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IntelligenceIntelligence · Ranged

Lion

Steals enemy mana to fuel his own abilities

SupportNukerDisablerInitiatorSimple to play
Lion portrait

Win rate

48.7%

C across all ranks

Pick rate

25.2%

of public matches

Public picks

851.6K

in the sample

Pro scene

1

1 bans · 100% win rate

Win rate by rank

  • Herald1Herald49.4%
  • Guardian2Guardian48.9%
  • Crusader3Crusader48.8%
  • Archon4Archon48.6%
  • Legend5Legend48.7%
  • Ancient6Ancient48.6%
  • Divine+7Divine+48.3%

Bars start at 50%. Sample sizes: Herald 16.8K · Guardian 61.2K · Crusader 122.3K · Archon 203.2K · Legend 235.2K · Ancient 132.1K · Divine+ 80.9K.

Last 6 days

48.8%

Popular item build

Starting items

Bought before the horn

  1. 1

    Iron Branch

    55g
  2. 2

    Tango

    90g
  3. 3

    Observer and Sentry Wards

    50g
  4. 4

    Blood Grenade

    50g
  5. 5

    Faerie Fire

    65g
  6. 6

    Sentry Ward

    50g

Laning

The first minutes

  1. 1

    Boots of Speed

    500g
  2. 2

    Tranquil Boots

    900g

Mid game

Core items

  1. 1

    Blink Dagger

    51%2,250g

Late game

The full build

  1. 1

    Force Staff

    52%2,200g
  2. 2

    Glimmer Cape

    56%2,150g
  3. 3

    Blink Dagger

    51%2,250g
  4. 4

    Aether Lens

    55%2,275g
  5. 5

    Aeon Disk

    3,000g
  6. 6

    Shadow Blade

    63%3,250g

Most-bought items for Lion in OpenDota’s sample of parsed public matches (1,081 purchases counted). Bars compare each item with the most-bought one in its phase. The percentage is the win rate in games where Lion bought the item by minute 30 (green or red when it is clearly above or below Lion’s average). Teams that are ahead buy items sooner, so a high number shows the item goes with winning games, not that it causes the win. Items with fewer than 100 games show no percentage. Cheap components are hidden from the mid and late game.

Best win rate by purchase time

Bought ≤ 12 min

  1. Blink Dagger

    169 games

    58%
  2. Power Treads

    200 games

    55%

Bought 15–20 min

  1. Echo Sabre

    87 games

    66%
  2. Blink Dagger

    1,379 games

    54%

Bought 20–30 min

  1. Crystalys

    65 games

    71%
  2. Eul's Scepter of Divinity

    87 games

    68%
  3. Shadow Blade

    84 games

    65%

Final items compared within the same purchase window (at least 60 games each), so they are not simply ranked by how late or expensive they are. Still a correlation: a team that is far ahead can buy anything sooner.

What these items do

  • Iron Branch

    55

    • +1 All Attributes

    Use: Plant Tree: Targets the ground to plant a happy little tree that lasts for 20 seconds.

  • Tango

    90

    Use: Devour: Consumes a target tree to gain 7 health regeneration for 16 seconds. Consuming an Ironwood Tree doubles the heal duration. Comes with 3 charges.

  • Observer and Sentry Wards

    50

    Use: Plant: Plant the currently active ward. Double-Click to switch the currently active ward.

    Full description

    Use: Plant. Plant the currently active ward. Double-Click to switch the currently active ward.

    • Hold Control to give one ward to an allied hero.
  • Blood Grenade

    50

    • +50 Health

    Use: Throw Grenade: Throw a grenade at the target area. Enemies in the area will take 50 damage on impact, and be slowed by -15% and take 15 damage every 1s for 5…

    Full description

    10s

    Use: Throw Grenade. Throw a grenade at the target area. Enemies in the area will take 50 damage on impact, and be slowed by -15% and take 15 damage every 1s for 5 seconds. Radius 300.

  • Faerie Fire

    65

    • +2 Damage

    Use: Imbue: Instantly restores 85 health.

    Full description

    5s

    Use: Imbue. Instantly restores 85 health.

  • Sentry Ward

    50

    Use: Plant: Plants a Sentry Ward, an invisible watcher that grants True Sight, the ability to see invisible enemy units and wards, to any existing allied vision within a…

    Full description

    1s

    Use: Plant. Plants a Sentry Ward, an invisible watcher that grants True Sight, the ability to see invisible enemy units and wards, to any existing allied vision within a 1050 radius. Lasts 7 minutes. Does not grant ground vision. Hold Control to give one Sentry Ward to an allied hero.

  • Boots of Speed

    500

    • +45 Move Speed

    Movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack.

  • Tranquil Boots

    900

    • +65 Move Speed
    • +14 Health Regen

    Passive: Break: Whenever you attack a hero or are attacked by any unit, the bonus 14 HP regen is lost and the movement speed bonus is reduced to 40 for 13 seconds.

