Phantom Assassin

Hero

 

Strategy

 

Equipment

 

Gear

 

Talents

 

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Sounds

 

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Lore

 

Old Abilities

 

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Phantom Assassin 21 + 2.2 23 + 3.4 15 + 1.4
Level 0 1 15 25 30 Health 120 582 1242 1990 2276 +0.25 +2.35 +5.43 +8.83 +10.13 Mana 75 255 483 795 903 +0 +0.75 +1.73 +3.03 +3.48 Armor 1 4.83 12.77 20.43 23.6 Magic Resist 25% % % % % Damage Block 16 (50%) Damage 32 34 55 57 102 104 148 150 167 169 Attack Rate 0.59/s 0.72/s 1/s 1.27/s 1.39/s Attack Range 150 (600) Attack Speed ▶️ 100 (1.7s BAT) Attack Animation 0.3 + 0.7 Projectile Speed Instant Move Speed ▶️ 305 ( 335) Turn Rate 0.6 Collision Size 24 Bound Radius 24 Vision Range (G) 1800 ( 800) Gib Type Default Internal Not Provided

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.

Bio

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:

Gin Hammond (Responses)

Abilities

Stifling Dagger

▶️▶️QD

Ability
Target Unit

Affects
Enemies

Damage
Instant Attack

Throws a dagger slowing the enemy unit's movement speed, dealing 65+25%/40%/55%/70% 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)

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

Modifiers [?]

modifier_projectile_vision

Undispellable

modifier_phantom_assassin_stiflingdagger_caster

Undispellable

modifier_phantom_assassin_stiflingdagger

Any

The first skill learned by the Sisters of the Veil often signals an incoming hit.

• 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, except for Tidebringer. They have True Strike, but completely ignore disarms.
  • 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.

• 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 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 65 extra damage as well.
  • The damage is added to Phantom Assassin's attack damage through a status buff which lasts for 0.03 seconds.
  • Since the 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.

• 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.

• With the triple strike talent, Stifling Dagger launches 2 additional projectiles towards random visible valid targets within the range.
  • 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.
  • Since the additional projectiles use the ability's cast range, cast range increasing effects increase their range as well.

Phantom Strike

▶️WB

Ability
Target Unit

Affects
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)

Attack Speed Bonus: 75/100/125/150

Duration: 2

 11/9/7/5

 35/40/45/50

Modifiers [?]

modifier_phantom_assassin_phantom_strike

Any

Mortred's silken veil is the last thing her unfortunate target sees.

• 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.

Blur

▶️▶️ER

Ability
No Target / Passive

Affects
Self

Phantom Assassin focuses inward, increasing her ability to evade enemy attacks. Can be activated to blur her body, causing her to be impossible to see until near enemy heroes.

Cast Animation: 0.4+0.57 ( 0+0)

Passive Evasion: 15%/25%/35%/45% ( 75%/85%/95%/105%)

Vanish Dispel Radius: 600

Vanish Fade Time: 0

Vanish Dispel Delay: 0.5 ( 0.75)

Vanish Duration: 25

 60/55/50/45 ( 10)

 50

Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade:

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.

Modifiers [?]

modifier_phantom_assassin_blur

Undispellable

modifier_phantom_assassin_blur_active

Death

Meditation allows a Veiled Sister to carefully anticipate her opponents in combat.

• 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 passive evasion and the active component are independent from each other.

• On average, Blur increases Phantom Assassin's survivability against physical attacks by 18%/33%/54%/82% ( 300%/567%/1900%/-2100%).

• 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.

Fan of Knives

▶️▶️DF

Ability
No Target

Affects
Enemies

Damage
Pure

Phantom Assassin releases sharp blades around her in a 550 AoE, dealing 16% of a victim's max health on impact and applying break for 3 seconds.

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

modifier_phantom_assassin_fan_of_knives

Any

• 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 released daggers only have a visual purpose, the pulse affects all enemies it catches, regardless of the number of visible daggers.

• The pulse spreads at a speed of 1000 and takes 0.55 seconds to reach maximum range.
  • The area of effect is centered around the cast location, 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 blinking over the daggers/pulse towards the caster.

• Fan of Knives first applies the debuff, then the damage.

Coup de Grace

▶️▶️RC

Ability
Passive

Affects
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%)

Critical Damage: 200%/325%/450%

Aghanim's Shard Upgrade:

Grants a new ability: Fan of Knives.

Modifiers [?]

modifier_phantom_assassin_coupdegrace

Undispellable

A divine strike, Mortred honors her opponent by choosing them for death.

• Increases attack damage by an average of 15%/33.75%/52.5% ( 22%/49.5%/77%).

• The proc chances of multiple crit sources stack.
  • If two sources of critical strike proc at the same time, the higher crit multiplier has 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

Hero Talents
Triple Strike Stifling Dagger	25	+7% Coup de Grace chance
+60 Phantom Strike Attack Speed	20	+20% Stifling Dagger Damage
+250 Phantom Strike Cast Range	15	+25% Blur Evasion
-2s Stifling Dagger Cooldown	10	+0.5s Phantom Strike Duration

Recent Changes

Main Article: Phantom Assassin/Changelogs

Version

Description

7.35c

• Increased Agility gain from 3.2 to 3.4.
• Increased Stifling Dagger Cast Range from 550/750/950/1150 to 700/850/1000/1150.

7.35b

• Increased Stifling Dagger attack damage from 25/40/55/70% to 30/45/60/75%.
• Increased Phantom Strike bonus attack speed from 80/110/140/170 to 100/130/160/190.
• Increased Blur active duration from 25s to 30s.
• Aghanim's Shard upgrade:
  • Fan of Knives
    • Increased max health as damage from 25% to 28%.

7.35

• Increased intelligence gain from 1.4 to 1.7.
• Increased base movement speed from 305 to 310.
• Phantom Strike
  • No longer grants 10%/15%/20%/25% lifesteal bonus for its buff duration.
  • Increased buff duration from 2 to 2.5.
• Aghanim's Shard upgrade:
  • Fan of Knives
    • Changed
      damage type from Pure to Physical.
    • Increased max health as damage from 16% to 25%.

Gameplay

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.
Roles:	Carry Escape
Complexity:
Adjectives:	Legs ( 2 )

Strategy & Tips

Counters &
Matchups

Audio

Responses

Sounds

History

Lore

Old Abilities

Changelogs

Equipment

Phantom Assassin Equipment (expand sets) Personas Exile Unveiled Sets Bane of the Deathstalkers Bloodroot Guard Capricious Fate Creeping Shadow Cruel Reprisal Dame de Carreau Dark Wraith Set Darkfeather Factioneer Dragonterror Dread of the Gleaming Seal Set Gothic Whisper Nimble Edge Set Penumbral Vesture Set Raiments of the Eventide Raiments of the Sacrosanct Ravening Wings Toll of the Fearful Aria Valkyrie's Shade Visions of the Lifted Veil Weapon Blade of Misery Deathwielder Evildoer Exquisite Doubled Axe of the Veil Gloomblade Hell's Guide Hell's Usher Lament of the Slain Manifold Paradox Scythe of Sacrifice Seven-edged Blade Solace of Divinity Twinblade of the Veil Head Codicil of the Veiled Ones Shoulder Avowance of the Crimson Witness Avowance of the Veiled Ones Taunt Taunt: Deadly Grace

Trivia

• 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

• 

  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