1. Introduction to the Author

My name is Jigga, and I have been playing Dota for over 3 years. I have no impressive credentials or achievements. In fact, I am hoping you ignore this guide because you don’t trust me. Hopefully, no one will start playing Azwraith. Go ahead and stop reading. There is nothing here for you. I am a mere plebeian, writing for my own benefit. Intro photo credit to Glang GT.

2. Why play Azwraith, the Phantom Lancer?

Tired of playing Dota 1 vs. 9? Now you can create illusions and play 15 vs 9!

Nothing feels more satisfying than disjointing a Chain Frost or a Storm Hammer with Doppelganger.

Chain Frost or a Storm Hammer with Doppelganger. Cosmetic equipment will allow you to bludgeon your victims with a paddle

He looks like grumpy cat.

Most importantly, he’s based on Kimahri Ronso from Final Fantasy X.

3. Hero Characteristics and Statistics

21 + 1.7

29 + 2.6

21 + 2

Azwraith boasts some of the highest starting statistics in the game. This is a under-appreciated feature in a hero that is generally being played as a safelane position 1.

Pros

High Chase Potential

Solid Escape Mechanism

basic dispel Has a

Incredibly strong against single target heroes

High Mobility

Strong Laning stage

Spam-able Nuke/Slow

Cons

No flash-farming mechanism

Restricted itemization since he is an illusion-based hero

No disables

4. Azwraith, Where to Lane Him & When to Pick Him

According to DotaBuff, Phantom Lancer is currently 41st in popularity and has a 47.32% winrate. His winrate is much lower in 5k+ where he sits at 43.41% and his pick rate slowly declines as you raise MMR. He is a hero with niche opportunities that currently is not viewed as a reliable carry. In my opinion, that is because Phantom Lancer is not a carry.

Where to lane Phantom Lancer?

81.70% of Phantom Lancer matches are played in the safelane and 14.13% are played in the offlane. 95.83% of PL’s games are played in what I consider to be suboptimal positions. Phantom Lancer should be played mid. Several pro’s such as Agressif and QO who excel at Azwraith have been taking him mid exclusively. This allows you to capitalize Lancer’s solid laning stage, spam-able nuke/slow, and reliable escape. Like many mids, Lancer will excel in the lane when he receives some assistance from supports, but you will find that he is much more deadly and evasive in the mid lane than many other standard mid options.

When to pick Phantom Lancer mid?

Specific match-ups will be discussed later on, but Lancer excels at applying early pressure against many FOTM mids (MVP.QO consistently plays PL against Invoker). A roaming support synergizes well with Phantom Lancers early nuking potential. Like one expects from a good mid, Azwraith creates early space through strong skirmish potential. He can somewhat efficiently push if the opposing mid abandons lane, but is generally more effective as an early combatant and fighter once he hits level 6/7 (earlier with opportunistic runes).

5. Skills and When to Use Them

Spirit Lance

Casts a magical spirit lance on a target enemy unit that damages and slows, while a Phantom is summoned to attack the unit.

Cast Range: 750

Damage: 100 / 150 / 200 / 250

Movement Slow: 10% / 20% / 30% / 40%

Slow Duration: 3.25 seconds

Illusion Duration: 2 / 4 / 6 / 8

Illusion Damage Taken: 400%

Illusion Damage Dealt: 20%

Cooldown: 7 Manacost: 125 / 130 / 135 / 140

Tips concerning Spirit Lance

Phantom Lancer has a starting mana pool of 273. This means that he can only initially cast Spirit Lance twice before needing regen.

All illusions of Phantom Lancer within 675 radius will appear to cast Spirit Lance as well

An illusion will not spawn if the ability is disjointed or if the target becomes spell immune or invulnerable.

Once you have a bottle, Spirit Lance is an effective tool to harass the opposing mid laner.

Almost a perfect 50% uptime on the slow makes Phantom Lancer incredibly difficult to outrun, especially combined with Phantom Rush

Upon impact the Lance will grant vision of the target via the generated illusion.

Doppelganger

Target an area. Phantom Lancer and all nearby illusions will disappear for a second, then have their positions shuffled into the target area. This also creates two illusions of opposite types.

