Phantom Lancer Strategies

Gameplay

"We outnumbered you. We outnumber them all!"

The isolated village of Pole had know idea that the war was about to start in the center of the kingdom. What they did care for was just spearfishing and their daily meal. However, the war was inevitable. And to prepare for the war, they would conscript people for the army and Azwaith was one of them. Azwaith, a humble lancer, vowed to protect the peaceful life of the citizens living in his kingdom. Shoulder by shoulder with his kin in the final fight with the Dread Magus Vorn, the death of his fellows was unavoidable. As they were getting closer to the fortress, only Azwraith was still alive and he managed to sneak into the fortress.

The demise of his brothers had fueled the rage and anger inside him. Azwraith disabled the fatal traps of the wizard and summoned guardians. He soon arrived at Vorn’s tower sanctum. He dueled with Dread Magus Vorn and their weapons clashed with each other. While the chaos had no sign of ending at the bottom of the tower, Azwraith somehow managed to pierce his opponent. When being defeated, the wizard shattered into many shards of light, piercing his murderer with power. 

As the dust fell and the smoke of battle cleared, Azwraith realized that he was standing among his kin. However, these brothers had the same clothes as him as well as weapons. In addition, he could read these brother’s minds. Soon his allies would get to this place so he ordered these phantoms to conceal themselves, and they all vanished into the thin air. When the troops arrived at the sanctum, they discovered the warrior who had defeated the wizard was no longer a living being but a phantom instead.

In-game,  Phantom Lancer is described as: 

“Phantom Lancer storms enemy forces with an endless supply of clones. Leading his illusory army, he can cut foes apart in a breathtaking flurry of attacks, send clones to push into enemy territory, or use his doppelgangers to mislead and elude foes if cornered.”

Ability Builds

• Strength: 19 + 2.2 each level;

• Agility: 26 + 3.2 each level;

• Intelligence: 21 + 2 each level;

• Health: 580;

• Health regeneration: + 3.4 each second;

• Mana: 327;

• Mana regeneration: + 1.05 each second;

• Damage: 52 - 62;

• Amor: 3.33;

• Magic Resistance: 25%;

• Turn Rate: 0.6;

• Attack Range: 150;

• Attack Speed: 100;

• Projectile speed: Instant;

• Attack Animation: 0.5+0.5;

• Movement: 290;

• Sight Range: 1800/800;

• Base Attack time: 1.7 seconds per attack;

• Damage Block: 16;

• Collision size: 8.

Talents

Notes:

• The health granted by talent will expand the health pool and remain the current health percentage. 

• The evasion granted by talent can stack with other evasion which is provided by allies or items.

• Break can not disrupt the critical strike granted by talent.

  • The critical strike boosts attack damage by an average of 24%.

  • Can stack with other proc chances sources. 

Tips & Tactics

General

In this build I will focus on guiding you how to play Phantom Lancer as a hard carry. So in the first three levels, you should place one point in each ability to maximize your damage and mobility in the early game. The first ability I recommend you max out is Phantom Rush as It is useful to approach the enemy as well as run away from the gank or when being sieged by enemies. Furthermore, the agility bonus granted by this spell also increases the damage output and survivability of him.

The second ability to max out is Doppelganger. The reason why you should max out this ability is because of the confusion it can cause on the opponents. They don’t know which target they should focus on. In addition, It also increases the amount of damage that Phantom Lancer can deal on the enemy. And Spirit Lance is our last priority. However, Spirit Lance is extremely useful when chasing the enemies and securing the kill due to the slow debuff so you should place one point in level 1 in order to gain the advantage when trading skills. Don’t forget to add a point on Juxtapose in level 6 or whenever possible.

Abilities

Spirit Lance

Spirit Lance (Unit Target, Magical)

Effect: Phantom Lancer puts his lance head in the ground, sending a glowing wave towards the target which creates an illusion standing next to the target and dealing damage.

