Abilities, roles and builds with an explanation for every purchase.
HERO GAME PLANI choose katana or sai stance for each engagement and manage their shared cooldowns.
When it comes to strategy, Kez tends to wing it — he's able to swap on the fly between his katana and sai to slash, dash, swoop, and parry as the needs of the battlefield demand. But when he puts his mind to it, he can account for any eventuality, choosing the right tool to attack, escape or simply outwit his enemies with a little advance planning.
My recommendation is a starting point. We choose another position together with the team and for its needs.
I need protected farm, my item window and damage on important targets.
Levels, lane control and joining the team at the right moment matter.
This is an editorial starting plan based on hero mechanics. It is not presented as a match I have already tested or a popularity ranking.
Here is my initial plan: I do my role's job first, then choose the items the team needs. I adapt the order and expensive purchases to the opponent.
Provide attack speed and switchable attributes for farming and managing my resources.
Speeds up wave and jungle clearing for a melee hero; an investment in farm before expensive fighting items.
Provides a window for my actions against eligible magical damage and disables. I check effects that pierce the protection.
Adds a chance to stun on attack, making it harder for the target to get out of melee range.
Helps recover health through attacks during its active window; without access to a target, it is not a guaranteed save.
Diffusal Blade ↗Adds mana burn to attacks and helps stick to the chosen target.
Abyssal Blade ↗Provides a targeted disable when slows and attacks are no longer enough.
Butterfly ↗Increases physical damage and protection against suitable attacks. I check whether the enemy has an answer to evasion.
I do not assign one ‘correct’ minute to every purchase. I look at my gold, the next fight and the problem: am I missing mana, target access, control or protection? If an expensive slot will arrive too late, I get a useful answer earlier.
Original Valve icons and descriptions. Cooldowns and mana are shown by level from the data snapshot; talents and upgrades can change the values.
Kez slashes forward in a 800 distance line with his Katana, attacking enemies in an area and applying a brief 100% impact slow. After a short delay, the area is attacked again. Heroes take bonus damage.
Kez swings on a grappling hook towards the target unit or tree. When the grappling hook collides with the target, that unit has slowed movement speed. Upon reaching the enemy target, Kez lands an attack on them.
While the hero uses his katana, his attacks and abilities apply a stacking effect to enemies that deals a portion of attack damage over time.
Katana attacks and abilities apply a stacking damage over time to enemies that deals a percentage of the original attack's damage as additional damage over time. Kez may activate the ability to impale the target with his attack, preventing them from moving or turning. The target's Katana debuff bursts, causing some of the stacks to deal damage instantly.
Adds 100% lifesteal to the impale and increases its maximum damage. If the target is facing away, the ability stuns it and immediately deals all the damage over time.
The hero cannot be controlled for 1 sec. and receives a basic dispel and 0.2 sec. of invulnerability.
The hero cannot be controlled for 1 sec. and receives a basic dispel and 0.2 sec. of invulnerability. If the preparation completes successfully, the hero performs a flurry of powerful circular strikes that deal damage based on the victims’ maximum health and heal the hero for a portion of the damage dealt.
These abilities are not necessarily available at the same time. I check the condition beside the name: innate ability, another form or an Aghanim purchase.
The hero switches combat stances between his Kazurai Katana and Shodo Sai.
Kez switches between his Kazurai Katana and Shodo Sai. He gains different attack capabilities and abilities based on the weapon equipped. The abilities level up together, and when an ability is used, the associated alternate weapon ability also goes on cooldown. Kez deals extra damage on the first Katana hit or ability after switching to Katana, and gains bonus speed after switching to Sai.
Casting a weapon ability that would set its alternate weapon ability on cooldown does not do so if it's the first one used within 3 seconds after casting Switch Discipline or if it was already on cooldown. Casting any weapon ability refreshes the cooldown of Switch Discipline.
Kez gains the ability to rush towards enemy targets to deliver echoing secondary attacks. While in this state, Kez has phased collision and slow resistance.
Kez gains the ability to rush towards enemy targets to deliver echoing secondary attacks. While in this state, Kez has phased collision and slow resistance.
Kez throws a Sai at the target unit, applying a fixed damage attack and silence.
Kez throws a Sai at the target unit, applying a fixed damage attack and silence.
While the hero uses his sai, his attacks have a chance to deal critical damage.
While the hero uses his sai, his attacks have a chance to deal critical damage. This ability can be activated to parry attacks and attack effects from the selected direction for 1.5 sec. Parrying an enemy hero’s attack stuns them for 0.4 sec. and marks them, guaranteeing a critical strike and stun on the ability owner’s next attack against that enemy. The parry can be stopped early by using the sub-ability.
Parrying creates a stronger Mark that deals additional stun and critical damage.
The ability’s owner releases a wave of smoke that marks nearby enemy heroes and briefly reduces their vision.
Kez releases a wave of smoke that applies his Mark to nearby enemy heroes, briefly reducing their vision. Kez receives a basic dispel and gains bonus movement speed and invisibility until he attacks or casts a spell.
These are fields from the official source. The hero's final values in the client account for attributes and other active mechanics.
Items, slang and real episodes help connect abilities with what happens in a match.
