The Demon from Hell's Depths

Lion

He skewers foes on spikes of rock, transforms them into helpless creatures, and sends them to hell with a final, damning finger.

At a Glance

Primary AttributeIntelligence

Primary RoleDisabler / Ganker / Support

ComplexityLow

Core Principles

“Hell is not a place you go. It's a thing you bring to them. One finger at a time.”

The Patient Predator

The fog of war is your greatest weapon. Never reveal yourself until the moment of the kill. A seen Lion is a predictable Lion.

The Delete Button

Your function is to remove one enemy from the fight. Instantly. Identify the highest priority target and execute them without hesitation.

Master of Lockdown

Your spells are a chain of damnation. Perfect your combo (Hex into Spike) to give your victim absolutely zero chance to react.

The Mana Tyrant

Control the resources of the lane. An enemy hero with no mana is a glorified creep. Drain them, dominate them.

Fear Incarnate

Your mere absence from the map is a threat. Force the enemy to play scared, to waste gold on vision, and to never feel safe.

The Final Judgment

Your Finger is the exclamation point of every gank. Use it to secure kills, build your power, and enforce your will upon the battlefield.

Victory through wisdom and strength

Hero Overview

Lion is the quintessential single-target nuker and disabler. He excels at identifying a key enemy hero, locking them down with a chain of disables, and erasing them from the fight with his devastating ultimate. Mastering Lion means mastering patience and positioning: strike from the shadows, turn fair fights into 4v5, and control tempo with relentless ganks.

Play the map, not the lane. Your presence off the minimap pressures cores to buy vision and defensive items. Rotate early, manage smoke timings, and convert kills into objectives.

Pros

Incredible single-target lockdown
Immense scaling magical burst damage
Instantly kills illusions with Hex
Strong lane presence with Mana Drain
Effective early ganker

Cons

Very squishy and fragile
No innate escape
Reliant on Blink Dagger for positioning
Long cooldown on ultimate
Vulnerable when spells are on cooldown

Ability Analysis

Earth Spike

Active

A line of rocky spikes erupts from the ground, hurling enemies into the air, stunning and damaging them.

Notes: Ground-targeting from fog won't reveal you and can bypass Linken's Sphere. Use to start or chain disables into Hex.

Hex

Active

Transforms an enemy unit into a harmless critter, disabling attacks and abilities. Instantly kills most illusions.

Notes: Zero cast time — pre-cast and cancel to instantly catch blink initiators. Functions as silence/mute/disarm; stronger than stuns versus heroes like Abaddon.

Mana Drain

Active

Siphons mana from an enemy over time while slowing them. Can be cast on allies to give mana.

Notes: Break Linken's safely, provide true sight, and fuel endless ganks. If it breaks unexpectedly, enemy vision is revealing you.

Finger of Death

Ultimate

Rips a target apart with a massive burst of damage. If it kills, gains permanent damage and reduced cooldown.

Notes: You gain stacks if the target dies within ~3s of impact. Damage lands ~0.25s after the visual; can be dodged with perfect timing (Eul's/Manta/banish).

Multi-Drain (Shard)

Upgrade

Targets up to 3 enemies, grants debuff immunity, and provides bonus move speed to allies being drained.

Notes: Great survivability and utility increase, but does not dispel on cast.

AoE Finger (Aghanim's)

Upgrade

Finger of Death hits all units in a small area around the primary target. Also decreases cooldown.

Notes: Turns your single-target nuke into a teamfight-winning weapon.

Developer's Notes

Developer Insights

Lion thrives on fog-of-war discipline and instant decision-making. Hex has zero cast time, so pre-cast and cancel near initiators to auto-disable their blink. Use Mana Drain to break Linken's safely before committing. When playing versus illusion cores, your job is to delete waves and illusions by toggling Hex/Drain conservatively to keep mana for Finger. Prioritize survivability and positioning (Force/Glimmer) over greedy damage items unless your lineup already has peel.

Game Strategy

Early Game (Harass & Control)

Timeframe: 0–10 minutes Objective: Cripple offlaners with mana control and set up kills. Key: Drain mana during enemy last hits to force lose-gold or lose-mana decisions.; Coordinate kill attempts once Spike + Hex are available.; TP reactively to skirmishes; secure runes and vision. Items: Tranquil Boots; Wind Lace; Smoke of Deceit Tips: Use Mana Drain on ranged creeps to quickly replenish mana in lane.; Ground-targeted Earth Spike from fog keeps you hidden before the stun lands.; Break Linken's with Drain before committing Hex → Spike → Finger.

Mid Game (Ganking & Deletion)

Timeframe: 10–25 minutes Objective: Hunt isolated heroes and convert picks into objectives. Key: Rush Blink; the map becomes your hunting ground.; Smoke with 2–3 heroes, invade triangle/jungle, delete a core, take towers/Roshan.; Maintain mana economy: Drain between fights to avoid fountain trips. Items: Blink Dagger; Aether Lens; Arcane Boots Tips: Combo template: Blink → Hex → Spike → Finger; adapt ordering for range or BKB timers.; If Finger stacks matter, call targets and save for kill-secure within 3s window.; Track enemy wards: if Drain breaks oddly, you're in vision.

Late Game (Positioning & Priority)

Timeframe: 25+ minutes Objective: Be the scalpel — instantly remove the highest-threat target. Key: Stay off vision until the fight starts. Pick timing over volume.; Itemize survivability: Force/Glimmer/Ghost to live through counter-initiation.; Respect BKB windows; bait charges before committing Finger. Items: Aghanim's Scepter; Scythe of Vyse; Octarine Core; Wind Waker Tips: Prioritize disabling save supports (Dazzle/Oracle) or carries before BKB.; Instant Hex punishes blink-in initiators; pre-cast to auto-catch.; Manage buyback + smoke timing to swing fights post-pickoff.