Ezalor, the Keeper of the Light

by Dark Rogue

as of v6.59

http://planetdota.blogspot.com

Master of light and mana manipulation, Ezalor was once viewed as a scholar, and
was regarded as a powerful mentor to many. However, his defection and betrayal of
his allies during the War of the Magi caused him to be sentenced to banishment to
the spirit realm for all of eternity. However, knowing of his tremendous power, the
Sentinel granted him a corporeal form within the physical realm in exchange for his
alliance against the Scourge onslaught. As such, Ezalor carries his duties of
supporting his comrades valiantly despite the treacherous past that most know little
about.

Strength - 16 + 1.8
Agility - 15 + 1.6
Intelligence - 22 + 2.8

Learns Illuminate, Mana Leak, Chakra Magic and Spirit Form

Attack range of 600

Movement speed of 315

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HERO INFORMATION

Affiliation: Sentinel
Role: Push, Gank, Lane Control, Support
Tavern: Sunrise Tavern (Teal)
Ezalor, the Keeper of the Light

Starting Hitpoints: 454

Starting Mana: 286
Starting Damage: 38 - 54
Starting Armor: 1.1

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HERO ABILITIES

Illuminate

Channels a ball of positive energy, letting it build up 100 damage per second. When
released, it damages all enemies in a line. The distance also improves with
channeling time.

Level 1 - Can be channeled for 2 seconds, maximum range is 500.

Level 2 - Can be channeled for 3 seconds, maximum range is 600.
Level 3 - Can be channeled for 4 seconds, maximum range is 700.
Level 4 - Can be channeled for 5 seconds, maximum range is 800.

This is by far, the single best farming and pushing skill in the game. At early levels,
it might seem like crap, but trust me, it's very strong late game. And, before I forget
to mention, it is a multi-purpose skill. Not only does it destroy creep waves in a
matter of seconds, but it also illuminates the area around the orb (no, not around
Ezalor) and around the wave. The longer you channel, the longer it travels, and the
larger area it reveals. Length scales by 500/600/700/800 units. Can be Discharged,
releasing the wave instantly. It is great at jungling, since you can hit creeps with it,
they will wake up, but will not attack, as long as you are out of their acquisition
range. I should also point out, that the Energy Globe is the actual caster of the spell,
Ezalor only channels to keep it alive. Therefore, the wave will shoot straight from
the globe, and not from Ezalor. As of 6.55, the globe always appears directly in front
of Ezalor, and never at the target point (unless you target it directly in front of
Ezalor).

Casting Range is 230.

Casting Time is 2-5 seconds.
Duration is 2-5 seconds.

Cooldown: 10 seconds
Mana Cost: 150
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Mana Leak

Weakens the bond between the physical and magical essences of an enemy. The
magical and physical essences will be divided if the target moves, causing the
enemy to lose some of their mana. If the enemy lose all its mana, it gets paralyzed
while it repairs the bond.

Level 1 - Lasts 5 seconds, 3.5% of their manapool per 100 units, 1.25 second stun
Level 2 - Lasts 6 seconds, 4% of their manapool per 100 units, 1.5 second stun
Level 3 - Lasts 7 seconds, 4.5% of their manapool per 100 units, 1.75 second stun
Level 4 - Lasts 8 seconds, 5% of their manapool per 100 units, 2 second stun

A great skill, that heavily disrupts an enemy heroes' mana pool, granting Ezalor
even more lane control. Basically, it works like a Mana Rupture, but, if an enemy
hero loses all his mana, he will get stunned. Great setup for Illuminate. Can be
removed by purge, and is blocked by Linken's Sphere.

Duration is 5/6/7/8 seconds (debuff) and 1.25/1.5/1.75/2 seconds (stun).

Casting Range is 550/700/850/1000.

Cooldown: 20 seconds
Mana Cost: 75

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Chakra Magic

Channels chakras through a friendly unit, creating a surge of mana.

Level 1 - Restores 75 mana.

Level 2 - Restores 150 mana.
Level 3 - Restores 225 mana.
Level 4 - Restores 300 mana.

By far my favourite supporting skill. So simply, yet so effective. All it does is

instantly replenish a target's mana. The mana scales up from bad to fantastic, so
it's 100% worth leveling. What's probably my favourite part about this, is that it
replenishes mana for Illuminate, giving you an unlimited supply of Illuminates.
However, the Mana cost of 45/55/70/85 has it increase your current mana by only
30/95/155/215. Therefore, it creates a common mistake that "Chakra Magic = 2x
Illuminate".

Casting Range is 900.

Cooldown: 19/18/17/16 seconds

Mana Cost: 45/55/70/85

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Spirit Form

Ezalor turns his body luminescent temporarily. His mastery of the light becomes so
powerful that he can freely cast Illuminate without channeling, cast a brilliant light
that blinds foes, and a teleport allies from anywhere to his side at light speed.

A highly underused skill. People often see it as the crappiest ultimate ever, but I beg
to differ. Not only are Blinding Light and Recall phenomenally good skills, but
Illuminate works fantastically since you don't have to channel it. Other than not
having to channel Illuminate and gain Blinding Light and Recall (see below) there is
no difference. Illuminate can still be discharged. The Cooldown is not the only thing
that is changed. The two sub-spells are changed as well.

Cooldown: 80/70/60 seconds.

Mana Cost: 100

Ezalor in Spirit Form

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Recall

Target an allied hero. Teleports that hero to your location. If the target takes player
based damage during this period, this ability is interrupted.

Level 1 - 5 second delay.

