Lion
Hero
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   18 + 2.2
15 + 1.5
18 + 3.5
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Lion, the Demon Witch, is a ranged intelligence hero, most commonly played as a support, who serves as a powerful offensive spellcaster. While exceptionally frail and vulnerable at all stages of the game due to his low health pool, armor, and movement speed, he has a tremendous amount of disabling and nuking power, allowing him to provide the necessary lockdown and burst damage to his team to bring down elusive and shifty enemies. Earth Spike is an area-of-effect line-based stun that also deals a moderate amount of damage. If Lion uses it at max level combined with his Hex, which briefly transfigures an enemy into a harmless critter, he can disable a single opponent for almost 7 seconds, more than enough time to bring down a lone enemy, especially if an ally is present. His ultimate, Finger of Death, serves as a powerful nuke and his primary source of burst damage to aid him in his endeavors. To offset the high mana cost of his abilities, he has Mana Drain, which provides him the sustenance he needs to continuously provide his disabling prowess in a skirmish. A team facing a Lion would do well to eliminate him first in a fight, lest it fall prey to his potent and disruptive spells.
Contents
Bio[edit]
Lion, the Demon Witch▶️ "All hell's broken loose, and I hold the pieces."
Lore:
Once a Grandmaster of the Demon Witch tradition of sorcery, Lion earned fame among his brethren for fighting on the side of light and righteousness. But adulation corrupts. With powers surpassed only by his ambition, the mage was seduced by a demon and turned to evil, trading his soul for prestige. After committing horrible crimes that marred his soul, he was abandoned. The demon betrayed him, striking better deals with his enemies. Such was Lion’s rage that he followed the demon back to hell and slew it, ripping it limb from limb, taking its demonic hand for his own. However, such demonoplasty comes at a cost. Lion was transfigured by the process, his body transformed into something unrecognizable. He rose from hell, rage incarnate, slaying even those who had once called him master, and laying waste to the lands where he had once been so adored. He survives now as the sole practitioner of the Demon Witch tradition, and those who present themselves as acolytes or students are soon relieved of their mana and carried off by the faintest gust of wind.
Voice:
Abilities[edit]
Earth Spike
Rock spikes burst from the earth along a straight path. Enemy units are hurled into the air, then are stunned and take damage when they fall.
Cast Animation: 0.3+0
Cast Range: 500 (
1500)
1500)Spikes Travel Distance: 825 ( 1825)
1825)Spikes Radius: 125
Damage: 80/140/200/260
Stun Duration: 1.4/1.8/2.2/2.6
12
70/
Attempts to damage if already hit enemies turn spell immune before landing.
Blocked upon impact by everyone within range of the spikes.Modifiers
Impale: Dispellable with strong dispels.The Demon Witch exercises his demonic covenant, opening a fissure from hell.
Notes:
- The spikes travel at a speed of 1600.
- When targeting a unit, the spikes are released towards its current location upon cast. Spikes do not home, thus can be evaded.
- Hit units are knocked up 350 range for the initial 0.5 seconds of the stun.
- While in the air, other units may pass below hit airborne units.
- The damage is applied upon landing, not upon getting hit.
- The spikes take 0.52 seconds to reach max distance and can hit units up to 950 range away (travel distance + spikes radius).
- They take up to 0.58 seconds and can hit units up to 1050 range away when the general cast range increasing talent is chosen.
- They take up to 1.14 seconds and can hit units up to 1950 range away when Earth Spike's own range increasing talent is chosen.
- They take up to 1.2 seconds and can hit units up to 2050 range away when both talents are chosen.
- Only the cast range and distance increase from the level 25 talent is displayed. The level 10 talent can further increase the cast range to 1600 and the distance 1925.
- The level 10 talent alone increases the cast range to 600 and the distance to 925.
- When Earth Spike hits invisible units, the visual effects below the hit unit are still visible.
