Dazzle
A mysterious shaman who trades in shadow and toxin — healing allies with corrupting magic while wearing down enemies from the inside.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“Timing saves lives. Positioning wins fights.”
Value Every Grave
Shallow Grave is your highest-impact resource. Use it to deny kills, enable TPs, or bait enemy cooldowns.
Think in Armor
Dazzle's toolkit revolves around physical interactions. Use Weave and Shadow Wave to amplify or punish armor states.
Position for Impact
You win by being present — not necessarily by dealing damage. Proper positioning gives the enemy fewer angles to punish your saves.
Projection as a Tool, Not a Clone
Use Nothl Projection to create space and pressure safely; treat it as a separate unit that extends your toolkit rather than a disposable copy.
Hero Overview
Dazzle is a lane and teamfight support who manipulates armor, heals through physical-wave magic, and prevents deaths with Shallow Grave. He excels at saving key allies, punishing grouped enemies, and enabling aggressive plays with well-timed spells.
Play Dazzle around his ultimate and Grave windows. Early game focus on lane presence, pokes with Poison Touch, and clutch Graves to secure escapes or dives. Midgame use Shadow Wave to trade and capitalize on clustered fights; place Weave on objectives and sieges to swing armor values. Late game Dazzle shines by preventing enemy execution and amplifying your team's survivability across fights.
Pros
- Exceptional single-save ability with Shallow Grave
- Shadow Wave both heals allies and damages nearby enemies (physical damage synergy)
- Weave provides powerful armor shifts over time for objectives
- Can create pressure with Nothl Projection mechanics (Agh-related interactions)
Cons
- Grave is on a cooldown — mistakes are costly
- Heals can be reduced or negated by health-restoration reduction effects
- Relatively fragile and position-dependent
- Requires good timing and game-sense to maximize Shadow Wave and Weave value
Ability Analysis
Poison Touch
ActiveThrows a toxin that slows and deals physical damage over time. Can spread to nearby units from the primary target and interacts with projection mechanics to apply additional effects.
Notes: Poison Touch deals physical ticks — it interacts with armor and Shadow Wave's physical-damage theme.Spread range is limited (~500 units cone from the primary target).When coming from a Nothl Projection the Poison Touch can apply hex-like effects to illusions; additional projectiles (from 'Poison Bloom') can trigger that effect.
Shadow Wave
ActiveSends out a bouncing wave that heals allies and damages enemies it passes through. The damage portion is applied as physical damage and scales with number of bounces.
Notes: Stand in the middle of enemy creep waves when pushing to maximize damage bounces.Shadow Wave can bounce to cyclone'd allies (can't target them directly while cycloned but the wave can still hit).Be mindful of 'heal bombs' — when enemies stand near many of your units, Shadow Wave can deal heavy damage.
Shallow Grave
Target UnitPrevents the target's health from dropping below 1 for the duration, effectively guaranteeing survival from otherwise lethal damage for that window.
Notes: Timing is everything — avoid wasting heals on a target who is still clearly protected by Grave until the visual ring falls.You can Grave illusions and certain allied summons (Spirit Bear, Familiars, etc.) — use for advanced mindgames or to protect crucial summons.Shallow Grave can enable instant TP escapes when cast right before a teleport.Eul's Cyclone and similar untargetable effects can bypass Grave healing windows; plan healing accordingly.
Weave
Active / AuraApplies a global-ish effect that lowers enemies' armor over time and increases allies' armor in the area around the target. Strong on objectives and sieges.
Notes: Weave is a long-duration armor swing — place it ahead of sieges and Roshan to get full value.It stacks well with physical-damage comps and with Shadow Wave's physical-damage interactions.Removing Weave at the right time (or forcing fights when it's active) can swing fights heavily in your favor.
Nothl Projection (Aghanim-related/Projection Mechanics)
Passive / SpecialCreates a projection copy of Dazzle with shared cooldowns and copied items on spawn. The Projection provides utility and can cast spells, while being mostly invulnerable and subject to special interaction rules.
Notes: Projection copies most non-consumable items and shares cooldowns with Dazzle; it cannot be targeted by enemies and is effectively invulnerable.Some global or map mechanics can still affect the Projection (e.g., Static Storm, Global Silence).Using Projection well allows aggressive plays while keeping Dazzle's body safe; be mindful of the tether pullback limit and how movement abilities let the Projection resist it.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Dazzle is a support built around layered physical-damage interactions and timing. His toolkit rewards good positioning and perfect timing on Shallow Grave — a saved life often flips engagements. Shadow Wave is deceptively powerful when used for both healing and burst damage against clustered enemies. The newer Projection mechanics let Dazzle create pressure and utility without sacrificing his safety when used correctly.
