Medusa
Once a mortal among divine sisters, Medusa was spared when invaders captured her immortal siblings. Rejected by her captors for her mortality, she fled to her mother's temple and begged for power to rescue her sisters and seek revenge. The goddess answered, transforming her beauty into terrifying strength—the power that could change the world.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“Survival is power. Patience is victory. Every arrow fired, every spell cast—these are building blocks of your inevitable triumph.”
Embrace the Farm
Your strength comes from items, not kills. Every creep farmed is a step closer to invincibility. Hate farming now, thank yourself later.
Mana is Life
Your mana pool isn't for spells—it's your health bar. Protect it, nurture it, and it will protect you when enemies come calling.
Position is Everything
You are immobile artillery. One misstep and everything crashes. Position perfectly, and your team rides your Split Shot to victory.
Weather the Storm
Early game is your crucible. Every carry faces this fire. Those who emerge with farm intact become legends.
Split the Battlefield
One arrow becomes five. One fight becomes a massacre. Your damage isn't just high, it's everywhere at once.
Stone the Aggressor
Your gaze isn't just defense—it's judgment. Those who dare challenge your throne discover too late that aggression against you is self-destruction.
Hero Overview
Medusa is the ultimate late-game carry, combining extraordinary durability with massive area damage output. Her Mana Shield innate ability allows her to absorb incredible amounts of punishment by converting her mana pool into a protective barrier, while Split Shot enables devastating multi-target attacks that can clear creep waves and shred entire teams.
Medusa's gameplay revolves around patient farming to reach her power spikes, then unleashing her full potential in teamfights. Use Mystic Snake for lane control and jungle farming, maintain constant Split Shot for efficient clearing, and leverage Stone Gaze both defensively against divers and offensively to control teamfight positioning. The key is balancing aggression with survival, knowing when to fight and when to continue farming.
Pros
- Incredible late-game damage output with Split Shot
- Extremely tanky with Mana Shield innate ability
- Excellent farming and pushing capabilities
- Stone Gaze provides powerful teamfight control
- Strong against illusion heroes with AoE damage
Cons
- Very long farming time required to reach effectiveness
- Vulnerable to mana burning abilities and items
- Low mobility and escapes options
- Dependent on team protection during farming phase
- Weak against heroes with break effects
Ability Analysis
Split Shot
ToggleMedusa splits her arrow into multiple shards, hitting additional targets with reduced damage. Only the primary target receives attack effects.
Notes: The cornerstone of your damage output. Keep it toggled on for farming and teamfights, but turn it off when focusing single targets like Roshan or jungle camps. Remember that attack effects only apply to the primary target.
Mystic Snake
Target UnitReleases a mystic snake that bounces between enemy units, dealing damage and stealing mana before returning to Medusa.
Notes: Your primary farming and harassment tool. Target creeps instead of heroes in lane to maximize damage growth through bounces. Excellent for clearing ancient camps and maintaining mana economy. Cannot be dodged with blink abilities.
Mana Shield
ToggleCreates a shield that absorbs 70% of incoming damage by consuming Medusa's mana.
Notes: Your survival mechanism. Always keep this active as it calculates damage before any reductions, making magic resistance less effective. The shield only blocks 70% of damage, with the remaining 30% going to your HP.
Stone Gaze
ActiveAny unit that faces Medusa while within her gaze gradually slows. If they face her for 2 cumulative seconds, they will be petrified.
Notes: Powerful defensive and offensive tool. Immobilizes divers trying to kill you while amplified your damage against petrified targets. Turning away doesn't reset the 2-second timer - it continues counting down when they face you again.
Split Shot (Shard Upgrade)
ToggleSplit Shot reduces damage by 40% instead of 50% and adds 2 additional targets.
Notes: Significant damage boost that makes your farming and teamfight output much more efficient. The reduced damage penalty means each hit does more damage across all targets.
Stone Gaze (Aghanim's Scepter)
ActiveStone Gaze also petrifies all units within 450 radius after 1 second and increases Medusa's mana pool by 400.
Notes: Transforms your ultimate into a massive AoE control ability. The delayed petrification affects everyone regardless of facing direction, making it devastating for teamfight control. The additional mana pool significantly increases your survivability.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Medusa is the quintessential late-game carry, defined by her incredible tankiness through Mana Shield and devastating AoE damage with Split Shot. Her strength lies in soaking up immense damage while melting enemy teams with split attacks.
Key Insights:
- Mana Shield makes you deceptively tanky, absorbing damage before reductions
- Split Shot transforms you into a farming and teamfight powerhouse
- Stone Gaze is both defensive and offensive, protecting you while punishing aggressors
Medusa rewards patient farming and smart positioning. Once you reach your item thresholds, you become nearly unstoppable!
