Lanaya, The Templar Assassin - Dota Hero Guide and Strategy

The apprentice of a legendary creature from Aiur, Lanaya is a psychic adept who specializes in strategic assassination for the Sentinels. Her psionic abilities manifest in and out of combat, and can be used to amplify damage while attacking, to protect her from enemy assault, or cloak herself invisibly before lashing out at an unfortunate passerby. And so more often than not, the foes that encounter the Templar on the battlefield find themselves dead and buried, their lives cut short as she fades back into the shadows, waiting for a new prey.

Lanaya is a strong carry hero, ganker and counter-ganker.

Pros:

-Decent stats throughout game
-Provides great support and Hero Killer potential
-Possible early game lane dominance
-Free observer wards that can slow at will
-Great early-mid game damage
-Amazing skill possibilities when used right

Cons:

-Low health, like most Agility based heroes
-Hard to play effectively at times
-A windwalk that is useless against opponents with “blind” skills if trying to hide. (Examples: AoE, Hook, Elune’s arrow, Vacuum, etc.)
-Requires a watchful eye, and crucial timing. Not the standard right-click then own hero.

Skill Overview

Refraction

Manipulating psionic energy around herself, granting a mystical refraction of light that protects her from external harm and giving her bonus damage for a limited number of instances. Lasts 20 seconds.

Level 1 - 20 bonus damage, 2 Instances
Level 2 - 40 bonus damage, 3 Instances
Level 3 - 60 bonus damage, 4 Instances
Level 4 - 80 bonus damage, 5 Instances

Cooldown: 23
Manacost: 75

Level 1: 75 mana, 23 sec cooldown.
Level 2: 75 mana, 23 sec cooldown.
Level 3: 75 mana, 23 sec cooldown.
Level 4: 75 mana, 23 sec cooldown.

Refraction is arguably one of the best skills in the Templar Assassin’s arsenal. Now, what refraction does is simple. When you cast refraction, 2 sets of counters are placed on Lanaya. The first set is for the plus damage you receive, while the second is for the number of attacks incoming to you. These two sets of counters are INDEPENDENT from each other, and one can run out with the other still going. The counters will remain until they are used up or after 20 seconds has passed.

So, if you have Level 4 Refraction, for example, you have 5 counters for attack and defense. If you are attacked 5 times, you still retain your bonus damage, but you will begin to take damage from attacks. It can work vise versa as well. Counters will remain until they are used or 20 seconds have passed.

This skill is your savior. In most situations, Refraction will end up saving your life, or netting you a kill. Knowing when to use Refraction is crucial, as it has a cooldown of 23 seconds, and it unlikely that the counters will last the full time.

You should use Refraction when you are engaging enemy heroes. Try to stay alone, however. If you charge in with refraction on, trying to grab a kill, make sure you will have enough charges by the time you start fighting. Whatever you do, DO NOT run through a pack of creeps with Refraction on, trying to attack a hero. By the time you reach them, all your counters will be shot, and with the low HP you have, and your Refraction on cooldown to protect your escape, your dead.

Meld

The art of Shakuras allows Lanaya to conceal herself at any time of the day and strike from the shadows with her armor-shredding blades. Deals bonus damage and reduces enemy armor for 10 seconds.

Level 1 - 50 damage, -2 armor
Level 2 - 100 damage, -4 armor
Level 3 - 150 damage, -6 armor
Level 4 - 200 damage, -8 armor

Cooldown: 7
Manacost: 50

Level 1: 50 mana, 7 sec cooldown.
Level 2: 50 mana, 7 sec cooldown.
Level 3: 50 mana, 7 sec cooldown.
Level 4: 50 mana, 7 sec cooldown.

An interesting skill, Meld takes a little practice to master. When you meld, you perform the Shadow Meld ability. Once you activate Meld, make sure that you do not move. Meld automatically puts Lanaya in Hold Position, but if you make any other movements, it will break Meld.

Meld has been improved as of 6.45. They lowered the manacost and cooldown, making Meld a more spammable skill. My strategies for when to use Meld still apply, but now you can definetly get 1-2 Melds into a fight.

Now, this is a key thing to remember. Always attack when breaking Meld. If you move, then attack, Meld will not trigger, and you will have lost your + damage and – armor debuff. Positioning with Meld, keeping this in mind, is crucial, as you must be extremely close to be able to attack (140 range without Psi Blades, 180/220/260/300 with Psi Blades).

To use Meld optimally, you shouldn’t just sit down and wait forever. This will be a big waste of time. Not only can you not move, but that deprives you of farming, experience, helping in team battles, changing lanes, grabbing runes, laying traps, etc. Meld is actually most effectively used as soon as you are in your opponents face.

Once you engage an enemy, immediately Meld. As soon as you see yourself begin to go transparent, right click on your enemy to break meld. This will allow you to begin a fight with a 50/100/150/200 damage advantage, and for the next 10 seconds, they have –2/4/6/8 armor.

Why Meld first off? Well, if you think about it, once you break meld, you can activate Refraction. Now, not only do you have counters to prevent damage, but also your damage is beefed up. Since they have – armor, your damage is only amplified that much more. Meld can be a useful skill, but you need to use it at the right time.