    Full description

    13s

    Passive: Break. Whenever you attack a hero or are attacked by any unit, the bonus 14 HP regen is lost and the movement speed bonus is reduced to 40 for 13 seconds. Movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack.

  • Blink Dagger

    2,250

    Active: Blink: Teleport to a target point up to 1200 units away. Blink Dagger cannot be used for 3 seconds after taking damage from an enemy hero or Roshan.

    Win rate when bought51.0% · 2,649 games

    • ≤ 12 min58%169
    • 12–15 min65%348
    • 15–20 min54%1.4k
    • 20–30 min38%753
    Full description

    15s

    Active: Blink. Teleport to a target point up to 1200 units away. Blink Dagger cannot be used for 3 seconds after taking damage from an enemy hero or Roshan.

    • Self-casting will cause you to teleport in the direction of your team's fountain.
  • Force Staff

    2,200

    • +10 Intelligence
    • +175 Health

    Active: Force: Pushes any target unit 600 units in the direction it is facing.

    Win rate when bought52.3% · 281 games

    • ≤ 12 min–1
    • 12–15 min–0
    • 15–20 min–27
    • 20–30 min53%253
    Full description

    19s150

    Active: Force. Pushes any target unit 600 units in the direction it is facing.

    • Self-cast will cause you to use Force on yourself.
    • Force Staff doesn't interrupt the target's actions.
    • Will not work on a unit inside Chronosphere, Duel, or Black Hole.
    • Force Staff has 850 cast range when cast on enemies.
  • Glimmer Cape

    2,150

    Active: Glimmer: After a 0.5 second delay, grants invisibility, 20 movement speed and a magic damage barrier that absorbs up to 375 damage to you or a target allied unit…

    Win rate when bought56.4% · 734 games

    • ≤ 12 min–7
    • 12–15 min–13
    • 15–20 min60%58
    • 20–30 min56%656
    Full description

    15s125

    Active: Glimmer. After a 0.5 second delay, grants invisibility, 20 movement speed and a magic damage barrier that absorbs up to 375 damage to you or a target allied unit for 5 seconds. Can be cast while channeling.

  • Aether Lens

    2,275

    • +300 Mana
    • +2.5 Mana Regen
    • +225 Cast Range

    Win rate when bought55.0% · 191 games

    • ≤ 12 min–5
    • 12–15 min–7
    • 15–20 min45%31
    • 20–30 min57%148
    Full description
    • Cast Range bonuses from Aether Lens and Dagon do not stack.
  • Aeon Disk

    3,000

    • +250 Health
    • +300 Mana

    Passive: Combo Breaker: When you take damage and your health falls below 70%, a strong dispel is applied and you gain a 2.5 second buff that provides +75% Status…

    Full description

    105 / 125 / 145 / 165s

    Passive: Combo Breaker. When you take damage and your health falls below 70%, a strong dispel is applied and you gain a 2.5 second buff that provides +75% Status Resistance and causes all damage you deal and are dealt to be reduced to zero. Only triggers on player based damage. Cooldown increases every time it triggers. Dispel Type: Strong Dispel

  • Shadow Blade

    3,250

    • +25 Damage
    • +35 Damage

    Active: Shadow Walk: Makes you invisible for 17 seconds, or until you attack or cast a spell.

    Win rate when bought63.4% · 101 games

    • ≤ 12 min–1
    • 12–15 min–3
    • 15–20 min–13
    • 20–30 min65%84
    Full description

    25s75

    Active: Shadow Walk. Makes you invisible for 17 seconds, or until you attack or cast a spell. While Shadow Walk is active, you move 20% faster and can move through units. If attacking to end the invisibility, you gain 175 bonus physical damage on that attack.

    • Has a 0.3 second fade time.
    • If the invisibility ends without attacking, the bonus damage is lost.

Abilities

Earth Spike

14 / 13 / 12 / 11s90 / 110 / 130 / 150

Rock spikes burst from the earth along a straight path. Enemy units are hurled into the air, then are stunned and take damage when they fall.

DAMAGE
105 / 170 / 235 / 300
STUN DURATION
1.3 / 1.6 / 1.9 / 2.2
  • The spikes move at 2800 units per second.
  • Does not trigger spell block or spell reflect.

Hex

24 / 20 / 16 / 12s110 / 140 / 170 / 200

Transforms an enemy unit into a harmless beast, with all special abilities disabled.

DURATION
2 / 2.4 / 2.8 / 3.2
  • Instantly destroys illusions.
  • The target will have a base movement speed of 120, but buffs granting maximum movement speed won't be disabled.

Mana Drain

15 / 12 / 9 / 6s

CHANNELED - Channels magical energy, taking mana and slowing enemies over time. If the enemy has no mana remaining, the slow is increased by 15%. Can target allies to give them mana and movement speed at a 50% rate.

CHANNEL TIME
5
MANA PER SECOND
20 / 40 / 60 / 120
BREAK DISTANCE
1100
MOVEMENT SLOW/BONUS
15 / 20 / 25 / 30%
  • Prevents heroes from going invisible.