Level 2 - 4 second delay.
Level 3 - 3 second delay.

Very underused, and very rarely used to its full potential. Not only is Recall a great
spell for saving thy ally, but it is also great for setting up ganks. Oh, and if you
haven't understood, it teleports an allied hero next to Ezalor. The allied hero must
not take damage from an enemy player or the spell will be disabled. Scourge and
Sentinel damage do not count as player damage.

Cooldown: 40 seconds.
Mana Cost: 100
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Blinding Light

Blind nearby units, causing them to miss 80% of the time.

Level 1 - Lasts 3 seconds.

Level 2 - Lasts 4 seconds.
Level 3 - Lasts 5 seconds.

So, you just target a massive Area, and all units in it will miss the hell out of
themselves. Also slightly knocks the targets back.

Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Mana Cost: 50

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SKILL BUILD

The Supporter Build

The supporter build should be used when you have enough pushers and gankers,
and you need more support on your team, rather than Lane Control. If you don't like
supporting your team, and would rather have global lane control, than I recommend
using the Pusher build (see below). I recommend using this build over the Pusher
Build or the Disabler build.

Level 1 - Mana Leak

Level 2 - Chakra Magic
Level 3 - Illuminate
Level 4 - Chakra Magic
Level 5 - Chakra Magic
Level 6 - Illuminate/Spirit Form
Level 7 - Chakra Magic
Level 8 - Mana Leak
Level 9 - Illuminate
Level 10 - Spirit Form/Illuminate
Level 11 - Spirit Form
Level 12 - Illuminate
Level 13 - Mana Leak
Level 14 - Mana Leak
Level 15 - Stats
Level 16 - Spirit Form
Level 17-25 - Stats

One level of Illuminate is taken early for extra lane control. Chakra Magic is a no-
brainer later on, and Mana Leak is gotten for more ganking power. Spirit Form is
delayed because the only use you have when supporting is Recall, and ganks don't
usually happen as much until level 10, but one level is acceptable before.

The Pusher Build

The Pusher build should be used when your team doesn't have too many lane
controllers, yet a decent number of supporters. It is based on Illuminate and Chakra
Magic, and should be used in solo or duel lanes (but hardly ever in tri-lanes). If you
prefer Supporting, then I recommend looking at the Supporter Build (above). I
recommend using the Supporter Build over this one.

Level 1 - Illuminate
Level 2 - Mana Leak
Level 3 - Illuminate
Level 4 - Chakra Magic
Level 5 - Chakra Magic
Level 6 - Illuminate/Spirit Form
Level 7 - Illuminate
Level 8 - Mana Leak
Level 9 - Chakra Magic
Level 10 - Spirit Form/Illuminate
Level 11 - Spirit Form
Level 12 - Chakra Magic
Level 13 - Mana Leak
Level 14 - Mana Leak
Level 15 - Stats
Level 16 - Spirit Form
Level 17-25 - Stats

Illuminate is maxed out with Chakra Magic to push lanes, and to keep your own
mana pool balanced (kinda' selfish, but not many people will mind). Mana Leak is
slightly delayed because by level 8 you get some tough heroes in your lane (in most
games) and you'll need to deplete their mana as quickly as you can so that you
don't lose your lane. Spirit Form is delayed until 10 because it doesn't help your
pushing much, but one level is acceptable if you're constantly on the move between
lanes and neutral creep camps.

The Disabler Build

The disabler build should be used when you don't wish to focus on neither
supporting your allies, or pushing into enemy bases, but rather setting up (and
eventually getting) kills. The main focus of this build is stuns and debuffs, which can
be achieved by using Mana Leak efficiently and often, as well as Blinding Light.

Level 1 - Mana Leak

Level 2 - Chakra Magic
Level 3 - Chakra Magic
Level 4 - Mana Leak
Level 5 - Mana Leak
Level 6 - Spirit Form
Level 7 - Mana Leak
Level 8 - Chakra Magic
Level 9 - Illuminate
Level 10 - Chakra Magic
Level 11 - Spirit Form
Level 12 - Illuminate
Level 13 - Illuminate
Level 14 - Stats
Level 15 - Illuminate
Level 16 - Spirit Form
Level 17-25 - Stats

Mana Leak is taken early if you are laning with spellcasters who maintain good lane
control, and you just can't take that. The stun will also come in handy, but it's too
small to make any ganks. Chakra Magic later is for more mana during ganks. Spirit
Form is a must taker, since with this build, you're going to make a lot more ganks,
and you'll need Recall and Blinding Light very much. Illuminate is delayed a lot,
since, even though it might help your lane control, you won't need it with this build,
and late-game you'll be clearing lanes really fast.
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ITEM BUILD

To make things clearer and save some space, I made an image in MS Paint, that
should give you the basic idea of the Core Build, and Luxury Items. But, you don't
have to hold strictly to the build. But, you should try to keep with similar items. As
always, items like Gems and Wards can be used, so feel free to get them, but only
when needed.

Core Build

The Core Build is the Basic build for Ezalor, no matter what skill build you chose. As
on most heroes, you must start off with stat items.

