Medusa-The Gorgon-Review

Medusa, The Gorgon
Maximizing Damage Potential


Introduction (Read It, It's Not Gonna Kill You):

Hello everyone, my name is Donald, but you can call me 'Donz' for short. If you know one thing about me it's that I have terrible vision, thus my guide will feature dull colors and ridiculously large text. I apologize in advance for any inconveniences this may cause you.

If you have been a part of the forums for a while, you will know that Medusa is my favorite hero and accordingly she is the hero I keep up with via strategy guide. Recently, I "retired" from DotA in favor of more pressing educational and career matters putting me out of commission for well over a year. However, as the summer time came and I found myself with more time on my hands the nostalgia has drawn me back in over the past couple of days.What is the product of this "return" to DotA, you ask?Well, you're reading it.

I decided to leave my old guide closed, and start fresh in the third edition of my Medusa guide. Hopefully you will find it on par, if not a step above the previous versions.I will admit, a bit has changed since last i've played.

Dealing with Medusa specifically, there has been multiple direct and indirect nerfs. Purge was weakened in relation to summons, everytime I check purgable buffs - more and more seem to not be removable (when I distinctly remember purging them off in previous versions), radiance's damage was nerfed, and AEGIS IS NO MORE (which not only nerfs Medusa's late game survivability, but also late game damage potential because you really can't get rapier anymore unless you want to Rosh constantly) just to name a few.

Well, getting right into it, i'm going to tell you flat out that Medusa is not an easy hero to play (contrary to popular belief).
Most of the time when I see Medusa picked the player goes chain + stats along with a bottle and a couple of wraithbands. They then run around the map thinking they are a God-like early game hero killer/ganker and get their asses handed to them resulting in their mid-late game being crippled.

You do not want to be this person.

Medusa can be extremely powerful in the right hands, however.
What hands are these, you ask?You Will Do Well With Medusa If:
You can last hit and deny well.
You have great map-awareness.
You can predict and avoid ganks.
You are not selfish and very team-oriented.
You are patient.
You have stunners on your team.



You should keep these factors in mind before you pick Medusa, and also while playing her. They will play a crucial role in your overall success.



Well , let's start


Description: The Naga princess was named after the legendary gorgon who turned her foes into stone. Though she hasn't developed a stoney glare, her combat skills will freeze even the strongest of fighters in submission. Her years of archery has allowed her to fire multiple arrows with keen accuracy. Manipulation of magic grants her a shield of mana to absorb physical impact. Channeling electrons within the air, she can ignite an electric spark that will jump from foe to foe. Her legendary name is well earned.

Stats:
Strength: 14 + 1.85
Agility: 20 + 2.5
Intelligence 19 + 2.25
Range: 600


Skills:



Split Shot
Medusa magically splits her shot into three arrows. These arrows deal a lower percent of her normal damage.

Level 1 - 45% damage
Level 2 - 55% damage
Level 3 - 65% damage
Level 4 - 75% damage

Split shot defines Medusa, and is one of the skills that makes her such a unique ranged agile hero. This skill will be your best friend mid-late game when you are trying to farm up those 'WTF-IMBA?' item combinations to end the game. This is also what makes Medusa valuable to her team in organized games. At level 4, you can have a damage output of 225%. Using split shot in team battles means a lot of heroes are going to get low very quickly, and this can often lead to double and triple kills. That means we need to get cost effective items that will boost your overall damage when using split shot.

What orbs work with split shot?

Skadi/Lifesteal: Only the main arrow with slow/heal
Diffusal/Manta: No. When you have split shot off you will burn mana, but when it is on you will not.
Maelstrom/Mjollnir, Burize/MKB, Sange: When these proc, you will only shoot one arrow.
Desolator: No, not at all. If you get desolator it won't even let you toggle split shot on. Avoid like HIV.



Chain Lightning


Hurls a bolt of damaging lightning at a target enemy that jumps to nearby enemies. Each jump deals less damage.

Level 1 - 75 damage, jumps 3 times.
Level 2 - 150 damage, jumps 5 times.
Level 3 - 225 damage, jumps 7 times.
Level 4 - 300 damage, jumps 9 times.

Low damage and takes away mana that could be used to survive with mana shield, but it is decent to farm and harass heroes with. This skill is situational, i'll explain the "Do's and Don'ts" of chain lighting later on.


Mana Shield
Creates a shield that absorbs 50% of the incoming damage by using Medusa's mana.

Level 1 - .75 damage per point of mana.
Level 2 - 1.25 damage per point of mana.
Level 3 - 1.5 damage per point of mana.
Level 4 - 2 damage per point of mana.

This will be your bread and butter move. Get two points in it by level three and turn it on, this is what makes Medusa such a durable agile hero.







Purge
Casts a powerful anti-magic buff at a target enemy unit. Slows movement and attack speeds for 5 seconds.

Level 1 - Slows speed by a factor of 2.
Level 2 - Slows speed by a factor of 3.
Level 3 - Slows speed by a factor of 5.
Deals 1000 damage to summoned units.

Nice, fast cool down slowing skill that goes through BKB/magic immunity, dispels buffs (Ursa's Overpower, Sven's Gods Strength), and destroys summoned units (Pesky illusions!). All in all, a very useful ability. Only get one point in it though, level 1 purge, is just as good as level 3.

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