Aghanim’s ShardCauses Mana Drain to affect up to 2 additional enemies and increases break distance. Lion becomes Debuff Immune with 60% magic resistance while channeling.

To Hell and Back

Innate

Lion gains 20% debuff duration after killing or assisting in a Hero kill while that Hero is dead. Lion gains 20% spell amplification for 90s after respawning or resurrecting or until he gets a kill or assist.

Finger of Death

Ultimate110 / 70 / 30s200 / 400 / 600

Rips at an enemy unit, trying to turn it inside-out, dealing massive damage to the target. After using Finger of Death, Lion's hand becomes empowered, allowing him to use a cleaving melee attack with 250 range with bonus movement speed. Finger of Death gains permanent bonus damage for it and the fist for each enemy Hero it or the fist kills. The melee attack may be disabled by setting the ability to Alt Cast.

DAMAGE
600 / 725 / 850
DAMAGE PER KILL
25
MELEE DURATION
20
MELEE BONUS MOVE SPEED
30
MELEE BONUS DAMAGE
20 / 30 / 40
CLEAVE DAMAGE
25%
CLEAVE STARTING WIDTH
150
CLEAVE ENDING WIDTH
350
  • Finger of Death has a 0.25 delay before the damage is applied after the spell is cast, allowing certain abilities to avoid the damage.
  • Finger of Death only gains damage if the enemy hero dies within 3 seconds of being affected by Finger of Death.

Aghanim’s ScepterFinger of Death gains area of effect damage on the initial cast, and increases duration and cleave damage on its subsequent melee attacks.

Talents

+250 AoE Hex

25

+600 Earth Spike cast range/travel distance

+20 Finger of Death Damage Per Kill

20

Earth Spike affects a 30 degree cone

-2s Hex Cooldown

15

+15% To Hell And Back Debuff/Spell Amp

+10% Mana Drain Slow

10

+20 Movement Speed

Base stats

Attributes

  • StrengthStrength18+2.4/lvl
  • AgilityAgility15+1.7/lvl
  • IntelligenceIntelligence19+3.5/lvl

At level 1

Damage
48–54
Attack time
1.7s
Attack range
600
Move speed
290
Armor
2.5
Magic resistance
25%
Health
516 (+2.3/s)
Mana
303 (+1/s)
Vision day / night
1800 / 800

Recent changes

latest 12 patches
  1. 7.41d
    • Finger of Death:Damage per kill decreased from 30 to 25
    • Talents:Level 15 Talent Hex Cooldown Reduction decreased from 2.5s to 2s
  2. 7.41
    • To Hell and Back:Ability reworked
    • Killing or assisting in a Hero kill provides Lion with 20% debuff duration while that hero is dead. Whenever Lion respawns or resurrects, he gains 20% spell amplification for 90s or until he gets a kill or an assist
    • Finger of Death:Cooldown decreased from 120/80/40s to 110/70/30s
    • Damage per kill decreased from 40 to 30
    • Now has empowered melee attacks after the cast by default
    • After using Finger of Death, Lion's hand becomes empowered, turning him into a melee hero with 250 attack range and 30 bonus movement speed. These melee attacks have 25% cleave and deal 20/30/40 bonus damage which increases with each Finger of Death kill. Enemy heroes that die within 3s after getting hit with these melee attacks (or from them) also provide bonus per kill damage. Melee form duration: 20s
    • Ability can be toggled with right-click to disable the melee form
    • Cleave area is a cone with 150 width that increases up to 350 at 650 distance
    • Aghanim's Scepter now also increases melee cleave from 25% to 50% and duration from 20s to 30s
    • Aghanim's Scepter no longer decreases cooldown
  3. 7.40
    • Hex:Mana Cost decreased from 125/150/175/200 to 110/140/170/200
    • Finger of Death:Cooldown decreased from 130/85/40s to 120/80/40s

Lore

Once a Grandmaster of the Demon Witch tradition of sorcery, Lion earned fame among his brethren for fighting on the side of light and righteousness. But adulation corrupts. With powers surpassed only by his ambition, the mage was seduced by a demon and turned to evil, trading his soul for prestige. After committing horrible crimes that marred his soul, he was abandoned. The demon betrayed him, striking better deals with his enemies. Such was Lion's rage that he followed the demon back to hell and slew it, ripping it limb from limb, taking its demonic hand for his own. However, such demonoplasty comes at a cost. Lion was transfigured by the process, his body transformed into something unrecognizable. He rose from hell, rage incarnate, slaying even those who had once called him master, and laying waste to the lands where he had once been so adored. He survives now as the sole practitioner of the Demon Witch tradition, and those who present themselves as acolytes or students are soon relieved of their mana and carried off by the faintest gust of wind.

Win rates come from public Dota 2 matches (OpenDota), 3.4M matches counted, refreshed Oct 24, 2026. Tiers use the win rate in the chosen rank: S 52.5%+, A 51%+, B 49%+, C 47.5%+, D below; heroes with too few games are left unrated. Hero data and patch notes are Valve’s. Builds Forge is an unofficial fan site, not affiliated with Valve.