Analyzing competitive plays with Razor, by Peppo_o'Paccio

Introduction

Razor is a rather tanky AGI-Hero known for being a good "anti-carry": his skill set not only grants a very wide AoE nuke that can be used to deal the killing blow to fleeing enemies and scout the surroundings, it also makes you able to soak up all the damage from an enemy and keep up with them when they're running away! He's a pretty good semi-carry that doesn't need damage items to become effective, as he takes the one of the enemies; for this reason, he's also very strong in the late game. His passive, Unstable Current, makes survivability items and auras much more appealing than damage items.

After being quite popular as a safe lane Hero, now he's usually played mid, though his potential in aggressive trilanes is not to be overlooked. He's usually put into the "anti-carry" category because, even though this is not a true role, it shows what Razor is good against and when it's best to pick him. Not many Heroes fit in this category (most notably Razor, Brewmaster and someone even says Bloodseeker), but Razor is probably the one with the most balanced carry potential, which means he's not only good in the mid game but - most of the time - in the late game, too.

Useful Terms and Links

Creep blocking:

to place yourself in front of the incoming creep wave so that when they will reach the enemy creeps you'll be closer to your tower. Video.

Animation cancelling:

to attack while moving in order to increase your damage per second (DPS) and chase fleeing enemies.

Ganking:

to kill an enemy Hero (or two) in a numbers advantage.

Pros and Cons

Pros Can absorb up to 224 damage Awesome chaser Very tanky if built correctly Easy to play Can potantially kill anyone in a 1vs1 fight One of the fastest Heroes in the game Item independent damage-wise

Cons Squishy in the early game Item dependent survivability-wise Not so good at last-hitting creeps Poor damage without Static Linking

When to pick him

Razor is best picked if you expect that the enemy carry is going to be fed (maybe if your enemies have a good trilane) and if you either need a solo/mid laner with high mobility or a trilane carry that can win the lane. Remember, though, that this Hero can't stun or disable enemies in any way, so don't pick him blindly.

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Summarizing, pick Razor if:

• You expect the enemy carry to get fed;
• Your team needs a Hero with high mobility;
• Your team already has initiators and disablers;
• Your team has enough space for a semi-carry;
• Your team needs a tanky Hero.

Also, don't pick Razor if:

• The enemies are opting for a pushing strategy (no good carry to link to);
• You can't last hit at all;
• You don't know the difference between pushing and farming;
• Your team needs an initiator or disabler;
• Your team doesn't have any support Heroes.

Abilities

Razor focuses on using the strength of an enemy to his advantage: he has a powerful nuke which has a very wide range and hits twice (useful for farming, too), a non-channeling spell that literally absorbs the strength of an enemy Hero and an interesting passive which slows and damages the attacking enemies while increasing Razor's speed. His ultimate continuously hits any enemy low on health near him through a cloud over his head.

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Plasma Field is Razor's nuke: it has an enormous range of 795 units and hits twice. The more distant the enemy, the more damage they take. Players usually cast it to last hit enemies while ganking or to initiate a teamfight after an AoE stun such as Slithereen Crush, Hoof Stomp and obviously Ravage. It's usually maxed out first because of its usefulness in the early-mid game, but in some situations having the Static Link at level 4 as soon as possible is way better. You can hit enemies while they're in the fog of war, too: if you think you're being ganked, use it to deter incoming gankers or as a defensive tool before running away. If the enemy is not very low and you think you won't be able to kill him with a Plasma Field, wait until he's at the very edge of the radius and then use it: the two hits should happen almost contemporarily, granting higher damage. Don't use it too late, though!

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Static Link could seem a bit useless because of the long duration of the link, but it's actually the only ability in its kind. It steals the damage of an enemy for a maximum of 26 seconds and gives that damage to Razor: if the link is interrupted the buff will still be applied, but the damage reduction and gain will be less. Mind, anyway, that it has a pretty big range and you can still autoattack or cast spells while linking: if used on the right Hero, it can turn the tide of a fight in your favor. Always use it on carries or, generally, Heroes with low mobility so that you can absorb damage for the full duration of the skill. Remember that even if skills like Astral Imprisonment, Disruption, Waning Rift or Rage (or any form of magic immunity such as the Black King Bar) are used on a linked enemy, you'll keep absorbing damage. This can lead to, for example, easy ganks with a Shadow Demon or good teamfight control with an Outworld Devourer. Max this skill first in a 1v1 scenario (like in the mid lane) or, sometimes, if you're performing an aggressive trilane and trying to prevent their carry from farming. The Plasma Field can still be maxed out by level 9 without making that much of a difference in this case.