Disappearance Duration: 1

Illusion 1: Deals 0% damage / Takes 100% damage

Illusion 2: Deals 20% damage / Takes 600% damage

Illusion Duration: 8

Illusion Gather Radius: 900

Reappearance Radius: 325

Cast Range: 600

Cast Point: 0.1

Cooldown: 25 / 20 / 15 / 10 Manacost: 50

Tips concerning Doppelganger

Phantom Lancer’s most versatile and useful skill.

Doppelganger removes PL from the map for 1 second, this can be used to avoid any projectile, a telegraphed Echo Slam or Sleight of Fist, even a Finger of Death.

The Cast Range can be used to cast Doppelganger over impassable terrain as a psuedo-blink; this can be cast from the high ground surrounding Roshan.

Doppelganger applies a basic dispel that can be used to remove a multitude of debuffs (e.g. Curse of Avernus, Battle Hunger, Sticky Napalm, most slows, Ensnare, Decrepify, Laser, etc.)

The illusion that takes 100% damage also glows brighter and can be used to deceive opponents into chasing the wrong Lancer.

Nothing can interrupt Doppelganger, which makes it one of the few spells that can counter Disruptor’s glimpse when timed properly.

Doppelganger breaks all trees at the landing location, and can be used to cover extra ground when chasing if Phantom Rush is on cooldown.

Phantom Rush Passive with cooldown. Triggers when issuing an attack order on an enemy unit outside of attack range. Grants bonus movement speed and Phase until Phantom Lancer strikes his target.

Max Trigger Distance: 600 / 700 / 800 / 900

Min Trigger Distance: 300

Movement Speed: 800

Duration: 5

Cooldown: 16 / 12 / 8 / 4

Tips concerning Phantom Rush

All illusions use and have independent cooldowns for Phantom Rush

Phantom Rush makes it incredibly difficult to outrun a Lancer when combined with Spirit Lance.

To avoid placing this ability on cooldown in lane, do not attack-click creeps until you are within 300 range. On the other hand, this ability can net you an extra last hit when returning from runes that you may have missed.

Until skilled to level 3, it is more efficient to Spirit Lance BEFORE attempting to charge with Phantom Rush since Lance has a cast range of 750 that slows and provides vision via the illusion.

Juxtapose

Grants Phantom Lancer and his illusions a chance to create an illusion when attacking.

Hero Chance: 40% / 45% / 50%

Illusion Chance: 8%

Maximum Illusions: 5 / 7 / 9

Illusion Duration: 8 when made by the hero / 4 when made by the illusions

Illusion Damage Taken: 500%

Illusion Damage Dealt: 16%

Tips concerning Juxtapose

Juxtapose is disabled by break. No current form of break can be dispelled by Doppelganger.

Since his rework, Azwraith’s illusions do not last long enough to split push. They aremore effective as sources of confusion in teamfights.

Since about every other hit will generate an illusion, Lancer does not need to worry about entering a fight alone, he will have his army rather swiftly if not interrupted.

Illusions from Manta Style , runes, or other heroes’ abilities ( Disruption, Wall of Replica, etc.) also benefit from Juxtapose. Be cautious not to grant an enemy Dark Seer his own army of Illusions.

Skill Builds

98% of games I will recommend starting with Spirit Lance. When contesting first runes, you can usually cast 2 or 3 lances (3 is only possible when starting with a mango) and guarantee a first blood for yourself or a save for an ally who may have overextended. The other 2% is when the opponent has smoke ganked and caught you off-guard and you need Doppel at level 1 to survive through disjoint and misdirection. Generally, my early skill build will go as follows:

Spirit Lance Doppelganger Spirit Lance or Phantom Rush Phantom Rush or Spirit Lance Spirit Lance Juxtapose Spirit Lance (MAX)

Please do not see these early levels as a hard rule to follow, but simply as a general guideline. There are circumstances in which Phantom Rush at level 2 will secure a kill that Doppelganger will not. The only point that I will stand behind is that you want your Juxtapose and Spirit Lance maxed ASAP. My build from here varies greatly based on the game:

If a second disjoint or dispel in teamfights could make a difference, begin leveling Doppelganger. This is my most common build, there are simply so many skills that can be effectively wasted with a disjoint or a dispel, not to mention it doubles as a very effective tool to disengage fights.

