The Master of Illusion(s)

not a common PL build but good for tanking. i tried this and it is excelltent for taking down people 1v1. i can kill sladar quit easily.

8/10

I still dont like your item build, but the explaination and strategy section is well above average. I give it a 7/10.

I like this guide. The HP emphasis makes a lot of sense. 9/10.

Thanks
There are few typos which I got to take care of in time, some of them really confuse This is the way I usually play PL

This PL guide sounds reasonable. What's harder to kill than a high-HP unit is a high-hp unit hiding behind an army of high-hp illusions. What can take more damage then one tank? many tanks. The guide clearly prioritizes support/pusher lancer than push/killer lancer. And you do it well. Though I prefer the lance over Juxtapose early, because early juxtapose is like maim, unrelaible trigger. You don't need clones till the midgame anyway. Good luck on your next guide(hopefully there is one, hehe).

One great weapon for PL is Radiance. All illusions gain their own burn. Just imagine 10 illusions doing 40 damage per sec. Thats 400 damage!!! But besides that i really like your strat.

@nthomas5143: sorry to rain on your parade, IIRC radiance burn from illusions won't stack with your radince burn.

nice one dude!!
but after the manta-bot-hot get a butter fly cuz it is the best finishing item for any agi hero

Thanks for positive comments
With juxtapose rank 3-4 and phantom edge level 1, illusions start to kick in. That's why I take it over not-so-manaefficient lance. It really helps with farming, you can get most of the creeps from each wave, even if you don't focus on last hitting that much

very very good guide i give it a 8 the only thing i would like to say is since i am a bloodseeker player and love fighting a pl is when you see bloodseeker use dopple walk and RUN! because chances are a decent bs will cast rupture on you and then go for you so use dopplewalk and run if he casted it on your illusion if not then wait for a sec then run gj

I don't like your skill build, getting spirit lance that late is just stupid....How are you supposed to kill, let alone slow, before you are level 10???? you won't be able to do anything... 4/10

@jake-the-mus: That's a bit unfair to judge the guide because it can't kill early. He did say focus on farming and survival. He also gave his reasons for not taking it early.

@quickbrownfox: It's not just for killing its also for slowing, in ganks and helping your team get kills too...

@jake: And you do those when? not in the early game. And he does get it midgame. And I assume a team that isn't fully randomized should have a better disabler or 2 as well.

At first I had a hard time with this guy, still have to try out your guide

Nice strat. but i get spirit lance at the start since pl can't chase and good 4 last hit since ms so slow. i also dun get Juxtapose at the start since he has low atspd.

I say good job on item build, But the only thing im not liking is the Heros you want to face, If you not oging to get Spirit lance early game, you dont want to face a Magina, he has blink remember Loving the build tho, Good Work, 7.5/10 Which rounds up to 8

@fox: see? others agree with me...If you want to actually have a chance of getting a kill early you need to max it asap because the mana stays at 140 each level...And you can use it to escape you can lance then run....there ms will be low...

I don't really focus on killing heroes early game. Even if you can do it lance, other heroes who have more suitable skills can do it better. I have purge for the slow, that's how I can slow at level 10 and before. Save a couple of charges, but just don't bank them because when you get Manta they are gone. If I use lance for last hitting, I will be oom in no time Because of the weakness in the early game, I usually request for an ally. When lane gets pushed further, you can go to farm some creeps. And Magina... no I don't think he can harass you in the early game. He has Blink, yes: but when he blinks he will likely get attacked by creeps. And even then you have doppelwalk, if you're just quick enough to use it before your mana is depleted.

@jake:
The author has made his reason for not taking spirit lance clear. If you think you have a better strategy, man up and write a guide. See which is rated higher.

@2ish:
Nice guide, but I still think the phantom lancer is too easily countered to be played often. Strong AOE heroes massacre the illusions a little too easily for my comfort... even illusions with two hearts will fall quickly to axe or raigor. Either of these heroes should be able to smash the pl throughout the game, though they need a gem to kill. Any thoughts?

