Leshrac

Leshrac the Tormented Soul is an intelligence hero who is known for his massively damaging spells. He can easily destroy Creeps and Towers with his abilities, which deal damage at the expense of Mana. His power is balanced by his lack of an escape mechanism, while his only disable, Split Earth, takes time to cast and needs good planning to land successfully.

Without expert positioning and powerful items, Leshrac is an easy target for physical attackers late-game, but he can easily hamper those same enemies by destroying towers and dealing damage in the midgame. If Leshrac is encountered outside the lanes early on, there are very few opponents who can stand against the power of Diabolic Edict and live. Because he is very fragile and item-reliant, and because of the challenging nature of his abilities, he is recommended for intermediate to advanced players.

Gameplay
Leshrac stands out as one of the few Intelligence Heroes who truly benefit from amassing powerful Items. As such, if he is called on to hold the torch for his team's late-game Carry, he can do it very well. If played well, he can contend with dedicated late-game heroes like Spectre, Anti-Mage and Faceless Void. At the same time, a level advantage alone will let him become a huge factor in team fights. His pushing power is notable: Four levels of Diabolic Edict will very nearly destroy a Tower with one cast of the spell, and this is the main source of Leshrac's power - every time the enemy team is weakened, he can destroy or cripple a tower, winning his own team crucial map control.

Skill builds for Leshrac generally max Split Earth and either Lightning Storm or Diabolic Edict first. Lightning Storm is maxed for potent lane control: with proper timing, Leshrac can last hit multiple creeps while dealing significant damage to the enemy hero. Diabolic Edict is maxed for an early pushing or ganking Leshrac. Pulse Nova, due to its high mana cost, is almost never taken at level 6, since Leshrac will lack the mana to maintain it. Level Pulse Nova at levels 10 and 11 if one already has high mana boosting items (such as Energy Booster or even Bloodstone). Otherwise, Leshrac's ult is left until all other skills have been maxed (level 13).

Item choices for Leshrac should help toughen him up, as well as expand his Mana Pool to fuel Pulse Nova. As with any Intelligence hero, Scythe of Vyse is an excellent item for Leshrac, and will allow you to land your spells with impunity. An item to help you escape from danger is also recommended, particularly Force Staff or Blink Dagger. A Bloodstone and Heart of Tarrasque combo will make Leshrac very tanky, able to take huge amounts of punishment while dishing out insanely high AoE damage.

Tips

 * Diabolic Edict does colossal damage to singular targets; this includes enemy buildings. One-on-one early-mid game, Leshrac is almost impossible to defeat.
 * Leshrac is a wise pick when you have heroes on your team with a direct stun (e.g. Vengeful Spirit), as they help you land your tricky Split Earth.
 * In encounters, Leshrac should be very cautious; despite his gigantic damage output he is very easily focused down. Building tanky items or escape items will help with this.
 * Bloodstone is absolutely crucial on Leshrac; it is the only item in the game that will empower him to use Pulse Nova to full effect.
 * It is important to gain a level and gold advantage early with Leshrac owing to his frailty and dependence on mana items.
 * If you fail to gain a level and gold advantage early-game, Pulse Nova is extremely useful for farming.
 * Leshrac is countered by high-burst-damage heroes such as Lina and Ursa, as while Leshrac's damage output is staggering, he requires time to inflict it.

Trivia
The name Leshrac comes from an old Planeswalker from the Magic: the Gathering multiverse. Diabolic Edict is the name of an iconic black card in that game; much like the Dota 2 spell, the Magic card was more effective when there were fewer targets, as your opponent got to choose which target got hit.