Introduction

Lina Inverse is a hero that I have been playing since her implementation some years ago. Since that time I have fought against and alongside heroes that today have drastically been changed or removed entirely from the world of DotA, although some remain largely the same. Lina herself has changed little yet my view of how to maximize her power has altered greatly parallel to how I and my play environment has changed.

At this time I believe that I am able to play this hero with maximum effectiveness. The build I used has been changed drastically over time and now I am under the impression that I can play Lina Inverse at her best. I wish to share my build and experiences with others so that they may also develop a better understanding of the potential that this hero holds.

This guide was not meant to be short. I try to be as concise as possible as I do not like to ramble but, simply put, you can't just skim through this and expect to get everything out of it. Before commenting on this guide or even playing the build outlined please read the guide in its entirety. Thanks in advance.

Table of Contents

I. Hero Overview

1. Stat Overview
2. Skill Descriptions

II. Skill Build

1. Skill List
2. Skill Explanations

III. Item Build

1. Primary Build
2. Primary Build Explanation
3. Alternative Build
4. Alternative Build Explanation
5. General Concept
6. Which Build When?
7. Items Not To Get

IV. Strategy

 

1. Early Game

1. Levels 1-2
2. Levels 3, 4 and 5
3. Levels 6-9

2. Mid Game

1. Levels 10-12
2. Levels 13-16
3. Levels 17 and 18

3. Late Game

1. Levels 19-21
2. Level 22 Onward

V. Notable Enemies

 

VI. Misc. Notes

VII. Replays

VIII. Closing

I. Hero Overview

Stat Overview

To put it as swiftly as possible, Lina's stats are mediocre. Her movespeed is above average, her Strength gain is poor as well as her Agility gain and her Intelligence gain is extremely high. Her attack animation is exceptionally slow along with her spell animations and her base armor/Strength are both low.

Skill Descriptions

Dragon Slave

AoE nuke that moves out from the hero like Shockwave. Relatively self-explanatory. However, many players underestimate the size of the spell's radius. In order to quell these false beliefs, I've constructed a crude diagram to show the actual range of Dragon Slave.

The first line perpendicular to Lina with the X through it shows where I targeted the spell. The second line shows how far the spell actually goes. Like Carrion Swarm, Dragon Slave goes a lot farther than one initially expects. This is important to note, especially when using it to finish off a fleeing hero or to harass the enemy in your lane. The two lines running parallel to Lina's sight simply show how large the area of the spell is. The area stays relatively constant, although the animation looks as though it would be much smaller coming out of Lina then becoming bigger as it moves.

As you play Lina you should learn that simply clicking on the hero that you wish to strike with Dragon Slave is not the most efficient way of using the spell. Rather, by learning how far the spell goes relative to where you target it you should be able to cast it from a much safer distance. By using the image given above and practicing this will soon come easy to you. When first I played this hero I underestimated the range of Dragon Slave, then as time went on I began to overestimate it instead. I do pretty well with it now but it's taken me a while to get used to it. It will for you too.

Level 1 - Deals 90 damage. (68 with hero reduction) 90 mana cost.
Level 2 - Deals 150 damage. (94 with hero reduction) 105 mana cost.
Level 3 - Deals 210 damage. (158 with hero reduction) 125 mana cost.
Level 4 - Deals 280 damage. (210 with hero reduction) 140 mana cost.

8 second cooldown.

Light Strike Array (LSA)

Light Strike Array is Lina's only disable. It's characterized best by it being one of the very few aimable AoE non-ultimate disables and its relative difficulty of use. Here's an example of the spell's range:

What does this show? This is the farthest you can cast Light Strike Array without forcing Lina to move from her initial position. It's the farthest the spell can go. This is a useful thing to keep in the back of your mind as you play. You're obviously not going to memorize the range of this spell BUT this will give you a good mental image.

First I want to say that screenshots will not help you learn this spell. Replays will not help you learn this spell. Text will not help you learn this spell. Electroshock to your brain will not help you learn this spell. Practice is the only way you will become proficient with Light Strike Array. Period. That's it. With every game you will improve, at first quite noticeably and then marginally as you practice. Practice is the word. It's a beautiful word and it's a beautiful thing.

