made up for.
Yes, Crystalis is one of the best cheap dps item out there. Heck, 2 Crystalis can be even more effective than a Buriza dps wise. This is already an extreme that Lion is taking on, so there is no short of extreme concerning it.
Optional Items
Ultility Item, cheap, a bit trashy but nothing short of viable when the moblity is needed
/
Late game dps item, a natural upgrade if you go Crystalis, or should you go MKB if you need more attack speed.
/
Standard protectorate. One give you a more aura-ish presence for better dps, while one provide more AoE (also a bit cheaper) to work on, while providing a semi-disable that is also very attractive option
A standard item if you ever decide that your opponent team has too much disable focused on you. Should be self explanatory.
Logical upgrade to one of the better orbs in the game. Should not be overlook if you have slot problems.
Early Game
Straight forward this should be. Usually, you wouldn't be doing Hard Carry Lion if you aren't pushed into the role. Thus, after all other options are considered, if the situation calls for Hard Carry Lion, it should be extremely specific: Tri/Dual Lane farmer with a stun. You shall be standing behind the creeps last hitting, harass if you want, but prioritize on farming. You have an AoE stun, and it is NOT a 1 point wonder. You need the level for it to work.
So why don't we go solo lane?
Well, because you have to actually compete in a solo lane. You vs. your opponent solo, and sometimes even dual lane opponent, sometimes even tri-lane (yeah you're fucked) and I'm sure you won't be able to do your job: farm.
So we play him like any other farmer?
Yes
Alright, then there are certain things one must know about playing a tri-lane farmer. Firstly, always get the last hit on opponent's creeps. Creep equilibrium is important, but it is not first priority. Ask you support to pull the lane if it's not middle lane once you feel the creeps are pushing too far and you can't control it yourself. If you are the farmer in the mid lane with a support scaring off your opponent, then abuse what you have: range and disable. You can go behind the creeps in order to pressure your lane opponent away from the creeps, basically controlling the lane to your liking. Also you aren't easy to gank as well, having an AoE disable and being ranged gives you many perks early on compared to other hard carries.
Mid Game
Mid game comes around when you have maxed Impale, boots upgrade and at least 2 cheap core items under your belt (which should not be hard). Since you're playing hard carry, what you should do now is stick around and farm.
...
...
...
What?
That's it?
Well, what more do you want?
Ok, since obviously you're not going to I will. First, even though a role of a hard carry is to rice, Lion for one doesn't fall into the category of traditional hard carry, while his skill set would be wasted to much if put only into farming. He should instead do what transitional hard carriers (dk, weaver etc.) does, which is farming his core early and actively participate in large ganks/push/defense/roshan mid game while farming otherwise. Carry a TP scroll always, and this cannot be stressed enough. You should try to come online with your dps item around min 25 and starts to push for fights. The opposing carry shouldn't have as much of an easy time as you farming, and you should capitalize that.
Yeah... guess I missed that part
Team Fight
Also known as combats, roshans, pushes, defendes, that 5vs5 fight etc.
So what happens when this breaks about?
Since the skill set is there to stay, Lion's actions are rather quite the same. you Impale, Hex, Finger immediately if possible and hit those disabled heroes. Watch your positioning carefully though, since you're squishy and being overly exposed would do you no good. Of course, try to stay in range and prepare to disable the next time your spells got off cd.
Seems like quite a simple task
Well yeah, but don't count on it though. We can stay here and theorycraft all we want, but there is still going to be a poor soul that reads this guide to the details yet still fail because of the circumstances
Shouldn't they blame themselves since they got into a lose-lose situation in the first place?
Late Game
Relatively speaking, you do not want a game to get to this point. Usually you'd want it to end sooner since you can't really compete with much better carry-inclined heroes. You should try to end the game soon, or risk getting outcarried and would reluctantly lose the game due to the fact that your team couldn't find a better hero for the position. Push for pushes at this point, and keep doing what you've been doing so far, except don't farm too much, and you'd be fine
I don't think there's anything else to add, let's just move on
Yes, semi carry Lion, also known as Transitional Carry Lion, is a hero's role of much misunderstanding. It doesn't hog NEARLY as much farm as Hard Carry Lion, while still allowed to farm DPS items. Actually, this is my favorite role playing the hero (though it is not the best I have to admit). Of course this is a role Lion fit into when the team's only better carrier is another semi carry (PotM or SF, etc.) so Lion can take up the role of a semi-dps and would let the other one go hard carry instead. Thus,
Wait, are you even going to let me say anything?