As for the hiding aspect of Meld, Meld should only be used to run when you know these two things:

-The enemy does not have True Sight. If you Meld when your chaser has wards or a gem, you are just making yourself a sitting duck.
-The person chasing you does not have a “Hit in the Dark” spell.

By “Hit in the Dark” spell, I mean any possible spell that could hit you without needing to target you. AoE spells such as Pulse Nova, Freezing Field, Diabolic Edict, Vacuum, Reverse Polarity, etc. Also, any spells that benefit from knowing where the person is and is going to be, like Hook and Elune’s Arrow. NEVER try to meld if you know that the enemy is smart enough to smack you after you meld.

Another note on Meld: Meld can be taken earlier if you believe that you need it to avoid being ganked, but I think that staying near the tower, with refraction on, will prevent a person from trying to finish you off. Just keep Refraction available so that you can use it when you need it. If you use it at the right time, pursuers will usually back off. Towers are your best friend when you have Refraction on, as it takes multiple hits to damage you, and the tower will be pelting on them.

Psi Blades

Using her psionic powers, the Templar causes enemy units behind her target to feel the same pain as the target itself. This psionic power extends her attack range.

Level 1 - 40 Bonus Range, 60 Spill Range.
Level 2 - 80 Bonus Range, 120 Spill Range.
Level 3 - 120 Bonus Range, 180 Spill Range.
Level 4 - 160 Bonus Range, 240 Spill Range.

Passive

Psi Blades is an interesting take on the common way to deal AoE attacks. It is one of the more valuable skills for Lanaya, not just because of the splash, but that the range given really allows a better flow of combat for you. Not only will allow you to farm creeps easier, but it will allow you to actually hit things after you meld. Without this skill, it is almost impossible to land a hit with Meld.

Most people seem confused by this skill. The splash concept is simple. Think about cleave. Cleave has a circular AoE, that hits all enemies within the circle. Psi Blades is a cleave that is shaped like a rectangle. Whatever direction Lanaya attacks from, the cleave continues in the direction of her projectile, and the distance is affected by the Spill Range. Also, Psi Blades does FULL damage to the units behind, which makes it a really amazing ability, not just for farming, but also for Team Battles.

So, basically, if Lanaya attacked Lion, for example, and Centaur Warchief was behind Lion (in a straight line from where Lanaya is standing), then both would take the full damage of the attack. To know if you would hit something behind your target, just draw a straight line from you, to your target, then past it. That’s what will get hit.

Though your enemies need to be lined up, Psi Blades has about a 50 AoE (from side to side), so it doesn’t have to be exactly straight. Don’t expect to hit them if they are side by side.

Note, however, that Psi Blades will begin to hit odd targets as you turn to certain angles. You will see sometimes a unti right behind your target not get hit, but someone that isn't perfectly alined will. There isn't much you can do to avoid it, since you would have to test every angle (360 possibilities) and know how Psi Blades Spills on each one. So, when you notice that it isn't hitting the right target, try a different angle, or just cope with it.

Psionic Trap



Creates psionic traps on ground. When triggered, it will slow units within 400 range by 50% for 5 seconds.

Level 1 - Max 5 Traps
Level 2 - Max 8 Traps
Level 3 - Max 11 Traps

Cooldown: 7
Mana Cost: 15

Level 1: 15 mana, 7 sec cooldown.
Level 2: 15 mana, 7 sec cooldown.
Level 3: 15 mana, 7 sec cooldown.

An amazing ultimate spell, and the key for chasing, observing, supporting, and retreating. Psionic Trap is the spell that you NEED to learn to use the most. It has so many uses, and each trap provides an opportunity to help your team win the game.

First off, Psionic Traps are invisible. Wards and gems can detect them. When you place a Psionic Trap, you will see a small aura being emitted. This signals where your ward is. Any ward can be triggered manually, and teammates can if you share control.

When you learn the Psionic Trap, a new skill will appear. This skill is “Trap”. This gives you the option to detonate the nearest trap to you. This can be invaluable, as you will not have to manually select the Trap and detonate it. However, when using this skill, you need to really be aware of where ALL your traps are. It’s happened to me before: You are chasing down your enemy, and they are crossing your trap. Quickly tapping T, you expect to see them slow down. However, they pass unscathed, and you tap you fingers with frustration. Always know where each of your traps is, or you could miss out on a kill, or fail to escape.

When Psionic Traps detonate, it will look like a Dark Ritual has been performed (Think Bone Clinkz). If you slowed an enemy with the trap, it will look like they have actually been slowed (like the spell from Human Sorceress). This slow will stack with other slows such as Frost attack, Maim, Poison Sting, etc.

Builds

-Dodge and Desolate

This is my personal favorite. One of the more popular ways to play Lanaya, I see this build a lot in everyday, casual play. This build focuses on being able to utterly cripple your opponent’s armor and unload DPS upon them. However, this build requires a careful early game, as you are the most vulnerable at this period. A crazy build when used correctly with Refraction. Remember though, this build relies on trap chasing and knowing when to jump out of combat.

