Puck
The mischievous Faerie Dragon delights in confounding its enemies. Puck weaves between the Ethereal and Faerie realms, leaving opponents disoriented and helpless against its magical onslaught.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“The battlefield is a playground, and you are the chaos. Make every spell count, every position matter, every enemy regret crossing your path.”
Information Warfare
Your Orb provides vision - use it to scout, control runes, and gather information before making decisions.
Calculated Aggression
Never go in without considering your escape route. Blink in, coil, and always plan your way out.
Perfect Timing
Phase Shift is your timing tool. Use it to dodge what others cannot, turning lethal damage into nothing.
Area Control
Dream Coil creates absolute zone denial. Use it to control positioning, prevent escapes, and set up team kills.
Mobility is Survival
Your skills are your lifeblood. Keep them available, manage your mana, and never overextend.
Mental Pressure
Make opponents afraid to commit. Your presence alone should force hesitation, creating opportunities for your team.
Hero Overview
Puck is the quintessential mid-lane tempo controller who thrives on creating chaotic situations that favor intelligent play. With abilities that provide vision, damage, mobility, and absolute area denial, Puck excels at dictating the pace of battle and punishing opponents who dare to overextend.
Puck's gameplay revolves around calculated aggression and safe escape routes. Master the art of using Illusory Orb for scouting and initiation, perfect your Phase Shift timing to disjoint every incoming damage source, and use Dream Coil to turn teamfights into your personal playground. Your success depends on reading the battlefield and exploiting brief windows of opportunity.
Pros
- Excellent mobility with multiple escape options
- Superior vision and scouting capabilities
- High burst damage potential
- Strong area denial with Dream Coil
- Hard to pin down or kill once mastered
Cons
- Very squishy and vulnerable to burst damage
- High mana dependency early game
- Complex ability interactions require practice
- Relies heavily on timing and positioning
- Weak against instant disables and silences
Ability Analysis
Illusory Orb
ActivePuck launches a magic orb that damages enemies along its path. Puck can teleport to the orb's current location at any point during its flight.
Notes: Your core mobility and farming tool. Always consider the angle - it's not just for damage but for vision and escape planning. The Orb provides flying vision throughout its path. You can Jaunt after death to potentially buyback and return to fights. Use it to scout Roshan, check rune spots, and finish off couriers.
Waning Rift
ActivePuck releases a burst of magical energy, damaging and silencing enemies in a small area. With Jostling Rift facet, forcibly moves enemies based on Puck's facing direction.
Notes: Does NOT disjoint projectiles. The Jostling Rift facet can interrupt forced movement abilities and pull enemies up/down cliffs. Use it to chain with other disables or to reposition enemies. It has a shorter cast animation than most abilities, making it harder to interrupt.
Phase Shift
ActivePuck temporarily shifts to another plane, becoming untargetable and immune to damage for a short duration.
Notes: Tap it once to disjoint - you don't need to channel fully. Can dodge tower shots, auto attacks, and most projectiles. Use it to reposition - your turn rate completes while shifted. Can dodge Rupture damage if you stay in Phase Shift for 0.5+ seconds before Jaunting. With Aghanim's Shard, deals AoE attack on exit.
Dream Coil
ActiveCreates a coil that latches onto enemies in an area, preventing them from moving far and stuns them if they break the leash. Prevents most teleportation abilities.
Notes: Catches invisible, fogged, and even untargetable heroes. Does NOT catch invulnerable units or hidden units (Eul's, banish). With Aghanim's Scepter, your attacks continue even while banished or disarmed, and you'll attack BKB'd enemies as long as the debuff is applied.
Phase Shift (Shard Upgrade)
UpgradePhase Shift becomes a ground-targeted AoE that damages enemies and puts them to sleep for 1.5 seconds, while still allowing Puck to Phase Shift.
Notes: Combine with Silver Edge for amazing plays - activate Phase Shift during fade time to sleep and backstab entire area. Synergizes extremely well with your initiation combos. The AoE sleep gives team time to follow up.
Dream Coil (Aghanim's Scepter)
UpgradePuck continuously attacks enemies affected by Dream Coil from range. Attacks continue even if Puck is banished, disarmed, or if targets are magic immune.
Notes: Transforms your ultimate into sustained damage initiation. Works incredibly well against BKB heroes since you'll continue attacking through immunity. This makes you a massive threat even after initiating, forcing enemies to deal with you immediately.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Puck's power comes from information warfare and technical precision. Illusory Orb provides map control and escape options, Phase Shift offers the highest skill ceiling for avoiding damage, and Dream Coil creates absolute area denial. Your strength lies in creating impossible situations for enemies - they can't chase what they can't hit, and they can't escape what they can't reach.
Key Insights:
- Every Orb cast should serve multiple purposes: farming, vision, and escape planning
- Phase Shift is your panic button - you don't need to channel it fully
- Dream Coil doesn't just catch enemies - it locks them in place for your team
- Your mobility is both your offense and defense - use it wisely
A successful Puck makes enemies feel powerless. Your job is to turn their advantages into disadvantages through superior positioning and timing.