If fights aren’t going to happen any time soon, begin taking stats. Phantom Lancer’s stat gain is above average, but not as great as it used to be. A few extra points can make the difference in jungling efficiency. I generally take at least a single point in stats before level 11

If you just like running fast, level Phantom Rush. Sorry, but I rarely find Phantom Rush to be more valuable than Doppelganger or at least a single point in stats.I usuallymax Rush at 15, 17 or 18.

6. Items and When to Buy Them

Starting Items

OR

The first itemization is more typical of pro’s such as QO and Agressif. In most games, I opt for the second itemization. It’s more regen than is necessary, but the Enchanted Mango has won me countless first bloods. Ring of Protection will not protect you as much as a PMS, but it usually is enough to get the job done.

Early Game

These four items are in ALMOST every one of my mid Phantom Lancer games. The regen and stats of RoA and Wand give Lancer the last bit of edge that he needs to win those early skirmishes.

Situational-Early Game

Drum of Endurance and Blink Dagger both play similar roles using different methods. If you need more survivability because you have been unable to secure kills or you need to secure an advantage sooner than a Diffusal Blade will allow, either item can accomplish this. Drum will further your stats benefiting both you and your illusions. Blink Dagger will further your evasion and mobility.

Boots of Travel are only encouraged when you will be swapping into a Position 1 role for some reason. Perhaps it is because you didn’t listen to this guide and you went safelane… Shame on you. BoT’s allow you to farm and push more efficiently and still show up at fights, but this build is encouraging you to START the fights. Therefore, we don’t usually build BoT’s until late-game

Mid Game

The only piece that I recommended in just about every circumstance is Diffusal Blade. Upgrade this when you run out of charges. After this, late game opportunities become more versatile.

Note: Diffusal Blade is no longer a UAM and can be efficiently stacked with UAM’s

Late Game

As an illusion-based hero, stats are what are most important for Azwraith.

Manta Style is too synergistic to ignore. Usually Mirror Image is enough survivability when combined with Doppelganger that a BKB is not necessary. Manta allows you to split-push more efficiently and provides your illusions with some much needed stats. Generally, I pick up at least a Yasha for the added stats and farming efficiency.

Heart of Tarrasque makes your illusions incredibly difficult to deal with and allows you to play like Slark. During the hubbub, you can duck out of the fight and regenerate your health only to return moments later with another full army. Nonetheless, I have been leaning towards Satanic more recently.

Satanic benefits from a more valuable build-up and is viable alternative to a Heart now that it can be stacked with Diffusal Blade. I will often pick up a Helm of the Dominator after Diffusal, and return to Satanic later.

Eye of Skadi is probably my favorite pick-up on Phantom Lancer. The received combination of Strength and Agility leaves you with more Effective HP than a Heart of Tarrasque despite the lack of regen, and the Cold Attack renders you all but impossible to escape from.

Butterfly‘s evasion and attack speed are great for Lancer at any point in the game. Since Lancer is an agility hero, he receives 60 attack damage from a Butterfly, and his illusions receive 30.

Situational Late Game

The following items are far from bad, there are simply somewhat inefficient given the lack of synergy with Phantom Lancer’s illusion kit. Nonetheless, each item has a time and a place that makes it exceptionally valuable. These items are generally damage-adding items that do not translate to illusions.

Assault Cuirass is valuable against anti-armor strats and the added attack speed is useful for your illusions. Be aware that the armor aura is NOT received by illusions, while the attack speed aura is received.

Mana Break damage from Diffusal Blade is applied as physical damage, therefore the negative Assault Cuirass aura does benefit your illusions’ damage. Assault Cuirass is still generally better when picked up by an ally than by PL himself.

Monkey King Bar contributes negligible statistics to your illusions, but it is bought exclusively for the True Strike against evasion. Although illusions do not receive the mini-bash or the bonus +70 damage, the item is still necessary when facing Phantom Assassin and Radiance-based carries. You guys know the drill.

Abyssal Blade and Skull Basher are both useful pick-ups when your team lacks disable and needs a nice sit-down button for the enemy. This is an item I generally rely on when playing against heroes such as Ember Spirit.