Do you want to cross me?
No m'am *gulp
Good then, let's just continue on
Impale
Stats/Voodoo
Impale
Stats/Voodoo
Impale
Finger of Death
Impale
Voodoo
Voodoo
Voodoo/Stats
Finger of Death
Voodoo/Stats
Stats/Mana Drain
Stats/Mana Drain
Stats/Mana Drain
Stats/Mana Drain
Finger of Death
Now this is more or less a mash-up between full spell Lion and dps Lion. You can opt to go one way or another depending on whether you want to go ganking earlier. If you opt to go ganking early, some level of mana drain can prove useful to your needs. Finger at 11 is no longer an option but mandatory, as it skyrockets your usefulness when you finally go ganking. Remember, you're not playing Lion as a burst nuker (not this role at least) but a ranged disabler with srs auto attack power. No questions asked. Actually, that's about it. Any questions?
Isn't-
I said no questions asked!
...moving on
Starting Items
Relatively simple and effective early game items. Mass up on Mantle (2) if you plan to go Voodoo early for that mana pool of yours, else go with Branches. All three formes of early regeneration items are welcome here. Although some time you can skip out on Healing Salve and mass up Tangoes instead if you plan to stay in your lane just a bit longer.
Early Game Items //
Any one of these is fine. Power Treads give flexible stats boost as well as a nice attack speed for those auto attack lovers out there. Phase Boots give burst speed and nice early game damage for those lovely gankers. Arcane Boots make sure you stay nice and full of mana, essentially never choking on it, allowing you to invest in non-mana items later.
Just pretty much awesome items that is worth while every time they are bought. You cannot go wrong with these items really.
Core Items /
Ulitility Positioning Items. No matter how much of a dps wanna-be you are, if you come to rely on your spells as well, these items are pretty much there to help.
/
Cheap DPS item. If you're wandering where is MoC this time around, then the answer is you probably wouldn't be doing that much dps damage. Ulitilizing your spell combo earlier give you better control of the overall flow of the game. The above items are cheap and extremely cost effective in their own right. Which is why this semi-dps build is still going for them. Usually choose just one though,
Optional Items
Stats semi-dps item. Costly but not overpriced, if you can afford it sometime around 45 min mark and not having Mjonir/Maelstrom already
Mjolnir makes a return this time around, especially now that semi carry Lion drags game more than Hard Carry Lion. Its active is quite awesome, its bonuses are generally great and it's slot friendly too.
Disable, disable and more disable, all packed in one extremely stat-synergetic item and the mana is ALWAYS appreciated, no matter what you do when you play Lion. It's just that this time the mana regen is much more appreciated compared to last time.
If you're saying "wtf"
WTF
Priceless. I normally wouldn't advocate Lothar, but one cannot deny that it is extremely effective gotten at a certain "unexplored" stage of the game, when the element of surprise is largely appreciated. It can basically get you up to the enemy (in pubs) hit stun hit hit hex hit hit ulti hit stun. Just remember, pubs only
/
Ah yes. AC for mass combat power, BKB for self protection. Needn't any further explanation, the time to get them should come natural in the game. Too much magic? BKB. Too physical? finger Assault Cuirass
Early Game
Semi carry Lion is more, and I mean MUCH more versatile than Hard Carry Lion
That's actually not totally true
O'rly?
I'll be good
Right. Semi Carry Lion isn't the team's last hope when it comes down to late game dps, so you can afford to be much, much more loose now. Lion can go to any lane and dominate some of them, so generally you should be a solo (middle lane is preferable) or dual lane farming carry. You're still a semi carry, you're still #2, you're still allowed to farm, just less than the main carry.
So how do you lane him then?
Well, you can generally go any lane you like (that means not roaming or jungling) and try to avoid tri-lanes. If you opted for a solo lane, then you should try and be a bit more agressive so that your opponent can be forced out and you can enjoy your farm. However, should you face a solo you cannot compete (say... SD/Invoker) then play it safe and get the last hit. Harass them back if they become too aggressive. If you're on a dual-lane, be sure to have a partner capable of pairing kills, such as ES or SK or something, but you still need early levels so be sure not to share to much exp.
Mid Game
Now let's get to the fun part.
Not sure what to expect from your definition of "fun" really.
Now you could do several things. Since you have extreme mid game presence as Lion, you could participate in small teamfights (pushing/roshing/defending) and/or skirmishes (random encounter/counter gank) but you should still opt for farming whenever possible. Do not go out of your way to gank someone, because it usually just pushes you back down the gold count. You generally want to get as much gold as possible in this stage, whether it be getting through kills or farming.
