Phantom Assassin
Hero
Phantom Assassin
    21 + 2.2
23 + 3.4
15 + 1.4
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Mortred, the Phantom Assassin, is a melee agility hero fitting the role of hard carry. Mortred is best-known, and infamous for, her ability to inflict staggering damage with single strikes. Her abilities synergize supremely well with each other, rendering her an extremely formidable foe once she has acquired the items she requires. She is a very farm-dependent melee Hero, but she farms creeps with much more ease than many of her fellow carries, using her Stifling Dagger for last hitting. Besides eliminating the weakness most melee Heroes have in their farming, her second ability, Phantom Strike, acts as both her escape and initiate, while Blur gives her an edge against other Heroes that depend on their physical attacks by evading them; giving her partial damage immunity to many carries. Her ultimate, the strongest critical strike in the game, is what connects Mortred with four-digit damage and what gives her a place amongst the very best support killers in the late game, since they usually fall instantly from the divine strike her ultimate provides. Mobile and able to fight back nearly every enemy that dares to face her, Mortred is a formidable foe that should never be underestimated, and with appropriate item choices and a few kills, she can snowball out of control and become next to impossible to stop.
Contents
Bio[edit]
Mortred, the Phantom Assassin▶️ "I'm here to blur the line between life and death."
Lore:
Through a process of divination, children are selected for upbringing by the Sisters of the Veil, an order that considers assassination a sacred part of the natural order. The Veiled Sisters identify targets through meditation and oracular utterances. They accept no contracts, and never seem to pursue targets for political or mercenary reasons. Their killings bear no relation to any recognizable agenda, and can seem to be completely random: A figure of great power is no more likely to be eliminated than a peasant or a well digger. Whatever pattern the killings may contain, it is known only to them. They treat their victims as sacrifices, and death at their hand is considered an honor. Raised with no identity except that of their order, any Phantom Assassin can take the place of any other; their number is not known. Perhaps there are many, perhaps there are few. Nothing is known of what lies under the Phantom Veil. Except that this one, from time to time, when none are near enough to hear, is known to stir her veils with the forbidden whisper of her own name: Mortred.
Voice:
Abilities[edit]
Throws a dagger slowing the enemy unit's movement speed, dealing 25%/40%/55%/70%+50% of Phantom Assassin's attack damage as physical damage and applying attack effects from items and abilities.
Cast Animation: 0.3+0.47
Cast Range: 550/750/950/1150
Number of Targets: 1 (
3)
3)Base Damage: 65
Attack Damage: 25%/40%/55%/70%
Move Speed Slow: 50%
Slow Duration: 1.75/2.5/3.25/4
Secondary Target Range Buffer: 300
6 ( 4)
30
Can be cast on spell immune units. The attack pierces spell immunity, the slow does not. Slow persists if debuff was placed before spell immunity and when not dispelled.
Blocked upon impact, as primary and secondary target.Modifiers
modifier_projectile_vision: Undispellable. Persists death. modifier_phantom_assassin_stiflingdagger_caster: Undispellable. Persists death.
modifier_phantom_assassin_stiflingdagger: Dispellable with any dispel.The first skill learned by the Sisters of the Veil often signals an incoming hit.
Notes:
- The Stifling Dagger travels at a speed of 1200.
- Upon hitting the target, the dagger causes Phantom Assassin to perform an instant attack on the target.
- These instant attacks can proc any attack modifiers and on-hit effects normally, with Tidebringer being an exception. They have True Strike, but completely ignore disarms.
- However, when the dagger is avoided, no attack is performed.
- The bonus damage of Tidebringer is applied, but its cleave is not.
- Cleave effects are based on the target's position, damaging a trapezoid area the opposite direction where the dagger came from.
- Although the dagger may make it look like a ranged attack, the attack still counts as a melee attack when coming from Phantom Assassin.
- This means all abilities which differentiate between ranged and melee, use their melee effects and values, not ranged.
- These instant attacks can proc any attack modifiers and on-hit effects normally, with Tidebringer being an exception. They have True Strike, but completely ignore disarms.
- Stifling Dagger first reduces Phantom Assassin's total attack damage by the percentage, and then adds its own bonus base damage on top of that.
- This can be defined as
65 + 25%/40%/55%/70% × ΣAtk - The total attack damage includes all already existing attack damage changes, including temporary ones (Bash) and conditional ones (Quell).
- The 65 bonus base damage is also an attack damage bonus, but is added after the main damage is calculated.
- Attack modifiers which are based on attack damage (critical strike, lifesteal, cleave) include the bonus base damage as well.
- The bonus base damage is added to Phantom Assassin's attack damage through a status buff which lasts for 0.03 seconds.