▶️ Frog model
Hex
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Affects
Enemies
Enemies
Transforms an enemy unit into a harmless beast, with all special abilities disabled.
Cast Animation: 0+0.53
Cast Range: 500 ( 600)
600)Radius: 0 ( 325)
325)Set Movement Speed: 140
Duration: 2.5/3/3.5/4
30/ 125/ Effects persist if debuff was placed before spell immunity.
Blocked normally upon cast.(
Not blocked when turned into an area spell.)Modifiers
Voodoo: Dispellable with strong dispels.Lion is compelled to share his transfiguration, twisting the essence of those who oppose him.
Notes:
- Applies a hex on the target, setting its base movement speed to 140, silencing, muting and disarming it.
- Since hex changes base movement speed and does not actually apply a slow, all speed effects are calculated using the 140 base speed.
- Hex instantly destroys illusions.
- Lion's hex transforms the target into a frog.
- The talent turns Hex into an area-targeted spell, so that it cannot directly target units anymore.
Mana Drain
Affects
Enemies / Self
Enemies / Self
Absorbs the magical energies of a target enemy unit by taking mana from it every second.
Cast Animation: 0.3+0
Cast Range: 850 ( 950)
950)Search Radius: 0 ( 400)
400)Max Channel Time: 5
Max Targets: 1 ( 3)
3)Link Break Distance: 1200 ( 1300)
1300)Mana Drain per Second: 20/40/60/120
Move Speed Slow: 20%/24%/28%/32%
16/ 10
Effect does not persist and immediately ends if debuff was placed before spell immunity.(
Effect persists on secondary targets if debuff was placed before spell immunity.) Blocked normally upon cast.(
Blocked fully only when primary target.)Modifiers
Mana Drain: Undispellable.Lesser magi are nothing more than a source of magical restoration for the Demon Witch.
Notes:
- Can only be cast on units which have a mana pool.
- The link breaks when the target gets out of vision, turns spell immune or invulnerable, exceeds the break distance, or runs out of mana.
- Drains 2/4/6/12 mana in 0.1 second intervals, starting 0.1 seconds after cast, resulting in up to 50 instances.
- Can drain up to 100/200/300/600 mana when fully channeled.
- Instantly destroys targeted illusions on the first interval.
- The multi-target Mana Drain talent causes Mana Drain to automatically target 2 additional units within 400 radius around the primary target.
- Only targets units which have a mana pool. The targets are chosen randomly, there are no priorities.
- The secondary links do not break and continue to drain mana, even if the secondary unit or units turn spell immune, invulnerable, hidden or run out of mana. It does break when exceeding the link break distance.
- All links break as soon as the primary target cannot be affected anymore.
Finger of Death
Rips at an enemy unit, trying to turn it inside-out. Deals massive damage and grows stronger with each life it consumes.
Cast Animation: 0.3+0.5
Cast Range: 900 ( 1000)
1000)Radius: 0 (
325)
325)Effect Delay: 0.25
Base Damage: 600/725/850 ( 800/925/1050) ( 725/875/1025, 925/1075/1225)
800/925/1050) ( 725/875/1025, 925/1075/1225)Damage Bonus per Kill: 50
Kill Grace Duration: 3
160/ 100/60/20) 200/ 200/420/625)
Increases damage. Decreases cooldown. Finger of Death hits all units in a small area. Cannot be cast on spell immune enemies. Attempts to damage, and places the debuff if target turns spell immune during the delay. Blocked fully only when primary target. Blocked upon cast. Particles still visually appear.Modifiers
Finger Of Death Kill Counter: Undispellable. Finger Of Death: Undispellable. Finger Of Death Delay: Undispellable.Lion's disfigured hand is also the source of his greatest power, capable of flooding victims with malefic force.
Notes:
- Places a debuff on the target upon cast, which applies the damage and the second debuff upon expiring. The debuff lasts 0.25 seconds.
