We are making a new “Hero Analysis” text every week. But last week the last part of Crownfall event started (which we described) - so this week’s hro is evident.
Meet Kez, one of Dota 2's latest and most intriguing heroes. Players can't resist giving him a shot, but as the numbers reveal, Kez's complexity comes with a cost. Here's where Kez currently ranks according to Dotabuff stats:
Win Rate: 42.3% (115th out of 126 heroes)
Pick Rate: 8.7% (20th most picked)
KDA Ratio: 2.1 (98th in KDA ranking)
The numbers show that Kez is popular but has yet to hit his stride regarding consistent success. That's likely due to his unique skill set, which players are still figuring out.
Description
Kez, a melee agility hero, stands out with his distinct dual-stance mechanic, which allows him to switch between Kazurai Katana (offensive) and Shodo Sai (defensive/utility) stances. Each stance has its abilities, demanding careful timing and situational awareness to fully utilize his toolkit. Here's a deeper dive into how Kez plays through each phase of the game, his itemization paths, and strategies to maximize his unique skillset.
Early Game: Laning and Initial Itemization
In the early game, Kez is typically played in the offlane or mid, leveraging his agility scaling and offensive potential to pressure opponents. In the offlane, Kez can contest last hits and harass enemy cores, especially if they're squishy and lack good range. If he's in the mid-lane, his Grappling Claw ability provides quick escapes, letting him duck out of tricky situations or dodge ganks. At the same time, Echo Slash gives him last-hitting solid power and the ability to poke his opponent.
Mid Game: Power Spikes, Item Builds, and Teamfighting
The mid-game is where Kez truly comes into his own. By this stage, he should have items that amplify both his offensive and defensive stances, allowing him to adapt based on the needs of each skirmish. The Kazurai Katana's Echo Slash and Raptor Dance skills make him a burst threat in teamfights. At the same time, the Shodo Sai's Falcon Rush and Talon Toss provide more utility-focused options, such as silences, slows, and vision reduction.
When entering fights, Kez players must decide on the stance that best fits the moment. The Katana stance is ideal for dealing damage in quick bursts, while the Sai stance is better suited for initiating or disabling key heroes with Talon Toss. Players can also start in Sai to set up an ambush with Raven's Veil for invisibility, which lets him set up on a target before switching to Katana for the kill.
Late Game: Closing Out with High Impact Builds
In the late game, Kez transitions into a more high-risk, high-reward hero who can either pick off backline heroes or cause chaos in team fights by weaving in and out of engagements. He can lean into damage-heavy builds to become a primary damage dealer or hybrid builds that improve his survivability.
Gameplay Tips for Stance Mastery
Mastering Kez requires understanding how to alternate his stances in response to different fight scenarios:
When in Doubt, Start in Sai: Use Sai for its utility and control, then switch to Katana for finishing power. This lets you engage safely before switching to a more aggressive style.
Resource Management: Mana is crucial for Kez to function smoothly, especially when stance-switching. Avoid depleting Mana unnecessarily, as his abilities are costly and can leave him defenseless without proper planning.
Kiting and Positioning: In his Katana stance, Kez is best positioned on the edge of a fight, ready to dive in with Grappling Claw for high burst damage. However, he can switch to Sai stance and use Talon Toss or Falcon Rush to escape or reposition himself when under threat.
By the late game, Kez's effectiveness comes down to how well players can anticipate which stance to adopt in split-second situations. With enough practice, he can seamlessly shift from slicing through enemies to supporting his team with crowd control and utility, making him a powerful and unpredictable force on the battlefield.
Lore
Kez, known as the Hero of the Flightless, was once a proud member of Skywrath society. However, after defying the brutal rule of Queen Imperia, he found himself cast out from the skies, stripped of his wings, and banished to the ground below. Unable to soar like his kin, Kez endured years of harsh exile, during which he honed his skills and developed a fighting style designed to overcome his physical limitations. On the ground, Kez discovered strength through discipline, perfecting the Kazurai Katana for deadly close combat and the Shodo Sai for defensive maneuvers. He learned to fight without flight, embracing his newfound resilience and bond with the earth. This exile forged him into a warrior who embraced offense and defense, a balance reflected in his dual-weapon stances.
