Instructions for playing popular illusion heroes in Dota 2 patch 7.27

While each hero in Dota has its own unique character, they can still be classified according to their role. In addition, within that category, we have subsections that share similarities. Today’s article will talk about illusion heroes.

Over the years, the mechanics surrounding illusion heroes have remained largely unchanged: the ball has a reduced damage value compared to the original hero. They usually take extra damage and since patch 6.83, they also deal less damage to turrets.

Hero illusions also often have high agility, which means high armor and fast attack speed. This, combined with the advantage of multiple takers in place of the main hero, gives them great jungling and excellent lane pushing.

However, the three most popular illusion heroes have very different ways of playing that we will talk about today.

NAGA SIREN

Naga is currently in a bad position: the hero is neither popular nor successful in both the pub and the pro scene. Of course Naga can still combo well with other heroes with Song of the Siren, but in terms of carry, this hero is currently inferior.

Naga’s strength is mainly focused on Net Worth, and her level 25 talent doesn’t really make her as much stronger as with other heroes. Most importantly, the hero couldn’t make the most of his armor subtraction skills. Desolator is a common item with most heroes with armor reduction, but Naga (which is core agility with illusion) does not benefit from the bonus damage nor the stats it gives.

The only okay way to play naga is to control tempo (match tempo). Naga is much stronger with Manta Style + Diffusal Blade and this playstyle must be maximized. The hero can have up to 6 illusions with these items with the level 20 talent and this makes the amount of damage the hero deals very scary.

Hero is also strong in split-push: illusion lasts a long time, allowing Naga to force the opposing team to scatter, making odd picks much easier. Since she can’t fight well without her massive net worth advantage and split-push tools, Naga is forced to focus solely on macros in most games. That’s what makes Naga not worth picking in pubs, unless you’re on a 5-man team.

However, in the case of 5-player team play and extremely good coordination, Naga can help some supports and heroes shine: combos with Dark Seer, Jakiro or Disruptor are extremely powerful and easy to deploy. The feeling of launching a combo is also very good. Therefore, if playing games to have fun with some friends, Naga can be a good choice.

PHANTOM LANCER

Phantom Lancer is in a better position than Naga, but the hero is struggling: PL’s overall win rate is currently below 50% and only at Divine rank and above does the hero really work.

When compared to other illusion heroes, Phantom Lancer doesn’t need a microphone much in normal play: PL’s illusion disappears and spawns continuously. They are very weak in DPS and attack resistance, so the Diffusal Blade is a must-have item for the hero. With this item, Phantom Lancer can limit the effectiveness of his opponent almost as quickly as Anti-Mage does.

Lancer is probably the most mobile hero among illusion heroes: Doppelganger is very difficult to deal with, because it is a skill that changes flavors and causes trouble: Maybe Phantom Lancer is quite difficult.

Phantom Rush is also a very powerful distance shortening move. It makes up for PL being the melee hero. Although not always usable, but having 44 more Agility must be said is huge. 44 Agility adds attack speed and armor, allowing the hero to farm extremely effectively as soon as he reaches level 6.

To reach the full potential of PL, you usually have to play the same with mobile heroes, at least until you lead a decent net worth. Avoiding direct combat is a must, as well as trying to deal with low health targets first. Unlike other illusion heroes, PL’s illusions only supplement, not let you control, so always put PL’s life first.

TERRORBLADE

One of the popular heroes in the professional arena. In pubs, Terrorblade is currently struggling. Hero has agility that increases every level up to 4.8, making himself extremely resistant to physical damage, but his HP is very limited until he reaches a few buffalo items.

Because of the base damage, the amount of agility that increases per level, the high percentage of damage from illusions, Terroblade usually doesn’t have to go to Diffusal Blade: the hero’s DPS is pretty good and it doesn’t solve his weak health issue. Instead, TB should build stat-benefit items in the early game: Drums are usually the main choice in pro.

TB’s Illusions aren’t meant to confuse opponents: they have a different appearance, making them easier to identify than real heroes, limiting TB’s moves. It is not until Manta Style is up that Terrorblade can lure the opponent with illusion. Sometimes, players even ignore this item, relying on BKB or stat items to survive, instead of confusing the opponent.

The interesting thing about TB is that Reflection is considered to be the most powerful tool in the right game: when facing heroes with strong passive skills, Reflection maximizes. It’s also effective against stat-based carries: they deal full damage and slow opponents.

Among illusion heroes, Terrorblade is probably the name you should play the most right now, especially in pubs. Hero never stops growing, fast farming, good split-push, and very scary if he leads the networth in the game. TB has a few enemies in the game, but if you know the right item, Terrorblade is almost impossible to kill if the opponent doesn’t have many lockdown (disable) moves.

According to dotabuff

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