As you play you'll be able to hit with this spell with almost perfect consistency. Only by playing will you be able to gauge how fast your enemy is moving relative to where you are, how fast it takes Lina to cast the spell and how far away is too far away to hit with Light Strike Array. I have the potential to post dozens of screenshots showing me aiming, hitting, and missing with this spell and none of them will help you in the least. It's just too intuitive to be learned by example, it can only be acquired through practice.

The only thing to keep in mind is that early it's very difficult to hit with this spell, as your foe is going to be most alert at this point in the game. The best way to score an LSA hit early is to chain it with an allied disable or slow or to use it defensively when an enemy is attacking you. Otherwise it's very difficult to do.

Light Strike Array destroys trees, which means you can use it to dismantle Eyes in the Forest or to eliminate Furion's Sprout. On the other hand, be careful that you don't cancel out ally Furion's 5 second disable with your 1.5 second one.

Practice.

Level 1 - Deals 90 damage. (68 with hero reduction) 90 mana cost.
Level 2 - Deals 150 damage. (94 with reduction) 100 mana cost.
Level 3 - Deals 210 damage. (158 with reduction) 110 mana cost.
Level 4 - Deals 280 damage. (210 with reduction) 125 mana cost.

Stuns for 1.6 seconds. 10 second cooldown.

Ultimate

Ultimate is what sets Lina apart from most heroes of her kind. Once this spell is sufficiently leveled it becomes a permanent (and sizeable) IAS increase as long as you remember to keep it activated.

Level 1 - 10% increase for 20 seconds.
Level 2 - 20% increase for 25 seconds.
Level 3 - 30% increase for 30 seconds.
Level 4 - 50% increase for 30 seconds.

Laguna Blade

A simple spell that deals extremely high damage to a single target, Laguna Blade is a powerful fixture in Lina Inverse’s arsenal. This spell will be the source of many of your kills for a large portion of the game. Note that there is a significant cooldown decrease when levels 2 and 3 of Laguna Blade are learned, and a very minor one (not listed here) when Aghamin's is purchased.

Level 1 - Deals 450 damage. (338 with hero reduction) 2 minute 30 seconds cooldown(!!). 280 mana cost.
Level 2 - Deals 675 damage. (506 with reduction) 1 minute 30 seconds cooldown. 420 mana cost.
Level 3 - Deals 950 damage. (713 with reduction) 55 second cooldown. 680 mana cost.

II. Skill Build

Skill List

Level 1- Light Strike Array
Level 2- Dragon Slave
Level 3- Dragon Slave
Level 4- Stats
Level 5- Dragon Slave
Level 6- Laguna Blade
Level 7- Dragon Slave
Level 8- Stats
Level 9- Stats
Level 10- Stats
Level 11- Laguna Blade
Level 12-15- Ultimate
Level 16- Laguna Blade

Skill Explanation

Dragon Slave is Lina's primary early game ability. With it she will be able to clear up creeps easily, hold a moderately powerful AoE spell at her disposal and be able to harass her enemy with a relatively long-range spell. It is maxed first and foremost.

Only one level of Light Strike Array is taken to keep the mana cost down and to allow you to put more points into Stats. It may seem wasteful not to level up a nuke like this but depending on it means that you will not be able to freely use your other abilities due to heavy mana constraints. You still keep the stun, just not the damage.

Not leveling Light Strike Array is not 100% beneficial. That should be obvious; you are taking a loss from not leveling this skill up whether you (or I) like it or not. The question is whether that loss is worth the benefits you will be getting from not leveling it. Obviously I think it is. It really goes without saying that the time you will most notice the lack of damage Light Strike Array deals is during the early and mid game, particularly in the former case. Generally the difference is most noticed when you're trying to kill a hero by yourself or with an ally. Granted, you really shouldn't be trying to kill a hero by yourself unless it's an easy frag because forcing your kills is bad, but we're looking at this point anyway. Now, assuming you're ganking with allies the damage from Light Strike Array probably will go unnoticed. If you screw up the kill it's probably not because of the lack of damage that Light Strike Array deals but rather a mistake that you made in coordination or target choice. So really the only time you're going to truly be bothered by the lack of damage that LSA deals is when you're trying to earn a kill with your ally early-on.

The outlined build is making Lina into a carry hero. The stat points will increase your survivability and farming ability, which are the things you need most in order to farm up to the ambitious expectations that are being laid before you.