Skill Build:

Level 1: Refraction
Level 2: Psi Blades
Level 3: Refraction
Level 4: Psi Blades
Level 5: Refraction
Level 6: Psionic Trap
Level 7: Refraction
Level 8: Psi Blades
Level 9: Psi Blades
Level 10: Meld
Level 11: Psionic Trap
Level 12: Meld
Level 13: Meld
Level 14: Meld
Level 15: Stats
Level 16: Psionic Trap
Level 17-25: Stats

Explanation:

This build relies on early game Refraction and Psi Blades to allow you to stay in your lane well. Refraction shouldn’t be used offensively yet, but you can use it if an early gank is possible. Use Refraction for offense when paired with a stunner/slower so you can land every hit and land a kill. Psi blades provide some range so you can stay out of the line of fire, and harass. From Level 2 on, Psi Blades can be a BIG pain for melee heroes.

Meld is not taken early because it has almost no efficiency early game. Unless your opponent is highly unintelligent and stands right next to you, or doesn’t move when you disappear right in front of him, Meld won't help you do anything. As much as the direct damage seems like it should be taken early for maximum use, Lanaya will usually not be trying to gank and surprise heroes until the higher levels. Also, without Psi Blades, Meld is almost impossible to perform. If you give up Refraction to keep Psi Blades, you become a sitting duck once you pop out of Meld.

Naturally, Psionic Trap is maxed as early as possible, and stats are taken after all skills are maxed. Stats can be taken earlier in place of Psi Blades if you are really getting pummeled, but it is not recommended.

Item Build:

1. Gauntlets
2. Circlet of Nobility
3. Gauntlets
4. Ancient Tango of Essifation
5. Bracer Recipe
6. Ring of Regeneration
7. Circlet of Nobility
8. Boot of Speed
9. Bracer Recipe
10. Mithril Hammer
11. Mithril Hammer
12. Desolator Recipe
13. Boots of Travel Recipe
14. Eaglehorn/Quarterstaff
15. Quarterstaff/Eaglehorn
16. Butterfly Recipe

Extra Items:

17. Broadsword
18. Blades of Attack
19. Crystalys Recipe
20. Platemail
21. Chainmail
22. Hyperstone
23. Assault Cuirass
24. Demon Edge
25. Buriza Recipe

Explanation:

First off, you want to be able to survive early game. The ingredients for Bracer (plus one Gauntlet) provide a good start, boosting your starting health and mana to 644 health and 286 mana. This will help you stay in your lane. If you follow my advice, and try to avoid the urge to kill heroes, you should be able to gain exp and money normally. Use tangos when around 350, and try to keep your lane under control.

After your first return to the fountain, finishing the first bracer will clear up some space. Since you are out of tangos, you will still want some regeneration to stay out there, and Ring of Regeneration helps a lot. Buy as much of your next bracer as you can, and Boots of Speed if you can afford this trip. By now, you should have a good amount of health ad regeneration, and won’t be super slow.

Desolator is an amazing item on Lanaya. The 2 hammers aren’t too hard to farm up, and give a good damage boost each time you grab one. Desolator is so key because of the – armor. The more – armor you inflict on an enemy, the more effective your plus damage is. Not only are you doing more damage now, but also all your teammates gain that same advantage. Desolator is amazing in 1v1, and team battles. A truly core item for this build.

After Desolator, Boots of Travel are taken so that you can give chase at this point, and reliably help defend and push. Now that you are beefed enough to actually fight, you will need speed to chase down. Although Power Treads provide an extra 30% IAS, I don’t recommend them. Being able to move in and out of battles quickly, and teleport to support pushes/defend is really valuable in the long run.

Butterfly is the next core item. Being an agility hero, Lanaya benefits greatly from a Butterfly. Not only does she gain +60 damage, but the 30% evasion allows more chances for Refraction to block damage. Also, Butterfly naturally speeds up your attack, raising your overall DPS by a lot. Depending on how you are farming, you can buy Eaglehorn or quarterstaff first. It won’t matter, as you will buy the other component next. It just depends on your current state of money making.

If the game continues beyond this point, Critical strike becomes handy for dishing out DPS. However, only a Crystalys is made first. You already have a huge amount of + damage. The critical strike is what is important at this point. After that, begin assembling the parts for Assault Cuirass.

Assault Cuirass provides some useful stats late game. With the total + armor, and +IAS, Lanaya becomes a true beast. Also, Cuirass emits a – armor aura, making your damage hit all the harder. If the game really lasts that long, which I highly doubt, finish your Buriza and kill your opponents. Hard!

-Super Slowed

This build is one of the more self-explanatory builds. It revolves around Eye of Skadi, which is a pretty decent item all around. The key to using this build is getting into singling out an opponent and just pulverizing him to nothing. The slow from Skadi, combined with trap chasing, can prove quite effective.