Mana cost: 120

Cooldown: 7 (Talent 5)

Cast Animation: 0.3+0.73

Cast Range: 525/600/675/750

Number of Targets: 1

Damage: 100/160/220/280

Move Speed Slow: 10%/18%/26%/34%

Illusion Damage Dealt: 20%

Illusion Damage Taken: 400%

Illusion Duration: 2/4/6/8

Slow Duration: 3.25

Upgradable with Aghanim’s Shard:

• Effect: The glowing wave will bounce to the nearby enemy within 750 radius. 
• Number of Targets: 2
• Illusion Damage Dealt: 60%
• Bounce Distance: 750

Notes:

The traveling speed of the Spirit Lance is 1000.

The damage will be dealt after the debuff is applied.

The illusion is summoned when the glowing wave hits and deals damage or applies slow debuff on the target.

The illusion is created arbitrarily around the target which is 58 range away from the target.

The fake Spirit Lance can be cast by Phantom Lancer’s illusions if they are within the 675 range around Phantom Lancer.

• They also simulate the cast animation and release the fake lance simultaneously with the real one.

• If no order is placed on the illusions, they will face the target and cast fake lances.

• When illusions move or attack, they keep moving or striking and do not turn to face the target. They continue to use the cast animation, which overrides their move and attack animations.

• The fake lances will not be released if the cast is canceled. However, the illusions still play the whole cast animation.

• The fake lances have no interaction with anything and have no effect on impact.

If the enemies destroy the illusions, they will gain 5 golds and 5 experience regardless of the level of the Spirit Lance.

With the upgrades from Aghanim’s Shard, a unit within a 70 radius will be affected by Spirit Lance.

• The invisible units or units in the Fog of War can not be targeted by the bounce.

• Each unit will be hit by Spirit Lance once per cast.

• The glowing wave of Spirit Lance can not bounce to the target when they turn invisible or hidden.

• The total damage all bounces can deal before any reduction is up to 200/320/440/560 damage.

Doppelganger

Doppelganger (Unit Target)

Effect: Phantom Lancer dazzles for a short amount of time and creates two doppelgangers standing nearby him.The two newly summoned doppelgangers have distinct characteristics: one absorbs regular damage and deals none, while the other receives 500% additional damage and deals -80% less damage.

Cooldown: 25/20/15/10 (Talent 21/16/11/6)

Mana Cost: 50

Cast Animation: 0.1+0

Cast Range: 575

Reappear Radius: 325

Illusion Gather Radius: 900

Reappear Delay: 1

Number of Illusions: 2

• First Illusion Damage Dealt: 0%
• First Illusion Damage Taken: 100%
• Second Illusion Damage Dealt: 20%
• Second Illusion Damage Taken: 600%
• Gathered Illusion Duration Extension: 2
• Doppelganger Illusion Duration: 8

Notes:

When Phantom Lancer is dazzling, the projectiles and some spells can not affect him.

During the reappear delta, Phantom Lancer and his illusions are immune to damage and cannot move, attack, cast spells and use items. If the order is placed, it is queued and will be applied after that.

Two illusions are created and they all face in the same direction with Phantom Lancer when the Doppelganger is upon cast.

• Other illusions that have assembled keep their previous facing angle.

• The Phantom Lancer and his illusions reappear in the plus-like shape with a slight difference.

• The illusions will continue to attack, move or what they were doing after reappearing.

• The tree within the 150 radius when Doppelganger is cast will be chopped down.

The duration of the illusions will be expanded if they are gathered with Doppelganger. This has no effect on the two illusions generated with this spell.

• Because it takes 1 second for the illusions and Phantom Lancer to emerge, they essentially acquire 1 second of extra duration when they cast.

Phantom Lancer and his allies can tell the differences between the normal damage taking and no damage dealing illusion and other illusions based on the brightness. It is brighter than the others.

The 600% damage taking and 20% damage dealing illusion is no different from other Phantom Lancer’s illusions.

Only the illusions generated by Doppelganger are applied to the default bounty values which scale with levels.

Only death can disrupt when Doppelganger is upon cast. 