Early-Game I like Bracers, since they give you the Strength you need to stay in a
lane. Get a Mantle for the mana boost, and a Magic Stick, since you'll want to get as
much Mana and Health regenerated as possible, and the Magic Stick enables you to
do so.
Mid-Game, you keep the two Bracers. However, you do get your handy Boots of
Speed, which you will require, since Ezalor has a pretty low Base Speed, for
someone as fragile as he is. Perservance is got for the superb regeneration it gives,
and finally, you'll need Mekansm for the Area of Effect Heal, plus the great armor
support. And finally, Mystic Staff will be bought for a later-formed Scythe of Vyse.
Personally, I recommend keeping Magic Stick, but if that's not working for you, then
just sell it and buy a Mystic Staff. You've gotta' learn to adapt to the situation. In
case you already have one or two heroes that need on your team, I recommend
getting Staff of Wizardry instead of Mystic Staff (for Necronomicon).
Late-Game, you'll need to keep your mana and Hit Points balanced, since no one
likes a feeding support hero. That's why I recommend getting Guinsoo's Scythe, so
that you can get yourself out of tough situations, and can be a great setup for
Illuminate. Naturally, Boots of Travel is a good choice, and your allies won't need to
get 'em since you could Recall them. Once again, if you have enough Guinsoo-
wielders on your team, I recommend getting Necronomicon but you should take it
over Guinsoo in case of invisibility or whatever. I recommend reading the
Necronomicon guide linked several sections below. Perseverance should also be
disassembled, using the Void Stone for Guinsoo, and you can just keep the Ring of
Health.

Luxury Items

Linken's Sphere is great for when your enemies have some good disablers. Plus it
has some nice regenerating effects, and serves as a Perseverance upgrade.
Eul's Scepter of Divinity is also nice, since it is a perfect setup for Illuminate. You
can also Recall your teammates while your target is in a tornado.
Eye of Skadi is a pretty good choice, since it gives you great stats, plus you can
really use the slow as a decent disable when chasing via Illuminate.
Shiva's Guard - once again, I have to mention the great stats, and the Arctic Blast
spell. And, once again - very nice setup for Illuminate. And, hell, maybe even Mana
Leak.

Items that should be considered

Couriers are quite necessary for Ezalor. I wouldn't put them at top priority, but you
can stay in a lane for a long time, and Couriers can get you items without you
having to run from base to lane. I recommend upgrading to a Flying Courier, as
Ezalor can easily afford it, and it gives massive map vision, which help with
Illuminate.
Bottle is great if you want to stay in a lane. Since Ezalor is the main target in a lane
due to his great lane control, this will help you when you are on low Hit Points and
Mana.
Wards are very useful for ganks, because of Ezalor's Illuminate. Even though it
gives you great vision, you can afford the luxury Wards, and they give you vision of
stationary enemies, that have little chance to dodge your blast.

Rejected

Hand of Midas... I've seen Ezalor with a Hand of Midas more than once, and I do
not approve of this. This is an enormous waste of your gold, since you can farm
better with one Illuminate blast, rather than 10 Transmutes (the Hand of Midas
spell).
Arcane Ring is another overused item on Ezalor. It's true that you can afford it, but
the main purpose of this is the Mana Regeneration, which can easily be replaced by
the much more powerful Chakra Magic. I do not approve of this on Ezalor either.

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STRATEGY - ILLUMINATE

Now we finally come to the fun part - using the actual skills. First off, Illuminate (for
more spell info, check above). To me, it's a really fun spell to use. Much harder to
aim than a hook or arrow, considering that it only goes off for a short duration, and
that it can be evaded easily, but deals enormous damage if it hits successfully. First
off, let's get to the actual range of Illuminate.

Actual Range

This is very often forgotten, even though it is great information to know. The actual
range that Illuminate travels further than the projectile does. This screenshot should
give you a basic idea of how long Illuminate travels. I may have miscalculated by a
millimeter or two, so don't hold me on it.

Good Placements

This is just a small section, showing areas are potential Illuminate placements.
map by Mikaru-chan, editing by me
Over-Cliff Illumination

This is among the most basic and used forms of Illuminate. Basically, it's shooting
the wave through a cliff, which makes it very good at chasing. However, this can
also be used to farm without attracting too much attention, and/or get gold very
quickly. Please, take a look at the screenshot below.
Notice how the Illumination Wave goes through both Cliffs and Trees, and finally hits
its targets. The main purpose of this actual screenshot is for quick farm some gold.
This form of Illumination can be done in several areas in the map. Sadly, I do not
have the image of the 6.55 map, therefore I cannot specifically mark the areas of
the new layout.

Illumination through trees

Another highly-common form of Illuminating. This is basically like a regular

Illuminate, however it is shot through trees. This is harder to aim than Over-Cliff
Illumination, since trees block vision. However, if you channel the globe near the
actual trees, then you will be given vision, since Illuminate reveals a nearby area.
This can be also used to spot nearby enemies hiding in trees. The reason this is
favored over Over-Cliff Illumination, is that enemies will not be able to see you
channeling, while they can see it when you are channeling an Over-Cliff Illumination.
Once again, please look at the screenshot:
Observe how it is channeled behind the trees, yet it travels a long distance, so that
it hits the target. This can be done in almost every single one of the neutral creep
camps in the jungles. Once again, I do not have the 6.55 layout, so I cannot mark
the areas where this can be used. Very often, this can result in hitting multiple creep
camps, as shown below:
Notice how the Wave travels through two creep camps. This is the only spot I have
found, but there are two others, of which I will post screenshots later on. If you are
having trouble hitting the two creep camps, I recommend using Blinding Light (see
above).

Cliff Targeting

This is a very complicated form of Illumination. It can only be done when standing
near cliffs, or more specifically, when you are hugging them. This has the Energy
Globe appear on the cliff above (or below), so it makes the vision increase (if it is on
a higher cliff), and slightly changes the path of the wave. Take a mental note of the
picture below, to get a basic idea of what this would look like:
I have nothing to add about the screenshot. This form is slightly difficult to pull-off,
and requires some practice to be mastered. If this is done unsuccessfully, it will
result in an Over-Cliff Illumination.