Black King Bar is a double-edged sword. While it is active, enemies will have no problem determining which Lancer is real, but they obviously won’t be able to do nearly as much about it. Usually a BKB is superfluous compared to a Manta Style, but sometimes it is necessary to handle the crowd control of the opposing line-up.

7. Match-Ups & Synergies

Mid Lane Match-Ups

Alchemist is difficult to handle once he hits six, but before that you should have no problem dominating the lane. Ferry more regen if necessary to handle his acid spray, but punish him every time he approaches creeps. A quelling blade may be necessary to contest his hits, but overall, this should be a won lane. Continue to pressure the map against an Alchemist. Phantom Lancer is never exceptionally swift in his kills, Alchemist’s regen will make it difficult, and he is a common carrier of both Radiance and Battle Fury.

Brewmaster is more manageable for Azwraith than many other mids, especially melee mids. Both his Thunder Clap slow and his Drunken Haze miss chance can be dispelled with a single Doppel allowing you to turn the tide swiftly and punish him in river. The illusion generated by Spirit Lance can disable Brew’s guaranteed evasion before you close the distance as well. Brewmaster never wields an exceptional mana pool and is always susceptible to Mana Break, but always be cautious that you dispel Drunken Haze as it will affect all your illusions caught in the radius.

Death Prophet is a bit of a toss-up. It is easy to outlast hit her in lane, and her crypt swarms are predictable if they are going to last-hit and simultaneously harass. You will probably need help if your goal is to kill her in lane. Spirit Siphon is not disjointable and will continue to bleed you dry after a Doppel. Late game you will be able to keep her mana starved, despite her survivability rendering her rather useless. I recommended jumping on her directly with Doppelganger to further disorient her from Siphoning the proper Lancer. You will need Manta to dispel her AOE silence.

Ember Spirit is arguably your greatest counter in the game. Your illusions will give him plenty of potential to wipe your entire team by crit-cleaving off of your many targets. To beat an ember, you must play like ember. He has a 6-second cooldown on Sleight of Fist and you will need to play around this trying to time your 10-second cooldown Doppelganger to avoid his Sleights as much as possible. Pray that your team drafted disable and start building your Abyssal.

The laning phase will probably be a draw. His magic block will make it difficult to kill him, but it is viable pre-6 with a rotation.

Invoker is one of my favorite midlane match-ups. Cold Snap cannot be dispelled unfortunately, but Lancer will force the Invoker to practically maintain triple- Quas due to Spirit Lance harass and even basic right-click damage. Any support rotation can practically guarantee you a kill. Alacrity Invoker is frustrating to trade with, but if you manage your regen, you’ll still come out on top with Spirit Lance. Look for kills off of runes, poor positioning, or just when you hit level 6.

Outworld Devourer – I haven’t had many laning experiences against OD since his re-work, I will update this section soon. Theoretically, I imagine OD to win this lane unless he refuses to buy a bottle and you spam Lance as much as possible. This is one of the few circumstances that I highly recommend a support commits to the mid lane. Please nerf, OSFrog.

Puck is a difficult lane. Phase Shift makes trading Lances difficult and you will probably need a PMS to withstand harass. You won’t kill him unless he misplays without the assistance of a Smoke gank. Until Puck gets further buffed, he isn’t a huge concern in the later game, just a nuisance. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I am fairly certain you can break Dream Coil with Doppelganger if cast outside of the tether range. You will need Manta to dispel his AOE silence.

Queen of Pain is difficult to kill, but does not provide much challenge in lane. You can reasonably trade this lane with her since Shadow Strike can either be dodged or dispelled. Phantom Rush makes it easy to trade hits with her and force her escape. Look for the signs of her Sonic Wave later in the game. QoP will be a nuisance, but shouldn’t pose any true problems

Shadow Fiend should be a won lane every time. As long as you aren’t triple razed, you should be able to keep him zoned. His lack of escape should make him food for Azwraith, especially with any early rotation.

Templar Assassin is actually a great match-up for Phantom Lancer, especially now that Refraction is visible to enemies. Her splash damage is generally ineffective against your illusions since they surround her, and they make short work of her shield charges. You shouldn’t have any issues bullying her out of lane.