That's right, but you shouldn't be too focused on farming of course. As cheap-yet-effective cores come online for you, it is better to put pressure on your opponent. Even though you lack the pushing power of, say, Lycan, you still have good presence nonetheless
Team Fight
Now that your priority has most likely skyrocketed, people would most likely want your head on a stick. So watch out for those nasty disables, they ruin your day really, really fast.
Well yes, do not try to initiate if possible. Rather, work your way so that Impale hits grouped enemies, while Hex the one you're focusing or is left out. Finger whoever deem necessary. Mana Drain should generally be out of the question since you'll be auto-attacking most of the time.
Is that really it?
Well, yes.
Late Game
Most of the time this is where your REAL hard carry comes online. You're still invaluable with your cheap dps and disables though
At what price comes the "cheap" part?
Whatever you can get your hands on for the mid game, hopefully.
Right, so what do we do now?
Well, more or less simply do what you always did throughout the mid game. However, you could always focs a bit more on Smoke ganking (if it all) and catch enemy heroes off guard. You farming isn't going to be nearly as effective as before, so maybe it's time to give your #3 some farm for his/her/its potential. Generally you wouldn't need any more items, so we you should go for broke and can afford to be a little more selfless
This is the ALL_PURPOSE (CAPS) Lion section
May I ask why you are getting so excited over this?
Because #3 Lion is awesome
And why is that?
Well, it's perfectly suitable for a plethora of versatility, like WR with more burst but less physical dps.
Well I guess that's cool.
Yep!
Impale
Voodoo/Stats
Impale
Voodoo/Stats
Impale
Finger of Death
Impale
Voodoo
Voodoo
Stats/Voodoo
Finger of Death
Voodoo/Stats
Stats/Mana Drain
Stats/Mana Drain
Stats/Mana Drain
Stats/Mana Drain
Finger of Death
Not really all that different actually. It's an all-purpose build after all.
Isn't that just an excuse for not having an opinion?
I... do you really have to say that?
You could try and prove me wrong by explaining things. Now would be a good time to.
Oh, right. Well, semi carrying Lion needs ultility than nothing else. So, disables helps that the best, considering Lion's awesome range, decent attack animation, somewhat passable physical non-item dps and his burst nuking power. Of course, having less opportunity for disables in lane also means you could always get a level of stats or two in between, considering how the level disable duration is already quite decent.
And the Mana Drain is there only if you need it too, like always
Starting Items
Same as Semi Carry Lion
That was terribly instructive...
Well I'm tired...
Sigh... there there
Early Game Items
Any boots except Boots of Travels would suffice for the early game movement speed problem
So I see you're really getting lazy
Well it's late and...
Nevermind. Alright, since Tranquil Boots can now be disassembled, it's a decent choice for the early game should the situation calls for it (getting your ass handed to you because you lack regeneration), otherwise it's not needed. Phase Boots are there if you need the added mobility as well as being the best dmg/ratio mid game item. Treads is for the cycling of stats, otherwise not needed. Only get Arcane Boots if you feel the lack of mana is seriously hampering your performance.
Alright, bottle it is, since you are solo-ing mid, point taken?
Ok
Using bottle, it is essential that you have ward support, since it gives you the control of rune (since you would most likely win the rune war, unlike some other heroes I could mention)
And never gets bottle first
That's right
Lion can basically use any rune to his needs and appreciates the added regen for quick side lane ganks if the situation calls for it
Ah yes, Blink Dagger is generally an item that makes Lion totally boss. His instant disable with decent range makes him an extremely likely candidate. It allows him to continue his reign of terror upon a targetted enemy should it gets away from your conventional spell range, while also letting him initiate from a distance
Urn of Shadows makes in appearance here due to this Lion's concentrated ganking style as well as he can use everything it offers, while all being extremely cost effective
Standard stuffs, not anything we haven't said before
Core Items
If you haven't get it yet, get it NAO!
Although it might be rather weird to have something like this core, it is about all that he needs to function well. Lion hasn't much the bulk to ultilizes damage-softening items, so just avoiding those nasty disables altogether is your best bet
Optional Items
Now that you only need to deal your damage mostly through spells, Ghost Scepter is definitely something to consider against certain levels of opposing physical DPS.
It's more or less a fail safe, but remember to know where to active it though. Use it against a PA, not an AM unless you're full mana.
