Vengeful Spirit is so driven to seek revenge against her foes that she will sacrifice herself if it gives an advantage to her team. Her Magic Missiles stun and damage targets. Releasing Wave of Terror, she exposes an oncoming enemy while shredding its armor and dulling its ability to damage. Her lust for vengeance is contagious: nearby allies feel compelled to deal more damage. Even though she is not a particularly tough or agile hero, she will Swap her position with a key enemy or allied hero in an instant, disregarding her own safety for a promise of sweet revenge.
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Beastmaster is a well-rounded fighter, with many tactical options available for all types of combat. Although his physical attacks are melee, he can throw his axes at long range to slice through enemies, dealing lethal damage. His Primal Roar can turn the most organized defense into chaos, allowing Beastmaster and his allies to move in for the kill. His summoning skills serve as effective support for his blitz-style combat. Beastmaster's agile Hawk flies above the battlefield scouting for enemies, and the powerful slowing abilities of his Boar's spines give him time to finish off fleeing foes. A skilled Beastmaster is a deadly foe, capable of fighting any enemy on any terms and crushing them to a pulp.
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Drow Ranger is a highly versatile fighter. She provides constant support for her team: pinning the enemies with Frost Arrows, Silencing them to prevent magical retaliation. Her passive Precision Aura and Marksmanship abilities enhance her natural agility, and make her a welcome addition to any team. A good archer keeps her distance, kiting constantly to keep an enemy under the pressure of a continual barrage, but never gets close enough for them to harm her. This is Drow in her element.
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Although the Earthshaker is a strength hero, his real power lies in his spells. With a well-placed Echo Slam, he can single-handedly level an entire team if his enemies are foolish enough to bunch together. His Fissure spell is very versatile. While it stuns and causes damage, it also creates an impassible wall of stone, trapping hapless foes between a rock and a hard place. Enchant Totem gives Earthshaker a significant damage boost for one attack, while his passive Aftershock ability causes a minor stun and damage effect every time he casts one of his spells. Although he is one of the more difficult heroes to use to his full capacity, he can be one of the most deadly in skilled hands.
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Although she is an intelligence hero, Windrunner's gameplay style resembles that of an agility hero in many ways. Most of the time she relies on her physical attack. Her archery skills are powerful to start with but also enjoys a steadily increasing rate of fire. Deadly Power Shots not only pierce the nearest target with massive damage, but continue on to damage any units in the line of fire. Due to its exceedingly long range, Power Shot is also excellent for picking off injured heroes as they flee. To stop enemies from fleeing in the first place, Windrunner has Shackleshot--one of the best single-target stuns in the game. Shackleshot allows Windrunner to shackle a target either to a tree or to another enemy unit, potentially stunning two heroes. Her third skill, Windrun, allows her to escape dangerous situations, position herself for good Shackleshots, and catch up to fleeing enemies. If Powershot isn't enough to take down a target, she can use Focus Fire. This powerful ability makes her attack a single enemy at the fastest possible rate; while it reduces her total damage, it has a long duration. Focus Fire is also highly effective against buildings and other stationary targets--and woe to the enemy hero who is first hit by Shackleshot, since they are now essentially a stationary target themselves.
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The Crystal Maiden is a powerful disabler and support spellcaster. Each of her offensive spells impairs the enemy in some way, making her a valuable addition to any lineup. Crystal Nova blasts multiple enemies with chilling damage, while Frostbite completely paralyzes a single foe. Freezing Field causes immense damage and slows everything in a large area around her, but her natural fragility makes it a difficult spell to use to full effect. Her greatest asset to her team is Arcane Aura, which gives all her allies a significant boost to their mana regeneration, no matter where on the map they might be. Although she tends to take on a supportive role, the Crystal Maiden is still one of the most valuable heroes for any team.
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Ancient Apparition is a versatile spellcaster with the unusual ability to strike enemies at long distances. With practice, his Ice Blast can strike any point on the battlefield, and deals damage in a wide diameter. It's perfect for laying waste to enemies clumped together in a fight and allows Ancient Apparition to be an integral part of team fights even when he's on the other side of the map. Cold Feet is useful to slow the movement speed of targets, and if afflicted enemies can't get safely out of range within four seconds, they'll be frozen in their tracks. This is particularly beneficial in team fights because an enemy that is frozen is an enemy that can't fight back. Ice Vortex is another of Ancient Apparition's abilities that focuses on immobilizing his enemies. Ice Vortex condenses Ancient Apparition's frost power into a single spinning vortex of ice that slows enemies while they are standing inside it and increases all magic damage taken. But Ancient Apparition's spells aren't limited just to increasing his own effectiveness in battle. Chilling Touch enchants allied heroes and gives bonus magical attack damage to your teammates.
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Spectre is complex melee fighter with a unique series of special attack skills. She's able to Desolate opponents for pure damage if she catches them alone. She can also Disperse incoming damage, deflecting it into the area around her. She can hurl a Spectral Dagger at opponents, slowing and damaging enemies while at the same time allowing her to pass through material objects and travel across any terrain. Her ultimate weapon though, and the thing that sets her apart from all others, is her Haunt ability. She should be feared as a constant presence, being able to Haunt all enemy heroes on the battlefield at once, appearing out of nowhere to harass and confuse an entire enemy force, no matter where they are on the map. Haunt is a great strategy tool, as she can then take over one of her phantom images to physically enter a fight at the location that give her best advantage.
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Dark Seer is a master of manipulating the positioning of allies and enemies and causing confusion in battle. His Vacuum ability drags all enemy units in a wide area to a central location. This spell is very deadly when combined with allies who have strong area of effect spells. Dark Seer's primary damage source is Ion Shell. When cast on an allied unit, or the Dark Seer himself, Ion Shell continuously damages all adjacent enemies, making it the natural complement to Vacuum. Ion Shell is powerful when cast on allied melee heroes who like to be in the thick of the fight. To aid his allies and to make sure Ion Shell is in range, the Dark Seer uses Surge, a powerful spell that makes a target ally move at maximum speed for a short period of time. This ability is useful in any situation, and due to its low cooldown period and mana cost it can be cast quite frequently. Dark Seer's final spell, Wall of Replica, summons a shimmering barrier which duplicates any enemy hero that passes through it, creating an illusion of him. Wall of Replica is great at causing a lot of confusion during large battles, especially combined with Vacuum. Dark Seer is a perfect fit for players who like a more strategic playstyle and can quickly determine the flow of battle.
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You had better take advantage of the daylight while you can, since come nightfall you will be up against a powerful and adept hunter. Night Stalker's passive Hunter in the Night increases his movement and attack speed at night, making him a feared ganker and chaser whenever the sun is down. His Void spell damages a target and slows them to a crawl, allowing Night Stalker and his allies to deal great amounts of damage. Crippling Fear is a powerful weapon against spellcasters and fighters alike, as it both silences enemies and increases the chance that their physical attacks will miss the target. It is said that you have little to fear from Night Stalker when the sun is high--however, his ultimate ability, Darkness, allows him to instantly turn day into night (or prolong the night that has already fallen), giving his other spells their fullest effect.
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