- Since the bonus base damage comes from a regular attack, it does not count as spell damage, but counts as attack damage.
- This means it is affected by damage block, unaffected by spell damage amplification and cannot spell lifesteal.
- This can be defined as
- The dagger first applies the attack, then its own debuff.
- The projectile has 450 range flying vision. This vision lingers for 3.34 seconds at the target's location upon successfully hitting it.
- Cannot be cast on Couriers.
- When choosing the level 25 talent, the ability launches 2 additional projectiles towards random visible valid targets within range.
- Since the additional projectiles use the ability's cast range, cast range increasing effects increase their range as well.
- The search range is based on the cast range, plus the buffer, resulting in a search range of 850/1050/1250/1450.
- Cannot target the primary target with the additional projectiles, so when no other targets are nearby, nothing happens.
- The secondary targets are chosen randomly within the area. There are no priorities. The projectiles cannot choose both the same target.
Phantom Strike
Ability
Target Unit
Target Unit
Affects
Self
Self
Teleports to a unit, friendly or enemy, and grants bonus attack speed while attacking if it's an enemy unit.
Cast Animation: 0.25+0.8
Cast Range: 1000 ( 1250)
1250)Attack Speed Bonus: 75/100/125/150
Duration: 2
11/ 35/Modifiers
modifier_phantom_assassin_phantom_strike: Dispellable with any dispel.Mortred's silken veil is the last thing her unfortunate target sees.
Notes:
- Phantom Strike can be cast on allied units, without gaining the attack speed bonus.
- Moves Phantom Assassin next to the target, towards the position she was upon spell cast.
- Does not disjoint projectiles upon teleporting.
- Phantom Assassin is ordered to attack the target if it is an enemy, automatically canceling the cast backswing.
- Cannot be cast on couriers.
Cast Animation: 0.4+0.57 (
0+0)
0+0)
Passive Evasion: 15%/25%/35%/45% ( 50%/60%/70%/80%)
50%/60%/70%/80%)Vanish Dispel Radius: 600
Vanish Fade Time: 0
Vanish Dispel Delay: 0.5 ( 0.75)
0.75)Vanish Duration: 25
60/ 10) 50
Causes Blur to have instant cast time and applies a dispel. Anytime you get a hero kill, your abilities are refreshed. Reduces Blur cooldown and increases Fade Time to 0.75.
The passive evasion is disabled by Break.Modifiers
modifier_phantom_assassin_blur: Undispellable. Persists death. modifier_phantom_assassin_blur_active: Dispellable with death only.Meditation allows a Veiled Sister to carefully anticipate her opponents in combat.
Notes:
- Interrupts Phantom Assassin's channeling abilities on cast.
- Turns Phantom Assassin invisible, with True Sight immunity. Only Chronosphere can reveal her.
- Attacking or casting abilities does not break the invisibility.
- The effect is dispelled when getting within 600 range of an enemy hero (including clones, excluding illusions) or an enemy building.
- The effect is not dispelled instantly, but 0.5 ( 0.75) seconds after getting within range.
- Getting out of range during that delay does not prevent it from dispelling. The delay does not serve as a grace period.
- The effect is also dispelled when attacking Roshan, again, not instantly, but after the dispel delay.
- The effect is not dispelled instantly, but 0.5 (
- The passive evasion and the active component are independent from each other.
- The evasion is always present even when Blur is not castable.
- On average, Blur increases Phantom Assassin's survivability against physical attacks by 18%/33%/54%/82% ( 100%/150%/233%/400%).
- With Aghanim's Scepter, Blur has an instant cast time and applies a basic dispel on Phantom Assassin upon cast.
- Resets the cooldowns of all her basic abilities regardless how the kill was made.
- The cooldown resetting is bound to Blur as well. If not learnt, kills do not reset her cooldowns.
- In Ability Draft, the cooldown resetting affects every ability except for ultimates.
Cast Animation: 0.15+0.9
Radius: 550
Max Health as Damage: 16%
Debuff Duration: 3
20 50
Modifiers
modifier_phantom_assassin_fan_of_knives_thinker: Undispellable. Persists death. modifier_phantom_assassin_fan_of_knives: Dispellable with any dispel.Notes:
- Requires Aghanim's Shard to be unlocked.
- Applies Break on hit enemies.
- Despite the visual effect, Fan of Knives releases a single pulse that expands outwards, hitting all enemies as it reaches them.
- The pulse spreads at a speed of 650 and takes 0.85 seconds to reach maximum range.
- The area of effect is centered around the cast location, so it does not move along with the caster.
- The pulse is not a ring. It affects every enemy within its expanding area of effect.