Sorry, typo... the second half of the comment was intended for the author.

one thing wrong with this. maxing juxtapose that early is suicide since the only way he will mass images that early will be leaving him vulnerable in lane v.s. ganks.
first, max doppelwalk and spirit lance. i always use this early and get a him a bracer or two. i go mid and use hit and run tactics with doppelwalk/lance. the battles at mid will allow u to chase with walk and get a lance or two for easy kills. by lvl 11 i usually have 3-4 kills doing so.
i find thise item build the most effective all thru the game.
ror + 2 branch
2 bracer
boots
diffusal
manta
BoT
and finish with pure agi such as eaglehorn

what about vladimir?

Yes, PL is easily countered, that is the main reason to get an ally to your lane. This, however, doesn't count late game, where he is much more tought.
Vladmir is ok. The armor aura and regen helps. On the main PL lifesteal is nice, but the illusions will do their damage with the manaburn.
About axe. Against him, I would get some armor.
Raigor is a trouble if he can execute his ultimate well. Or if they just have Magnataur. But remember that your illusions are there to confuse, so try to make the ulti used on them, not on you
The items allow you to be able to take the damage from "everyday aoes". Like the ones that Lina has. If the enemies have a lot of ultimate AoE heroes, I would ask myself if it is even sensible to take a PL. But keep in mind that the enemies have to take the illusions all at once, because if they just focus on one at time, it will do nothing because it will be instantly replaced.
About lance: it's up to you. I added it there with the empty bottle. I personally don't like it, because it takes so much mana
When a lane gets pushed too far, I go to farm the creeps. Juxtapose allows you to farm those pretty well at level 6-7 upwards.
I leave killing to my allies. I'm just there to harass and do the push.
Eaglehorn is a nice +agi item. However, the followups, butterfly and mjollnir.... well look it up what i wrote about them . Of course you can take them, but you just won't make the 100% use of the money.
Bracers: yes, not an uncommon item to pick, and I do take them sometimes... Branches are also ok. But if you want to have some statboost for longer, I recomend a couple fo nobilities. They are especially wanted if you are facing "combo nukers".

I just pulled the pl in an AR and used this guide. Very nice results. One of my allies got disconnected and I ended up with a sheepstick, which is surprisingly useful, though I guess it's too expensive to buy.

I reccomend getting your first heart before the manta, as the purges on the diffusal are invaluable for hero killing. Other than that, this is an incredible guide.

@McGuao: Dude alright, I get ya. My friend made a PL guide a few weeks ago that still hasn't been posted, The way he uses PL is nice and NO he certainly doesn't use Lance to last hit creeps? is that what you meant Wish or heroes, cos that's Ksing....
@Wish okay well i guess everyone has there own way of playing PL....

"If I used lance for last hitting, I will be oom (out of mana) in no time."
I don't get lance early, and I certainly NOT use it to last hit or to KS. I said it to purist_own. . Oh there's a typo, will = would. Understandable misunderstanding. Or then my english is just too bad
Sheepstick: yeah, it has a disable which is always an add . Your items can vary under different situations! If your teams is the one that is winning, ofcourse you can save the diffusal for more purges . Common sense, you know . If you find item B better into situation C than an item in this quide which is A, ofcourse you take the item B! For example, if you see that there are 4 melee heroes in your team, and you don't need that much more mana regen and stats, take Vladmir over Linken! Ofcourse you can modify the strategy guide better for your own playstyle or the situation! (i.e. Armor against Axe) I will update this guide if I get a lot of good adds from comments, so comment more . @jake-the-mus I find the way I use PL nice . Your friend could add his build here, so I can test that one out too. Maybe he didn't send a message to drew?

try Vladimirs Offering! ! !