It definitely helps if the situation calls for it. You can transform into a deadly solo ganker with good counter gank potential with this. Crippling the target's mp and ability to unleash AoEs is a great thing
Extending towards a later build is always appreciated. Shiva and/or Hex for the later games accomplishes that nicely. One is for more offense and one is for more defense
If you think Bloodstone is BS, then you're... probably right, at least in the abbreviation. Now it gives you no active whatsoever, but comes with easily purchased parts, extremely good regen that can keep you going until kingdom's come and make you a lot bulkier.
Dying to make that reference aren't you?
Most likely yes
Early Game
Since he's an all-purpose now, you can do whatever the hell you want with him
I think you misspelled "jack of all trades"
Fine, then what?
You play him like a #3 should be played. That is getting the solo mid efficiently (or side lane, but middle lane is much more appreciated)
Ok, you're not going to rant about this are you?
Not necessarily. Just pointing out though, that it is highly recommended you know what you're doing in a solo lane. Lion's physical DPS is about average as it gets, and there are times when you know you're just fucked (I'm looking at you Invoker) and should start acting passively or call for ganks. If not, try to be aggressive if you can and force the opponent out of your lane
Mid Game
Now, you are geared towards what arguably Lion does best, and that is ganking the shit out of anything that moves.
That sounded highly inappropriate.
Does it matter?
I... guess not.
So, provided with Ward support, you always carry a TP with you. Go around and try your best to control the rune flow. Always be sure to check the opponent's jungle if your ultimate is up and there is just about 1,2 people missing from the minimap. You excel at ganking lone target, even though allied disable support is much appreciated. You can get the farm with things died down and your carry is in another lane doing his job, just aiming for that Blink Dagger and BKB for protection if the time calls for it.
Yes, generally you should be aggressive but only not at your own expense. Remember you are a valuable asset to the team at this point and dying meaninglessly or doing bad trade-offs are extremely detrimental to your own team's greater outcome.
Team Fight
Now since you are not with physical DPS this time around, you could be initiating the battle. Blink in and try to hit 2 heroes with Impale and of course 1 with Hex. Unleash your Finger of Death if you feel like a hero should and could be bursted down by your teammates, or else saving it to finish a hero (better if it was almost) or before you die if the situation calls for it.
You should try and stay alive so you can come back for the second round of disables. BKB helps with that, but you need to be out of the line of fire first
If you somehow finds yourself the lone survivor with 3+ enemy heroes staring at you, and you have Blink not on cd and/or disabled, what do you do?
Nothing to do here
Late Game
So much harder than your average dps Lion I'm afraid. You have to know what you're doing, never go alone since your nuking combo have probably lost a lot of effectiveness. Don't hesitate to use your skills and sometimes being the bait is good, since you are this hero with a big "kill me" sign, of course you must have had BKB and some survivability items to make this work. Follow through team fights accordingly, initiate first if able and just... hope for the best.
I think there is something wrong here...
What do you mean?
Well, I was under the impression that we were supposed to do #4 and #5 Lion separately, not combining the two into one section.
Do you have any idea how tedious that would be?
But...
Nah I was just joking. Fact is, those two are almost identical to each other, as much as how a #4 and a #5 in a team can be interchangeable on the game-ly basis makes it quite pointless to actually separate them
Well I guess that makes sense
Impale
Voodoo/Stats
Impale
Stats/Voodoo
Impale
Finger of Death
Impale
Voodoo
Voodoo
Voodoo/Stats
Finger of Death
Stats/Voodoo
Mana Drain/Stats
Mana Drain/Stats
Mana Drain/Stats
Mana Drain/Stats
Finger of Death
None of us quite enjoy playing Support Lion are we?
We know who is to blame for that.
Anyways, the skill build here is just a bit different from what we were starting at a few builds before. The point is that Voodoo is decent at level 1, with its new buffed duration mechanics while stats help you add some bulk on those bones while giving you a relatively larger mana pool to work with.
Since you are most likely passive at this point, it is common that you would not be getting much farm. Thus you would aim for your spells coming up online fast to be hillarious sometimes. All in all it's just about the best you could do as support Lion, since we strongly feel that his potential is wasted like that.
Starting Items
First time these things have appeared in a guide, but it is a support guide (this part) after all. That means you gotta be the support gaiz, buy them wards, counter the opponent's, smoke some weed, lay those eggs and be sure to nuture those chicks. Don't forget these things though
Early Game Items
Cheap and cost effective items are usually your best bet. You are not aiming to get much farm, so you shouldn't. This is what you should aim for, that and hopefully not feeding. All of these items are extremely good for what they cost, and you should try and be flexible around these things.