Skill Build

Level 1: Refraction
Level 2: Psi Blades
Level 3: Refraction
Level 4: Psi Blades
Level 5: Refraction
Level 6: Psionic Trap
Level 7: Refraction
Level 8: Psi Blades
Level 9: Psi Blades
Level 10: Meld
Level 11: Psionic Trap
Level 12: Meld
Level 13: Meld
Level 14: Meld
Level 15: Stats
Level 16: Psionic Trap
Level 17-25: Stats

Explanation:

Since the early game of Lanaya will be the same set of items, the same skill build is used. This build is a little more crucial for this item set, however, since Eye of Skadi really takes a lot of careful money making to create.

Meld is still not taken early. Even though you will gain a slowing orb from EoS, it is HIGHLY unlikely that you will have one made before Level 9. Meld is still ineffective early on if you can’t hit them at all, and Refraction is a key skill to survive and possibly net a kill.

Everything else stays the same as well. If you really wanted to, you could try an early Meld/Psi Blades combo to try to grab an early kill and get Skadi faster, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea.

Item Build:

1. Gauntlets
2. Circlet of Nobility
3. Gauntlets
4. Ancient Tango of Essifation
5. Bracer Recipe
6. Ring of Regeneration
7. Circlet of Nobility
8. Boot of Speed
9. Bracer Recipe
10. Ultimate Orb
11. Ultimate Orb
12. Point Booster
13. Eye of Skadi Recipe
14. Boots of Travel Recipe
15. Eaglehorn/Quarterstaff
16. Quarterstaff/Eaglehorn
17.Butterfly Recipe

Extra Items:

18. Platemail19. Chainmail
20. Hyperstone
21. Assault Cuiras

Explanation:

Since the early game strategy is the same, buying the same set of items will have the same effect. In this build, survival is key, as farming the Eye of Skadi can be tedious at times if you are getting ganked all the time.

Eye of Skadi has really good results on Lanaya. First off, it gives her some bonus health and mana, which provides more survivability. Most importantly, it provides a constant slow. With Eye of Skadi, it becomes easy to jump out at someone, Meld, attack, refract, and chase till dead. With trap chasing thrown in, your enemy will be moving pretty slow.

Once again, Assault Cuirass is formed, because of the synergy that it provides with Lanaya’s skills. Also, since you do not have Stygian Desolator, it helps provide the – armor to put a little more punch into your attacks.

-Multiply and Meld

One of the crazy builds out there; it provides a unique way to play Lanaya. This build revolves around confusing and surprising your enemies. It takes a little bit of coordination and skill, but if you can pull it off, it’s a fun way to play.

Skill Build

Level 1: Refraction
Level 2: Psi Blades
Level 3: Refraction
Level 4: Psi Blades
Level 5: Refraction
Level 6: Psionic Trap
Level 7: Refraction
Level 8: Psi Blades
Level 9: Psi Blades
Level 10: Meld
Level 11: Psionic Trap
Level 12: Meld
Level 13: Meld
Level 14: Meld
Level 15: Stats
Level 16: Psionic Trap
Level 17-25: Stats

Explanation:

Once again, I believe that this is the most solid build to provide Lanaya with. Putting points into Meld early game just puts you at a vulnerable state, and makes it hard to keep your lane under control. I strongly recommend you stick with this build, as it is the most solid I’ve tried.

Item Build

1. Gauntlets
2. Circlet of Nobility
3. Gauntlets
4. Ancient Tango of Essifation
5. Bracer Recipe
6. Ring of Regeneration
7. Circlet of Nobility
8. Boot of Speed
9. Bracer Recipe
10. Blade of Alacrity
11. Robe of the Magi
12. Diffusal Blade Recipe
13. Vitality Booster
14. Boots of Travel Recipe
15. Manta Style Recipe
16. Sacred Relic
17. Radiance Recipe

Extra Items:

18. Eaglehorn/Quarterstaff
19. Quarterstaff/Eaglehorn
20. Butterfly Recipe
21. Platemail
22. Chainmail
23. Hyperstone
24. Assault Cuirass

Explanation:

Once again, early bracers and Ring of Regeneration for survivability. As long as you keep your lane under control and stay alive, making Diffusal is cake.

Diffusal Blade is absolutely amazing at the point you buy it. Though the feedback isn’t a big deal, the purge is where this item really shines in this build. Purge can not only slow enemies who are running away down, but it can remove some real annoying buffs from you, your teammates, or your enemies.

Boots of Travel are taken before Manta Style, because you should use every charge of purge before you change to manta. With a generous 10 charges, that’s 10 times you survived, your teammate survived, or you scored a kill. The power of purge should not be underestimated.

Manta Style is a great item all around, as it gives Lanaya some bonus health, as well as feedback and two images. Images are always fun, and with Lanaya, it’s no exception. The most common thing to do is to jump someone, split into three images, then meld and attack again, while your images wail on them, and then trap chase until dead. It can be hard to manage, but it is quite effective.

Radiance is a different approach. Since you now have images and more health, you can afford to spend almost all your time near the opponent. With meld, images, and refraction, you can remain next to an enemy for a good 10 seconds. With Radiance, it not only boots your damage, but also does 36 dmg/sec. That’s 360 extra damage on top of the 10 seconds you and your images wail on them.

