Phantom Assassin
Through divination and foresight, the Veiled Sisters have always been selecting children to raise to adulthood to become their assassins. They do not accept contracts or strike for political struggles or financial gain. Their assassinations are completely lawless and seemingly random.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“Patience is the assassin's greatest weapon. Strike when the moment is perfect, and let your blade speak the truth.”
Master the Dagger
Stifling Dagger is your utility tool. Use it for last hits, harassment, and vision. Master its timing and you'll control the lane.
Patience Pays Off
Don't rush into fights. Wait for the perfect moment, isolate your target, then strike. One critical hit can change everything.
Mobility is Key
Phantom Strike isn't just for engagement - it's your escape route too. Always have an exit plan and units to jump to.
Blur as Both Shield and Cloak
Use Blur's evasion to survive extended fights, and the active to reposition or dodge crucial abilities. Timing is everything.
The Critical Moment
When your Coup de Grace lands, it's game-changing. Build to maximize these moments and they'll win you the game.
Hunt, Don't Fight
You're an assassin, not a brawler. Pick off isolated targets, create advantages, then push your lead. Avoid fair fights.
Hero Overview
Phantom Assassin is a lethal carry hero who excels at eliminating single targets with devastating critical strikes. Her Blur ability provides significant evasion, making her difficult to bring down in extended fights, while Phantom Strike offers incredible mobility for both engagement and escape.
Her gameplay revolves around building damage items to amplify her already deadly Coup de Grace critical strikes. She excels at picking off vulnerable heroes and snowballing through the mid to late game. With proper positioning and timing, Phantom Assassin can single-handedly turn team fights by eliminating key enemy threats.
Pros
- Highest critical strike damage multiplier in the game
- Excellent mobility with Phantom Strike
- Significant evasion from Blur makes her tanky for an agility carry
- Strong single-target burst damage
- Can escape from dangerous situations easily
Cons
- Vulnerable to disables and burst damage before getting items
- Relies heavily on critical strike RNG
- Weak against heroes with accuracy items or abilities
- Limited team fight presence without proper items
- Vulnerable to break effects that disable Blur evasion
Ability Analysis
Stifling Dagger
Target UnitPhantom Assassin throws a dagger at a target enemy unit, dealing damage and slowing their movement speed. The dagger applies attack effects and is treated as an instant attack.
Notes: Critical ability for laning and harassment. Use to secure last hits from safe distance and apply attack modifiers. The dagger is considered an instant attack that applies on-hit effects. Use from fog of war to avoid giving Magic Stick charges to enemies.
Phantom Strike
Target UnitPhantom Assassin blinks to a target unit, friendly or enemy, and gains bonus attack speed for 3 seconds.
Notes: Essential mobility and damage amplification tool. Can be used on allied units, creeps, and even buildings for positioning. The attack speed bonus synergizes perfectly with Coup de Grace critical strikes. Always look for units to jump to when escaping.
Blur
Passive/ActivePhantom Assassin becomes hard to see, gaining evasion on attacks. When activated, she becomes untargetable by single target spells and hidden from the minimap for 4 seconds.
Notes: Provides significant survivability through evasion. The active can disjoint projectiles and makes you untargetable by single-target spells. Lane and neutral creeps won't react to your attacks while Blur is active. Aghanim's Shard reduces cooldowns on kills.
Coup de Grace
PassivePhantom Assassin has a chance to deal critical damage on attacks.
Notes: Your main source of devastating damage. The highest critical strike multiplier in the game makes late-game PA terrifying. The Deadly Focus effect from facets can also be disabled by Break. Aghanim's Scepter adds Fan of Knives that shreds illusions.
Phantom Strike (Shard Upgrade)
Target UnitPhantom Strike reduces all of Phantom Assassin's cooldowns by 3 seconds when used.
Notes: The Shard upgrade significantly enhances your ability uptime. Faster Phantom Strike cooldowns mean more mobility and damage opportunities. Essential for maintaining pressure and staying slippery in fights.
Coup de Grace (Aghanim's Scepter)
ActiveFan of Knives deals damage in a 450 radius around Phantom Assassin based on target's max health and shreds illusions.
Notes: Transforms your critical strike ability into an AoE threat that's devastating against illusion heroes. The damage calculation based on max HP makes it incredibly effective against tanky heroes and illusions alike.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Phantom Assassin is one of the deadliest assassins in Dota 2, specializing in single-target elimination with devastating critical strikes.
Key Insights:
- Coup de Grace provides some of the highest burst damage in the game
- Blur's evasion makes her incredibly hard to hit in prolonged fights
- Phantom Strike offers both mobility and attack speed for rapid assassinations
Phantom Assassin rewards patient, calculated play. Wait for the perfect moment to strike and unleash lethal combinations.