Game Strategy
Early Game
Timeframe: 0-15 minutes Objective: Control lane, secure runes, build toward Blink Dagger Key: Use Illusory Orb to farm from safe distance; Phase Shift only when necessary - don't overuse; Contest runes with Orb positioning advantage; Scout enemy movements with Orb vision Items: Bottle Priority #1; Magic Wand for lane sustain; Boots by minute 4-5 Tips: Always cast Orb with escape angle in mind; Use Orb vision to check rune spots before moving; Save Phase Shift for tower shots or spells; Push waves aggressively to create rune opportunities
Mid Game
Timeframe: 15-30 minutes Objective: Initiate teamfights, control objectives, snowball advantage Key: Blink + Dream Coil on key targets; Chain Silence with Rift after initiation; Split push with Orb scouting; Create opportunities for ganking Items: Blink Dagger (absolute priority); Witch Blade for damage; Kaya or Kaya and Sange for survivability Tips: Wait for key abilities to be used before engaging; Use Coil to prevent enemy escapes or BKB uses; Always have an escape plan before committing; Coordinate with team for follow-up damage
Late Game
Timeframe: 30+ minutes Objective: Perfect initiation, disrupt enemy positioning, secure high-value kills Key: Initiate on support to create chaos; Use Aghanim's Scepter for sustained pressure; Disrupt enemy formations with Coil; Control vision with Orb scouting Items: Black King Bar vs heavy magic; Scythe of Vyse for hard shutdown; Refresher Orb for late-game teamfights Tips: Position to catch multiple targets in Coil; Use Eul's for self-peel or setup time; Save BKB for surviving enemy burst; Keep pressure through split-pushing
Tips & Strategies
Puckish Proc Maximization
- Use Phase Shift against enemy attacks to trigger Puckish passive frequently.
- With invis rune, repeatedly walk in/out of tower range for massive regeneration through chain-disjointing.
- You can get incredible Puckish procs by disjointing fountain attacks.
Illusory Orb Positioning
- Always consider Orb as your escape before using it aggressively.
- Cast from behind creep waves toward your side when pushing to create buffer zone.
- Use Orb's lingering vision to scout juking spots and finish couriers.
- Advanced trick: cast Orb then level it up mid-flight for cheaper mana, higher damage.
Phase Shift Mastery
- Tap, don't hold - you just need disjoint, not full duration.
- Can dodge Rupture by staying in Phase Shift for 0.5+ seconds before Jaunting.
- Complete rotation while shifted for better positioning before Blink.
- With Aghanim's Shard, time Phase attack to sync with initiation.
Dream Coil Advanced Usage
- Catches invisible, fogged, and even ultimates like Shadow Dance.
- Cannot catch invulnerable (Eul's) or banished units.
- Enemies can 'Wind Waker' out by moving Eul's position.
- Watch the debuff timer - opponents will try to walk out right as it ends.
Professional Combos
- Blink → Dream Coil → Waning Rift → Orb for full combo setup.
- Orb + TP with queued Jaunt for quick fountain trip.
- Phase Shift during Silver Edge fade for AoE Break and Backstab.
- Chain-disable: Coil → Rift → Eul's →重新施法 Coil.
Item Guide
Starting Items
Conservative start focused on surviving burst damage and having emergency mana. Magic Stick is crucial against spell-heavy mids.
Tango, Faerie Fire, Iron Branch, Magic Stick
Core Items
Bottle for rune control, Blink for initiation, Witch Blade for damage and kite potential, Travel for split-pushing and global presence.
Bottle, Blink Dagger, Witch Blade, Travel Boots
Situational Items
Kaya for mana efficiency, Eul's for control and defense, Linken's against single-target lockdown, BKB vs heavy magic, Scepter for sustained damage.
Kaya, Eul's, Linken's, BKB, Aghanim's Scepter
Counter Guide
Good With
Puck excels with heroes who can capitalize on their initiation. Disruptor adds devastating silence and detention to Puck's Coil, while Earthshaker and Magnus provide follow-up AoE control. Phoenix benefits from Puck's ability to group enemies for Supernova damage and Lane Control. The synergy revolves around Puck locking down enemies while team provides overwhelming follow-up.
Bad Against
Puck struggles against instant disables and mana destruction. Silencer's Last Word and Global Silence prevent Puck from using their mobility spells, while Doom completely shuts down their toolkit. Lion and Shadow Shaman can instantly burst Puck with their combos, bypassing Phase Shift timing. Bloodseeker's Rupture punishes Puck's mobility. Lina's Laguna Blade with Aghanim's Scepter can kill through BKB. Nyx Assassin uses Spiked Carapace to stun Puck whenever they attempt to use abilities.
Good Against
Puck dominates heroes who rely on mobility and positioning. Storm Spirit, Queen of Pain, and Anti-Mage find their escape tools nullified by Dream Coil, while Ember Spirit becomes trapped without Sleight of Fist targets. Channeling heroes like Crystal Maiden, Witch Doctor, and Enigma are easily interrupted by the instant silence. Phantom Lancer and other illusion heroes struggle against Puck's AoE damage. Heroes without reliable escapes become easy targets for Puck's combo.