Advanced Displacement

By far the most complicated form of Illumination. This has the Energy Globe be
channeled much further than the designated location. I have only found two places
where this can be used, and the main purpose is to smite enemies that are jungling
in a certain area of the map. They are marked in these next screenshots, plus they
shows how it should looks like. Be warned though, that this scares away enemies
90% of the time, but it travels much further than other forms, therefore, I find it
very useful.
Though it is not technically very hard to target, it is very hard to use properly. I find
myself having to Discharge the Globe 95% of the time, due to target movement.
The second image shows the second position, though it very rarely hits a creep
camp, and depends on the angle.
These two places are also near rune spots, which is very, very handy, since you
could send an illusion to fight the enemy while you charge you beam. Also, it can be
handy to use Invisibility to run away or stalk the enemy, Double Damage in case he
runs near you, Regeneration if you want to fill up your mana for more Illuminations,
and Haste for chasing or running away. So, this is a really versatile Illumination spot.

Hiding the Globe

I consider this to be very useful, in fact, this might be the most useful, and one of
the most commonly used form of Illumination. It is impossible to pull of without
Over-Cliff Illumination, or Illumination through trees, however, it can be done by
using Fog of War. Sadly, it is impossible to know the target's actual vision, unless
you are some kind of machine, but you can have a basic idea. I do not recommend
using Fog of War, unless you are highly skilled in hiding the energy globe. Please,
take a look at this screenshot, which shows a globe hidden in a tree.
You must also inform your allies of the position of the globe, so they can set up for a
gank or a team fight.

Rune Watching

This technique is rarely used, but really affective. Very often, you can find people
being rune whores, or simply look for useful runes. This can be done in both rune
spots, and both go through creep camps. However, the top rune spot has one
Illuminating Point starting near the shop, where you will most likely encounter slow
shoppers, or even some scouts. Here is a good example of rune watching:
Notice that the Illumination Wave goes through a creep camp, and, if you can knock
some enemies with Binding Light, you can hit the ancient creep camp as well.
However, the dual-camp hitting can only be done at the bottom rune spot.

Hitting two camps

As I have stated before, it is possible to hit several (generally two) creep camps
instead of one, but only in certain areas. Here is one area, which I have chosen to
show. Please note, that Binding Light has been used to set up the hit.
This should give you a basic idea of what this tactic should look like. Make no
mistake - few (one I think) spot can hit 2 creep camps without displacing them, and
I think the one captures in the screenshot is the one. Now, notice how I let the Spirit
of the Light channel Illuminate, while I head for the second creep camp, to clear the
furbolg camp.

Abusing Fog of War

It is very important to abuse the Fog of War. For those of you who didn't know, Fog
of War is the black part of the map that you can't see through. Naturally, you can't
know your enemies' line of sight, but you can imagine what the regions they can't
see, and channel Illuminate there, so your enemies can't expect a blast. This image
shows a wonderful Illumination hitting Meepo.
It is very important to watch your enemies, because they can counter-ambush you.
This image was taken from the "Pushing and Usage of Terrain" replay (see below).
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STRATEGY - MANA LEAK

After that long read on Illuminate, I think we've covered just about everything there
is to know about it. Now, let's move on to Mana Leak. Mana Leak, (as you all should
know) drains the target's mana per distance moved - in other words, the more the
target moves, there more mana it loses. An important part about Mana Leak is its
stun - if the target loses all of its mana (doesn't have to be from Mana Leak, but it
must be under its effect) it will get stunned for a fairly long time. Though that might
be enough for some people, I'm not letting you go that easy. I'm going to guide you
step-by-step throughout the 3 basic uses of Mana Leak.

Preventing Escapes
This is a very useful technique, since it can potentially get you a kill. The stun
duration increases per level, so the higher the level, the longer the stun. Generally,
it's not very useful to do when you're chasing the target alone, since Ezalor can't do
a lot of damage. Please take a look at this image, which will give you an idea of how
it should be done. Screenshot taken from the Farm4Fame contest.
Please notice that Puck didn't pay attention, and ran away (though not much choice
was given). Raigor then uses Fissure, and Ezalor uses Illuminate, after which Raigor
takes the kill.

Forcing spell-casting

This tactic will show you how to force your opponent to cast spells, no matter what.
Typical enemies to force spellcasting on are: Anti-Mage, Queen of Pain, Faerie
Dragon, Faceless Void, Morphling, Priestess of the Moon, and Vengeful Spirit,
because of their escaping abilities. NOTE: This will not work on Meepo's Poof, since
it drains mana after teleporting. Once again, take a look at the picture:
Puck was being attacked by Ezalor and Raigor, and Ezalor cast Mana Leak. Foolishly,
Puck tried to escape with Illusory Orb and Ethereal Jaunt, but Mana Leak's stun got
the best of him. After a brief chase, Raigor used Fissure to draw another kill.
Screenshot taken from the Farm4Fame contest.