Determined to liberate his people from Imperia's authoritarian rule, Kez eventually rallied a group of like-minded outcasts to form the Kazurai Order. This band of warriors, all exiled from Skywrath society, trained together in the arts of war, with Kez teaching them to turn their perceived weaknesses into strengths. United by their shared pain and a common cause, the Kazurai Order grew, their reputation as skilled fighters spreading far and wide. Kez now returns to the battlefield, not just as an individual seeking redemption but as the leader of a movement—a movement that challenges the notion that strength is derived only from wings and flight. To Kez and his followers, true power comes from the strength within and the discipline to adapt, even when the world has cast them aside.
Latest Updates
Since his release, Kez has seen several balance updates:
Patch 7.37d (November 9, 2024):
Echo Slash: Damage increased from 150% to 175% of base attack.
Raptor Dance: Healing boost increased to 25% of damage dealt (up from 20%).
Falcon Rush: Cooldown reduced from 14 seconds to 12 seconds.
These changes aim to improve his effectiveness, primarily when players utilize his dual-stance toolkit.
Benefits
Flexible Playstyle: With two unique stances, Kez adapts well to different combat situations.
High Mobility: Abilities like Grappling Claw and Falcon Rush make him excellent at repositioning.
Crowd Control Options: Kez can silence and reduce vision with abilities in the Sai stance, keeping enemies on edge.
Downsides
Complex Mechanic: The dual stance requires situational awareness and careful timing.
Fragile: Kez has lower health than some other melee heroes, making him vulnerable to quick bursts of damage.
Mana Intensive: His abilities are demanding on Mana, so poor resource management can quickly leave him without options.
Abilities
Innate Ability
Switch Discipline
Allows Kez to switch between Kazurai Katana and Shodo Sai stances, each with unique abilities.
Kazurai Katana Abilities
Echo Slash (Q): A forward slash that deals damage and slows enemies.
Grappling Claw (W): Fires a hook that pulls him towards an enemy or tree, boosting lifesteal for a short duration.
Kazurai Katana (E - Passive): Attacks apply a damage-over-time effect that reduces enemy health regeneration.
Raptor Dance (R): Channels briefly to gain debuff immunity and performs AOE slashes that damage and heal based on enemy max health.
H3: Shodo Sai Abilities
Falcon Rush (Q): A dash that enhances his attack rate and allows him to pass through enemies, hitting multiple targets.
Talon Toss (W): Throws a Sai that explodes, dealing damage and silencing enemies.
Shodo Sai (E - Passive/Active): Passively slows and marks enemies, enhancing his next attack with a stun. When activated, it parries attacks from the front and stuns attackers.
Raven's Veil (R): Creates a smoke wave that reduces enemy vision and grants Kez invisibility and speed until he attacks or casts a spell.
Hints and Tips to Master
Know Your Stance: Each stance has a specific purpose—use the Katana when you need damage and the Sai for control and defense.
Chain Abilities for Max Effect: Practice using Falcon Rush to close in, then switch to Katana for a powerful Echo Slash.
Manage Mana Wisely: His abilities are costly, so avoid spamming them to ensure you have enough for critical moments.
Effective Positioning: Use Grappling Claw and Falcon Rush for offensive and defensive positioning, staying mobile in fights to avoid unnecessary damage.
Recommended Allies
Lion
Lion's crowd control abilities, especially his long-duration Hex and Earth Spike, allow Kez to close in and unleash his burst damage. When Kez is in his Kazurai Katana stance, Lion turns off, allowing him to get total value out of Echo Slash and Raptor Dance without risk of retaliation. Lion's Mana Drain can also help extend fights, keeping enemies in range and vulnerable to Kez's follow-up damage.
