Juxtaposition

Introduction - Key Points/Tips

Hey there, are you looking for the basic guide on how to use the phantom lancer? Look no further - it's not a guide however for advanced players and I won't pretend I can write a guide for advanced players! Hopefully it includes everything a new phantom lancer needs to succeed! Hope you enjoy it!

• Spirit Lance spiritlance is expensive - mana management is really important, you don't want to be lancing away and find yourself without enough mana to Doppelwalk away!
• Doppelwalk's mana and recharge decrease as you level it - although the illusion produced isn't affected - therefore I level it last since I require the illusions for farming or jungling!
• From level 8 onwards you are capable of farming jungle and generating huge amounts of gold by sending your excess illusions back to the lane - they might push the lane but it will improve your earnings so it's worth it!
• Late game although you are almost capable of soloing an entire team - you're team would probably prefer you didn't and you just stuck with the team! Fight the temptation!
• Remember to use Doppelwalk to escape nukes and missiles/attacks!
• Hunt the squishy heroes down first and then use all the illusions to crowd other heroes!

When to pick Phantom Lancer?

Here is quite an interesting question;

• Your team requires a hard carry
• Their team doesn't have too much AoE damage Queen of Pain Earthshaker
• Preferably play in the safe lane, good support to go with you into the suicide lane Crystal Maiden Lion (Whilst they stack/pull creeps you run around the tower and last hit creeps!)
• You enjoy smashing entire teams regardless of hero choices!

Gameplay

You're entire job early game is to last hit creeps - choose the safe lane and have a support with you - get levels and last hits - if you are playing against a tough lane play it safe - phantom lancer from level 8 onwards can jungle and farm successfully with items or from level 10 onwards without items.

• You will be the carry - don't die, steal kills where you can - the entire game revolves around you - since late game you will be the one winning the game.
• Using the ring of protection you bought at the start make the tranquil boots - you will need these to remain in the lane - also saves on salves and tangos.
• From level 4 onwards you can start to try and get kills - you have level 2 lance and doppelwalk to escape - one salvo and you'll be out of mana so make it count!

If however you find yourself in the hard lane with the game you will be left to soak up any exp that isn't denied and take every scrap of gold you can steal! If there's a hero kill on offer take it - as soon as mid starts ganking see if you can get an assist or a kill in your lane and then change lane to mid and get to level 10 - as soon as you reach level 10 run away to jungle and get your core - carry a scroll of town portal to help with any ganks or defending when needed!

Now is when you really start to come into your own! Hopefully you have managed to farm up enough items to make yourself a real pain for the oppposition.

Help your team gank and get as many kills as possible - finish off all core items and begin looking at the luxurious side of life!

Hopefully your team are pushing towers try to get all the last hits on these as it will enable

Late game however it's all about the team play - stay with them as much as possible and just carry the team to victory! You'll need the stuns and disables your team has to offer even though Phantom Lancer is such a pain late game!

When is it time to leave the forest?

First you have to weigh up the pro's and con's of leaving the forest:

Leaving Can start ganking (hero kills give more gold and exp than creeps) Start pushing lanes (tower kills) Forest can be boring after a while Help team-mates

Staying If ganks are unsuccsessful than you miss out on all the exp and gold from forest You risk wasting time and gaining deaths instead of gold and items If you aren't needed for the ganks than you are better off farming up your core items in the forest You are still squishy - until you can get your drums you will be mega squishy giving heroes like Lion or Lina an easy kill.