Delaying opponents

Mana Leak can also be used to delay your opponents. Some think it would be better
to just stand still and not risk losing mana. Others, try to run away at full, believing
that Mana Leak won't drain it all. Oh the irony. Either way, Mana Leak will delay
them long enough for your allies to come and help you with the kill. Here's a good
example of how Puck was delayed with Mana Leak:
After Ezalor and Raigor chase Puck away, Mercurial uses Haunt, and her illusion
deals a lot of damage to the Faerie Dragon. Finally, Raigor uses Fissure, and gets yet
another kill. Usually the main purpose of delaying is to have your allies come near
you (or the target in general) or to have your cooldowns ready by the time the
target regains consciousness. Also, please note this next screenshot:
Ezalor uses Mana Leak to delay Visage enough so Raigor can get behind him. If
Visage had moved, he would have gotten stunned, and there would have been no
hope either way.

Teamwork

Mana Leak can often be used to set up team ganks. Usually, it starts with Ezalor
chasing a hero with the Mana Leak debuff, and he eventually gets stunned. That's
when the allies start entering the fight, and eventually getting a kill. Note this next
screenshot:
In the screenshot above, Raigor and Ezalor drop Visage's HP down to 5 or 10. Raigor
is also nearly killed by the Spirit Tower, and is left on 100 HP. Visage cues Zeus to
use his ultimate, but just as he is about to cast it, gets killed by Admiral
Proudmoore's Torrent. Just when you think Visage got away, Spectre uses Haunt,
and the illusion kills Visage at his very fountain.

Saving Allies

Another usage of Mana Leak is to stop enemy movement to save low HP allies. I'm
going to keep this short, so just take a look at this screenshot:
In this screenshot, Zeus is chasing Kunkka who is on low hit points. In order to save
him, Ezalor uses Mana Leak, and Zeus knows that if he continues moving, his mana
will completely Leak away, and he will get stunned. I must apologize for the low
quality of the image, but it's the .gif format it was saved in.
In the screenshot above, Raigor and Ezalor drop Visage's HP down to 5 or 10. Raigor
is also nearly killed by the Spirit Tower, and is left on 100 HP. Visage cues Zeus to
use his ultimate, but just as he is about to cast it, gets killed by Admiral
Proudmoore's Torrent. Just when you think Visage got away, Spectre uses Haunt,
and the illusion kills Visage at his very fountain.

Saving Allies

Another usage of Mana Leak is to stop enemy movement to save low HP allies. I'm
going to keep this short, so just take a look at this screenshot:
In this screenshot, Zeus is chasing Kunkka who is on low hit points. In order to save
him, Ezalor uses Mana Leak, and Zeus knows that if he continues moving, his mana
will completely Leak away, and he will get stunned. I must apologize for the low
quality of the image, but it's the .gif format it was saved in.

STRATEGY - BLINDING LIGHT

Now that we have cleared Mana Leak and Illuminate, time to move onto Spirit Form.
Since there's nothing special about Spirit Form except the extra spells, I'm going to
move on directly to Blinding Light. Well, Blinding Light has two amazing effects, and
both have a great Area of Effect. First of all, let's take a good look at the Blinding
Effect.
Blinding Effect

The Blinding Effect is used when you are on below 60% Hit Points to cause enemies
to miss on their attacks, and thus giving you a larger chance to get a kill instead of
your opponent (despite the fact that Ezalor generally is bad at 1 on 1). You know the
drill - screenshot:

In this screenshot, he causes 9 units to get Blinded (OK, it's not a perfect score,
but...), so it increases his pushing since less allied creeps will get killed. In the
screenshot, if you take a look at Visage, you could notice that Mana Leak has been
cast on him, and Blinding Light causes his Mana to leak away, reducing his
spellcasting capabilities (temporarily).

Knockback Effect

The knockback effect is generally used for saving allies, since the knockback is too
weak to set up a gank. Nonetheless, you will be able to escape from 1, 2 or even 3
heroes with this, but considering they are behind you. Otherwise, you would only
delay your death. Anyway, here's the screenshot:

Ezalor is able to avoid getting killed by Bristleback, however he manages to cast

Quill Spray which is enough to finish Ezalor off. A good combination of Mana Leak
and Blinding Light could have saved his life however. Nonetheless, we all make
mistakes. I'm showing this for the purpose if giving you a basic idea of how to use
Blinding Light. That's it for Blinding Light, on to Recall.
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STRATEGY - RECALL

The final part of the skills strategy is Recall. Recall generally has three uses -
teleporting allies for team clashes, second, saving allies (which requires a lot of
skill) and summoning to push lanes. I'm going to show the Saving Allies technique
first, so get ready:

Saving Allies

Saving Allies is used for... well... saving allies. Anyway, a lot of practicing is required
for properly using it. Generally, some forethought is required to use this properly.
This is because it costs a fair amount of mana, and it's disabled upon attack by an
enemy player (so attacks by Sentinel, Scourge and Neutrals won't disable it). Now,
take a look at this screenshot, and let's discuss it:
It's very complicated, which is why I've tried to organize it as much as possible. First
of all, notice image 1: Earthshaker, Dazzle and Admiral Proudmoore are getting
beaten by Bristleback and Lifestealer. Now, Lifestealer is completely off-screen, and
Proudmoore is slightly off-screen (bottom right, image 1), so it's clear that
Proudmoore would escape. Dazzle on the other hand, is clearly going to get beaten.
Bristleback is about 300 units behind him, so it's quite obvious that he would get
killed. Raigor is slightly further, so it's nearly impossible for him to get killed. Now, I
bet you're wondering why Dazzle wasn't recalled. It's because he would have gotten
hit anyway, and Recall would have been disabled. Raigor was impossible to hit
(maybe Quill Spray or Nasal Goo would have gotten him, but they didn't) so it
makes sense that he would be recalled.

