Phantom Assassin Hero Analysis

Phantom Assassin, known in the lore as Mortred, is a melee agility hero distinguished by her deadly potential to obliterate foes with severe burst physical damage. She operates as a carry, meaning her power to dictate the outcome of a game grows significantly as the match progresses. Her skill set is designed for high-risk, high-reward gameplay, making her a typical pick for players who enjoy a challenging and impactful playstyle.

State Lore

In the enriched lore of Dota 2, Phantom Assassin, or Mortred, is intricately connected to the Veiled Sisters, a secretive order that views assassination as a sacred duty integral to the natural order of things. These sisters use divination and meditation to identify their targets, adhering to a principle that they do not accept contracts but act as agents of fate. Mortred, as a critical enforcer within this order. She plays a vital role in eliminating those deemed threats to their mysterious agendas, emphasizing themes of destiny and the unseen forces that shape the world. This character is a silent assassin and a servant of a profound cosmic order tasked with maintaining balance through lethal means.

Latest updates

In recent Dota 2 patches, Phantom Assassin has seen various adjustments that indirectly influence her gameplay due to changes in items and overall game mechanics. Notably, patch 7.34 introduced significant item modifications like adjustments to Linken's Sphere, which can no longer stack multiple shields on a single ally. 

Patch 7.35b targeted Phantom Assassin with direct buffs to her abilities, aiming to bring her back into competitive relevance after her win rate had plummeted. These buffs included enhancements to her core abilities, such as Stifling Dagger, Phantom Strike, Blur, and her ultimate, Coup de Grace, adjusted to increase her effectiveness.

These changes require players to adapt their strategies and item continually builds for Phantom Assassin, reflecting the dynamic nature of Dota 2's gameplay and the developers' ongoing balance efforts. Such updates are crucial to ensure the game remains balanced and offers a diverse competitive environment. For the most up-to-date information on changes and strategies involving Phantom Assassin, checking out the latest patch notes and community discussions is highly recommended.

Benefits, downsides, abilities

Advantages

• High Damage Potential: Phantom Assassin is renowned for her explosive physical damage capabilities, mostly due to her ability to land massive critical strikes that decisively impact skirmishes and team fights.
• Elusiveness: With this her ability, Blur becomes hard to target for enemy heroes and invisible to enemy towers.. She is not actively engaged in combat - so she can survive on the battlefield freely.
• Mobility: Her Phantom Strike ability is an adequate gap closer, enabling her to swiftly engage in combat or retreat from threats, providing versatility in her movements.

Disadvantages

• Susceptibility to Magic: Due to her inherently low health pool, Phantom Assassin is particularly vulnerable to magic damage and control spells, which can disrupt her ability to contribute effectively in fights.
• Dependence on Equipment: Her effectiveness relies heavily on acquiring specific items, which can make her early game performance relatively weaker than other phases.
• Inconsistency: Her reliance on random number generation (RNG) for her critical hits introduces an element of unpredictability in her damage output, which can lead to inconsistent performance across different engagements.

Abilities

• Stifling Dagger: She hurls a dagger that slows and deals a portion of her attack damage to the target while applying on-hit effects from items and abilities.
• Phantom Strike: This ability allows her to blink at an enemy or an ally, boosting her attack speed for a limited number of subsequent strikes and enhancing her burst damage capability.
• Blur: In a passive mode this ability increases her evasion against attacks, and when activated it makes her invisible on the enemy minimap unless she comes close to enemy heroes.
• Coup de Grâce: This ultimate ability is what defines Phantom Assassin's role as a formidable assassin, providing her with the chance to deal devastating critical strikes, dramatically amplifying her threat level in any fight.

Hints and Tips to Master

Mastering Phantom Assassin (PA) in Dota 2 is about balancing aggressive play with strategic caution. Here are some enhanced tips and strategies to help you excel with PA:

1. Understanding Risk Management: Timing your engagements is crucial. Phantom Assassin's survival hinges on entering and exiting fights immediately. Observing the positioning and cooldowns of critical enemy spells can determine the best times to strike or retreat.
2. Item Build Balance: Your item progression should balance offence and defence. Early-game items like Power Treads and Desolator are crucial. However, as the game progresses, incorporating items like Black King Bar (BKB) can be a game-changer by providing spell immunity during critical fights. Consider items like Abyssal Blade for control and Monkey King Bar to counter evasion for late-game.
3. Using Blur Strategically: Blur is not just for avoiding swindles but is a pivotal tool for navigating through the map unseen and setting up ambushes. Utilize Blur to farm in risky areas or to reposition in team fights without being noticed. The skill also helps disjoint incoming attacks, enhancing your offensive setups and defensive retreats.
4. Engagement Tips: Phantom Assassin excels in picking off vulnerable backline heroes. Use her mobility from Phantom Strike to jump past frontline enemies and eliminate high-value targets like supports or nukers first. This reduces the enemy's ability to control or burst you down, allowing you to clean up the remaining opponents effectively.
5. Skill Utilization: Stifling Dagger helps secure last hits and is effective for harassing and slowing down opponents, making it easier to close in with Phantom Strike. This can be particularly effective in the lane against melee opponents and for securing range creep last hits without putting yourself in danger.
6. Laning and Farming: If you're playing PA in the mid-lane, use Stifling Dagger to farm and harass your opponent safely. Phantom Assassin's farming speed accelerates once she acquires items like Battle Fury, which aids in clearing creep waves and jungle camps swiftly, boosting your gold and experience gain.
7. Late Game Play: PA's approach should be more calculated in the late game, as enemies will likely have items that can mitigate her advantages. Positioning before fights, targeting key heroes, and the judicious use of BKB become even more critical. Keeping track of enemy itemizations like Ghost Scepters or Silver Edges can influence your item choices and combat strategy.

Recommended Allies:

1. Io enhances Phantom Assassin's mobility and survivability through healing and relocating abilities. This pairing allows Phantom Assassin to engage or disengage from fights more effectively, maximizing her burst damage potential.
2. Shadow Demon: His Disruption ability can set up kills for Phantom Assassin by isolating targets and setting up her attacks, making him a valuable ally for controlling engagements.
3. Invoker: With his vast array of control and area-of-effect spells, Invoker can create opportunities for Phantom Assassin to execute her target without interruptions. His spells like Cold Snap, Tornado, and EMP can control multiple enemies simultaneously, providing space for Phantom Assassin to deal damage.

Counters:

1. Tinker: Known for his high burst magic damage and laser's blind effect, Tinker can significantly hinder Phantom Assassin's ability to deliver attacks, effectively reducing her impact in fights.
2. Monkey King: His ability to control areas with Wukong's Command can create challenging zones for Phantom Assassin, where engaging becomes risky and potentially lethal due to Monkey King's bonus armour and attack capabilities within his ultimate.
3. Doom: Perhaps one of the most direct counters, Doom's ultimate can completely neutralize Phantom Assassin by preventing her from using any of her abilities or items, rendering her ineffective during critical moments in a match.