Game Strategy
Early Game
Timeframe: 0-15 minutes Objective: Survive laning phase and secure farming items Key: Use Mystic Snake for last hits and harassment; Creep pulling to control lane equilibrium; Ask supports for Healing Lotuses when available; Play defensively and prioritize survival over kills Items: Power Treads (First); Ring of Aquila (Mana regen); Magic Wand (Sustain) Tips: Keep Mana Shield always active; Use Mystic Snake on ranged creeps first for better bounce patterns; Ask supports to stack ancient camps for efficient farming; Don't overextend - you're vulnerable early without items
Mid Game
Timeframe: 15-30 minutes Objective: Farm efficiently and participate in key teamfights Key: Split push with Split Shot while farming jungle; Use Stone Gaze defensively against divers; Coordinate with team to create farming space; Participate in fights when you have core items Items: Linken's Sphere (Essential for survival); Maelstorm (Farming acceleration); Dragon Lance (Range and stats) Tips: Keep Split Shot on for farming efficiency; Farm ancients when safe - they restore significant mana; Use Stone Gaze to save yourself from ganks; Continually build toward your late game power spikes
Late Game
Timeframe: 30+ minutes Objective: Dominate teamfights and end the game Key: Position to maximize Split Shot effectiveness; Use Stone Gaze for teamfight control; Focus on staying alive rather than chasing kills; Push objectives with team when advantage gained Items: Mjolnir (Core damage item); Eye of Skadi (Survivability); Butterfly (Evasion and damage) Tips: Position carefully - you're the primary target; Use Stone Gaze both offensively and defensively; Maintain mana pool - it's your lifeblood; Split Shot works while attacking towers from the side
Tips & Strategies
Mana Shield Mechanics
- Debuff immunity blocks mana burn from items like Diffusal Blade against Mana Shield.
- Magic resistance isn't very effective because Mana Shield calculates damage before reductions.
- Always keep Mana Shield toggled on - the minor mana cost is worth the incredible damage absorption.
Split Shot Optimization
- Turn off Split Shot when fighting single targets like Roshan or finishing jungle camps.
- Split Shot hits creeps when targeting towers but not the reverse.
- Illusions inherit your Split Shot toggle state when spawned.
- Position carefully to hit multiple enemies in teamfights.
Mystic Snake Mastery
- Snake bounces are not random - it takes the shortest path between targets.
- Don't shoot Snake directly at heroes in lane if you want maximum damage.
- Ancient camps with mana pools are excellent for instant mana restoration.
- Cannot be dodged by blink abilities or other instant repositioning.
Stone Gaze Strategy
- The 2-second gazing timer is cumulative - turning away doesn't reset it.
- Stone Gaze can hit invisible and untargetable enemies.
- Can be dodged with banishes timed perfectly as petrification triggers.
- Aghanim's upgrade provides massive AoE control for teamfights.
Item Guide
Starting Items
Basic statistics and sustain for safe laning. Build into Ring of Aquila for additional mana and armor.
Slippers, Tangos, Circlet
Core Items
Linken's provides crucial mana pool and spell block. Mjolnir synergizes perfectly with Split Shot for massive AoE damage. Dragon Lance gives range and stats.
Linken's Sphere, Mjolnir, Dragon Lance
Situational
Counter Guide
Good With
Medusa excels with heroes who can provide protection, vision, and setup for her devastating output. Winter Wyvern offers armor and attack speed bonus while Cold Embrace saves Medusa in critical moments. Oracle provides sustain through False Promise and can dispel dangerous debuffs. Chen can stack ancients for efficient farming and provide healing through Hand of God. Shadow Demon creates additional durable targets through Disruption and provides slow positioning control. Dazzle offers healing and armor while Shadow Wave can be used for farming assistance. Crystal Maiden provides essential mana regeneration through Arcane Aura, crucial for maintaining Mana Shield. Heroes who can建设项目安全的farm环境和提供protective spells complement Medusa's carry-focused playstyle perfectly.
Bad Against
Medusa struggles against heroes who can neutralize her mana pool or bypass her defenses. Anti-Mage is the ultimate counter, burning through her precious mana with Mana Break while Blink allows him to close distance. Nyx Assassin can mana burn with Vendetta while Spiked Carapace reflects immense damage. Invoker serves as an anti-mage carry, with EMP draining mana for her use during her fight. Silencer reduces her mana pool passively with Glaives while Arcane Supremacy increases steal amount. Lion and Shadow Shaman can directly drain mana or hex her through Spell Immunity depending on talents. Pugna amplifies her already expensive spell cost through Nether Ward. Outworld Destroyer can itemize for pure damage that ignores her Mana Shield. Heroes with mana burning capabilities or high pure damage output pose the greatest threat to Medusa's effectiveness.
Good Against
Medusa dominates heroes who rely on illusions, multiple summons, or single-target damage. Illusion heroes like PL, Naga, and CK suffer immensely as Split Shot melts through their multiple units while Mana Shield prevents their burst damage. Broodmother and Visage can't handle the AoE damage from Split Shot against their spiderlings and familiars. Chen and Enchantress lose their creep army effectiveness instantly. Single-target carries like PA and Ursa struggle to damage through her massive effective HP while being controlled by Stone Gaze. Melee heroes without good mobility are forced to attack her with reduced attack speed or risk petrification. ** Heroes dependent on positioning** like Sniper or Drow find themselves disabled when they try to maintain distance. Medusa's combination of survivability and AoE output makes her a nightmare for any hero relying on multiple units or single-target focus fire.