Now, the time that I would choose to level up Light Strike Array is if I can make use of the damage early - namely, if I’m with an ally that will allow me to kill heroes every time they appear. The prime example of this is the Crystal Maiden, who you can chain nukes with and kill the enemy in your lane instantaneously. Again and again and again… Leveling up Light Strike Array is in no way devastating to this strategy. I believe that if you can’t chain it early then it’s not worth it and Stats are better, but if you really feel it’s necessary then fine, put points into it.

Ultimate is taken during the middle levels when attack speed will start to take on a more useful role in Lina's play. Laguna Blade is obviously maxed as quickly as possible; although the mana cost is high the obscene amount of instant damage it does allows us to easily nab a kill early, albeit by sacrificing a good deal of mana. This is why it's taken at level 6 and not 10.

III. Item Build

Item List

Ring of Regeneration + 2 x Lesser Clarity Potion / 2 x Ironwood Branch

Circlet of Nobility-s, Ironwood Branch-es, Bracer, Null Talisman, etc

Hand of Midas

Boots of Speed

Void Stone

Boots of Travel

Sacred Relic

Complete Aegis of the Immortal + Divine Rapier

Complete Linken's Sphere

Item Explanations

A Ring of Regeneration and Clarities are typical early game items. They should require no explanation. Branches are a viable substitute as well.

Stat items such as Circlets, Branches, and possibly a Bracer or Null or two are a cheap way to boost up your stats to a more appropriate point. Generally you should fill your inventory with various stat items as the game progresses. My personal choice is just to buy a Bracer but you can experiment with alternatives and find what's best for you.

A Void Stone is purchased to allow for easier usage of your spells, particularly to allow you to use Dragon Slave more freely.

Hands of Midas is necessary for the Transmute ability and pushes your attack speed to just the level that we want it to be. It should be farmed as quickly as possible. Boots of Travel are primarily needed for the Teleport function, although the movespeed bonus is another plus.

Aegis + Rapier is farmed up through hero killing with spells and farming with Dragon Slave and Hands of Midas. With these two items you will be able to crush your enemies as if they were made of sand. Finally, the Void Stone that was purchased earlier is formed into Linken's Sphere.

A modification has been made to the item order; if it is deemed beneficial (namely if you're feeling fragile) then grab Linken's Sphere right after your Relic. It kicks up your survivability a great deal and gives you better control over your mana.

After the listed build is complete I would recommend using your remaining slot to create either Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse or Eye of Skadi. Hopefully the uses of both are fairly obvious to you.

Alternative Build

Ring of Regeneration + Ironwood Branch-es

Circlet of Nobility-s, Ironwood Branch-es, Bracer, Null Talisman, etc

Boots of Speed

Void Stone

Complete Mekansm

Complete Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse

Boots of Travel

Item Explanations

This will be the build that you use if you screw up the early game, namely if you are unable to attain Hands of Midas at an appropriate time. Your gameplay will remain much the same except you will not be expected to farm so aggressively.

Mekansm is a great item in general. Here we're focusing on the survivability benefits it gives you along with the great cost and its useful heal. Guinsoo's Scythe will give your damage a needed boost as well and the disable is greatly beneficial. The mana boost from Eul’s/Guinsoo's will let you use your nukes with complete freedom for ganking.

Boots of Travel can be acquired earlier if desired.

When the build is complete I would recommend purchasing an Eye of Skadi or Linken's Sphere.

General Concept

This strategy attempts to utilize Lina's nuking power in the cheapest, most efficient way possible then quickly move on to a physical-damage oriented hero with Ultimate. If you are able to go the farming route with Hands of Midas and Boots of Travel then you will be playing as the carry hero. You won’t be ganking particularly often and most of your time will be spent farming up to Aegis + Rapier. The less ambitious build gives you the mana necessary to gank frequently through Eul’s and is, well, less ambitious.

Which Build When?

The alternative build is used in two situations. The first and primary situation is simply when you're unable to farm well enough to keep up with the standards expected for the carry build, which will be covered in detail in the Strategy section. The second reason is when you simply don't want to build Lina as a carry hero, particularly in league play when she's utilized for her ganking ability with her spells. Although the first build allows you to gank it limits you because you need to farm quickly and you don't have the resources to run around hunting all the time. The alternative build, on the other hand, is designed for early/mid game dominance.

