LogFAQs > #965144392

Have a double tonight, since I've been leaving y'all hanging.

76 - Phantom Assassin (melee Agility) (aka PA)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/8/4/AAAACbAADPwo.jpg
Basic Abilities: Stifling Dagger, Phantom Strike, Blur, Coup de Grace
Shard Ability: New ability "Fan of Knives", which deals 16% max health damage and causes Break status for 3 seconds to anyone struck. 550 AoE, expanding, centered around the cast point (so no pre-casting it and jumping onto someone like a Sand King)
Scepter Ability: Upgrades Blur to have an instant cast time and dispels PA. The cooldown for using the active of Blur is reduced to 10 seconds. The reveal timing for when she's within 600 range of an enemy hero or tower is increased to 0.75 seconds. Additionally, if PA scores a kill or assist, her ability cooldowns are reset.
7.31 changes: Phantom Strike manacost increased by 0/5/10/15. L15 Lifesteal talent reduced by 3%. L20 Armor corruption talent changed to +20% Stifling Dagger damage.

The rage queen of unga bunga herself. For a hero using "pseudo-random distribution," Mortred leads to some bullshit deaths - or failure-to-kill situations - quite possibly more than any other hero in the game.

Stifling Dagger is a spammable, mana-efficient attack extender, quite literally. It performs a melee attack (for all intents of item interactions) at a fraction of her attack damage, at a distance, while slowing the target. Low manacost, long range, and low cooldown. Phantom Strike is a spammable, mana-efficient movement extender, which teleports PA to the target, and if an enemy, increases her attack speed for a few seconds. Blur is a combination ability that passively provides Evasion but can be activated to vanish, becoming invisible *and* truesight immune until within 600 range of an enemy hero or building.

These don't matter. What matters is her ultimate, the big juicy crit of Dota. 15% chance to delete massive chunks of health in a shower of blood or blood equivalence. Since Stifling Dagger deals melee attacks at a long range, you occasionally get long range damage nukes while covering retreats, too.

PA isn't without her weaknesses. She is extremely selfish, and bad luck streaks, even with pseudo-random distribution, will absolutely dick you over, and your feedyboys will happily throw themselves into teamfights 2v5 and then blame you for not farming enough while they "made space." PA also absolutely hates getting hit by Break more than almost any other hero in the game, since it kills both her evasion AND her damage output - to say nothing of being unable to affect anyone under Ghost Scepter, which even poor supports can farm up with a couple minutes of the Philosopher's Stone. Also, that Intelligence is in the toilet and won't get much better. She's a mostly safe, free farmer with consistent outgoing damage that wins games by herself, but it takes too long to get there... and I'm absolutely salty at how braindead folks can succeed with her and yet I try to think my way through a game and fail hard. Feh.

Next hero: a victim of their 7.31 changes and just how bad pubs are at realizing what they're capable of.