Magnus
Magnus brings powerful initiation and crowd control, creating excellent setup opportunities for Kez to dive into fights. Reverse Polarity clumps enemies together, giving Kez a perfect chance to jump in with Grappling Claw or Falcon Rush and activate Raptor Dance for an area-of-effect assault. Furthermore, Empower grants bonus damage and cleave to Kez, significantly boosting his damage potential and farming speed, which complements his playstyle in either stance.
Dark Willow
Dark Willow's disruptive abilities can make her a powerful support for Kez. Cursed Crown forces enemies to disperse, which plays to Kez's advantage by isolating targets and disrupting the enemy's positioning. Terrorize sends enemies scattering, allowing Kez to hunt down isolated heroes quickly. Additionally, Bedlam pairs well with Kez's Raven's Veil smoke attack from his Sai stance, making for a deadly combination that overwhelms opponents with burst and disables.
Dazzle
As a sustain-focused support, Dazzle provides valuable protection for Kez, whose fragility can make him vulnerable during aggressive engagements. Shallow Grave prevents Kez from dying at critical moments, letting him stay in fights longer to finish off enemies or safely retreat. Dazzle's Shadow Wave and Poison Touch work well with Kez's aggressive dives, providing extra sustain and softening up enemies, allowing Kez to deal effective follow-up damage.
Earth Spirit
Earth Spirit's ability to control the battlefield through slows, stuns, and silences makes him an excellent partner for Kez. Boulder Smash and Geomagnetic Grip keep enemies locked down, allowing Kez to approach safely and switch between stances as needed. Earth Spirit's Magnetize deals area-of-effect damage over time, complementing Kez's close-quarters combat style by adding sustained pressure on grouped enemies, while his high mobility allows him to keep up with Kez's fast-paced gameplay.
Counters
Lina
Lina is a potent counter due to her overwhelming burst damage, particularly from Laguna Blade, which can instantly delete Kez if he's caught out of position. With Light Strike Array and Dragon enslaved person, Lina also has effective ranged spells to keep Kez at bay, making it difficult for him to close in without taking heavy damage. In teamfights, her Fiery Soul-enhanced attack speed allows her to quickly punish Kez's lower health pool, especially if he attempts to engage without proper backup or a Black King Bar.
Silencer
Silencer's Global Silence can be devastating for Kez, shutting down his ability to switch stances or use his abilities during crucial moments. This renders Kez highly vulnerable, especially when trying to escape or reposition. Silencer's Arcane Curse and Last Word also add pressure, making Kez wary of casting spells, as each cast can significantly drain his health and Mana. If Silencer builds intelligence-stealing items, Kez's mana pool can quickly become insufficient for his resource-intensive abilities.
Bristleback
Bristleback's tanky nature and ability to shrug off physical damage make him a challenging matchup for Kez. Bristleback's Quill Spray stacks up quickly in close-range combat, where Kez needs to be most effective. Additionally, Bristleback (passive) heavily reduces the damage taken from behind, making it challenging for Kez to finish him without taking severe damage himself. Bristleback's tankiness also means that he can withstand Kez's burst in Katana stance, while simultaneously whittling him down with sustained damage.
Phantom Assassin
Phantom Assassin is a tough matchup because her Blur passive grants her high evasion, making it difficult for Kez to land consistent hits. Her ability to close the gap with Phantom Strike allows her to trade blows effectively, and her Coup de Grace crits can burst Kez down in seconds, particularly if she gets lucky with crits. PA's agility scaling and elusive nature make her a strong rival in fights, especially when Kez is trying to rely on his agility and mobility to avoid damage.
Doom
Doom's Doom ultimate is one of the most dangerous counters for Kez, as it silences all of his abilities, including stance switching, for an extended period. Once Doomed, Kez cannot use his mobility tools, defensive skills, or offensive abilities, turning him into a sitting duck in most situations. Doom's Infernal Blade and Scorched Earth also add extra burn damage over time, making it challenging for Kez to sustain himself, especially in prolonged encounters where his low health pool is at greater risk. Doom's tankiness further makes it difficult for Kez to burst him down before Doom can retaliate.