Butterfly is brought in this build to give you the IAS you need. Up to this point, none of the items have helped with that, and the Butterfly is just what you need. +60 damage, IAS, and evasion for you and your images. It’s great.

Finally, finish off strong with Assault Cuirass to really let them take a pounding. Mana burn, constant damage, armor reduction, + over 100 damage and High IAS comes together to create ownage.

Other possibilities:

Lothar’s Edge

A decent item, but it really isn’t that needed. Many people like to get positioned for meld by using Lothar’s edge, but I think that using that much gold just for that is unneeded, especially when it can be countered by wards that cost 20 times less. Plus, if they buy wards for your lothar’s, then your traps are now visible. Even though you can just trap chase, all your observer traps and backup traps are now targets.

Blink Dagger

I personally think that a Blink Dagger is unneeded in the same sense that Lothar's is. Lanaya already has Psionic Traps to catch up with enemies. However, Blink Dagger is actually, in some cases, a very reliable tool. There are some moments where a well placed blink could net a kill, or escape from harm. Unlike Lothar's, though, this item can't be countered by buying an item. Blink is always the same value.

The only reason I don't like to use Blink Dagger is because the money. As much as you would like to say, "I can farm that easy! Its only 2150 gold!", it's not that simple. The time that you would buy a blink dagger is the same time that you are saving money to buy other core items. Since Blink Dagger offers no stats, no damage, and has a pretty big price, I really have trouble getting myself to buy it.

All in all, Blink Dagger is one of the better possible items that you could build around. It comes down to the player's preference, really. One thing, though: I do not recommend you use Blink Dagger unless YOU ARE GOOD AT IT! I swear it's annoying to see people do the worst Blinks (1 unit ahead, or straight into 5 heroes).

Heart of Tarrasque

A last resort item for Lanaya; you should buy this if you are just getting pounded and focus fired. The extra hp helps for sure, but it’s a high amount of gold to pay.

Satanic

Once again, sort of a last resort. Satanic is more viable as an item than Heart of Tarrasque because of the lifesteal, but there are better orbs for Layana. If you want to get a lifesteal orb, you would be better of with Mask of Madness.

Mask of Madness

A decent item for Layana but is very risky and is situational. Activating Mask of Madness can be very dangerous, but it works if you can manage not getting focused on.

Vanguard

A controversial item. Vanguard, in my honest opinion, is the best alternative for Layana if you prefer it to 2-3 bracers. I personally don’t advocate Vanguard because you can achieve the same HP bonus and regeneration from 2 bracers and a Ring of Regeneration. However, Vanguard provides 65% to block 35 damage, which allows Refraction to remain against creeps longer.

However, I personally stay away from creeps whenever possible while Refraction is active. I tend to do this with enough success that I don’t find it necessary to buy a Vanguard. This really is a player’s preference choice.

Sange and Yasha

Another decent item for Layana. The components are easy to farm and put together. It provides some health and damage, but it can’t really compare to Eye of Skadi. If you are getting so messed up you can’t farm Skadi, then this is an alternative choice

Black King Bar and Linken’s Sphere

These two items are gotten for one purpose: spell protection. If the entire enemy team is casters, then these are reasonable choices. However, I don’t really recommend either, as they don’t really provide what Layana needs. Linken’s Sphere is a better choice over Black King Bar, though, since it provides some stats and regeneration.

Maelstrom and Mjolinir

An interesting orb effect for Layana to use but is unneeded. You already have huge farming power with Psi Blades, and Layana doesn’t have the attack speed to support the orb effect. It just isn’t enough to be worth the money. The only time you should get this is to farm as hard as possible.

Hood of Defiance

A decent item. You should buy Hood of Defiance if you are getting overrun with casters. Hood of Defiance is also easier to get if you follow the given builds; you will already have a Ring of Regeneration

Items NOT to get:

Caster Items (Soul Booster, Mystic Staff, Dagon, Refresher, Guinsoo’s)

Layana is not a CASTER! Though she has a high intelligence gain, Layana is not meant to be played like a caster. The only possible thing you could do with these items is getting your face pwned off.

Cranium Basher



1. You have a ranged attack: 10% to bash
2. Layana doesn’t have a crazy attack speed enhancer capable for stun lock.

Strategies

Welcome to the core of this guide. This section will cover all the tips and aspects of how to use Layana’s skills effectively. Through this section, the following will be covered:

-Timing of Refraction and where to use it
-Lining up and farming with Psi Blades
-When you actually should use meld
-Placement of Psionic Traps
-Trap Chasing
-Useful Combinations
-Team Support
-Large Battles

Refraction

Now, Refraction is going to be your key to winning or surviving almost every fight you participate in. You already know the basics of Refraction, but there are some real important tricks that you will need to perform to grab the most out of your Refraction.

1. The damage doesn’t count.

When Refraction absorbs an attack it doesn’t matter how big the attack is. Now matter how much damage is dished out, Refraction will absorb it. So, if Mortred jumps you and critically hits you for 648, then that only takes out 1 out of your 5 attack counters. Nifty eh?

