Lion

Lion is a ranged intelligence Hero famous for his outstanding ability combos. He deals decent damage and pairs well with almost all other Heroes. His ability to constantly regain mana while in lane also makes him a great harasser, while his high burst damage output and multiple disables create an even greater ganker. While Lion can be an effective semi-carry, he is not very item-reliant and is most commonly played as an offensive support.

Although fragile, Lion's abilities allow him to contribute significantly to team clashes without much effort. He is recommended for new players.

Tips

 * Earth Spike works as both a nuke and a stun, and can hit multiple enemies. Remember to aim it directly at your target, not the ground near them (this is a common rookie mistake).
 * Hex doesn't deal direct damage but lasts longer than Earth Spike.
 * Using Mana Drain on enemy heroes is a very good form of harrassment, and it maximises killing potential for laning partners such as Anti-Mage.
 * Choose if you want to skill Mana Drain or not. If you skill Hex and Earth Spike, build Arcane Boots, and then take Attribute Bonus, you will be much harder to kill, and still have mana for all your spells. However, some enemy heroes will be badly maligned by having their mana stolen from them, and some allied ones will be facilitated. Let the hero lineup on both sides inform your decision. For example, if there is a Storm Spirit or Leshrac on the opposing team, skilling Mana Drain is wise as these heroes are crippled horribly by accelerated loss of mana. However, if the enemy team has an Outworld Destroyer or a Keeper of the Light, skilling Mana Drain is fairly pointless as these heroes have abilities which replenish mana for themselves and others.
 * Finger of Death is a very powerful nuke, especially considering Lion's largely supportive role. Use it to help damage enemy carries or to eliminate their supports; but try not to use it for a sure kill unless your carry/carries are unable to execute it themselves, as they require kills much more than Lion does.
 * Use your disables one after the other (Earth Spike, and when the stun wears off, Hex) so you make the most out of the disable time to kill the target.

Trivia

 * In the transition from DotA to Dota 2, the names of two of Lion's skills were changed. Impale was named Earth Spike and Voodoo was named Hex.