He isn't used in official games because he is useless to the team, also he won't be a good carry for the team as he is a melee. Secondly in official games Phantom Lancer will not be able to get the needed items because the disadvantages 'League Mode' gives you, hence he is not used in official games. And the illuisions cancel the stun when you stun, illusions do not stun but the imgae just comes out. i.e. the blue stun circle art effect.

Hi! Just wanna share something. PL would be able to get early kills if you maxed out dopplewalk and spirit lance. I usually get juxtapose and phantom edge right after maxing those two.Illusions will be more beneficial when you already acquire better items. Since his attack speed is slow early games, illusions won't be coming out that much. Spirit lance + hit,hit + dopplewalk + spirit lance, using the same method should be able to get kills. Cooldown is rather fast, though it's quite mana intensive, but at least the kill is there. Anyway, nice guide!!

Tried it .... but yet i still prefer 2 bashers

I actually tested spirit lance now. My personal experience before this testing was bad, because the enemies just bought tangos, negating the damage.
However, it works wonders, especially if you have someone with a nuke, like beastmaster. If not a kill, well then it's most likely a fountain trip for them. . The bad thing about spirit lance is the manacost and the way how damage increases (rank 4 is way better than rank 3), but yet it still does it's job in the early game.

If I get overharassed in my lane, even thought I have an ally, I take rank 4 doppel and lance straight away. However if I don't get overharassed, I take rank 1 doppel, max lance, and mix phantom edge with level 1 juxtapose. Then I max doppel after lance.

Now, I also take a few branches with me. Really adds up in the early game.

I will add this to my strategy. Thanks for the comments.

question why would a hyperstone not be in the item build cause along with other items like b-fly manta style its a auto matic juxapose there for u always have clones buy ur side but i could be wrong so im lookin for answers

+%attackspeed is a thing that has two sides:

The good one is that it makes you to generate illusions faster and deal more damage.

The bad side is that the +% attackspeed won't affect your illusions: The real Phantom Lancer will be a lot more easier to notice.

That is why I don't have a hyperstone.

oo i gotcha i thought it emproved all clones ty

actually i would go for 2 hyperstones, manta style, radiance, headress of rejuve, and some other item

Yeah, you might. But that's a damagebuild.

this guide sures a support lancer haha nice item build.
this build surely starts the battle,
enemies will fight and youre team start to gank, fooled by a hard illusion or they just watch crashing their towers .
even though you can't kill that much ur existence in battle is trully needed.
hmm.. can a basher be a good item for this hero? his illusion stuns right?

hey...my build to b.god. is a p.treads.buter 2bash manta and tarask OR p.treds.b.furry.radiance.2bash.manta i am sure that REALLy works on best players of dota...makes u a god that any hero dont wanna face. try this :)

thanks it really help me win a few this is tops m8

Well now I searched the FAQs. I found them on dotaportal, made a quick account there. In case you don't want to make an account there, I'll post a "few" FAQs here... /// " The real hero can bash, but the images can do a fake bash, where you see the icon which lasts for the duration of the bash, but the hero is not really stunned." /// "Images can deal radiance damage to nearby units, however, the radiance damage will not stack i.e. even if you have 10 images, you can only deal 40 hp/sec damage to nearby units." /// "Images do not benefit from Mekansm heal, but benefit from the armor buff." /// "Images with Blademail do not return melee damage" damage." /// "Images with Gem of True Sight have True Sight." /// "Images are killed instantly upon hitting Roshan, Images DO NOT gain invulnerability from Guardian Angel.". /// "Images won't get the Vanguard block" /// "Images can get crit and other passive abilities, and they will perform critical strikes, but the number is wrong. This is how it is calculated: hero's base damage + stat items * Multiplier * percentage of damage that the images deal. /// Images won't benefit from items that give armor / magic resistance directly, like Aegis. /// Only orb effect that works on images is feedback. (only MELEE images). /// The info was NOT MADE BY ME, and all of the honor and glory goes to Ih2128 (+ to the guys who made comments for him/her, it seems like they filled the info too) , unless he/she has also taken the info from somebody else (which I don't believe).
http://www.dotaportal.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11248.

nice techniques... hope to fight in battle...heheheh

I replace linken sphere with blade mail and it works for me..

by the way nice guide...