Obviously the supports items mentioned before needs to be bought though
Core Items
I don't suppose there are any, really
Optional Items
Should your responsibilities for being a warder lift for just a little while, here some items for you to indulge your extra gold into
You would recognize by now that these are support items, well then what else did you even expect?
As a side note, you might be wondering why this section is considerably shorter than the other ones. Well, that would be since this is everything to say. We obviously won't go over what we have already covered, and some items should be self-explanatory. If you are looking for what to do with them, this isn't the guide for you, unfortunately.
Early Game
This should be straight forward. Being the support, what you must do is usually ward/counter ward at the start. You can go for the pull if something is needed to be done about the creep equilibrium, or just straight up harass,deny with your carry in lane. Always be ready to pop those disables BEFORE the enemy has a chance to use their spells themselves. It mitigate unnecessary damage and gives your carry a good time.
You CAN always go for the double roaming route, but Lion is kind of terrible at that, since WD, CM and the like pretty much outclass him in this role. It's not totally bad, but should be avoid. Then again we recommend staying away from support Lion altogether.
Mid Game
Be ready with your TP and to participate in a LOT of fights. You are expendables at this point, so don't be alarmed if you die a little bit more than you used to. Although if it's getting to the point when you fail to do anything before dying, it might be a good time to stop being aggressive...
And be more passive. Always be present at fight, but not necessarily at the front. No one likes a support that dies before contributing anything. Just pop in after the front man does and use all your spells. If there is a specific hero on the opponent team that is subjectible to mana draining, use it. Your damage is kind of pathetic anyways
If your carry is ganked and you can tp in, do it. Stun and mb even eat some disables for him/her/it. Remember, play like a support while doing your best not to feed like one.
Team Fight
Since you lack those items that make you do something other than casting spells, be sure to use everything you have to your fullest. Do not be too rushing with your spells, but never be too conservative. Do not stay when you think you can get away either, it is all about making the opponent think you are the threat that you actually aren't.
Remember, be practical. You don't ALWAYS have to die for your carry (since he might be having enough gold for buy back tp and would rather appreciate the heal. Do what you can do and don't try to overestimate your own abilities. There are many times when you stun -> hex -> ulti and oom. Well you would most likely want to stick around to bluff the opponents into thinking you still have some mana. With the lack of mana bars mind games are definitely possible with this kind of hero.
We support mana bars though
Shush
Late Game
You "should" be quite lackluster at this point. Do not falter however, as your disables are still extremely valuable and you should not have any more mana problems at this point.
That said, there are little that would die to your combo right now though, that's why you don't really want to go around acting all high and mighty. Just stick to your team and be expendable.
~Allies & Enemies~
On allies, regrettably this part is ludicrously irrelevant. Lion is a hero with many disables and versatility, you can simply just swap him on any team and expect him to work. That is why you wouldn't need much support from allies, although any would be appreciated.
Lion can simply be a catch-all hero. He works best with just about everything, thus not much need be considered when picking the hero though
Enemies, however, is a different example altogether. He is a fragile spell caster (at least most of the time) and can be extremely vulnerable to a certain number of heroes:
Banes of spell casters (pardon the pun), you wouldn't usually live through one of his combos, and if you should, retaliating with anything but Hex would probably leave you dead.
It's Doom, what exactly were you expecting?
Silencers and disablers in general aren't really appreciated facing, since you are, well, very vulnerable to most disables. That or heavy nukes, whatever works
Tanky heroes that can take a combo and retaliate are generally shit to face
Because Blood Seeker
~Media & Replays~
A picture is worth a thousand words, and a fpv video is worth a thousand replays
That said, I'd add replays later when I have the time
~Closure~
This should be credits.. or something, right?
I guess so
Well this guide is mostly completed and ready to be published, although there are still things to add. Those would be:
+ replays
+ some more credits, most likely
+ Alt-Tab guide
Thanks to:
+ Darrell a.k.a Razer.Cyberias for being a cool guy
+ IceFrog and the dev team
+ LightRedemption for being there and pushing us to finish this project
Lion the Demon Witch Author: Lapis Lazuli Map Vers.: 6.73c
Embrace the End
The Ancient Evil Survives
Date Posted: 01/16/12 Last Comment:21/02/2013 Total Votes: 30 Current Rating: 8.18 Views: 95920
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