- This means it is not possible to avoid the effect by disjointing its projectiles.
- Fan of Knives first applies the debuff, then the damage.
Ability
Passive
Passive
Affects
Enemies
Enemies
Phantom Assassin refines her combat abilities, gaining a chance of delivering a devastating critical strike to enemy units. Stifling Dagger shares the same critical strike chance.
Proc Chance: 15% ( 22%)
22%)Critical Damage: 200%/325%/450%
Grants a new ability: Fan of Knives.
Red critical numbers are before illusion and armor reduction.Modifiers
modifier_phantom_assassin_coupdegrace: Undispellable. Persists death.A divine strike, Mortred honors her opponent by choosing them for death.
Notes:
- Increases attack damage by an average of 15%/33.75%/52.5% ( 22%/49.5%/77%).
- The proc chances of multiple crit sources stack.
- Crits with a lower value have no effect if they proc, since the higher crit value takes priority.
- Coup de Grace uses pseudo-random distribution.
- A part of the visual effects (a white glow on her weapon) plays during the start of an attack, revealing that the attack is going to crit.
Talents[edit]
| Hero Talents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Triple Strike Stifling Dagger | 25 | +7% Coup de Grace chance |
| +35% Blur Evasion | 20 | -3  Armor Corruption |
| +250 Phantom Strike Cast Range | 15 | 12% Lifesteal |
| -2s Stifling Dagger Cooldown | 10 | +175 Health |
Notes:
- The health talent increases maximum health capacity, and keeps the current health percentage.
- The lifesteal talent stacks additively with other sources of lifesteal.
- The armor corruption lasts 10 seconds, and stacks with the Armor Corruption talents of other heroes.
- Armor Corruption Strike from talents is not disabled by Break.
Recent Changes[edit]
Main Article: Phantom Assassin/Changelogs
Version
Description
- Increased base attack damage from 30-32 to 32-34.
- Talents:
- Level 10 left talent: -1.5s Stifling Dagger cooldown increased to -2s.
- Level 15 right talent: +150 health increased to +175.
- Rescaled Stifling Dagger cast range from 525/750/975/1200 to 550/750/950/1150
- Aghanim's Shard upgrade:
- Fan of Knives
- Increased max health as damage from 12% to 16%.
- Reduced mana cost from 125 to 50.
- The impact time now matches the projectile visuals.
- Fan of Knives
- Talents:
- Level 10 left talent: -1s Stifling Dagger cooldown increased to -1.5s.
- Level 15 left talent: +350 Phantom Strike cast range reduced to +250.
- Reduced Phantom Strike attack speed bonus from 100/125/150/175 to 75/100/125/150.
Recommended Items[edit]
Starting items:
- Tango provides health regeneration to help Phantom Assassin stay in lane and continue farming despite enemy harassment.
- Healing Salve restores health as well.
- Iron Branches give cost-effective increase to Phantom Assassin's attributes, and can builds into Magic Wand.
Early game:
- Quelling Blade increases Phantom Assassin's farming ability in the early game. Being able to last-hit more easily and kill neutral camps faster allows her to farm the items she needs to start becoming effective in a match.
- Boots of Speed are important to obtain early on. Phantom Assassin must be able to easily move in and out of range to last-hit, as well as chase or escape as needed without having to rely as much on Phantom Strike.
- Magic Wand can greatly improve Phantom Assassin's survivability and effectiveness in the early game. It provides a small amount of attributes and tremendous charge storage for burst health and mana regen, both of which are crucial on an agility hero with low strength and intelligence.
Mid game:
- Power Treads boost Phantom Assassin's combat effectiveness and survivability greatly with added agility and attack speed. She can attribute switch to strength for more health, or intelligence for using spells, particularly for the repeated casting of Stifling Dagger.
- Battle Fury allows Phantom Assassin to secure her ability to farm into the late game. The damage and cleave allow her to easily clear creeps, whether it is for farming or pushing/counter-pushing, while the health and mana regen ensure that she can always maintain her health and mana pools while farming.
- Desolator allows Phantom Assassin to apply the armor debuff from long range with Stifling Dagger, softening up multiple targets for her team and for her own attacks. The damage boost also greatly improves the killing power of Coup de Grace, particularly when combined with the armor reduction on enemies that Phantom Assassin jumps on.
- Black King Bar gives Phantom Assassin much-needed spell immunity, allowing her to ignore enemy disables and nukes as she directly engages enemies in fights. The extra health helps increase survivability, while the damage improves attack power.