--------------------
how to kill axe when you play PL?

Against Bradwarden / Axe, I don't actually fight them. I just keep sending illusions. Your illusions have manaburn which hurts, and also with your high base agility you and your illusions have good deal of armor. It migitates the damage pretty nicely... During late game there is pretty much nothing axe can do, but earlier on he can be a big threat, like many other heroes... I personally don't like to buy a blademail. It doesn't work on illusions (well, if it did, we would have new definition of imba). Actually, it doesn't give anything to your illusions; no armor, no damage return, no damage, no nothing.

Very true agaisnt a Bloodseeker. I am one of the few, but smart bloodseekers out there and that would be true! But, if you did have illusions, REMEMBER TO CHECK EACH ILLUISON HP ~ MAKE SURE ONE WOULD NOT DIE FOR BLOOD BATHING! Btw, the blood seeking is below or around 50% :)

the basher wont work against illusions and why dont you try the radiance it can stack with illusions too

nice guide.
with the new item Assault Cuirass, Phantom Lancer owns! :)
I also think that basher works with your illusions. They stun for somewhat .01 secs or something...

Radiance works on the illusions, but it does not stack. You also won't get the evasion from it. And about bashers: they are not the ideal choice on this kind of build, because you don't have a lot of attackspeed.

lol radiance dont stack on ilussions... it is the same with crit u see that ilussions do crit bu thats just an ilussion...

How bout treadz,manta style,battle fury,linken,radience+butterfly(evasion+PL ulti)?

Goood Strategy...ill try the MANTA STYLE..i thought illusions cant use it!!! GOOD WORK DUDE!!! ^^

this would have to be an >1 hr game to achieve your build, and most games last max 45 minutes. also why leave butterfly till so late ? it boosts your main stat, lancers gank rather than charge, so prob dun need to max health so much

assault cuirass might be good its basically a super hyperstone 40% +as and 15% +as aura +10 armor for you +5 armor aura for ur illusions and -5 armor aura for ur enemies it would be great on him and i thought about something else would blade mail work on his illusions making him take extra dmg for attacking ur illusions?

good guide but....an sy and butterfly would also be nice... im best with lancer and i usually get manta,threads,sy, and 2 butterflys. thiscombo ain really good for images but it makes lancer EXTREMELY fast which thus gives him more of a chance to make images as he attacks more in less time :D:D:D

The build is made for tanking. Yes it would take a lot of time to achieve it all. BUT, as I stated, a manta, hot and maybe bot are enough. The rest of the stuff are something that just "comes by", if the game last "forever", like pubs tend to. (and, choosing a lancer in a competetive game is not wise I've heard)

No, this is not a killer build. This is rather a "not to get killed" -build.

SnY?? Yes, might be okay on paper. But Manta is Waaaaaaaaaaay better. And don't get both. Maim will override feedback, and feedback is faaaaar superior.

No, illusions won't get the blademail "thorns" effect.

When I made the guide, there was no Assault Cuirass. Now I've been considering it, and I'll be testing it, thought not as intensively. It has a good aura, but It also gives a lot of attackspeed, so I try to figure out how easy it's to find the real lancer with the 40% aspd difference.

Buttefly isn't a core item, and in most of the game, I don't get it.

And if you want cheap attackspeed (think of ending the game fast after HoT?), try mass yashas. Cheap.

what you do if against sandking epicenter? early game

Throw a lance. It has a ministun.

Sheepstick is not as expensive as they say and it fits just right for PL in EARLY, MID or LATE games.
You could buy its requirements seperately and it does not hurt that much in that way.
with 2 robes of magi (450x2) and a sobi(325) or void stone(900), you could have the mana you wanted for your MAXED lance and doppel (I suggest you lvl4 both before anything).