- This means the damage can be avoided by being invulnerable, hidden or spell immune as the debuff expires.
- If the target dies while having the second debuff, Finger Of Death gains a permanent damage bonus.
- The status buff on Lion keeps track of how many heroes died with the debuff.
- The bonus damage debuff stacks, meaning that if Finger Of Death is cast on the same target twice within the 3 second time frame and the target dies, the bonus damage is granted twice.
- Although only gaining damage from hero kills, the debuff is placed on every target.
- Gains damage from dying Meepo clones as well, but not from Tempest Doubles, illusions or creep-heroes.
- Aghanim's Scepter causes Finger of Death to be cast on all enemy units within 325 radius of the target.
- This includes invisible enemies and enemies in the Fog of War.
- An area indicator is added to the mouse pointer, to make easier to tell whether or not enemies are within range.
Talents[edit]
| Hero Talents | ||
|---|---|---|
| +325 AoE Hex | 25 | +1000 Earth Spike Range |
| +2 Mana Drain Multi Target | 20 | +500 Health |
| +150 Gold/Min | 15 | +200 Finger of Death Damage |
| +90 Damage | 10 | +100 Cast Range |
Notes:
- The cast range talent also affects the max distance of Earth Spike and the link break distance of Mana Drain.
- This attack damage talent is added as raw attack damage, so it does not benefit illusions, and is not affected by most percentage-based damage increasing or reducing effects.
- Gold granted from the talent is unreliable gold.
- The health talent increases maximum health capacity, and keeps the current health percentage.
Recommended items[edit]
Starting items:
- Tango provides health sustain in-lane, allowing Lion to remain active despite enemy harass.
- Healing Salve also restores health to Lion and teammates.
- Iron Branch is cheap and can be purchased with any leftover gold, giving Lion some additional stats. It can be built into a Magic Wand or Mekansm components if needed.
- Animal Courier should always be purchased by the support. If another support purchases courier, it is advised to purchase other support items such as Observer Wards.
- Observer Ward should always be picked up when available, one of the core duties of a support. Spotting enemy movements allows Lion and his team to re-position to meet them, and lets Lion pounce on his foes with his array of disables and nukes.
Early game:
- Magic Stick gives Lion burst health and mana, critical to have on hand for low-HP casters whose spells can make large differences in teamfights. While a fully-charged Magic Stick is not fully guaranteed to allow Lion to cast one more spell if he's out of mana, it can buy him a few seconds to contribute more in an engagement or escape pursuers.
- Boots of Speed is important to get early on Lion due to his strong disables. The extra movement speed allows Lion to chase enemies and get into position to cast his disables, securing early kills for his team.
Mid game:
- Magic Wand is a great upgrade for extra attributes and the additional charges, always useful on hard supports. Its cheap price makes it useful on Lion, who will not always have the gold to buy better items.
- Tranquil Boots's passive health regeneration keeps his health pool topped off, synergizing with his ability to keep his mana pool at full with Mana Drain. The increased movement speed gives him better roaming and positioning ability.
- Blink Dagger is extremely powerful on Lion, and should be considered a core item no matter his farm situation. The ability to instantly jump on top of enemies allows him to get much more use out of Hex and Earth Spike, greatly increasing the odds of getting kills on the enemy.
- Sentry Ward is crucial to purchase regularly as a support Lion. As a ranged hero, Lion can destroy enemy Observer Wards he finds, taking away map vision from the enemy team.
- Town Portal Scroll is important to carry at all times. Lion's nuking and disabling potential allows him to turn ganks and teamfights completely around if he is present.
Late game:
- Force Staff is a powerful utility and mobility item on Lion that grants him more mana, base damage, and some health sustain. It can serve as an inferior substitute to Blink Dagger, or as a supplement to further increase Lion's mobility. The active can also be used to help allies re-position as needed, or on an enemy to disposition them or instantly break their Linken's Sphere ahead of other disables.