Team Battles

It is very important for Ezalor to summon the most powerful (missing) player into a
Team Clash. That can potentially get your team to win the battle. Now, take a look
at this screenshot (as always):

Proudmoore is jungling in the Sentinel forest, when a Team Clash occurs. Bristleback
and Lion are quite far away, but they can still make it. Kunkka on the other hand will
be far too late by the time he arrives. So, Ezalor summons him. Because of this, the
odds from 4v3 become 5v3 for the Sentinel. They would then kill Visage, defeat
N'aix (resurrected with Aegis of the Immortal), and I believe Zeus as well (but don't
hold me to it).
Teleport-Push

When mass-pushing a lane, it's fairly important that all team-members are present.
So, of course, you'll want to recall all allies there. However, you have to make sure
that they are in a reasonable position (out of enemy players' sight) when you recall:
Nothing much to explain. Ezalor recalls Mortred to help push in a lane. Image taken
from a replay sent to me by ElementUser.
__________________________________________________

STRATEGY - NECRONOMICON

Believe it or not, Necronomicon is so powerful on Ezalor, that it deserves its own

section. Well, it's not going to be something really big, but it should have an
honorable mention.

Summon Stats

I don't have anything to add. Please take a look at this wonderful image by -Might-:

And I also highly recommend taking a look at his incredible Necronomicon Guide.

Abuse True Sight

Always, and I mean always abuse the True Sight. How? Well, you must know all
heroes that can turn invisible (by nature): Invoker (Ghost Walk), Nerubian Assassin
(Vendetta), Nerubian Weaver (Shukuchi), Broodmother (Spin Web), Bounty Hunter
(Wind Walk), Stealth Assassin (Permanent Invisibility) and Mirana Nightshade
(Moonlight Shadow; you have to be extra careful with her, since the whole enemy
team is granted invisibility, assuming she is your enemy). Second, as soon as you
get sight of that hero (and you need to summon Necronomicon minions), summon
the minions, and send the melee one to attack the enemy that has invisibility.
Before they turn invisible, cast Mana Leak, and generally they'll try not to walk.
However, since you have True Sight, you can still attack them! Oh the joy!

Abuse Mana Burn

As you should know, the ranged Necronomicon minion (aka the Necronomicon
Archer) has the Mana Burn spell. I'm sure you know what that is, but for you
beginners, it basically burns away the target's mana. And, if you take a look at Mana
Leak - if the enemy's mana drops to 0, they will get stunned. Getting the picture?
Well, first you cast Mana Leak, then Mana Burn, and then just keep attacking the
target! Easy as that.

__________________________________________________

STRATEGY - TEAMWORK
As with all heroes, Teamwork is the key to success. As is with Ezalor. Therefore, I
suppose I should give you a little (OK, maybe not so little) guide to working with
your team. I've decided to guide you through basic teamwork, hero synergies, and
team clashes.

Basics

There are quite a few things to remember when playing Ezalor. First and most
important - you need good allies. Ezalor is nothing without good allies, since his
three strengths are pushing, supporting and massive disabling. He doesn't deal a lot
of damage, nor is he strong enough to survive a gank, which is why you need good
tactics to get kills. So, first of all, you should know that Ezalor must never, ever fight
solo. Hear me again - ever. So, there are things you should know other than timing
your Illuminate discharge, or timing Mana Leak. You should expect a lot of demands
from your allies - Recall, Mana Restoration, Disables, and Illuminating. I'm assuming
you've read how to use all of Ezalor's skills properly, so I'm not going to bother you
with it again. In short: listen to your allies' demands, never solo, stay in a duel lane,
keep your mana balanced for spellcasting, and keep your spells ready for casting;
Also, if I haven't told you so, Ezalor is a hybrid hero. He can be one of three things:
Disabler, Pusher and Supporter (as can be the builds). You can also mix-and-match,
but it is very hard to keep your mana balanced with casting 3 spells, as well as
keeping the efficiency balanced. Those are the basics. Onto Team Clashes.

Team Clashes

Team Clashes (often called Team Battles or Team Fights) are parts of the game
where more than half players of each team 'meet' more than half of the other team
at a spot, and start battling. But you probably knew that. Anyway, Ezalor fulfills a
gap in team fights, which few heroes could. Since Team Clashes generally happen
past level 10, you should have at least 2 of your skills maxed out (and at least 1
level of Spirit Form). Now, here are the steps you must follow in a Team Fight to
ensure that your team wins it:

Step 1. Enter Spirit Form

It's quite important to enter Spirit Form, since it gives 2 new abilities in your
arsenal, as well as improving Illuminate. For more information on using Spirit Form,
see Strategy - Blinding Light and Strategy - Recall.

Step 2. Recall the Strongest Missing Player

Put simply, it is crucial to summon the strongest missing allied player into a team
battle. The heroes have the following priority (for you to summon): Caster-Carry >
Nuker > Tank > AoE Disabler > DPS > Summoner. If no player is missing (which
rarely happens) skip onto Step 3.
Step 3. Illuminate
After most/all allied heroes are present, cast Illuminate (while in Spirit Form - yes,
it's very important). Make sure it's aimed at most of the enemy team, as shown
here:
3 of the enemy team's players were damaged (Lord of Olympia, Lifestealer and
Demon Witch). As I said before, it's very important that you do this while in Spirit
Form, so you can take care of you other duties in the team fight. After casting
Illuminate, quickly move onto Step 4.

Step 4. Chakra Magic and Mana Leak

After Illuminate has been cast (no, not launched, but cast) refill your best caster's
mana (which means not your own, unless you desperately need it), and cast Mana
Leak on the enemy team's primary caster. You may also want to cast Mana Leak on
melee caster/DPS heroes like N'aix as shown here:
Move on to Step 5.