Try doppel walking just like NerubianWeaver's shukuchi (at lvl4 doppel only uses 60 mana!). And you'll find non AoE nukers wasting mana/skills in harrasing your illusions.In addition, while in invi mode, you could do the "cheaptrick" he commented on doppel walk. (hehehe..nice one!)

Also with that mana, you could lance your way in Killing people. with a 9sec cool down, this is spammable! Try playing them with your doppel illusion, then back stab using your lance. It just takes some creativity and you'll kill your opponent while laughing loud on how cunning you have been.

after investing in those guinsoo requisites, (RoM,sobi,void,staff of wizardry?) and having kills from your high mana pool, you should upgrade them to eul's and oblivion later on, then decide whether to proceed to guinsoo(450) or the diffusal blade.

Comparing this two items, I will pick to upgrade it to guinsoo.
It can also slow, plus, it is a disabler.
Though I can see that purge can slow more and its feedback is so great with your illusions, having maxed your lance and doppel does not give you a high no of illusions this time.

By mid game, you should have had either guinsoo pre-reqs (euls,oblistaf) and diffusal or guinsoo alone. This would be helpful in your ganks. the downside is, you are still not a pusher this time ^_^

In late game, you could buy other stuffs suggested, such as RADIANCE, MANTA, BUTTERFLY, or HoT - it depends if you would like the TANK role or the Damage role.

But what I am just suggesting is that, GUINSOO would have solved PL's worthlessness in EARLY and MID games.

It is soooooo fun! You SHOULD try it!

shheeez. I forgot. a BOOTS (may it travel or threads or just boots) is a must in any build using PL.

Why a Necromonicon and the ring of regeneration? Instead, get a ring of health or a blink dagger.

Those items are OPTIONAL. Those items don't fit PL 100%, but neither those suck for him.

And I think that the Doppel/Lance rush is better. It gives more survailability and lane control which is exactly what he needs. I am going to change that. Also, now I am sure that a bracer or two in the beginning are a must.

Sheepstick, I can see your idea. But rushing for it is bad, imo. It delays too much.

great guide.. much better than the other guide in my opinion. item build is solid, so is the skill build. good job on getting hearts. azwraith is a monster when it comes to pushing but there is one big counter to azwraith: AOE. your guide counters AOE using hearts. 10/10 for you. keep up the good work.

Za best combination for this hero ...And nothing else!!!

Well...,the build you suggested is good.
The thing is that PL usually does not have enough Mana for casting D.walk SpiritL. You were right about using the lance on for the kill but the thing is that you suggested to stay behind the long range creep which somehow contradicts the lance timing cause it might not come at all unless it's a KS However if the opponents too dumb to get heavily damaged by creeps(they get a short red bar for HP).clarity potions may be diselled by attacks any one good at manuevering ranged heroes can just attack PL once then it's gone But otherwise your build is good you've observed very clearly the movements, swinging faster (players clearly observing this can definitely pick the real one) (the Buriza-Divine combo can certainly give you away and might get you killed I've done this a few times and saw it, illus. deal 400+ but the real one deals 1000+!) The Butterfly gives both Agility and attack speed But 25%-30% attack speed is not really very noticeable when the screen is flooding with guys that all look the same.
Anyways you're good If I am wrong in anyways Feel free to correct me just e-mail me at jjay_r04@yahoo.com (that r"zero"4) i hope that i'm not to agressive in my opinions
Thank You

try using Assault Cuirass on pl.

Easily the best phantom lancer here good job!
@ above poster, Assault crap doesn't affect illusions.

Vlads
butterfly
mjollnir
heart
radiance
treads

Hey, where was this guide at when i browsed for one a month ago or so....
Anyway, it's quite a good guide....
Nice on the combo parts...
However I believe that bracers are useless....
But I guess you went for a tank build so it's ok....
And unlike most other people here, i believe that for a guide to be 10/10 it doesn't need to have screenies...
10/10 for you man...

