LogFAQs > #963428616

Still kind of recovering from my attack and playing intermittently.

90 - Phantom Lancer (melee Agility)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/4/7/AAAACbAADBtn.jpg
Basic Abilities: Spirit Lance, Doppelganger, Phantom Rush, Juxtapose
Shard Ability: Upgrades Spirit Lance to bounce to another unit within 750 range of the primary target, spawning illusions on both; it also upgrades the damage of the Spirit Lance illusion from 20% of PL's base to 60%.
Scepter Ability: Upgrades Juxtapose to increase the max illusion count by two and have an active component, which, when used consumes all other illusions created by Juxtapose and spawns the new maximum number of illusions with a bonus 10 second duration.
Notable 7.31/7.31b changes: Cooldown improvement for levels 1-3 of Phantom Rush; 10 attack speed talent replaced with a Phantom Rush buff duration, effectively giving it permanent uptime if it's at level 4.

We're back into "low because of salt generation" territory, because Phantom Lancer really isn't that bad, especially not after that beefy buff he received to his 10 talent, and his kit is really quite interesting. But we're getting ahead of ourselves; Phantom Lancer is the quintessential "pusher carry" and has the (mis)fortune of having had a patch named after him - the days of the dreaded 4.2 Lancer. Most of this notoriety is because of Phantom Rush existing, an ability that gives both PL and his illusions a brief phasing and movement speed buff when targetting a unit to attack, then providing him (or his rushing illusion) a brief agility buff. Since everything about his kit involves spawning illusions, mixing up his illusions, and making his illusions beefier or self-sustaining, the agility they gain gives him some significant damage output.

PL, however, has many of the same problems with unit-spam that Broodmother has, except worse (and if I could go back, I'd swap their positions.) He does have some things going for him, though - mostly his illusions also carrying passive effects of items while maintaining a static shitty bounty when killed. This also lets his illusions benefit from the mana burn effects of DIffusal Blade (hence "nice mana, idiot" for the hint.) Unfortunately, because of how items interact with illusions, PL (and Spectre, and Naga Siren) are both the prime examples of why items with passive components get nerfed all the bloody time, and why a Radiance rush is also crap now (PL's illusions once had like 2 and a half times their duration and could push lanes literally by himself, and Radiance damage wasn't reduced on illusions.)

If he can't itemize right, though, he gets crapped on by any form of cleave and can't contribute to a teamfight at all beyond pushing another lane, why just... doesn't work right now with the "all teamfights, all the time" zoo meta that's been developing. Crimson Guard also neuters almost all of his damage output, and most items that help him at this point also remove his confusion-based playstyle.

I'd honestly put him near the bottom right now if it weren't for how good his early game harass is. If he has a source of mana, like a KotL, a CM, or just packing a ton of mangos, spirit lance spam is oppressive as hell, but it's all he has, since he's lacking in impact for anything else until midgame and then falls off against better carries as they get Cleave or Break.

Next hero hint: 3 different forms of CC and they *still* aren't notorious for it compared to another part of their kit or playstyle.