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Mighty Lich is one of the best heroes at controlling a lane, thanks to his Frost Nova and Sacrifice spells. Frost Blast is a strong nuke that slows its target, giving Lich a good harassment tool. Repeatedly casting Frost Blast and harassing with physical attacks is a surefire way to quickly bring an enemy hero to his knees. However, Frost Blast becomes even more dangerous when coupled with Sacrifice. This spell allows Lich to destroy an allied creep and gain mana based on its life. Using this spell helps Lich by giving him limitless mana for Frost Blast, and hinders his enemies by denying them the experience or gold they would have gained from the destroyed creep. By using Frost Blast and Sacrifice liberally, the Lich can quickly force any opponent to retreat from his lane. Later in the game Lich tends to slide into a support role, using his Ice Armor spell to buff the survivability of his allies, and deploying his devastating Chain Frost to damage his foes in team battles.
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Although Weaver may be fragile, he more than counters this weakness with constant bursts of speed and invisibility, along with the ability to periodically deal double damage on attack. He is the master of in, out, and back in. He sends out swarms of beetles which latch onto foes to damage and create chaos. The beetles also reduce his prey's armor, making them vulnerable to team attacks. Finally, Weaver can Time Lapse into the recent past, returning him to the location, as well as to levels of health and mana, that he'd been at 5 seconds prior. Weaver is a paradox--quick and agile, extremely hard to kill due to Time Lapse, but also fragile if caught off guard.
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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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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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In the early stages of a game, Tinker appears to be a straightforward offensive spellcasting hero, with two exceptionally dangerous single target abilities and a large Area of Effect ability. Laser deals extremely high damage to one enemy and temporarily blinds them, making it very deadly against fragile spellcasters and agility heroes who rely on their physical attacks. Heat Seeking Missile also does a lot of damage; it not only has a very long range, but will track a single enemy across the map, making it especially good for finishing off injured heroes. March of the Machines can be difficult to master, but it will cause a lot of pain if placed correctly--not to mention the amount of gold it can harvest from plentiful creep kills. However, Tinker's true power lies in Rearm. With enough mana, Tinker can launch a constant barrage of spells on his enemies. Rearm also refreshes the cooldown of most inventory items, making high-priced equipment with active abilities far more effective for Tinker than other heroes.
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Nature's Prophet is an unusual intelligence hero. His only damaging spell is his ultimate, Wrath of Nature, which is most effective when cast as far as possible from its intended victims. Instead of offensive spells, he relies on his physical attack and his allies to take down enemies. With his summoned army of Treants, he is a great lane pusher. His main advantage is his amazing mobility. Using Teleportation, he can jaunt anywhere on the battlefield at will. A player with good map awareness is invaluable help to his allies, since he can potentially join any battle, anywhere on the map. With Sprout, he can trap enemy heroes and then finish them off with his strong physical attack and allied help. He can summon an army of Treants with Nature's Call and quickly destroy enemy towers and structures before the enemy can regroup to retaliate. His final spell, Wrath of Nature, can be used to soften up targets across the map while drawing large amounts of gold from enemy creeps. Whether you wish to play Nature's Prophet, or effectively oppose him, map awareness is key.
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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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Loved by aggressive players everywhere, Puck is one of the best heroes for starting fights. Puck's highly flexible skill set is useful in any situation, making Puck a great hero in both support and offensive roles. Illusory Orb functions like a regular line damage spell--yet at any point along its course, Puck can use Ethereal Jaunt to instantly teleport to Illusory Orb's position. This makes the spell useful for both attacking and escaping. It also meshes perfectly with Puck's offensive spell, Waning Rift. Waning Rift deals damage and silence in an area around Puck, making it the natural choice for use after an Illusory Orb and Ethereal Jaunt. Puck's final offensive spell, Dream Coil, can be used either before or after this combo with great effect. Trapping enemies in a small area, Dream Coil forces them to remain near the target point or take damage and get stunned. Phase Shift, meanwhile, renders Puck invulnerable for several seconds--a highly useful skill on the frequent occasions when Puck ends up right in the middle of the fray. Puck is a relatively easy hero to pick up, and a highly rewarding one to master.
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The Sand King emphasizes area of effect damage more than most. All four of his abilities can damage multiple foes at once. Burrowstrike, his mainstay, damages and stuns targets in a line. In addition, when using this ability, the Sand King burrows to the target location which sets him up for additional attacks or spells. This can get him into trouble though, and to help evade counter attacks he uses Sand Storm. While active, this ability makes the Sand King invisible in the middle of a swirling storm of dust. Although he is unable to move while remaining invisible, nearby enemies will take damage as long as they remain in the storm. The Sand King can finish off groups off units with his Caustic Finale passive skill, which causes a deadly explosion every time he kills a unit with his physical attack. Epicenter, arguably Sand King's most deadly ability, creates a pulsing earthquake centered on his location. When combined with Burrowstrike, this ability is often fatal to fragile heroes, and leaves tougher enemies wounded and limping for safety.
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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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