Dota 2: How to Win Games with Phantom Assassin

Phantom Assassin is one of Dota 2's most popular heroes, check out our latest guide to learn how you can win with her!

Some Dota 2 heroes are way more popular than others because they are fun and easy to play. In some cases, these heroes also have an Arcana, which makes them even more appealing. Needless to say, Phantom Assassin ticks all of the boxes, which is why she is among the most popular Dota 2 heroes in every patch.

Even though PA was popular among professionals for a while, the hero was less popular than in pubs. Since the hero relies on RNG to land her crits, most players are interested in some of the safer options. Hence, they often get things like Luna, Juggernaut, and so on.

While it is true that all of those heroes are great, this Dota 2 Phantom Assassin guide will reveal that this hero is on another level. Besides being fun and easy to play, PA is also one of the heroes with the best cosmetic items in the game. In addition to the Arcana, the hero also has a persona that became available in Part II of the 2022 Battle Pass.

Overview of PA

Phantom Assassin is a melee AGI hero that is almost always the team’s carry. There have been cases where PA goes mid, but this can only work against certain heroes. Overall, this is a typical safe lane carry that needs farm in other to thrive.

PA is not that good in the laning stage, and the hero can be bullied from the lane. Consequently, people who want to pick this hero in PUBs must ensure they have solid lane support. Even though the hero can farm with her Daggers when needed, she will miss out on many creeps.

Once the laning stage is over, PA’s playstyle depends greatly on her opponents and the items she goes for. Many people get Battlefury to increase her farming speed, whereas others focus on Desolator because it gives her tons of damage. In some cases, users get both, which means the hero can start fighting.

Speaking of the devil, PA is one of the heroes that MUST get a Black King Bar. This is the only item in the game that will give her enough uptime to kill at least one or two heroes, depending on the situation.

In terms of the late-game, Phantom Assassin is often the strongest hero, meaning she is the go-to target. As a result, people must be really careful and always have enough gold for buyback because this can be the difference between winning and losing.

Phantom Assassin’s counters

Even though PA can crit for more than 2000 damage and kill anyone in seconds, the hero has several notable counters. Some of you may be aware of most of them, but this Dota 2 Phantom Assassin guide will cover the most popular ones.

Starting with the elephant in the room, pretty much any right-clicking hero with a Monkey King Bar can be a potential threat. Since PA relies a lot on her Blur to stay alive, landing all attacks makes a huge difference because the hero can die in seconds. That’s the reason why core heroes always go for this item when they have to play against PA.

Aside from the Money King Bar, some heroes are really good against PA, and Axe is definitely one of them. To be fair, this hero can counter pretty much everyone with his Blink + Call + Blademail combo. However, he is really strong against high-damage dealers like PA because he can kill them right away.

Heroes like Bane are also really good against PA because they can disable her long enough for their team to land a kill. Phantom Assassin needs uptime to survive and do damage, so everything that can disable her can be dangerous.

The best items for Phantom Assassin

People who read this Phantom Assassin Dota 2 guide will be interested in learning more about the best items to go for. We’ve already mentioned some information about the BKB, Desolator, and Battlefury, but there are many other options to choose from.

For example, Phantom Assassin is one of the best heroes to get things like Basher, followed by an Abyssal Blade. Besides providing the hero with more damage, this item allows her to stun, which usually gives her enough time to land a kill, especially during the late game.

The fact that PA can deal insane amounts of physical damage means the hero benefits a lot from lifesteal. She is also squishy, so items like Satanic are really good because they allow her to heal a lot and provide her with more HP.

Phantom Assassin also benefits a lot from more attacking speed because this allows her to (potentially) land more critical strikes. Hence, some people go for items like Moon Shard and Assault Cuirass. The latter is usually the better option because it also provides a lot of armor, which is good against physical damage dealers.

Tips

As mentioned in this Phantom Assassin Dota 2 guide, this is a hero that can be extremely difficult to deal with. However, the only way to take full advantage of her capabilities is to have a good start. A PA who is ahead of the rest is a recipe for success because the hero becomes impossible to kill. That said, this is one of the carries that can always make a comeback, so keep that in mind.

Even though PA is not the strongest laner in the game, she can do well against heroes that are usually pretty strong. For example, PA can lane fairly well against the likes of Sniper, Huskar, and Anti-Mage. So, don’t be afraid to go up against them because you can do a lot of damage with your Dagger.

Some people might forget, but PA’s incredible damage output, as well as her evasion, allow her to kill Roshan fairly easily, especially if she has lifesteal. Hence, you should try to get an Aegis as soon as possible and use it to rip through your enemies.