Step 5. Blinding Light

As soon as you've cast Mana Leak on your enemies' primary caster, use Blinding
Light. Not only will it cause the DPS heroes to miss on their attacks, but it will leak
away the caster's mana. If an enemy hero is low on HP and high on mana, and this
would only push him away from the team, then don't cast it. Take a look at this
screenshot please:
Step 6. Necronomicon and Mekansm
Next, summon your Necronomicon minions (assuming you've already gotten
Necronomicon), and burn the Mana Leaked unit's mana. If this does not stun it, it
will heavily cripple its spellcasting. When they get on low HP, move your warrior
further away from you, and the archer closer, and heal only the archer (because you
want Last Will to activate).

Step 7. Finish off any nearly-dead heroes

Naturally, you'll want to kill any remaining heroes (below 30% HP), to get the extra
XP and gold.
That's basically what you should do in a team fight. Like I said, it's important to
know what to do, and make sure it's done in the correct order.
__________________________________________________

HERO SYNERGY

I'm sure you're all familiar with this part. It's where I tell you which heroes go good
with Ezalor, and which heroes kick his butt. Well, you know what to expect, so here
it goes.

Good Allies

Vengeful Spirit
The Vengeful Spirit can really help you set up Illuminate, and she can swap the
enemy into danger, while you cast Mana Leak, making death inevitable.

Crystal Maiden
The Crystal Maiden has very useful spells, and some insane disables. She has slow,
stun, and AoE slow. All of those go well with Illuminate, plus her ultimate forces
enemies to move away from her, while you leak their mana away. Both of you have
mana regenerating spells, so it's very easy to keep mana balanced.

Naga Siren
Slithice has great disables. Ensnare is completely unavoidable, which gives you
enough time to channel Illuminate and enjoy your enemies' HP drop. Her being the
incredible pusher she is because of Song of the Siren, it gives you some time with
enemy creeps, and enough time to recall your allies.

Earthshaker
Raigor is by far Ezalor's best ally possible. He has impeccable stuns, and he can
deal insane damage if he has the mana, and you can get him that mana with
Chakra Magic.
Treant Protector
Can I just say - Overgrowth + Illuminate = x.x

Admiral Proudmoore
You completely synergize with Admiral Proudmoore. Mana Leak + Torrent forces
them to move, X Marks the Spot + Illuminate owns anyone, Blinding Light + Ghost
Ship deals really great damage, great debuffs, and Blinding Light sets up Ghost
Ship.

Pit Lord
Azgalor's heavily overpowered AoE disable synergizes with Illuminate, as does Mana
Leak with Firestorm. Plus you both have Teleports!

Faceless Void
Darkterror's Chronosphere is so strong with Ezalor, that it actually enables him near
full chanelling of Illuminate to all helpless enemy heroes (and units) trapped inside.

Invoker
Kael has so many spells, that it's hard to tell which synergizes with Ezalor the most.
Perhaps they'll enjoy getting their HP raped or escaping from it at the risk of their
mana. Or perhaps they'll want to lose their Mana either way with EMP? No one
knows...

Anti-Mage
They can either stay and watch their Hit Points drop to 0 in a second, or move, and
watch their mana drop to 0, as the highly-annoying Mana Void animation rips them
apart.

Witch Doctor
Cast Mana Leak, and Vol'Jin casts Maledict and then Death Ward. They die anyway,
so there's no real choice.

Shadow Shaman
Well, your skills synergize a lot with Rhasta's. Shackle the target, Hex (both while
Ezalor is channeling Illuminate), then Mana Leak and Mass Serpent Ward. Enjoy the
slaughter!

Potential Enemies

Lord of Olympia
Zeus has such a high spellcasting range that he doesn't need to move to kill you. As
for the stun, it makes no difference to him.
Silencer
Nortrom is a real pain in the ass. Last Word is what really destroys you. You can't
make any combos, so there's no point in playing against him.

Demon Witch
Lion completely empties your mana pool, while still ripping your limbs off.

Invoker
See Demon Witch - completely empties your mana pool, while still ripping your
limbs off.

Admiral Proudmoore
Captain Obvious is as much your enemy as he is your ally. He doesn't need to stay
in range - he can just cast Ghost Ship and half of your HP is gone.

Obsidian Destroyer
He deals so much damage, that you won't last enough to cast Mana Leak.
Sacred Warrior
Huskar doesn't even need mana, so it makes no difference to him if it's gone.
__________________________________________________
REPLAYS

Pushing and Usage of Terrain

Discussion Link

Personally, I think Ezalor didn't do a very good job. I mean, it was good, but he
could have done better. He got some great items (Mekansm, Boots of Travel and
Guinsoo), so he could have of great benefit to the team. Sadly, he wasn't, as his
teamwork was very poor. I should probably say that it was unnecessary to get
Mekansm, since Lich would have been better off with it, and he messed up Lich's
build. Early game, he lanes with Death Prophet, so they pull of some great combos
against Lion and Meepo. He made some mistakes, such as when chasing Meepo,
and eventually getting killed, while Meepo survived on low HP. Later in the game,
ruSSian_ruSheR [Ezalor] does some nice combos with his other teammates, after
Krobelus leaves the game. Late-game he uses Mana Leak a lot, and the stun help a
lot when chasing. He made great use of the environment, and made some escapes
that I suggest paying special attention to. Mainly, this is the supporting Ezalor, and
he got 14 assists, a few kills, and, sadly, a large amount of deaths. Somehow
though, he kept a better score than Dragon Knight. That covers the gameplay part.
What I really want you to pay attention to here is the pushing and terrain abuse.
Ezalor managed to push the lanes very well, and pulled off some great terrain
tactics.