Hmmm, prefer buying stats item
i.e. after having diffusal blade and threads. Get a vit booster, eaglehorn and reaver 1st. Then depending on the situation, u could either get manta or hearts. Later butterfly, then hearts. About radience, if u can micro. U could send ur illusions to nc spots to kill them when u'r like pushing on sentinel's near base mid and btm lane.
For the mana concern, getting the *cylone item* is kinda gd since it solves all of pl's early game problem other than hero killing =P

Hey :) The guide is pretty awesome youve given a detailed explanation for each item you have chosen. But im confused why you went for bottle instead of getting HoD. 2 rings at the start are much better than a bottle. And just thought you should include the fact that the phantom lancer is an -ar player. Its hard to use other modes.

Bracers are by far not useless. They are needed to survive! Otherwise you are food to combo nukers. When you buy bracers, there are not many heroes that can kill you by themselves: They need an ally to do that.

HoD just costs so much, over 2000gold. Also, same goes for the Eul's. Bottle is a rather cheap item that you can buy from the shop your lane.

To add, the illusions won't get the magic resistance from HoD.

Ring of regeneration itself is a nice item for Phantom Lancer, thought.

this is so cool !!!!!

nice guide

very good guide this is the way 2 play ph with heart to buff up your illusions you will be very hard 2 stop.

Great guide and im only the 76th person 2 comment 10/10

damn i have to give you thumbs up on this because you elaborate things very clearly

Basher for phantom is beter than anything ecept mata

wait a minute. i know that if a buy an assaulty cuirass, my illusions won't gain the aura from it. but if the real PL has the cuirass, will the illusions get the +5 armor bonus?

No, they won't benefit from auras. Unfortunately. Expect for the minus armor aura, if they are hitting a target afflicted by it. However, the DPS increase is too insignificant to matter.

Bashers aren't that great for PL. You don't have enought attackspeed for permabash, and the way how it works on illusions makes it even worse.

If you make a bash, and then illusion makes a bash, the illusion will prolong the bash made by you.

However, if any illusions does a fake bash, and then you bash, it will prolong the fake bash, which is useless.

I'm sorry that I've been a slow poster. I should update the Butcher guide, but I've had some problems with my internet connection and also my studies are taking a lot of my time.

If there was only a heart/sceptor like weapon just for agi and no attack speed would own for PL! Mass yashas is freaking INGENIUS, 10/10

nice :]

3rd class stratogy dear its no use in one on one how can you discribe phantom without starting with vengard? how ? i think you should take a thout..

it though not thought

One of my favorite hero
Good guide. Custom build though..

i simply dont agree with your item build

the build is excellent but id put bruiza above radience coz if i have a BoT all i have to do to finish off a big push is 2 tp there manta stle and tp out and let my illusions take care of the rest. good guide 10/10 ( )

Battle Fury is important for Azwraith since it gives you and your illusions Cleaving Attack and it enhances your health and mana regen too plus damage . . . S & Y can be good too for harassing . . . And what about Vladmir's? It is also good but not required! Better spend your gold somewhere else!

This strategy has no use in 1 on 1. Dota is a team game, so I didn't make this for 1v1 matches.

Battlefury = no cleave for your illusions, only the animation.

SnY good in harassing? I don't really get your point. Also, Manta / Diffusal is better for harassing with illusions because of the manaburn.

Vanguard doesn't solve your HP problems, and it can't be turned into something more useful later on. Also, illusions won't gain the block. Vanguard only gives you 250 HP, which is not enough for you to sustain AOE spells.