2. Timing is of the Essence

When you turn on Refraction, you need to be careful running in. It sucks to have your 5 charges wasted because creeps jumped up on you. Try to avoid running into creep waves as much as possible. No matter where you are, the less attacks possible, the better. Always think about what is surrounding your target before you jump into the fray, or you could end up dead…very quickly.

One of my favorite tricks so far is very helpful. If you are preparing to gank, and you are waiting in the forest, activate Refraction ahead of time. Once Refraction is has about 8 or 9 seconds left on cooldown, jump into attack. If done correctly, you will absorb the first few attacks, and right as your old Refraction dies out, you can recast it! This allows a total of 10 attack blocks instead of 5, and lots of bonus damage. Mastering this technique can improve your ability to gank substantially.

Use of Psi Blades When Farming

Psi Blades can be your best friend. Not only do you receive extra range, but it turns you into a 100% cleave machine. All you need to do is attack from an angle that will hit the most creeps. Doing this will maximize your gold input, and you will have items in no time.

The trick is lines. What Psi Blades does is it hits everything in a straight LINE. So, whichever direction your projectile is headed, that is the same direction that your Psi Blades will spill into. If you want to guess if you can hit them, trying to draw a line from you, to your target, then straight through. If they are not on or very close to that line, then they will not be hit.

When you should Meld

Meld is a very situational windwalk. The problem with Meld is that you need to be standing still for it to stay active. While this may seem easy, it limits your zone of attack and movement to a very small circle. In order to gain the + damage and armor reduction of Meld, you must ATTACK coming out of meld. You can’t move, then attack. You need to attack off the bat.

Keeping this in mind, Meld can be used at two times where it is the most effective.

1. Offensively, at the beginning of a battle.

To start off a battle, you can run straight at an opponent. At this point, your opponent will either run or fight. Either way, what you need to do is Meld immediately. After you hit the Meld key, attack your opponent as fast as you can. If done right, you will land a quick hit that’ll do lots of bonus damage and reduce their armor.

This use of Meld can provide a big advantage at the start of the fight, and beef up your damage for the remainder. Once you break out of Meld, pop you Refraction and destroy them. If necessary, trap chase until they are dead.

Now, another way to use Meld offensively takes a little prediction skills. If you see a hero coming down towards you, and expect to fight them, Meld right then. Wait until they come into range, and break out of Meld. Hopefully, you will be close to being able to use Meld again. Once you can use Meld, pop it again and break it quickly. That's a total of 400 bonus damage, and a longer period of -2/4/6/8 armor.

2. Defensively, to hide from your enemy

Though it is hard to do at times, hiding yourself with meld can save your butt if you do it right. The right time to use Meld to hide is when you know you can stay there are not get massacred. Only attempt to hide if you know the other team doesn’t have wards with them, and that they don’t have any AoE heroes nearby. As long as they aren’t there, you can simply wait it out until they leave, and quickly pop out of Meld and run back to base.

Psionic Trap Placement

Well, I can’t stress enough how important this section is. Psionic Traps are the key to playing Lanaya well. There are so many great things that traps can do, and knowing how to do them will be your ticket to success.

First off, lets talk about the stationary traps. Over the course of a game, you will have about 4-10 traps that are always place in the same areas. These traps are place to be strategic areas that ganks will usually chase through.

By placing a Psionic Trap somewhere, you gain a small area of sight in that area. This makes them invaluable to spot ganks, as well as slow chasers or runners down. At Level 6, you will get your first 5 traps. At first, you should place your traps in your lane area. Here is a common setup for both the general area of the whole map, and early game trap placement (Mine is at Sentinel Bot)

Here is the standard Lane Trap. These are place in the middle of lanes, and are the ones you’ll see the most often during pushes and early-game lanes. These are used to either slow a pursuer or slow a victim. Observation is not important at this point.

Now, early on, you will want to place at least one River Trap. These traps are placed at the ramps and entrances of the river to provide scouting and trapping at the right moment. There are many points in the river you can use, as it is narrow and a great place to surprise someone. Below are some River traps placed at certain points, even two traps close to each other.

Trap Chasing

Here we are. The heart and cheapness of Psionic Traps lies in here.

Psionic Traps are amazing combat tools. Wait…what? Shouldn’t you lay down all of them ahead of time? They aren’t in-combat useable!

The answer is no. Look at the skill itself: 15 mana to cast and 7 seconds of cooldown. What is not included in the tooltip is the range at which they can be cast. Psionic Traps can be cast from a range of 2000 units. This allows placement of Psionic Traps from huge distances, and you can literally spam Psionic Trap without running out of mana.

This is amazing. If a hero is running from you, you may have a trap set up somewhere in the vicinity, but they won’t get close enough. Now, here comes the cheap part. Watch the area you are traveling in. Predict where they will head within the next 5 seconds. This is much easier to aim with then, for example, blink, because of one key thing: The range. If you get juked out, you can simply wait another 6 seconds and place one ahead of the hero. If you have traps already laid out, and can actually place traps on the go, you’ll easily catch a hero.

Team Support

Finally, Psionic Trap placement outside of battle is crucial. Traps have a decent field of vision, and cannot only be used to slow, but to observe. Placing traps in key areas like rune spawns, the river entrances and exits, and forest areas provide not just sight, but helpful tools. Having your traps spread out across the map will provide some help when you find yourself in a sticky situation.