Game Strategy
Early Game
Timeframe: 0-15 minutes Objective: Survive the lane and secure core items Key: Use Stifling Dagger for last hits and harassment; Play conservatively until level 6; Maintain proper positioning to avoid ganks; Use Phantom Strike on creeps to escape bad situations Items: Phase Boots (First priority); Battle Fury for farming speed; Tangos and healing for sustain Tips: Master Stifling Dagger timing for last hits; Use fog of war to avoid giving Magic Stick charges; Learn enemy gank patterns and play accordingly; Farm jungle camps when lane is pushed
Mid Game
Timeframe: 15-30 minutes Objective: Farm efficiently and pick off isolated targets Key: Farm aggressively with Battle Fury cleave; Hunt for pickoffs on vulnerable supports; Maintain good map awareness for ganking opportunities; Use Blur active to reposition in fights Items: Desolator for damage amplification; Black King Bar against magic damage; Silver Edge for break effect Tips: Look for isolated targets to assassinate; Use Blink Dagger after Phantom Strike for extra mobility; Coordinate with team for ganks; Build towards your critical damage items
Late Game
Timeframe: 30+ minutes Objective: Execute key enemy heroes and win teamfights Key: Focus on eliminating enemy cores first; Use Blur active to dodge crucial abilities; Position carefully before engaging; Maximize critical strike damage with proper items Items: Daedalus for massive crits; Butterfly for evasion and attack speed; Aghanim's Scepter for AoE damage Tips: Wait for key cooldowns before engaging; Use all mobility tools to reach backline; Don't overextend without vision; Buybacks are crucial in late game fights
Tips & Strategies
Stifling Dagger Mastery
- Stifling Dagger is an instant attack that applies attack modifiers
- Cast from fog of war to avoid giving Magic Stick charges
- Practice timing right-clicks + melee range Daggers to avoid denies
- The projectile gives vision and can find enemies in fog with Sweet Release facet
Phantom Strike Tactics
- Always look for units to jump to when escaping
- Jump to nearby enemy creeps for tower siege attack speed
- Use courier vision for next jungle camp to jump to
- Can be used on allied units for better positioning
Blur Utilization
- Lane and neutral creeps don't react to attacks while Blur is active
- Active Blur disjoints incoming projectiles
- You're not fully invisible - enemies see a cloaked version
- Aghanim's Shard reduces cooldowns on kills, even Aegis deaths
Coup de Grace Strategy
- Aghanim's Scepter Fan of Knives shreds illusions
- The crit multiplier increases dramatically with levels
- Consider BKB against Blade Mail reflected damage
- Break effects disable both Blur evasion and crit Deadly Focus
Item Guide
Starting Items
Basic stat items for laning and sustainability. The agility items help with last-hitting and early damage output.
Tangos, Slippers of Agility, Circlet
Core Items
Phase Boots for mobility and armor penetration, Battle Fury for farming and cleave damage, Desolator for massive damage amplification on critical strikes.
Phase Boots, Battle Fury, Desolator
Situational Items
BKB against heavy magic/disable lineups, Silver Edge for break effect and backstab damage, Abyssal for lockdown, Manta for stats and dispels.
Black King Bar, Silver Edge, Abyssal Blade, Manta Style
Counter Guide
Good With
Phantom Assassin excels when paired with heroes who can set up kills or provide follow-up damage. Anti-Mage creates space and deals with mana-dependent heroes, while Juggernaut provides additional damage and healing. Templar Assassin offers complementary burst damage and vision control. Riki creates confusion and provides smoke for ganks. Faceless Void can set up perfect Chronospheres for PA to execute enemies, and Shadow Shaman provides lockdown that gives PA free hits. The key is heroes who can either isolate targets or provide the time needed for PA to land her devastating critical strikes.
Bad Against
Phantom Assassin struggles against heroes who can neutralize her key strengths. Axe can call and taunt PA, preventing her from attacking and triggering Counter Helix damage. Bristleback reduces damage from PA's attacks and can chase her down with Quill Spray stacks. Windranger and Razor can evade PA's attacks completely with Windrun and Static Link respectively. Heroes with Break effects like Silver Edge carriers or Viper completely disable Blur evasion. Tanks with high armor like Dragon Knight reduce PA's damage output significantly. Heroes with MKB or other accuracy items bypass Blur evasion entirely. The pattern shows PA struggles against heroes who can either negate her evasion, tank her damage, or disable her key abilities.
Good Against
Phantom Assassin dominates heroes who rely on staying at range, have low health pools, or can't survive her burst damage. Squishy supports like Crystal Maiden, Witch Doctor, and Shadow Shaman are easy targets for quick assassinations. Ranged carries like Sniper and Drow Ranger have limited escape mechanisms and fall quickly to PA's burst. Heroes without mobility like Invoker and Tinker become easy prey once caught. Illusion heroes suffer from Aghanim's Scepter Fan of Knives that shreds illusions based on max HP. Heroes who rely on positioning like Lifestealer or Ursa can be easily outmaneuvered with Phantom Strike mobility. PA's ability to quickly eliminate key threats and snowball makes her a nightmare for heroes who need time to scale or have limited defensive capabilities.