Wind Ranger will lane similar to Queen of Pain. Her right clicks will probably be more difficult to contest, but she has a less reliable escape. It will probably take a rotation, but you should be able to teach this ginger who’s king in the river. “You know nothing, Lyralei.”

Zeus is trouble at all stages of the game. If you manage to snowball past him, you’ll be able to burn him down swiftly. Unfortunately, he lanes well against Phantom Lancer with his long range Arc Lightning. Your best bet is to kill him fast and kill him often. Generally, my Zeus match-ups go very well or very poorly, because I play them exceptionally aggressive. His Static Field will cause you problems all game if he farms equal to you. One of the few heroes that will force me to buy a BKB.

Other Notable Opponents

Earthshaker is generally a bigger nuisance for you allies than he will be for you. You can Doppel over Fissure and if you are lucky, and you may be able to dodge an Echo Slam or two. Unfortunately, if he catches your team with your illusions, everyone will suffer. I generally avoid my allies until the Echo is dropped. Become a nuisance elsewhere on the map, and force their attention. Once his ultimate is down, he shouldn’t be a problem due to his long cast animations and low mana pool.

Sven is often seen is the best counter to PL. This shouldn’t be the case. Don’t misunderstand me. He is good and he will out carry you in the late game, but going mid will allow you to come online before him. You can easily dodge his Storm Hammer and kite him during God’s Strength via Spirit Lance. Sven IS a counter-pick and will require you to adjust your play around him, but he is far from unbeatable since he is so easily kited.

Razor is only here because of Static Link. Be aware of this ability when attacking Razor as it cannot be dispelled and will continue to identify you and drain you after Doppel. Unstable Current can be dispelled.

Timbersaw is an underrated counter to Lancer. All of his abilities are high nuke AOE, and his Reactive Armor will climb incredibly fast against your illusions. The practically guaranteed 20 bonus armor makes him difficult to kill and even chase. Build a Basher and rely on team cooperation to disable him until you can drain his mana.

Sand King is my go-to hero when facing other Phantom Lancers. Burrow Strike and Caustic Finale gives Sand King a pseudo- Echo Slam on your illusions once SK has Aghs. Before Scepter, SK still provides a huge amount of difficulty with his AOE, disable, and invisibility. The number of stat-based items that Lancer picks up early can make it difficult to maintain a slot for Dust of Appearance.

Lich is not even worth mentioning. Just disjoint Chain Frost until he understands that Lich isn’t a counter to you in the slightest.

Arc Warden is listed because he is new and many people still seem to be unsure how to handle him. Continue to apply pressure with Lancer and laugh at his Flux and his Spark Wraith. Try to get the last hit on his Necro Warrior (the red one) with an illusion to avoid Last Will’s damage.

Heroes countered by Diffusal Blade and Mana Break.

This section can be elaborated if requested.

The only unique point to note is that Medusa should be handled similarly to Sven. Yes, she has the ability to remove your illusions with Split Shot and Stone Gaze, but you should be online before her. Continue to punish and harass her for being such a greedy hero.

Synergistic Allies

Bane – Congratulations! You won the mid lane. Bane’s entire kit is so helpful in the laning phase, and a single gank will turn the tide of your lane. If the enemy does not have your high ground warded and they don’t have a reliable escape, a smoke of deceit may not even be necessary. A Spirit Lance can usually slow the enemy enough to get Bane in Nightmare range. Allowing you to prepare another Lance combo’d with Brain Sap. Against heroes like Alacrity Invoker, Enfeeble can be the icing on the cake to guarantee a won lane.

Keeper of the Light is consistently seen as a great combo with Phantom Lancer, but his synergy is not nearly as effective when you go mid. Chakra Magic is still wonderful with Spirit Lance, but the odds are high that will not be with KOTL nearly as much as you would in a dual lane. If KOTL intends to camp mid and stack jungle camps, then he can certainly turn Lancer into an even greater nuisance. To be honest, I just don’t like KOTL. He is probably a lot better than I give him credit for being.

Other heroes that can similarly roam and give you a great laning experience.