Placing traps in your lane and the others is important during pushes. Whether your team is pushing or defending, traps placed behind or ahead of the group will provide support. If an enemy team is pushing in, and you scare them back, you and your team will be able to net some kills if you placed a trap or two behind them. On the pushing side, you can set up traps along the lane as you push. When the enemy team is chasing you out the lane, blow the traps to prevent any deaths, and get away intact, with a successful push.

Useful Combinations and Large Battles

There are the following patterns of skills you can use with Lanaya:

-Meld, Attack
-Attack, Meld, Refraction, Attack
-Attack, Meld, Blow Trap, Refraction, Attack, Blow Trap…
-Refraction, Wait, Attack, Meld, Refraction, Attack, Blow Trap
-Meld, Wait for a few seconds, Attack, Meld, Attack, Refraction, Attack, Chase, Trap

However, since Lanaya can lay traps down whenever she wants, you can make a combo as long as you want. Her skills are low on manacost, and Lanaya has a decent mana pool for an agility-based hero.

The best way to start a fight between an opponent is like this:

First, activate Refraction. Wait until you have about 10 seconds on cooldown left, then run in. Attack until Refraction is down. Meld, and quickly attack again. From here, use Refraction again, and lay Psionic Traps for chasing once the enemy begins to run. This is a little complicated at first, but after doing it; you get the hang of it.

In large-scale battles, you will usually go unnoticed, unless the other team has really started to hate you. Use this opportunity to Meld, and then break it on the hero that is being focused on. Once someone begins to attack you, use Refraction and pummel down upon them. If you noticed your team is retreating, lay down a trap and bounce.

If you notice a chase starting, try to help in whatever way you can. With a 2000 range trap, you can easily change the tide of a chase with a slow. Also, always try to pay attention to your traps among large battles; it’s easy to forget where your closest trap is, and that you can lay traps in mid fight.

Gameplay Walkthrough

Here’s a walkthrough on how to proceed through the game if you haven’t gotten it already.

Early Game - Level 1-6

Grab your starting items and head out to a lane, preferably top or bottom. It doesn’t matter if you solo, just personal preference. Make sure you grab Refraction first. When the creeps arrive, check to see if you are up against a melee or ranged. You can try to last hit if they are melee, but watch for nukers, as you are still very fragile. Just keep back and knock out creeps. If your enemy doesn't deny, then you should be Levels 2-3. You should have gotten Refraction and Psi Blades. If your opponent is ranged, you will most likely have to defend at your tower.

Keep collecting money off of the creeps. If you are against a melee hero, you will be able to harass them a little at this point. If you have pushed your opponent back to their tower, don’t try to Refraction yourself and dive in, you’ll die unless they only need one hit to die. You don’t need to achieve hero kills at this point. Right now, surviving while keep your lane under control and farming creeps is what you need to do. If you get lucky and see an opportunity to snag a kill, do it. This will usually only happen if you are laning with a stunner or slower.

This is very important. If you want to be more effective at creep killing, try to line your attack up so you catch as many creeps as you can with Psi Blades. This will allow you to dominate your lane. Always wait until you are being pounded on to activate Refraction. Make sure you don’t lose your tower, as that is your only backup for the time being. At this point in time, you should have a healthy amount of money (somewhere between 800-1200)

When you reach Level 6, lay down your 5 traps, and then head back to the fountain.

Tips:

As Lanaya, you will probably harassed early on if you are matched against ranged or a caster. There really isn’t anything you can do about it at this point, so just try to stay alive and protect your tower. Once you have Psi Blades Level 2, you will be able to own creeps, and harass melee heroes. Hang in there until you have laid down some traps and return to the fountain.

Early Mid Game - Level 7-11

At this point in time, you will be able to hold your own. You should have maxed out Refraction, and have some decent range with Psi Blades. Make sure you place your traps well, as you only have 5 at this moment. Don’t go to other lanes to help gank unless you have to, as you still need to get a few more levels. If you are going one on one in your lane, you can try to net a kill now. Using Trap Chasing and the Double Refraction trick will help ensure a kill. DO NOT try to trap chase past a tower, you will get owned. Keep on pushing your lane out; you should be able to waste creeps now.

Tips:

If you have a teammate with you, now is a great time to destroy that lane. Hopefully you are paired up with a disabler. If they stun or slow, you can walk right up to them, use Refraction, and nail them with +80 bonus damage on each hit. If they are getting away, lay and blow a trap. Your pal will probably disable again. It is likely over by that point. Try to knock down your enemy’s tower, as it’ll give you more room to trap chase, and more area to lay stationary traps.

Mid Game Level - 12-16

Now you should be focused on farming and completing your Stygian Desolator. Stick to the bottom and top lanes. Make sure you pay attention to your stationary traps during this stage, as they will warn you of incoming ganks. If you haven’t taken out the first tower on either the top or bottom lane, do that now. Stygian Desolator is going to be really important at this point, as it’ll be a huge damage boost for your entire team. Each mithril hammer you purchase will help you get the next part of the recipe. You should have it finished by levels 14-16

Tips:

Farm like a madman. A MADMAN!