Items Not To Get

First and foremost, items like Dagon, Aghamin's, Refresher, etc. Lina's nuking strength is powerful indeed but sees little benefit from items that attempt to bolster this strength. Other than increasing your mana and HP to an acceptable level your money should be spent augmenting your other offensive attribute, namely your physical damage. For example, spending 5,000 gold on a double Laguna Blade, although rather nifty, really isn't worth the money when you could put that into a Sacred Relic and a Plate Mail.

Items like Maelstrom, Crystalys, or the Diffusal Blade are cute in that they increase your physical damage at a relatively early point in the game. This really isn't something that you want. Your goal should be to use your nukes to squash your enemies while you work your way up to extremely powerful items later in the game through farming and ganking. Getting Maelstrom, for example, is abandoning Lina's advantage of needing few items to be useful for a good part of the game.

Power Treads aren't needed and are pitiful in comparison to Boots of Travel. Teleport is awesome, 35% IAS is negligible at best. Necronomicon, although a nifty item, really can't be utilized that effectively by Lina. A hero like the Bane Elemental can use is extremely well but you simply can't. You're not designed to. Blink Dagger seems to be popular but isn't necessary. Using it to initiate ganks will probably just get you killed and although it can save you in a jam you should be relying on skill and intelligence rather than 2,150 gold to keep you from these ugly situations.

IV. Gameplay Strategy: Early, Mid and Late Game

Early Game

Levels 1 and 2

Laning with an ally is recommended. Lina is somewhat clumsy at first and does best if she has a comrade to assist her during the early part of the game. The middle lane is probably the safest way to go if your team doesn't need another hero to go there, as it's easy to spot incoming ganks and the nearby forest (assuming you're Sentinel) is a lovely place to hide.

The best allies you can have are the ones that let you use Light Strike Array freely - namely, disablers. The hero that should come to mind first is the Crystal Maiden, and in cases like these you will want to max out Light Strike Array first so that you can chain it. Rhasta, Storm Bolting heroes, the Naga Siren, basically anyone with a readily accessible stun. General nukes are nice too. Simply blow up the nearest hero with a chained Bolt + Dragon Slave + Laguna Blade. You should get the idea.

If you are with a powerful ally you should attack a hero at level 2. Have your ally disable, follow with Light Strike Array, whack and use Dragon Slave. This can kill a hero instantly depending on your ally. If you have no way of chaining your spells together with others then just last hit farm.
Note that Lina has a poor attack animation that will make competing for last hits somewhat difficult. If possible, move closer to the creeps so that your projectile reaches them more quickly. Unfortunately, against most heroes this won't be possible, but if your enemies are weak then feel free to do this.

Staying close to your creeps also gives you the opportunity to use LSA in an offensive manner. Again, however, in most cases moving close like this will just get you killed. However, if it can be done then you can hit with Light Strike Array before the enemy even realizes it because you don't have to move in closer.

How does Lina solo a lane effectively? I could say she doesn't and that heroes like Viper are going to rip you apart but that's not very helpful. Granted, it is pretty likely that soloing against Viper will get you ripped apart but there are ways to minimize your losses. First of all, you'll want to have a very strong grasp of Lina's attack animation if you're thinking of soloing against a strong hero. In fact, it's necessary that you do. Secondly you need to maximize your Dragon Slave's potential. Get creep kills that you would have otherwise missed and put pressure on your enemy. DON'T TARGET THE HERO, TARGET IN FRONT OF THE HERO OR YOU'LL GET BEATEN ON WHEN YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE. Don't miss either, make sure you make your mana points count. Lastly, gain an advantage through your nuking power. If Viper tries to kill you when he only has 3/4 HP then insta-gib him with LSA + Dragon Slave + Laguna Blade + whack. Make him fear your Laguna Blade. He knows that he's dead if he hits a certain amount of HP. Keep whittling him down and make him edgy.

Levels 3, 4 and 5
Dragon Slave can be used sporadically to chip away at your enemy's hit points and to snipe low HP creeps. Also, if paired with another strong early game hero it is possible to deal extremely large amounts of damage by chaining nukes and disables. For example, your ally the Crystal Maiden casts Frost Bite. Immediately you cast Light Strike Array and Dragon Slave, then the Crystal Maiden uses Frost Nova and you both attack your target. By doing this you can kill an unwary enemy instantly.

If you are without a strong ally then Light Strike Array is best used only for defensive purposes, as it is very difficult to aim against a fully-alert enemy hero at this stage in the game and you really can’t do much with the stun by itself anyway. Dragon Slave can still be used to nab creep kills and deal damage to your enemy. Speaking of which...