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This is Razor's passive ability: while it's not that good in the early game, it lets you run at almost max movement speed when maxed out and deters a lot of Heroes thanks to the huge slow. The main reason to get early points of this skill is if you're solo laning: a 1 second slow duration, but even 0.5 seconds, can make the difference between life and death! The extra movement speed, paired with items like Phase Boots and Drum of Endurance, synergizes very well with the Static Link: no-one will be able to run away from you if you're super fast, unless they have an effective escape mechanism.

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This ultimate is powerful if used at the right moment, but your enemy can easily make you waste it: try to use it when a teamfight is going to happen. Early on, don't use it for pushing as it will make your last hitting a lot more difficult and won't deal damage to structures (unless you have an Aghanim's Scepter). Mind that the mana cost will be increased by 50 when levelling it up, so, if you are low on mana, always keep an eye on its cost if you want to use it. The Agh's upgrade is very powerful, but at the same time you don't always need it: if you're stomping in the early game, a "basic" Eye of the Storm is more than enough to keep the enemies at bay, so you can focus on a Black King Bar or on offensive survivability items.

Items Explanation: Utility Build

As a Razor, your team expects you to build both survivability and mobility items. Since this Hero is a semi-carry, you'll probably play in a mid game-oriented team, in which case an early Mekansm works wonders: 15 minutes into the game 250 HP and 2 extra armor points is huge, not to mention the passive HP regen. a Drum of Endurance adds more movement speed, another good aura and the possibility to win even more mid game fights.

Town Portal Scrolls

Generally speaking, every hero should carry at least one Town Portal Scroll when reaching the mid game. If you have already built a Mekansm you won't find it difficult to fit a Scroll in your backpack, as your Branches will be crafted together and you'll have more space.

Starting items

When starting with Razor, make sure you buy a Healing Salve and at least one Tango to ensure you stay in lane even if you get harassed. You need the three Iron Branches to increase your stats and get a bit of last-hitting damage, you will turn them into a Magic Wand later. And remember, they are the most cost-efficient item in the game! As Razor's earmy game mana regen is not that great, a Ring of Protection turned into a Ring of Basilius will make up for it.

As said before Razor's autoattack damage isn't that high, and what's better than a Wraith Band to cover up your damage needs on an AGI Hero? It will be turned later into a Ring of Aquila. As you might have realized, you could buy a third Iron Branch with your starting gold. The reason why I don't do it is that you only need two Branches for the Mekansm and saving 50 gold will make your Bottle come online earlier.

Early game items

As said before, if you started with a Ring of Protection don't forget to buy a Ring of Basilius as soon as possible! The aura helps your laning mates a lot, plus you get extra damage, armor and mana regeneration. Keep it turned off in the laning phase, or you'll start pushing giving easy farm and experience to the enemies because of the lane push. Don't take the Bottle if you are not mid laning: you would just waste precious money. On the contrary, when you are playing in mid lane always pick it as a first item! Taking runes with Razor's high movement speed and zoning abilities should be very easy, and HP and mana regen are always handy. Talking about Boots, it's personal preference: some players prefer Power Treads becuse they make you more survivable and add a bit of attack speed; some others used to go Phase Boots instead. Since the Mekansm costs 225 mana per activation, the vast majority of players nowadays go for Treads so that they can Tread switch and save mana, but combining the Static Link with extra movement speed from Phase Boots ensures you can sap damage for the whole duration of the link, especially if you go Drums after the Mek.

Core items

The Ring of Aquila is a very cheap item that gives Razor all he needs: extra pushing power grants safe tower pushes by the 15-20 minute mark, more agility adds not only damage but also armor points and mana regen always helps. Next, buy a Mekansm: survivability items are the best choice on Razor, and a Mek comes with a good aura, too; it's rather expensive, but compared to a Vanguard it also gives a very good active ability that helps your team. A 15 minute Mekansm is also an easy way to force and win early teamfights, as the heal will be exponentially better in the early stages. Start from the Buckler so you can get a early armor and some extra pushing power using its active.

Items Explanation: Racecar Build

If there's already someone building a Mekansm in your team, or if the enemy team is lacking stuns, maximizing your mobility would be a good idea. Not many supports can run away from a normal Hero with Phase Boots, so imagine what you can do with Sange and Yasha while using your Static Link! Stuns are a bigger problem with this build, so always use it when you know you can exploit your mobility as much as possible.