Late Game Level - 17-25

Now that you have your Desolator, the enemy team while start to take notice of you. Keep your traps set up, and keep a watching eye. Even though most time will be spent pushing lanes at this point, you can score a kill if someone goes out alone. Make sure you are either at every push, or have Psionic Traps at the area of the push. The best thing you can do during a push is lay out traps for escape and chase, and use your Stygian to lower armor to a scary level, at which your teammates will eradicate anything. Deal as much damage as possible with Refraction on and escape once you notice that your teammates are heading back. If your team is bad at clearing waves, get in there and smash on them. Always remember to use Psionic Traps, even when getting attacked. They can mean the difference between you and your team surviving or not.

And at the end, you should be a crazy, dps dealing, armor crunching, and trap-throwing beast. If you’ve followed what has been given throughout this guide, and have learned to play Lanaya, then it is very likely you will be able to own people left and right. Of course, having less than competent teammates won’t help you win. Just try to work together; Lanaya can be an amazing team fighter.

Tips/Additional Stuff/Allies and Enemies

Allies

Lanaya can pair well with almost every sort of hero. Where she really shines in teamwork, however, is with disablers. If you can get a hero stunned, Lanaya can wreck upon them using Refraction and Meld. Coupled with Stygian Desolator and Meld, Lanaya also goes well with other DPS dealers. All around, Lanaya can pair with almost any hero.

Enemies

Image Heroes and Summoners

Any hero with the ability to produce images or summon help(Naga Siren, Terrorblade, Phantom Lancer, Chaos Knight, Undying, Demon Warlock, Lycanthrope) will chew through your Refraction charges and destroy you. Unfortunately, most image/summon heroes also have a stun, slow, or disable.

AoE Caster



Any AoE caster can prove a big problem for Lanaya. This effectively makes melding to hide useless. As long as they stand there, Lanaya will her butt kicked. Hard. Spells such as Pulse Nova, Freezing Field, and Diabolic Edict are just some of the few.

Damage Over Time

Any hero that deals damage over time, especially in short intervals, will destroy Lanaya. Since each dot registers as damage, one tick will remove a counter on Refraction. This renders one of her best skills useless.

Radiance Users

Any hero that uses Radiance often in their core build (Viper, Weaver, Naix) will also destroy Lanaya. Radiance deals 36 damage a second, and combined with their own attacks, will make short work of your Refraction

Worst Enemies
Pudge

Stay away from at all costs. Pudge will not just own you; he will reign over you like a nightmare. Not only does he have Dismember to hold you, but he has Rot, which is a very potent DoT. Even worse, this guy can just throw a hook at where you are melded and its over. Don’t take Pudge on…ever…without help.

Dark Seer

Interesting that a new hero would be a counter to her. Dark Seer counters all of her skills. Dark Seer can cast Ion Shell and stand next to you, which can hit you in meld, and will eat through your Refraction. Also, if you are in Meld, he can Vacuum that area and pull you out of it. Even worse, he can buff himself and run through your traps, laughing. Worst of all, he can cast Ion shell and Surge on other team member as well. Get someone to kill this guy for you.

Axe

Axe can be a really big pain. You need to always be cautious of getting close to Axe, as Counter Helix makes short work or your small portion of health. Battle Hunger can eat through your Refraction charges, and Berserker's call will pull you out of Meld. Culling blade goes right through Refraction as well. Watch out for this guy, he can hurt... a lot.

Note: Meld bonuses will still be applied if you are Beserker Called out of Meld. The -armor buff is not removed after Berserker's Call.

Tiny

A pro Tiny player could really be a pain in your side. Avalanche is many seperate bursts of damage, and Toss could throw you out of Meld, and damage you with AoE. If he is near you, try to jump him after he's used Avalanche, to give you the most time possible before he can hit you with it. Basically, stay away from him unless he's stupid, or you are in a team battle.

Anonymous Facts and Tips

-As long as the attack lands on it's target, Meld bonuses will always apply. (If you attack an invis hero, and the attack lands, then it won't matter if they are now currently invisible).

-Meld Level 4 has been fixed in 6.44b, and now stacks correctly with Stygian Desolator, as well as Assault Curiass.

-When under Meld, you will not emit auras until you break Meld.

-Psi Blades will not transfer Orb Effects to units within the spill range. Only the target of the attack is affected.

-Your teamates can use Boots of Travel on Psionic Traps, but you can't (Thanks to Galv)

-You will not break Meld as long as you don’t move. If you are stunned in Meld, you will not appear. Any skill that moves you will break Meld, however.

-As much as people would like to believe, Refraction will not block Culling Blade. If you are underneath the specified health amount, you will die.

-Remember that when you are playing Lanaya, that she isn’t meant to be the super imbalanced hero that pwns everyone. You will die from time to time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get back up and pwn some more faces off

- When playing Lanaya, always pay attention to your traps and your teammates. You can easily save a teammates life just by activating a River Trap or such.

Source: Dota-allstars.com, dota-allstars wikipedia