- Glimmer Cape gives Lion strong utility and some initiation power. The active can allow Lion to invisibly approach gank targets and get within range to cast his disables, and can even be used as a shield while channeling Mana Drain. More importantly, it can be cast on allies who are caught out of position, granting them invisibility and strong magic resistance to aid them in escaping.
- Aghanim's Scepter greatly augments Finger of Death's killing power, as well as drastically reducing its cooldown to allow it to be used tactically. It is best purchased if Lion is given farm priority and his team has good crowd control that can group up the enemy to hit them with the area of effect.
Situational items
- Mekansm is useful to build on Lion if no other teammates can utilize the item effectively. The additional stats and armor increase Lion's survivability, while the heal drastically improves his teamfight contribution. As well, Lion does not suffer from the tremendous mana cost of the item as he can always recoup it with Mana Drain.
- Aether Lens increases Lion's mana pool for him to more easily get off his spell combos due to the high cost of Finger of Death. The cast range increase can greatly extend the reach of all of Lion's abilities, especially Hex and Earth Spike for disabling foes. It also increases the cast range of Blink Dagger, one of Lion's core items.
- Scythe of Vyse is expensive, but is a strong late-game item on any casting-oriented support. In Lion's case, it gives him better overall stats and reduces his reliance on Mana Drain, while also adding yet another instant hard disable to his already formidable arsenal.
- Dagon drastically increases Lion's nuking potential, as it allows him to double up on the already formidable nuking power of Finger of Death. However, it is extremely expensive to upgrade and can be relatively useless if bought too late, so it is best purchased if Lion already has a strong gold advantage and needs to end the game early.
- Urn of Shadows's charges accumulate quickly given Lion's strong ganking abilities; those charges either heals allies or deals minor damage to enemies in early fights.
- Medallion of Courage gives Lion more utility, along with a blend of armor and mana regeneration. As a ranged support with strong disables, Lion can use the active on gank targets, increasing the damage they take from teammates' physical attacks. It can also be used on Roshan to reduce his armor, and later upgraded into a Solar Crest for even more benefits.
- Ghost Scepter is useful on low-HP casters such as Lion. The ability to evade physical damage for a short duration can buy Lion time to survive if the enemy attempts to focus him down, giving him the few seconds he may need to get his spells off. Can be upgraded into Ethereal Blade to improve the damage of his nukes if he gets the gold advantage.
- Eul's Scepter of Divinity can give Lion some very strong benefits. The item grants more movement speed, giving him more mobility, as well as some more intelligence and mana regen to help him with casting. The active ability can be used either as an additional disable on the enemy, or on Lion himself to give him temporary invulnerability while dispelling debuffs like silences.
Gameplay[edit]
| Roles: | Support Disabler Nuker Initiator |
|---|---|
| Complexity: | ★☆☆ |
| Playstyle: | Betrayed by his demon partner, Lion went to hell and back for his vengeance, retrieving the demon's hand and grafting it onto his own body. Earth Spikes burst out from the ground, sending his enemies into the air. A simple Hex turns heroes into a harmless frogs, allowing Lion to Mana Drain them without interruption. Satisfied, the Demon Witch raises his disfigured hand, and points the Finger of Death to exterminate foes with a torrent of infernal energy. |
Audio[edit]
History[edit]
Equipment[edit]
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Trivia[edit]
- In the transition from DotA to Dota 2, the names of two of Lion's abilities were changed. Impale changed to Earth Spike and Voodoo changed to Hex.
- Lion's rival response towards Witch Doctor ▶️ "All we need now is a wardrobe." is a reference to the second book in The Chronicles of Narnia book series by C.S. Lewis, titled The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Gallery[edit]
Concept art
Concept art
Model
Model before the April 26, 2012 Patch
Old face model and icons
The International 4 artwork
Ability icon progress
Hero icon progress
Lion illustration