Great guide. It's "though" not "thought"

I believe that Azwraith has all the potentials to be one great hero, it;s just that I can't figure out how to do it right... the srats a little too ambitious, Azwraith gets pinned everytime anytime... darn

panget build moh tae

killing spree

dont like this strat... i never play him like that :S

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
what can i say.butterfly comes after manta and mkb is great.i prefer t focus on the main hero and not at the ilussions s i prefer buying cuirass.though i like ur strategy.reaver last

r u serious...Earthshaker gets wasted by illusions aftaer lvl 6 cause he doesnt know which ones to stun, and if he does hit the right one u can just doppelwalk

Ooo.. This is like putting cheese in milk.. You F*CKED UP A PERFECT LATEGAME CARRY HERO.. PL IS NOTHING OF A TANK... AND HE NEVER WILL! ... TOO LOW HP EVEN WITH HOT'(s) ... You can still take anyone down with
Vlads
BoT
B-Fly
Manta
Hyperstone(Curass if needed)
MKB
...
You dont need Hot's if you got like 10 little friends..
And if your a pubbie, then youd wanna go x2 Basher's instead of Vlads and MKB, cause.. Thats rape... 30 x 11 = 330% chance to bash.. Everyone will hate you.. Even 1 basher is enough lol.

Nice build bro! :)

I realized now that juxtapose is better off learned mid game..

@ TATERS

Maybe that earthshaker was NOOB!

This sucks!

ONE WORD....

IF YOU FIGHT LIKE THAT you are invicible almost so every body KEEP THIS GUIDE IN MIND!!!

if my opponent gets a true sight item, isnt there a way that i can cancel that?

"if my opponent gets a true sight item, isnt there a way that i can cancel that?"

There are three items that give truesight:

Sentry Ward: In this situation, you have to destroy the ward. The ward itself does not have a truesight, but it gives the truesight to units nearby.

Necronomicon 3: The necronomicon warrior. That blue little guy has a truesight. The easiest way to get rid off it is to purge it. If you don't have anything to purge it with, you can destroy it by using your auto-attack or a couple of lances.

Gem: Kill the one who carries it. Then someone in your team should pick it up or destroy it.

Remember that truesight items will not tell your enemies which one is an illusion and which one is not; truesight items and abilities will only reveal invisible units.

"r u serious...Earthshaker gets wasted by illusions aftaer lvl 6 cause he doesnt know which ones to stun, and if he does hit the right one u can just doppelwalk"

Taters, Echo Slam's damage depends on how many units are within it's range. I hope you understand it now.

"Ooo.. This is like putting cheese in milk.. You F*CKED UP A PERFECT LATEGAME CARRY HERO.. PL IS NOTHING OF A TANK... AND HE NEVER WILL! ... TOO LOW HP EVEN WITH HOT'(s) ... You can still take anyone down with
Vlads
BoT
B-Fly
Manta
Hyperstone(Curass if needed)
MKB
...
You dont need Hot's if you got like 10 little friends..
And if your a pubbie, then youd wanna go x2 Basher's instead of Vlads and MKB, cause.. Thats rape... 30 x 11 = 330% chance to bash.. Everyone will hate you.. Even 1 basher is enough lol"

It is true that Phantom Lancer is not the same kind of tank as Centaur Warchief or Tidehunter. He is a pusher like all other illusionists. However, PL isn't exactly the same as all other illusionists. Because of the way how he makes his copies and the lack of range (like Terrorblade) and other abilities (like Naga's ulti which gives you a grand total of 6 seconds of raxxing, or Nessaj's insane damage output and good HP) he has to get some HP. His copies are the weakest among all illusionists but he can make many illusions. This gives him one big weakness: he is vulnerable to AoEs (like the other illusionists, but PL is more fragile to AoEs than any of the other ones). In order to sustain the AoEs, he needs HP.


PL isn't a DPS hero. Let me make this one clear for you. He has no stereoid spell like Strafe. He has no passive to increase his DPS. In other words, if you turn him into a DPS hero, his damage will be lower when you compare it with real DPS heroes.

