Lion is a hero who can be very useful in any team composition, as he provides a lot of crowd control, burst damage, and mana sustain. He can also scale well into the late game, thanks to his ultimate ability, Finger of Death, which increases its damage for each kill he gets with it. There are many reasons that you would like to play with Lion and one of them is the latest patch! In this new patch, a lot has changed and it allows support heroes to dominate the lane easily. Having a strong core like Juggernaut, Void, and Phantom Lancer can be beneficial for support heroes like Lion to easily win the lane.
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In this guide, we will talk about things that you need to keep in mind while playing on this hero because the game depends on you! We will start off with the roles and skills Lion has, then we will move to the items that you can make in the early, mid and late game and then we will conclude this guide.
Roles and Skills of Lion
Lion is a hero that can fit into different roles, depending on the needs of his team and the situation of the game. However, he is most commonly played as a support or a ganker, as he can provide a lot of utility and damage with his spells. Here are the roles and skills of Lion:
Support
As a support, Lion excels at nuking and disabling enemies. He can help his team secure kills, create space, or defend objectives with his abilities. He can also provide vision, detection, and mana sustain for his team with his items and talents. He is usually played as a position 4 or 5 support, meaning that he does not need a lot of farms or levels to be effective.
Ganker
As a ganker, Lion can roam around the map and look for opportunities to kill enemies. He can use his disables and nukes to catch enemies off guard or out of position, especially in the early to mid-game. He can also use his ultimate to finish off enemies or deal huge damage to them. He is usually played as a position 3 or 4 ganker, meaning that he needs some farm and levels to be more impactful.
Skills
Lion has four active skills that he can use to disable, nuke, or drain mana from enemies. He can also upgrade his ultimate with an Aghanim’s Scepter or Shard for more damage and utility. Here are the skills of Lion:
Earth Spike
Earth Spike is Lion’s main disable and damage ability in the early game. It can hit multiple enemies if aimed correctly, making it useful for team fights or ganks.
Hex
lock down a single target or prevent them from using their abilities or items. It can be used to initiate fights, secure kills, or save allies from danger.
Mana Drain
Mana Drain is Lion’s third skill, which allows him to drain mana from an enemy unit over time. The drain rate is 20/40/60/80 mana per second and the cast range is 850 units. The drain lasts until the target has no mana left, moves out of range, dies, or is stunned. If the target dies while being drained, Lion gains 60/90/120/150 mana.
Finger of Death
Finger of Death is your ultimate ability and your most powerful nuke. It deals massive damage to a single target and increases its damage for each kill you make with it. Finger of Death has a long cool down at levels 1 and 2, but a short cool down at level 3 (with Aghanim’s Scepter). You should use it wisely and sparingly in the early and mid-game, but more freely and frequently in the late game.
What Items to Build on Lion?
When playing Lion, different items may suit different situations and playstyles. However, some general guidelines are:
- Tranquil Boots are a common choice for Lion, as they provide him with movement speed, armor, and health regeneration. They also allow him to roam and ganks effectively, as well as sustain his mana with his Mana Drain ability.
- Blink Dagger is a core item for Lion, as it enables him to initiate fights, escape danger, and position himself for his spells. Blink Dagger allows Lion to quickly hex or stun an enemy, or unleash his Finger of Death on a vulnerable target.
- Magic Wand is a useful item for Lion, as it gives him some stats and a burst of health and mana when needed. It can also help him survive against enemies who spam spells, such as Zeus or Sky Wrath Mage.
- Force Staff is a good item for Lion, as it gives him some intelligence, mana regeneration, and an active ability that can push himself or an ally in a direction. Force Staff can help Lion escape from enemies, save his allies from danger, or reposition himself for his spells.
Phase Boots or Power Treads?
Phase Boots and Power Treads are the two most common boots that you can buy on Lion. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, depending on your playstyle and preference.
Phase Boots
Phase Boots are boots that grant you +18 damage and +45 movement speed. They also have an active ability that lets you phase through units and gain +22% movement speed for 3 seconds.
Power Treads
Power Treads are boots that grant you +10 strength, agility, or intelligence (depending on the attribute you choose) and +45 movement speed. They also have an active ability that lets you switch between the three attributes.
What to Create after Boots?
After buying your boots, there are several items that you can create depending on your role and situation. Here are some of the items that you can create after boots:
Support Items for Lion
As a support, you can buy items that can help your team with vision, detection, healing, or utility. Some of the support items that you can buy are:
- Observer and Sentry Wards: These are items that grant vision and detection for your team. Observer Wards reveal an area of the map for 6 minutes, while Sentry Wards reveal invisible units within a 1000 radius for 8 minutes.
- Magic Stick/Wand: These are items that grant you charges whenever an enemy casts a spell within 1200 range of you. Each charge gives you +15 health and mana when used.
- Tranquil Boots: These are boots that grant you +14 health regeneration and +90 movement speed when not attacked by enemy heroes or Roshan in the last 13 seconds.
How to Play Lion in Different Stages of the Game?
Lion is a hero who can be effective in different stages of the game, depending on his role and items. He can be a strong early/mid-game nuker and ganker, or a late-game disabler and scaler. Here are some tips on how to play Lion in different stages of the game:
Early Game
In the early game, Lion’s versatility shines through as he adapts to different roles and lanes, offering damage and disabling abilities. He supports his team with vision, detection, and mana sustain through items and talents, whether as a position 4 or 5 support assisting allies or a position 3 or 4 ganker seeking kills. Skill and item choices are tailored to specific needs, and his talents further customize his role, enhancing damage or utility.
Mid-Game
Lion becomes a formidable presence, using his disabling spells and powerful nukes to control and eliminate high-priority foes. He maintains his support role by offering vision, detection, and mana assistance through his items and talents. Precision is key as he selects targets and timings for his abilities, focusing on key enemy threats. His positioning, aided by mobility items, allows for surprise initiations and escapes, while vision items help monitor enemy movements and secure map control. Lion’s decisions in team fights and objectives profoundly influence the game’s outcome, making his strategic choices crucial to his team’s success.
Late Game
In the late game, Lion rises as a formidable force, mastering both damage dealing and disabling, wielding spells and items to deal substantial damage and control key adversaries. He sustains his role as a crucial team supporter, ensuring vision, detection, and mana sustainability through items and talents. His late-game prowess hinges on strategic choices: selecting the right items, like Aghanim’s Scepter or Scythe of Vyse, to enhance damage, utility, or survivability; pinpointing targets and timings for spells, prioritizing high-value foes; utilizing mobility items for tactical positioning and vision items for map control; and making pivotal decisions in team fights and objectives, be it securing kills, creating space, or claiming crucial objectives. In the late game, Lion’s finesse can turn the tide and lead his team to victory.
Final Thoughts
Lion is a hero who can be very fun and rewarding to play, as he can disable, nuke, and drain mana from enemies with his spells. He can also scale well into the late game with his ultimate and items. He is a hero who can fit into different roles and situations, depending on his skill build, item build, and talent build. We hope that this guide has helped you learn more about how to play Lion in Dota 2. If you have any questions or feedback about this guide, feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you for reading and good luck in your games!
