Semi-daily hero tips. Day 48: Lion

PREVIOUS HEROES

• Abaddon
• Alchemist
• Ancient Apparition
• Anti-Mage
• Arc Warden
• Axe
• Bane
• Batrider
• Beastmaster
• Bloodseeker
• Bounty Hunter
• Brewmaster
• Bristleback
• Broodmother
• Centaur Warrunner
• Chaos Knight
• Chen
• Clinkz
• Clockwerk
• Crystal Maiden
• Dark Seer
• Dazzle
• Death Prophet
• Disruptor
• Doom
• Dragon Knight
• Drow Ranger
• Earth Spirit
• Earthshaker
• Elder Titan
• Ember Spirit
• Enchantress
• Enigma
• Faceless Void
• Gyrocopter
• Huskar
• Invoker
• IO
• Jakiro
• Juggernaut
• Keeper of the Light
• Kunkka
• Legion Commander
• Leshrac
• Lich
• Lifestealer
• Lina

DISCLAIMER

A lot of you probably know about the weekly hero discussion, but that often ends up in a meta discussion (whether or not the hero needs buffs, etc) or a meme war than actual tips to play, itemize and build the hero.

This is what I'd like to do. Please discuss any notes I made and possible improvements while also giving tips of your own if you have them.

The roles, skill builds and item builds, as well as a lot of the notes are my opinion on matters and should not be seen as a must do or don't. Also remember that almost every single build or role is situationally possible.

A lot of the tips on heroes were also mentioned in tsunami's amazing hero tips series he did over the last couple of years.

Lion

Notes:

• Don't ground target earth spike if you only have one target and you are close enough for the cast range to reach (the ground targetted earth spike reaches further).
• Time mana drain so the enemy has to choose between taking a last hit and getting drained or running back
• Good versus: Naga, AM, CK (illusions die from hex and mana drain), LC, Slark, Troll, Ursa (hex when they initiate), Abaddon (Finger can kill him before ult auto triggers), WK (mana drain)
• Counters: Arc Warden (hex and mana drain doesn't kill double), Visage (you have nothing to handle birds), Chen, Undying, Furion, Razor (you have very little to stop 5 man pushes)
• If you feel like their Magnus or other initiator might blink, keep casting hex on him and cancelling. This way when he does blink in your range he's toast.
• Versus: Stay away from an over confident lion, as he probably wants to finger your ass
• Level 6 lion does 600 damage with stun and finger after magic resistance

Role: support

Item build: (wand/bottle), tranquils, blink, (sheep stick, eul's, force staff, agh's, dagon, glimer, aether lens, ghost)

Skill build: Earth Spike > Mana Drain > Hex. Value point in hex at lvl 1 or 2