Starting items

When starting with Razor, make sure you buy a Healing Salve and at least one Tango to ensure you stay in lane even if you get harassed. You need the three Iron Branches to increase your stats and get a bit of last-hitting damage, you will turn them into a Magic Wand later. And remember, they are the most cost-efficient item in the game! As Razor's earmy game mana regen is not that great, a Ring of Protection turned into a Ring of Basilius will make up for it.

As said before Razor's autoattack damage isn't that high, and what's better than a Wraith Band to cover up your damage needs on an AGI Hero? It will be turned later into a Ring of Aquila. This time you could buy a third Iron Branch since the Magic Wand requires three Branches, but I usually prefer to save 50 gold for an earlier Bottle as stated before.

Early game items

Again, the Ring of Basilius should be your first item if you started with a Ring of Protection: you can finish it from the side shop and the aura it gives is invaluable in the early game. Don't activate it unless you want to push. Early Phase Boots are there for the last-hitting damage and for extra chasing and escaping capabilities, a Magic Wand helps you with burst regen and removes those Branches from your inventory and a Bracer adds well-needed survivability and can potentially be turned into a Drum of Endurance. As always, rush a Bottle if you're mid.

Core items

The Ring of Aquila can be overlooked in this build, but I still prefer picking it up because of the mana regen and the cheap stats. Stacking auras is also helpful, so consider picking it up even with the Drum of Endurance. The Drum of Endurance is actually a personal preference: some players prefer rushing a straight SnY for the extra maim, but if nobody in your team is buying Drums then why not? As said before, the extra aura is all you need, plus Drums and Yasha make you impossible to chase without a stun. Stacking the survivability of the Drums with a Sange also beefs you up. Lastly, finish your Sange and Yasha: many people think this is a "bad" item because it costs too much for what it gives, but the movement speed is the main reason why you should buy it. Also, the extra attack speed from Yasha makes you much better in teamfights, as you should already have high damage with the Static Link but should hit pretty slowly; the STR from the Sange component adds even more survivability. Don't forget about the maim, too!

Mid and Late Game Items

An item that gives you many good things: the Aghanim's Scepter adds a lot of stats (which means more HP and tankiness) and improves your ultimate. Many people think that it only makes the Eye of the Storm damage structures, but in fact it also lets you land more strikes per second. It's a rather expensive item compared to the others, but it's definitely worth it if you need to push in little time: more HP, pushing power and even teamfight contribution! It's like a late game Drum of Endurance.

Never underestimate the power of a Black King Bar: if you always get stunned while Static Linking or bursted down by heavy nuke damage, this is what you should be looking for. It's also a no-brainer for when the other team is full of stuns and disables that don't go through magic immunity, it really makes a huge difference. Magic immunity should be enough to push down tier 3 towers, so always get a BKB when doing so if you have money and your core is ready. Remember to use its active carefully, as the duration decreases the more you use it.

This should be your item of choice if the enemy has a powerful carry that doesn't build a BKB or is left with a low-duration one: especially versus Heroes that focus on burst damage like Ursa and Troll Warlord, disarming them while using Static Link ensures that they will be left with almost no damage after the disarm wears off. Remember that Razor should be built with high survivability, because the longer he stays in fights the longer his ultimate and his link last: Heaven's Halberd not only gives more HP, but also evasion! Combining this with a HP-based late game item like a Heart or a Skadi makes you very difficult to bring down without a Monkey King Bar.

This item is usually underrated on Razor: if you get lots of stats, your illusions will benefit from them, too. They will deal little damage (as they can't absorb the damage from Static Link as you do), but they will still be very, very tanky. Also, it's worth noting that when you activate Manta Style your debuffs will be removed: you can "purge" most silences and many venom-based debuffs (Viper's ultimate and Venomancer's damage-over-time); you can dodge stuns with it, too! If you already have a Sange and Yasha, disassemble it before making a Manta! You don't want two Yashas as the extra movement speed doesn't stack.

Lastly, an underrated item, the Eul's Scepter of Divinity. It's an unhortodox choice, but it works if you can use it well: first, you get extra movement speed; secondly, you can use it on a Static Linked enemy to drain all his damage without getting interrupted. Since it's INT-based and Razor doesn't have mana problems, it's most of the time a wasted slot, so don't buy it unless you can combo it with a good teammate like a Leshrac or Lina that have hard-to-land stuns. Buying it versus a team with low mobility is also good, as you can basically use it to play 4 vs 5 fights or chase down a lone Hero you're ganking.