Utilizing spells: Decent

Illuminate: Some nice usages against the opposing team, though he never used to
for the vision, but rather for the damage, which benefits pushing. 6/10
Mana Leak: No early-game uses, though it's most likely because he hadn't learned
it yet. Late-game, there were some wonderful usages of Mana Leak, and I was quite
impressed on how he pulled it all together. 8/10
Chakra Magic: He used this spell very often, though mainly on himself, despite not
actually using up that much mana. His allies needed a lot of refills, and more than
once, and, I think Lich and Necrolyte needed it a lot more than he did. 4/10
Spirit Form: His usage of Spirit Form was indeed bad. He never used it in the right
situations, planted some fairly bad Illuminates, and never even cast Blinding Light
or Recall, though there were moments when his allies could have used them. Like I
said, I'm not at all satisfied with his usage of Spirit Form. 3/10

Terrain Abuse: Great

Fog of War: Abused Fog of War very nice, and managed to pull of some sneaky
Illuminates with it. I must say, I was quite impressed with this. 6/10
Cliffs: No abusage of cliffs, though he never really had a chance to. The one abuse
he made was using Illuminate near the enemy protector, though it missed
nonetheless. N/A
Trees: There was some decent abusage of the trees. He used them as passages to
escape or chase, and that's a nice tactic. I was most impressed mid-late game when
he managed to escape from Meepo by abusing trees and teleporting to the fountain.
7/10

Teamwork: Decent
Necrolyte: I don't think they even saw each other in the game, much less Ezalor
helping him. Though he did assist a lot with Illuminate and Mana Leak, he did no
support to Necrolyte (as I can recall). 5/10
Lycanthrope: As with Necrolyte, they met once or twice, but that was about it. He
helped by healing his wolves with Mekansm, and that is much more useful than
most people think. Also helped land a few kills with Mana Leak. 6/10
Lich: I was very disappointed at his teamwork with Lich. He was stubborn to get
Mekansm instead of him, while Lich could have been better of with it rather than
Ezalor. It actually looked to me like they had a rivalry, and they didn't pull of many
combos (though Ezalor did manage to gank Dragon Knight a few times with Lich)
2/10
Death Prophet: Wonderful teamwork between these two. They did fantastic
combos, and made great lane partners. They set up a lot of kills, though they really
didn't kill much, but rather go killed. 8/10

Bans and Picks:

Bans (Sentinel First): | | | | | | |

Picks (Sentinel First): | | | | |

Line-up:
Sentinel

Color (Top)

i.r.Eric (Top)

sj248 (Middle)

Star.God_ (Bottom/Jungle)

Full.House_ (Bottom)

Scourge

How_About_No (Top)**

BERRY_ (Jungle)

UTDC.Justin (Middle)*

ruSSian_ruSheR (Bottom)

xbasherx (Bottom; Dropped at Level 5)

*played by Muteki Tensai

**played by supa_fly.

Credits to Muteki Tensai for supplying me with the replay, and giving me
permission to use it.

Usage of Spirit Form and Mana Leak

Discussion Link

Ezalor did a wonderful job here. Tried to keep his deaths to a minimum, and the
gameplay overall was amazing. He used Mana Leak, Chakra Magic a lot, and most
importantly, Spirit Form. Pulled of some incredible combos, kept a balanced
assist/death ratio, and was a worthy supporter to his team. Great item choices, and
in this case, it was better that he chose Necronomicon over Guinsoo, since Scourge
had some great casters, and Mana Burn worked really well. Some very good uses of
Blinding Light and Recall, though the only flaw I can find is the fact that he didn't
take Illuminate at all, whilst he could have learned at least one level early on.

Utilizing spells: Superb

Illuminate: This is the one skill he didn't use very much, but when he did use it, it
was very well placed. Especially with the ones in Spirit Form. 8/10
Mana Leak: Superb uses of Mana Leak. Great uses when chasing, being chased,
and in team battles. 9/10
Chakra Magic: Refilled his allies almost all the time, wasn't selfish at all, and used
it in perfect times. 10/10
Spirit Form: This is the best usage of Spirit Form I've seen. Great uses of Recall
and Blinding Light, and really helped me make around 15 screenshots. 9/10

Terrain Abuse: Below Average

Fog of War: Didn't really abuse Fog of War. A few times perhaps, but nothing really
spectacular. 2/10
Cliffs: Some good Mana Leak uses over several cliffs, that potentially saved his life.
5/10
Trees: I saw some nice usages of trees, hiding in them, using them as boundaries,
and such. Nothing much though. 4/10

Teamwork: Superb
Earthshaker: Amazing Teamwork. Some great stuns, and great kills. 10/10
Admiral Proudmoore: Great combos. Torrent, Mana Leak, Ghost Ship and even
Blinding Light. I loved the teamwork between these two, but Earthshaker was still
better. 9/10
Shadow Priest: There wasn't much teamwork between these two. But, the combos
they pulled off were fairly impressive. Dazzle made great usage of Shadow Wave,
and Ezalor kept refilling Dazzle's mana with Chakra Magic. 8/10
Spectre: The synergy between Spectre and Ezalor was kinda' like the one Ezalor
had with Admiral Proudmoore. Nothing else to comment - 9/10

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