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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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A massive leviathan of incredible strength and toughness, Tidehunter is a real tank. Using his Gush skill, he can slow and damage a single target while reducing their armor, allowing him and his allies to pummel the target to a pulp. To aid his close combat skills, Tidehunter has a powerful Anchor Smash spell, which he can use to unleash a devastating area of effect spin attack. A target of Gush who is hit by an Anchor Smash or two is in deep trouble. To protect himself while chasing down and smashing enemies, Tidehunter has a passive: Kraken Shell. This ability reduces all damage from physical attacks by a set number, allowing the Leviathan to wade into combat without fear, ignoring the blows of lesser foes. Kraken Shell also occasionally dispels negative spell effects, making him even more difficult to stop. By far the most feared ability of the Tidehunter is Ravage. This mighty ability allows the Tidehunter to cause immense damage and stun all enemies in a large area around him. This ability is most effective in large team battles, where it is a simple matter to hit the entire enemy team at once with its writhing tentacles, setting up the Tidehunter and his allies for an easy victory.
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Lion is a strong offensive spellcaster with excellent disabling capabilities. Although his primary attack spell, Spike, deals relatively low damage, it has a long stun and can hit multiple targets easily. Its low damage is more than compensated for by Lion's Finger of Death, which deals very high damage to a single enemy target. Finger of Death is an excellent finishing spell for injured enemies. Although Spike alone is a good disabling spell, Lion has a second strong disable: Hex. Hex can transform an enemy hero into a critter for a few seconds, allowing Lion and his allies time to finish them off. Lion's spells all cost quite a bit of mana, but he can quickly regain it using Mana Drain. This spell is effective for draining an enemy hero's mana, or giving Lion a quick mana boost from a ranged creep. This hero is a good choice for newer players, but at the same time he is fragile and must walk a fine line between caution and aggression to emerge victorious.
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Venomancer is a hideous monstrosity who casts an assortment of toxins to bring down his enemies. He uses a fast Venomous Gale attack to project his poison at all enemies in a narrow path in front of him, slowing victims greatly and dealing damage over time. His attacks are coated with Poisonous Stingers that both slow and damage afflicted enemies. He can summon Plague Wards to do his bidding-deploying them either far out in front of him to scout, or in the heart of the bloody battle itself, to fight and weaken enemies. The wards can also be used to push and block off routes of attack or escape. His ultimate attack, Poison Nova, unleashes a potent toxin in a large ring around his body, infecting everyone it hits, dealing large damage, but over a long time. Though this toxin isn't lethal, every other poison he carries is. He is exceptional at weakening enemies, and slowing them down so that they don't stand a chance in team fights.
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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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Shadow Shaman is one of best heroes for disabling enemies, with two strong spells of this type. However, he is a fragile hero who tends to become a focus for enemy wrath in combat. Teamwork and communication are essential if Shadow Shaman is to make full use of his potent spell arsenal. Ether Shock is a useful ability, good for harassing foes, killing creeps, and finishing off wounded enemies who try to escape his snares. Hex is a straightforward polymorph skill, transforming the target into a critter and knocking them out of the fight for a few valuable seconds. Shackles is an interesting ability which disables the target and also Shadow Shaman, who must remain immobile while he channels the spell. However, this is not as much of a disadvantage as it might seem, since his Mass Serpent Ward gives him a powerful means of destroying his target while he holds them in place. The wards are a powerful siege tool as well, able to level buildings very quickly. Since towers can only defend against one ward at a time, they stand little chance against Shadow Shaman's legion of serpents.
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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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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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Enigma change the course of a game with the cast of a single spell, but he is also an excellent support hero. Malefice is a unique stun, hitting a target swiftly several times instead of all at once. Ideal for running down enemy heroes, it also interrupts channeling for those spellcasters who rely on it. For sheer damage, Enigma relies on Conversion, which transforms a target creep into three Eidolons which multiply as they attack. Conversion can also be cast on neutral creeps--perfect for ambushes. Enigma's ultimate power, Black Hole, is a powerful channeling spell. Enemies caught in its horizon are disabled and dragged inevitably toward its deadly center, where Enigma's allies can concentrate their attacks. Enigma can add to the pain with Midnight Pulse, an Area of Effect spell that causes repeated damage based on the target's maximum life. Powerful alone, Enigma is strongest when supported by allies with strong Area of Effect spells, since they can take the greatest advantage of Black Hole.
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Anti-Mage's passive Mana Break allows him to deal extra damage and deplete a spellcaster's supply of mana. As he grows into his powers, his Spell Shield makes him more resilient against magical attacks. Meanwhile, Blink gives him the ability to teleport across short distances for superb maneuverability. Seeking out weary casters, he uses Mana Void to inflict immense damage on those who are low on mana. Although Anti-Mage is disadvantaged against casters in the early game, his powers grow quickly, and there is no one better suited for destroying the greatest spellcasters at what ought to be their moment of triumph.
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