 

 

I'm bringing this up again because it's important. Targeting the enemy hero with Dragon Slave is so very, very newbish. Now obviously if a hero is right up in front of you at melee range then feel free to just target him, but if you're sniping him then putting yourself into harm's way by targeting the hero rather than in front of him is stupid.

Levels 6-9

Level 6 means that another weapon is added to your arsenal: Laguna Blade. With it you can quickly annihilate your target with your ally's help or use it as a finishing move after whittling your enemy down with Dragon Slave and your physical attack. The mana requirement is steep however, numbering at 285 at a point in the game where few (if any) spells reach that cost.

Don't hesitate to pay a visit to another lane and try for a gank. Coming in from the forest is a feasible way to score an LSA hit or you can simply chain it together with a disable, then finish off your enemy with Dragon Slave and/or Laguna Blade.

This may sound somewhat redundant but don't die early. This build hopes to turn Lina into a carry hero and this can only be done through strong early game play. Remember that laning with a strong ally will greatly increase your survivability and early game power.

Mid Game

All right, at this point you need to take a look at how you've been doing so far. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Have I died 4 times or more?
2. Is Hands of Midas still incomplete?
3. Are any enemy heroes 5 levels higher than I am?

If you answered yes to all of these questions then I'm afraid you just screwed up your early game. It's time to change your item build in order to salvage the rest of your game, so scroll back up and look at the Alternative Item Build and follow that instead of the first one. The play style you'll use is the same to an extent; just the build will be different.

 

The most important thing to look at in terms of how you've been playing is question one. If you've died this much before level 10 then you've been doing something wrong, and it probably either has to do with 1.) you playing too aggressively or 2.) you making a poor lane choice. If you've died this much early then you've been screwing up, that's all there is to it.

Question two is the one we look at when deciding if we want to downgrade our item build to Mek + Guinsoo's. No Hands of Midas can either mean you've screwed up or you're just not farming too well. If you're still very far away from completing it you should alter your build regardless of how you answered questions 1 and 3, as Aegis + Rapier is probably too much of a farming goal for you. Don't feel bad, you just need more practice.

If any hero is 5 levels over you then somebody (maybe you, maybe not you) must've screwed up on your team. Someone doesn't know how to farm, someone can't control his lane, someone can't gank or someone's been feeding and now it's going to cause big problems for you. Lina Inverse does not cope well when she is against an extremely bulky enemy as she lacks a strong disable or escape spell to use if a fight tilts away from her favor. You'll have to travel with allies if your fed enemy is a hero that capitalizes on killing prey that is caught alone like the Night Stalker, and your farming will be greatly hindered.
I can assure you that a fed Bloodseeker killing you everytime he can use Rupture is something that you do not want in the game you're in.

Levels 10, 11, 12

Farming will now play a large role in your game. You should be able to consistently kill every creep you come across unless you're attack moving or an ally is with you. Don't attack move, ever. Don't get lazy, keep getting creep kills because farming is what wins games. Use Dragon Slave to pick off groups of low HP creeps and use it to harass the enemy in your lane if it's possible. That's what the Void Stone is for, make use of it.

Ultimate will have little use at this point and you can actually put it off a bit longer for some more points in Stats. You'll want them in order to use your even more expensive Laguna Blade (which now costs 420 mana) along with your other spells.

Gank. Gank Gank Gank Gank Gank Gank Gank. Have an ally initiate because Light Strike Array is clumsy, then come in and unleash the full fury of your spell-casting power. Use Laguna Blade last because it costs a lot and you want to avoid wasting mana if possible. Still, don't be hesitant to do so; the cooldown is short. Just don't use it simply because you want the kill. That's stupid.

Remember that if you’re still sticking to the primary build then your ganking prowess is nothing incredible due to lack of mana items. Blow up a hero then return to your lane and keep farming. Farm! If you had to revert to the Mek Guinsoo’s build then you’re more of a team-player. You should be ganking and pushing and trying to deal as much damage with your spells while they’re still worth something.

As always, it's important to play conservatively because Lina is a fragile hero. Don't get caught alone in the forest or become absentminded while farming and end up getting ganked into the ground. Don't initiate battles/ganks because 1.) you have no initiative spells and 2.) you'll probably die in two seconds. You're a glass cannon, always keep that in mind.