I hope that you will also learn how the bash works on illusions some day. Then you'll realize that he isn't a good in terms of bashing.

Also, it won't be 330%. It might sound like it, but it isn't. Go and learn the math. It'll never be 100% or over.

330? WHAT A DUMBASS! Ok, nice guide - its actually in depth a bit rather than the other guides I keep finding (y'know, total one paragraph per section). I would disagree with the item build except my friend just got him two Hearts and we all just sat there trying to kill the Illusions and it took soo long... and then hes not even there... perfect for mind games: weak PL Illusions just die instantly, but the huge tanky PL can create a load of extra HP for people to go through. I tend to not get Radiance on windwalkers in general, but its your guide. And PL also has images so its not that big a problem on PL (compare to Clinkz or something - they get immolated, they ward instantly and mow Clinkz).
10/10 from me.

nice

if illusion bashes, it bashes for 0.01sec

but if u bash and then illusion bashes the stun time summs. but u have to bash first

One word: Great

11/10

ahem... ahem...

the illusions also get the Assault Cuirass' aura and benefit from its plus armor making PL's illusions more harder to destroy.

i like your strategy on how to make phantom lancer annoying to enemies...ayt?!!!

Not bad..Im gonna try dis out. 9/10

Mmm.

I edited this guide last time just when 6.44 came out.

I think I'm going to edit this once again some day. The build is still good, as there has been practically no changes for the hero.

I have some flaws here, which I should correct.

And yes, typos, too.

1/10 phantom always gets ironwood branch and never sell it

One of the best strategy guides on ds. I've used this guide's item build a few times, with the exception of getting a vlad's after heart, but most games I dont get that far. Anyways the build is great and so is the skill build, thanks for explaining why not to go right for jux, its definitely helped me survive early game instead of making myself vulnerable. Overall you did a great job 10/10

I think that a stun won't stop profit's teleport.

unsa ba na na mga starter items BANGA ba

thx ^^ i really like this hero and of course....Tiny

- -* radiance will work for the illusion???

Srry to post again but i wanna know tht it works with manta style's illusion or not?? also the illusion of phantom lancer

nice build but de items are so fuked up 2 bracers????? bro u need butterfly,manta, HoT, bruiza, boots of travel and radiance, rapier or maybe ageis. he overall a mad hero pwns late game

yer bro it wrks with radiance and manta

This guide is now a bit outdated.

Should do something about it, but I'm a bit busy now.

Just answering to some questions now:

Radiance works on illusions, however, the burn won't stack. 10 illusions in a small area won't do 10x350 damage. Only one burn will count. You can spread the burn with illusions, however.

Manta gives manaburn to all PLs, including illusions.

Bracers are needed for early game, if you play EM, it's a different issue though.

Lance will stop Teleport.

really nice guide

Nice strategy!!

i'm guessing this guide is for 1 vs. 1... isn't it?

either way...good guide

do illusions get immolation too??

just wondering

do illusions get immolation too??

just wondering

oh yeah by the way,

nice strategy, item build is kinda' basic

but nice

oh yeah by the way,

nice strategy, item build is kinda' basic

but nice

oh yeah by the way,

nice strategy, item build is kinda' basic

but nice

oh yeah by the way,

nice strategy, item build is kinda' basic

but nice

noob u!!!

eye of skadi is the best 4 phantom lancer!!!

skadi dont have an orb effect!!!

LoL!!!

lol u suck ffs u fucking retarded nigger noob !! S&y owns for him ! and so does Battlefury ! illusions splash like hell
face the facts : ur real left u abanded in a trailer and then the trailer driver came and found, he was happy to find you, untill now when u posted this noob strat nubcake

@anderspank
Skadi is an orb effect for melee
LOL!!!

i have a noob question for the author....can i use basher for this hero? tnx for the guide nice work.

ummm
im not really sure this would work but maybe, just maybe you can add vladimirs offering, battle fury, to your item biuld.