Phantom Rush

Phantom Rush (Toggle)

Effect: Phantom Lancer locks on a target and then rushes towards this unit. Phantom Lancer’s illusions can cast this spell too.

Cooldown: 16/12/8/4

Min Proc Distance: 200

Max Proc Distance: 600/675/750/825 (Talent 900/975/1050/1125)

Haste Speed: 800

Agility Bonus: 10/20/30/40

Max Rush Duration: 5

Agility Duration: 2

Notes:

Undispellable

Can be turned off to prevent activation.

• Only Phantom Lancer has the ability to toggle it, and it is still set to Off for his illusions.

Phantom Rush is only triggered when the player  Right Click or press A. Phantom Rush is not activated by auto-attacks or ground-targeted commands.

Phantom Rush may be activated on any target, including wards and structures.

Phantom Rush can not be stopped by disarm or ethereal effects. Phantom Rush can not target attack immune units.

Phantom Lancer gains the rush boost upon activation, which gives haste and phased mobility.

• The buff will end if it reaches its duration (5 seconds), hits the target successfully or receives another order.

• Non-targeted items have no impact on the rush while ↓↓ Double-tapping item abilities which are considered as targets can disrupt the rush.

• When Phantom Lancer is stunned, cycloned, asleep, hexed, or hidden, the rush boost is also removed.

• Roots only interrupt the buff for a while and he continues to rush after that when the effect has worn off.

• When being taunted, Phantom Lancer will rush to the taunting target without losing his buff.

• Fear does not disable this buff but will force him to rush in the opposite direction.

• Phantom will dash to the last known location before the target turns invisible or gets into the Fog of War.

The agility buff is granted right after he loses the rush buff.

• Regardless of how the rush buff is lost, He always is granted an agility buff.

• Phantom Lancer will receive 1.67/3.33/5/6.67 armor, 10/20/30/40 attack speed, and 10/20/30/40 attack damage.

Spirit Lance

Juxtapose (Passive, Self)

Effect: Phantom Lancer has the ability to fragment his presence and create an illusion of himself. Illusions have the potential to shatter even more. Illusions generated by Phantom Lancer have an 8-second duration, whereas illusions created by other illusions have a 4-second duration.

Hero Proc Chance: 40%/45%/50%

Illusion Proc Chance: 8%

Max Illusions: 6/8/10

Illusion Damage Dealt: 22% (Talent 27%)

Illusion Damage Taken: 650%

Illusion Duration (from Hero): 8

Illusion Duration (from Illusion): 4

Upgradable by Aghanim’s Scepter:

• Effect: The nearby allies also dazzle and generate several copies of themselves.
• Mana cost: 75
• Cooldown: 40
• Cast Animation: 0+0.54
• Max Illusions: 8/10/12
• Active Spawn Radius: 550
• Active Illusion Duration: 18

Notes:

An illusion will be created if Phantom Lancer attacks on the target.

Attack wards can generate illusion but no illusion is summoned when attacking buildings.

Pseudo-random distribution mechanism is applied on Juxtapose.

Juxtapose’s illusions will attack on the target which the spell is cast on.

• Juxtapose’s illusions can use Phantom Rush if the target is in the range.

• Killing Juxtapose’s illusion will grant the killer 5 golds and 5 experience for all levels.

• The illusions will be summoned 72 range away from Phantom Lancer which is on either north, east, south or west side of him.

Juxtapose can apply on the illusions which are created by items like Manta Style or other abilities like Reflection, not just the ones summoned by his abilities.

• This implies that the enemy illusions of Phantom Lancer can benefit from Juxtapose.

With an upgrade from Aghanim’s Scepter, Juxtapose becomes an active spell and the passive component is still active.

• The present Juxtapose’s illusions will vanish if the new Juxtapose is cast.

• An illusion will be generated every 0.05 seconds, beginning right after the spell is cast, which means the total duration of spawning is 0.35/0.45/0.55 seconds.

• The illusions are summoned arbitrarily within the active radius.

Items