Lion
Once a Grandmaster of the Demon Witch tradition of sorcery, Lion earned fame among his brethren for fighting on the side of light and righteousness. But adulation corrupts. With powers surpassed only by his ambition, the mage was seduced by a demon and turned to evil, trading his soul for prestige. After committing horrible crimes that marred his soul, he was abandoned. The demon betrayed him, striking better deals with his enemies. Such was Lion's rage that he followed the demon back to hell and slew it, ripping it limb from limb, taking its demonic hand for his own. However, such demonoplasty comes at a cost. Lion was transfigured by the process, his body transformed into something unrecognizable. He rose from hell, rage incarnate, slaying even those who had once called him master, and laying waste to the lands where he had once been so adored. He survives now as the sole practitioner…
Hero lore
Once a Grandmaster of the Demon Witch tradition of sorcery, Lion earned fame among his brethren for fighting on the side of light and righteousness. But adulation corrupts. With powers surpassed only by his ambition, the mage was seduced by a demon and turned to evil, trading his soul for prestige. After committing horrible crimes that marred his soul, he was abandoned. The demon betrayed him, striking better deals with his enemies. Such was Lion's rage that he followed the demon back to hell and slew it, ripping it limb from limb, taking its demonic hand for his own. However, such demonoplasty comes at a cost. Lion was transfigured by the process, his body transformed into something unrecognizable. He rose from hell, rage incarnate, slaying even those who had once called him master, and laying waste to the lands where he had once been so adored. He survives now as the sole practitioner…
Compact stat and ability fields shown here were checked against patch 7.41e where this model represents the changed field. Talents and full mechanics remain in the official notes.
Lion abilities
Rock spikes burst from the earth along a straight path. Enemy units are hurled into the air, then are stunned and take damage when they fall.
Transforms an enemy unit into a harmless beast, with all special abilities disabled.
CHANNELED - Channels magical energy, taking mana and slowing enemies over time. If the enemy has no mana remaining, the slow is increased by 15%. Can target allies to give them mana and movement speed at a 50% rate.
Lion gains 20% debuff duration after killing or assisting in a Hero kill while that Hero is dead. Lion gains 20% spell amplification for 90s after respawning or resurrecting or until he gets a kill or assist.
Passive
Rips at an enemy unit, trying to turn it inside-out, dealing massive damage to the target. After using Finger of Death, Lion's hand becomes empowered, allowing him to use a cleaving melee attack with 250 range with bonus movement speed. Finger of Death gains…
Popular items by game phase
OpenDota professional-match aggregate as of Jul 21, 2026, 9:50 PM UTC. Popularity rows are independent phase totals, not a coherent build, sequence, or win-rate advice.
Starting
6 items- 1
Iron Branch165 selections · 23.7% - 2
Tango99 selections · 14.2% - 3
Blood Grenade86 selections · 12.4% - 4
Faerie Fire78 selections · 11.2% - 5
Observer and Sentry Wards74 selections · 10.6% - 6
Sentry Ward59 selections · 8.5%
Early
6 items- 1
Boots of Speed86 selections · 56.6% - 2
Tranquil Boots52 selections · 34.2% - 3
Bracer4 selections · 2.6% - 4
Null Talisman3 selections · 2% - 5
Power Treads2 selections · 1.3% - 6
Wraith Band2 selections · 1.3%
Mid
6 items- 1
Blink Dagger91 selections · 56.2% - 2
Staff of Wizardry20 selections · 12.3% - 3
Force Staff10 selections · 6.2% - 4
Ogre Axe5 selections · 3.1% - 5
Ghost Scepter4 selections · 2.5% - 6
Aether Lens4 selections · 2.5%
Late
6 items- 1Force Staff34 selections · 24.1%
- 2Aether Lens24 selections · 17%
- 3
Glimmer Cape22 selections · 15.6% - 4
Aeon Disk16 selections · 11.3% - 5
Shadow Blade13 selections · 9.2% - 6
Black King Bar5 selections · 3.5%
More heroes to explore
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Lion — frequently asked
What are Lion's abilities in Dota 2?
Lion's abilities are Earth Spike, Hex, Mana Drain, To Hell and Back, Finger of Death. It is a Intelligence ranged hero played as Support, Disabler, Nuker.
What is Lion's primary attribute?
Lion is a Intelligence hero, starting with 18 strength (+2.4/lvl), 15 agility (+1.7/lvl) and 19 intelligence (+3.5/lvl), and a base move speed of 290.
What do the popular Lion item phases mean?
The saved OpenDota aggregate is dated 2026-07-22. The phase lists summarize professional-match item popularity; they are not one coherent build, a recommended sequence, or win-rate advice.