Levels 13, 14, 15, 16

Not much changes at this point in the game. Keep farming and ganking, play it safe and get to your Relic as fast as you can. Once you purchase it things will become easier for you.

Ultimate is maxed now and should be active at all times. Your physical attack is now something to be noted and you should be whacking things along with your spell damage. Laguna Blade costs even more (680 mana!) but your mana pool is massive now, numbering at 1000+ at level 16 at the bare minimum. Laguna Blade's cooldown decreases which is a very big plus.

Pushes may happen now and it’s important to know how to deal with them. Dragon Slave is useful in that you can cast it from a safe distance provided you understand the range (refer to diagram in Skill Descriptions) and it's a nice way to whittle the HP of your enemies and to kill the advancing creeps, much like Carrion Swarm. Be careful when doing this though, as it's possible you'll get ambushed and quickly slaughtered. Just watch your map and don't be stupid.

Light Strike Array is a powerful tool if used properly. If your enemies are foolish and bunch together you can cause a lot of turmoil with a well-placed LSA. Finally you have your main source of damage output in the form of your physical attack. Be sure to keep whacking a hero while keeping a safe distance; pretend you're Bone Clinkz only minus the Windwalk.

Laguna Blade has the potential to take a hero out of combat the moment the battle begins. Immediately zapping a Shadow Fiend with few HP boosting items means he has to retreat or die the moment an AoE spell is thrown. A Clinkz who fails to position himself properly can be killed almost instantly at around level 16. If no opportunities arise like this then just use Laguna Blade as a finisher.

Levels 17 and 18

This is about when Dragon Slave goes straight down the toilet in terms of damaging heroes. Focus completely on farming your Sacred Relic here if you don't have it already, do not stall for anything else other than defending against dangerous pushes. Your Relic means that your physical damage is now very impressive and is your main source of dealing damage, congratulations.

Late Game

Time for another checklist.

1. Is my Sacred Relic incomplete?
2. Are there any enemies that are completely dominating the game?
3. Have I died many times? More so than I've attained kills?

If you answered yes to all of these questions then you've screwed up the mid game. Perhaps you were overconfident after your early game and didn't realize that you weren't farming fast enough, perhaps you didn't play conservatively enough or perhaps Lady Luck just doesn't like you; whatever the reason, it's time to look at how you can salvage your game.

 

If you are very far from your Relic then it's time to scrap it and aim for Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse. You can make this transition earlier as well if it looks like there's no way you're ever going to farm up to 3,800 gold without getting killed. Eul's/Guinsoo's will allow you to still deal some damage with Ultimate and assist your team with Cyclone/Hex and your nukes. After this you can aim for items like Eye of Skadi or Linkin’s Sphere or boost your damage with Monkey King Bar or Buriza.

Level 19, 20 and 21

Finish your Aegis + Rapier with haste. Once you get it you should be able to kill fragile heroes in about three hits and a quick Laguna Blade to the face. As always, play conservatively and let your allies take the damage instead of you. Even with Aegis you are very, very fragile and you obviously can't afford to lose your Rapier. Everything else should be self-explanatory.

Level 22 onward

Let's look at some of the obstacles you might have if the game drags out to level 25 and longer. First and foremost: combat heroes with BKB. For example, Viper. A Viper with Black King Bar, BoT and some Stat items can kill you 1v1 when you have almost 3x as much equipment farmed as him. His slow will render your physical attack impotent and your nukes obviously can't pierce BKB, so it's likely that you're screwed if you fight him alone.

Simply put, in terms of pure physical damage Lina can not hope to compete with heroes like Clinkz, Razor or Viper. She attempts to make up for this with her nuking prowess but there are measures that can be taken to eliminate this advantage. Generally, a Lina with Aegis Rapier vs a Clinkz with Aegis Rapier will end with Lina being victorious because Lina can take down more than half of his HP with her nukes alone. When BKB is factored into the equation, however, Lina has no chance.

Push with your allies. Keep them in front of you. As a carrier you have two jobs. One is not to die and the other is to crush the enemy team. Even if your teammates are garbage they can assist you in this by being meat shields for you. Crack the middle lane open and win the game.

Remember that it's not your nukes or your physical attack alone that makes you a powerful hero. It's the two combined. Only when you maximize all of Lina's potential will you be able to crush your foes with her, otherwise you're doomed to be labeled weaksauce.