Game Strategy
Early Game
Timeframe: 0-15 minutes Objective: Secure lane, save key allies, and trade with Poison Touch + Shadow Wave Key: Use Shadow Wave to harass and heal when creeps or summons group up; Apply Poison Touch to slow and disrupt enemy last-hits or to zone; Use Shallow Grave proactively for risky plays or to bait enemy cooldowns; Prioritize boots and a utility item to increase map impact Items: Tranquil Boots (sustain and roam); Force Staff or Glimmer Cape (save and reposition) Tips: Don't waste Shallow Grave on negligible threats; wait until needed or until the Grave visual ends before committing heals.; Shadow Wave's damage is strongest when enemies are near your creeps — use lane geometry to maximize value.
Mid Game
Timeframe: 15-30 minutes Objective: Influence fights with timely Graves and Weave, and force favorable engagements Key: Place Weave ahead of objective pushes to lower enemy armor; Use Projection mechanics (if available) to create pressure while your body stays safe; Coordinate with initiators to ensure Grave is available for their follow-up Items: Glimmer Cape, Force Staff, Solar Crest Tips: Track enemy items that reduce healing (Spirit Vessel, Skadi) and adapt your item build.; Shallow Grave + TP is a reliable escape; use it to turn ganks into saves.
Late Game
Timeframe: 30+ minutes Objective: Keep cores alive, control armor tempo, and win extended fights Key: Save Graves for critical burst windows — don't always be first to use it.; Weave and Solar Crest swing armor trade heavily; time them around teamfights and Roshan.; Position behind your front-line and use Shadow Wave to punish clustered enemies. Items: Aghanim-related items (for projection value), Aeon Disk, Guardian-style items Tips: Late game Dazzle is a high-impact support — one perfect Grave can salvage a lost fight.; Force fights when you have Weave up and the enemy has limited dispel or healing reduction.
Tips & Strategies
Grave Timing & Healing
- Don't immediately heal a Shallow Graved ally unless the Grave is ending or they will still be in danger — healing too early wastes potential.
- Watch the falling ring visual to know exactly when Grave ends and time burst-heals accordingly.
- You can Shallow Grave allied summons and illusions for clutch saves or to bait spells.
Shadow Wave Mastery
- Shadow Wave deals physical damage — stand near enemy creeps to maximize enemy damage during pushes.
- Use Shadow Wave as both a heal and a poke; it's especially effective when enemies cluster around your units.
- Shadow Wave cannot target cycloned allies directly, but bounces can still reach them.
Poison Touch & Projection Tricks
- Poison Touch spreads in a limited cone — use primary target positioning to catch multiple enemies.
- Projection-cast Poison Touch can apply strong hex-like effects to illusions; use this to clear illusion heroes quickly.
- Additional Poison Touch projectiles (e.g., from facets) can proc Projection interactions for bigger impact.
Projection Awareness
- The Nothl Projection is invulnerable and untargetable by most spells; to remove Dazzle pressure, target his body.
- Projection shares cooldowns and copies most non-consumable items on spawn — plan item usage accordingly.
- Some global effects (Disruptor's Static Storm, Silencer's Global Silence) still affect invulnerable projections.
Item Guide
Starting Items
Basic sustain and early mana to keep casting Grave and Shadow Wave.
Tango, Clarity, Faerie Fire
Core Items
Mobility and survivability to reliably cast Grave and reposition allies.
Tranquil Boots, Force Staff, Glimmer Cape
Situational Items
Pick according to enemy line-up: Vessel vs heavy healing, Solar Crest for armor manipulation, Aeon to survive burst, Aghanim-related items to augment projection mechanics.
Solar Crest, Spirit Vessel, Aeon Disk, Aghanim's Scepter
Counter Guide
Good With
Dazzle pairs well with heroes who can exploit grouped enemies and who benefit from extra survivability. Heroes that can follow up with heavy AoE damage or reliable initiation (e.g., Axe, Magnus, Tidehunter, Enigma) turn Dazzle's Grave and Weave into fight-winning tools.
Bad Against
Dazzle struggles versus healing-reduction and instant-kill mechanics. Items and spells that reduce health restoration (Spirit Vessel, Frost/Corrosion effects, Shiva's/Skadi facets) blunt Shadow Wave. Heroes with heavy single-target physical damage or 'break' effects (Axe, Ursa, Lifestealer, Silver Edge carriers) are dangerous. Axe's Culling Blade specifically bypasses Shallow Grave's protection by dispelling it then killing.
Good Against
Dazzle is strong against illusion-heavy lineups, heroes that rely on positioning or channeling, and compositions that cluster. Weave punishes low-armor carries and Shadow Wave punishes grouped enemies and summons.