Late Game Items

When playing a late game Razor, you usually want to buy extra armor to prevent the enemy carry from bursting you down. Contrary to what common players think, the best item to defend your team from fed carries is not the Assault Cuirass but the Shiva's Guard: the Cuirass might give you and your team extra armor, but the Freezing Aura from Shiva's makes the enemies hit much more slowly. Don't forget about the active ability, which slows the opponents so much that they won't be able to chase down your teammates (another reason why Shiva's is better than the Cuirass for countering carries). Despite being INT-based, it's actually one of the best pickups on Razor. This is another good aura that adds a huge amount of both attack speed and armor, the best things you could ever need. Attacking quicker lets you land more hits with the absorbed damage, and the armor part helps in making you survivable. This is like the offensive counterpart of Shiva's: if your team is winning and you need to breach high ground (remember the armor reduction applies to towers, too), this is the right choice. The aura also decreases the enemy armor, so that your hits will hit even harder! Especially versus STR carries, this makes a huge difference. This item is one of the two Unique Attack Modifiers - or "orbs" - mentioned in this guide (the second being the Satanic): it simply gives a lot of stats, making you extremely survivable and even adding some damage. It's not cheap, but it's really worth it. The slow goes through BKB and slows down the enemy attack speed, along with their movement speed: it's a very good anti-carry item, though its price might make it less appealing. Even though it's an orb, you can buy both a Skadi and a Satanic. I don't recommend **** so though, as by the time you have one of them you should have already won or should work towards a Butterfly. This is what makes Razor a serious threat in the later stages of the game: since you gain damage from the Static Link, you can build survivability without losing much damage. The Heart of Tarrasque gives you a ton of HP and makes you able to soak up all the stuns and nukes before your teammates engage the teamfight. This item gives you a lot of HP and an active skill that grants a percentage of healing based on the damage dealt to the enemy: basically, if you Static Link and enemy and then activate the Satanic you will gain a huge amount of HP. It also gives you a bit of damage, which is never useless. Unlike the Heart, the Satanic gives both HP and armor: if you don't have any armor-increasing items and have more than 2200 HP, a Satanic is - generally speaking - always better. Remember it also comes with a lifesteal which, unlike the HP regen from the Heart, works in teamfights. This is one of the very few damage items that actually work on Razor: as said before damage is a waste of money on him, but attack speed comes in handy. And if extra attack speed comes with the highest evasion chance in the game (without considering Hero abilities) and a lot of AGI that gets translated into armor, then it's definitely a worthy investment. Remember that its evasion does not stack with the one from the Heaven's Halberd, so don't buy both in the same game.

Skill Build

There are actually a couple of valid skill builds for Razor: mainly 3, but two of them can be condensed into one. The first one is more suited for solo laning and 1 vs 1 scenarios: Unstable Current makes you able to survive early ganking combos, and and early point of Static Link grants you easier last hitting and prevent the enemy carry from harassing you and getting last hits.

If you're mid, you might want to drop the first point in Unstable Current for an extra point in Plasma Field. On the contrary, in the off-lane, getting a second level of Unstable Current at 4 maxing your nuke by level 9 is understandable.

Static Link
Plasma Field
Unstable Current
Plasma Field
Plasma Field
Static Link
Plasma Field
Eye of the Storm
Static Link
Static Link
Eye of the Storm
Unstable Current
Unstable Current
Unstable Current
Stats
Eye of the Storm
Stats

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The skill build in the third tab is the common "max your link by level 7" build, very handy when laning versus the enemy carry or sometimes in the mid lane:

Static Link
Plasma Field
Static Link
Plasma Field
Static Link
Eye of the Storm
Static Link
Plasma Field
Plasma Field
Unstable Current
Eye of the Storm
Unstable Current
Unstable Current
Unstable Current
Stats
Eye of the Storm
Stats

Friends and Foes

Razor can be a threat even without help, but when teamfights start he needs someone to keep the carry in place when Static Linking. These Heroes can do that very effectively, but there are more of them:





Also, you might want someone in your team to carry a Gem of True Sight if there are invisible enemies: if you can't chase them, they have the upper hand.






Mostly, Razor's foes are those Heroes that can shut him down very quickly before he gets tanky items. In the early game, you should pay attention Heroes that can chain their nukes:





High mobility is also a major problem, so your Static Link is half useless versus Heroes and items like these:

Update History

06-16-2014: Made the item and skill builds easier to look at and improved the guide a little.
02-05-2014: Cleaned up the guide a little bit.
05-04-2014: Completely re-written the guide from scratch... Again.

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12-28-2012: Completely re-written the guide from scratch.

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11-02-2012: Added some minor changes to the item build.
11-01-2012: Added the "Useful Terms and Links" chapter.
11-01-2012: Finished to write the guide.
10-31-2012: Wrote the first part of the guide.