How do I keep my Rapier? How does a hero like Lina survive when she's dealing 400 damage per shot and everyone wants to kill her? As I say again and again and again, you're a glass cannon without any reliable escape spell. The only way you can hold onto your Aegis charges is if you know how to stay in the back of a fight and deal damage without getting crushed. After your Rapier you may want to consider getting a Blink Dagger, but think about the Shadow Fiends and Vipers and Troll Warlords and Razors and... Pugnas who are expected to do the same as I'm asking you to do with little more. It's doable. You can do it. You can.

Your best friends at this point are the heroes that keep the other team occupied so that you can freely deal damage. Heroes like the Panda, who thrive by jumping into combat and causing as much havoc as possible by just being there are the ones that will aid you most.

V. Notable Enemies

The thing about Pudge is that it's very easy for him to kill you and almost impossible for you to kill him. You're a tempting target for a good Pudge player and it's important to be extremely watchful if you're playing against one. Once you reach the later part of the game he's a joke to you; the important thing is to not let him keep you down with his early game combo.

The Oblivion is a very powerful hero in general and most dangerous to you because of Nether Ward for relatively obvious reasons. On the other end of the spectrum is his extremely low HP pool which will make nuking him an easy task provided you don't kill yourself in the process because of his Ward. A good Pugna will know how to keep himself out of harm's way and keep you under the influence of his Ward- this is what you'll have to watch out for most.

I've disliked this hero since his ultra-buggy incarnation back in the 5.xx versions (who didn't love Epicenter randomly and inexplicibly dealing 4000 damage?) and I don't like him now. His hit points are painfully high and Burrowstrike is a very, very powerful skill. This hero out-maneuvers, out-tanks and very nearly outguns you and will always be a threat to you. Rule 1: realize that Epicenter will always go off before you can hit with LSA.

Another hero that's frightening to virtually everyone and just as much so for you if not more. He sports more hit points than your nukes can hope to bring down and his powerful Brain Sap will only widen this gap. Fiend's Grip decimates any hero and you're no exception to this rule. Remember that the easiest way to kill Atrophos is to put him in a 2v1 situation.

Sporting a great deal more hit points than would be expected from an Agility hero, a powerful telenuke and notorious damage per second without the need of any expensive items, the Morphling is a danger to just about everyone. There's little to say about him in particular other than the fact that he's, well, powerful. Be careful.

Purge is one of those skills that make you want to cry, removing Ultimate as well as bringing your initial attack speed down to a crawl. Worse yet, Mana Shield means that your nukes will ineffectively bounce off Medusa like ping pong balls. Sadly, you like so many other heroes can do nothing to effectively counter Purge. Just tough it out and you should be fine.

VI. Misc Notes

1. Lina's defining aspect of her gameplay is her nukes. Dragon Slave, LSA and Laguna Blade are your primary offensive mechanisms for a very large portion of the game as well as Dragon Slave being a useful farming mechanism.

    

    

2. You will have to cope with almost no defensive ability throughout most of the game. To counteract this you need to work with your allies and watch the mini-map to keep yourself from being hopelessly ganked into oblivion. Using Observer Wards effectively will make it a far more difficult task for your enemies to catch you off guard. Knowledge of how to dodge heroes by hiding in trees or using elevation will make escaping your foes far easier. For example:

    

   

   This image shows a common hiding spot by the middle Sentinel tower. It's a great way to throw off pursuers or simply to chill while you regenerate health. Essential if you're against a strong lane early in the game.

   

   If you haven't noticed this little area before then you've been missing out on a lot. Any enemy who attempts to tower dive you will be thrown off by fog of war created by the trees, all while being pummeled by your Ancient. Great spot that everyone should be aware of, good for hiding or evading would-be captors.

   

   Less commonly used and, admittedly, a less useful spot. Really only useful for hiding; most enemies will easily be able to keep after you if you attempt to evade them here. The top Scourge lane is characterized most by having quite a lot of bumps and crannies like this; little bumps of trees will allow you to hide in fog and last hit and gain experience at will.

   

   This trick allows you to throw off a hero that's attempting to chase down and kill you. The isolated tree provides a cover of Fog for you to easily juke an inexperienced foe. There is another spot like this in the Sentinel middle lane as well that works in much the same way, as well as one at the Sentinel top lane. There are places like this scattered throughout the map.