Late game:
- Abyssal Blade can be crucial for giving Phantom Assassin the lockdown and damage she needs to quickly eliminate key opponents in fights. The bash gives her a chance to stun an enemy after jumping on them with Phantom Strike, while the active allows her to instantly hard-disable any foe through spell immunity, long enough to bring them down with Coup de Grace. It also increases her survivability giving bonus health and health regeneration and blocking 40 damage from incoming attacks.
- Satanic improves Phantom Assassin's survivability in team fights, allowing her to quickly refill health with Coup de Grace crits.
Situational items:
- Mask of Madness gives high attack speed and a source of lifesteal. Phantom Assassin's survivability is based on evasion instead of armor and her damage comes from a passive ability, partially offsetting the debuff, but not being able to use Stifling Dagger or Phantom Strike can be costly when trying to chase or flee, making this item a dangerous purchase.
- Butterfly greatly boosts Phantom Assassin's damage output, as well as providing additional evasion. While stacking it alongside Blur runs the risk of having both nullified by the enemy building Monkey King Bar, purchasing a Butterfly can punish certain lineups by forcing their heroes to purchase Monkey King Bar over a different item that synergizes better with their strengths.
- Assault Cuirass greatly increases Phantom Assassin's damage output through more attack speed as well as the enemy armor reduction aura. The improved armor also greatly increases her survivability against physical damage, and the aura helps give teammates more armor and attack speed as well, which can be very useful depending on team composition.
- Nullifier gives damage boost and the active ability that dispels the enemy and mutes them (disabling several defensive items) as well as greatly slowing them for a long duration (synergies perfectly with Phantom Strike and Stifling Dagger combo).
- Monkey King Bar counters enemy evasion and boosts Phantom Assassin's damage output with increased attack damage.
- Sange and Yasha is a situationally powerful mid-game item that is easy to farm and allows Phantom Assassin to begin participating in team fights earlier. The agility and strength-based bonuses give her more damage output and health, while the movement speed makes her far more mobile, allowing her to chase and escape far more easily.
- Eye of Skadi can boost Phantom Assassin's combat effectiveness. It grants attributes across the board, giving Phantom Assassin more health, mana, and base damage. The Cold Attack passive allows Phantom Assassin to slow enemies with her attacks and Stifling Dagger, reducing their movement speed and preventing them from easily escaping her.
Gameplay[edit]
| Roles: | Carry Escape |
|---|---|
| Complexity: | ★☆☆ |
| Playstyle: | Of all the assassins raised by the Sisters of the Veil, only one is known by name: Mortred. Through meditation and prophecy, the order identifies the next target to die at her hands. Attacks miss against the Phantom Assassin as she Blurs into her surroundings, traversing undetected across the land to catch her victims unawares. She opens the encounter with a Stifling Dagger, thrown from the shadows, then leaps upon the crippled target to deliver a flurry of Phantom Strikes. Mortred ends the struggle with a decisive Coup de Grace, leaving behind only the blood-splattered ground as testament to her efficiency. |
Audio[edit]
History[edit]
Equipment[edit]
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Trivia[edit]
- Mortred's name is derived from Mordred, a character in the Arthurian legend who betrayed and fought King Arthur at the Battle of Camalann.
- "Coup de grâce" is a French term (pronounced "koo duh gras" [the duh is short and should not be emphasised]) which literally means "blow of mercy", and refers to the killing blow of a wounded person or animal, friendly or not, to end their suffering. The phrase originates from medieval times, specifically Knights (see above - Knights of the Round Table). When a combatant was gravely injured (in battle, duels, jousting, etc...) but not killed; a coup de grâce was often, although not always, performed. Traditionally a rondel dagger was used as this could make a small puncture in breastplate and was long enough to reach the heart.
- Mortred's level-up line ▶️ "I'm an immaterial girl!" is probably a reference to the song Material Girl performed by Madonna.
- In DotA: Allstars, Blur caused Mortred to become transparent to the enemy, scaling with levels and making her nearly invisible and untargetable to inexperienced players, thus her title "Phantom Assassin". This aspect of the ability is replicated to a limited degree with Blur's active component in Dota 2.
- Mortred's idle animation is a typical fencing stance, with perpendicular feet, one arm extended forth and the other one folded and up in the air. However, her weapon is wielded not with the extended arm, but with the arm at rest. There are treatises, at least for the Italian school of fencing, which do show an extended arm but this is exclusively used when wielding a rapier or other single-handed thrusting swords.
- Mortred is featured in the Dota 2 comic, The Contract.
Gallery[edit]
Splash artwork
Early concept artwork
Early alpha model based on the early concept art
Leaked concept artwork
Early textures of the current model, featuring different color scheme
Ability icon progress
Hero icon progress
Phantom Assassin illustration