Item List Justification

Starting Items
Iron Branch - Some stats, raises hp over 500
Quelling Blade - Makes last hitting a dream
Ring of Protection - Allows you to make Tranquil Boots from side shop
Healing Salve - Allows for healing until Tranquil Boots

Core
Diffusal Blade - Phantom Lancer bread and budder item - allows illusions to deal greater damage and burn mana!
Tranquil Boots - Allows you to stay in your lane for much longer, no need to buy other heals
Yasha - Much needed agility - also more MS/AS
Drums of endurance - Some much needed health and stats - also more MS/AS

Luxuries
Manta Style - More illusions, more stats and it uses the Yasha we already made!
Butterfly - Maybe the best luxury item you can possibly get, lots of damage, attack speed and armour and even better it all helps your illusions!
Heart of Tarrasque - This for me is key, I often will get this before my manta depending on the game, it just allows Phantom Lancer to become such a tank and the illusions are so difficult to bring down! Later on after you have Manta Style and Butterfly with the evasion and the number of illusions it is near impossible to kill your illusions let alone you!
Daedalus - This should really be in situational or avoid but I have put it in since it does allow you to do some obscene amounts of damage and it would definitely be my preference over Divine Rapier

Situational
Radiance - Some people swear by it - I think that it's fairly expensive and an early Diffusal Blade would suit you far better.
Assault Cuirass - Hard game with some hard hitting melee heroes Ursa Slark then this might just save you, lowering their armour and boosting yours! Perfect
Heaven's Halberd - Same as the above, gives some health, evasion and the disarm - perfect for dispatching those pesky carries Phantom Assassin Drow Ranger
Linken's Sphere - Bounty Hunter's Track and Doom Bringer's Doom counter, against an experienced team this won't work since they will just Shuriken or Level death you first and then finish you.
Eye of Skadi - Lots of stats that will benefit your illusions, the orb effects do stack currently although I wouldn't be surprised to see that changed soon!
Divine Rapier - Yes if your game goes on that long then why not? Although it won't help your illusions!

Avoid
Battlefury - Cleave doesn't help your illusions, and you don't need it!
Mjollnir - Attack Speed is nice, although the hyper stone is better spent on an assault cuirass and the money would be better spent on your core or one of the other luxuries!
Ring of Aquila , Ring of Basilius , Wraith Band - These items are useful at times although they just slow your Core items down.

Boots?

I believe that this is so important a topic that it deserves its own chapter!

At some point in the game you will need to upgrade your Tranquil Boots since towards the end of the game the bonuses just aren't good enough! You need more attack speed you need more mobility you need everything and you want everything!

Which boots should I get on Phantom Lancer?? Well the question is what sort of game are you in? I shall be ignoring Arcane Boots and Phase Boots since they give damage bonuses or mana bonuses which don't stack on illusions or aren't needed and you don't really need the phase ability since you have Doppel walk

Boots of Travel

[*] Allow teleportation around the map
[*] Quick movement speed


[*] Really expensive!
[*] Don't give any stats or AS bonus



Power Treads

[*] Good stat gains
[*] Decent MS bonus
[*] Good AS bonus
[*] Easily made from Tranquil Boots


[*] Fairly expensive
[*] Not as fast as Boots of Travel

Hero Specific Tactics/Techniques

Pudge

He can be a real problem early game, he rots and can quickly tell which is the real one, so you need to make him waste his hook first, approach from the fog and use Doppelwalk as the illusion approaches move it about a little make it look realistic, try and last hit a creep. As soon as he wastes the hook move in spirit lance and attack, move the illusions in and out a lot keeping your main in full contact, it may sound stupid but most pudges will just target the moving illusions!

Gyrocopter Queen of Pain Magnus Sven Mirana Sand King

All of these do huge amounts of splash damage, this being said early game they may hold the upper hand but by being careful to avoid them through out the early stages of the game and ensure they are ganked by your team should be enough to allow you late game dominance over them!

Special Mention - Dark Seer

Early game just play really safe - his Ion Shell will tear through you and your creeps and illusions! But late game as soon as you have your diffusal you can tear through him, wait until he Surge and then purge using the Diffusal Blade active ability! It removes Surge and slows him like normal!

Crystal Maiden Outworld Destroyer Shadow Demon Lina Luna Zeus Ancient Apparition

This is true for most intelligence heroes and quite a few agility heroes as well! They are squishy and have a fair bit of mana to be burned! Perfect for you to take advantage of!

Final Words

I hope the contents of this guide/build help you and please let me know any ways I can improve upon it!

Happy Fragging!