    

3. This strategy builds Lina largely as a carry hero. It demands a lot out of the player using her and expects that you can farm relatively effectively and play in a safe, intelligent manner, as well as the typical skill that you will need to play with Lina Inverse specifically. If you don't perform well at first using this strategy don't be discouraged, just keep practicing and it will open up to you.

    

    

4. I know that not every player can consistently farm up Hands of Midas + BoT and then Aegis Rapier every single game. I know that certain situations will severely hinder you early and make it impossible to farm in the way that the primary build asks. That's why there are alternatives. Your build should not be constant. Ever. Unless you are playing a hero that is an absolute no-brainer in terms of complexity (Clinkz, for example: FARM FARM MICRO MICRO AEIGUSRAPER LAWLLAWL) there will be times that your build will change, be it because of match up or setbacks as the game progresses. I attempt to give you a good idea as to how you should alter your build as you take note of how you're doing but really; it's up to you and you alone to decide what's needed and what isn't. Don't restrict yourself. Nothing is certain. Nothing is constant. Question everything and adapt.

 

VII. Replay(s)
One replay so far but not with me in it. Brown uses this build almost to the letter but ends up completing Linken's Sphere prior to Rapier. Note his consistent farming that occasionally is interrupted by a quick gank and how he uses Dragon Slave.

http://www.dota.org.ua/files/user/TDAmevsFear.w3g

Another one, this time starring the forum member Negi (who also supplied me with the before-mentioned replay). Although unfortunately a 4v5 and a couple of weak players on both sides (namely the PotM on Sent and the Doom Bringer on Scourge) this game shows two very important concepts.
One is what Lina needs in order to be dominant early/mid game, namely just about doodly-squat. You don't need huge amounts of mana to gank, all you need is some regen to consistently use your low-cost spells and an HP boost that caters to the situation. A Point Booster is probably the most expensive available early game buffer item and it shows here that it CAN be worth the money but is a large, notable investment that will slow down your build.
Second is Lina using her physical attack in conjunction with her spells to outclass a typically more powerful hero later on. As Negi points out he is able to take down a very fleshed-out Morphling 1v1 with a good chunk of HP to spare. How can he do this when his damage output is nowhere near what the Morphling can achieve? With her nukes, and it shows as well that there's little need to invest heavily in INT items to maximize the power of those nukes. Below is the replay and Negi's comments:

http://www.dota.org.ua/files/user/ihlinabuttsecks.w3g

A third replay, still not me (my chance at getting a good replay I abandoned so I could play Syllabear) but shows the alternative build used at the highest level. Note how LSA is used in conjunction with Frost Bite, how badly Viper is shut down by this combo and the gankfest that is expected from this build.

http://www.dota.org.ua/files/user/coL_vs_eMG_game_2_sentinel.w3g

VIII. In Closing
The format of this guide has been stolen from numerous people. Probably most notable are my hijackings of inDe_eD's, PieMonger’s, and to a far lesser extent Captain_Hook's guide formats. I preemptively give thanks to both of them for not being angry when I post this without asking them for permission beforehand ^^.

I obviously wrote this to cater to you, the reader, and I'd be more than willing to answer any questions or respond to any suggestions you might have. Realize, however, that I've been doing this strategy for quite a while now and it's going to take quite a bit for me to alter something.

I understand that a sort of mathcraft fad has arisen in this forum. I don't like mathcraft. Mathcraft is limited. Many items that are justified by numbers are or aren't useful for other, more obvious reasons. I notice that people tend to complicate a lot of things when the answer to their conflicts is right in front of them. For example, Battlefury. Battlefury sucks. Do you want to know how I know this? Because I've used it, many times, since it was introduced, and it sucks. It sucks after the buff, too. It's just bad. See how easy that is? So other than spell damage after reduction there will be no math in this guide. Math is for smart people anyway, we're video game players.

If there are any problems in terms of format (I'm mainly looking for a bug that causes text to enlarge to an enormous size) THEN PLEASE POINT THEM OUT TO ME. PLEASE. IT'S VERY LIKELY THAT I CAN NOT SEE THEM DUE TO TECHNICAL ISSUES AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CORRECT THEM MYSELF. Thank you.

This is probably the only guide I will ever write. Store it on your hard drive so that you can sell it for millions after I’ve died of a heroin overdose at the age of 27 to conclude my world-shattering career as a rock star.