If you're unable to open up the spoiler boxes, refresh the page and try again. The spoilers contain a large majority of this guide's content, so be sure to not overlook them,

Mirana Nightshade
Priestess of the Moon




Table of Contents
[1] Introduction
[2] Skills & Strategies
[3] Skill Build
[4] Item Build
[5] Alternative Items
[6] FAQ
[7] Replays
[8] Changelog & Credits






Introduction to Mirana
With good reason, Mirana has emerged as arguably the most-often picked hero in higher-level play. Since her introduction, she has consistently been a top pick and ban, and is considered among the ranks of the most balanced heroes in DotA (if not the most).

Able to fit into virtually any team line-up, Mirana provides strong ganking power early-game and can be turned into a viable semi-carry later on. With one of the best disables in the game, a high-damage nuke useful for both ganking and farming, and two escape/initiation mechanisms (one global and team-based), Mirana has one of the most lethal skillsets in the game if utilized properly.

Purpose of this guide: to provide a competitive and definitive look into Mirana Nightshade and her style of play. This guide will not address "fun" or "pub builds", nor will it be forgiving to newer players to the game. This guide seeks to address the subject of utilizing Mirana to her highest potential, and the skills and strategies entailed in doing so. We will be playing the Priestess as a ganking powerhouse early-on and a semi-carry afterwards. All skill and item builds will revolve around those two roles.


Overview of PotM's stats:
STR: 17 + 1.85x    AGI: 20 + 2.75x    INT: 17 + 1.65x
HP: 473    MP: 221    DMG: 38-49
ATK Range: 600    Armor: 1.7    MS: 300

analysis of stats
Conforming to the hero herself, Mirana's stats are extremely balanced. For an AGI hero, she has average STR, AGI, and INT growth, a relatively fast MS of 300 and a long attack range of 600. Her starting damage is normal for a ranged hero and she has average starting stats.

Although one may find her fragile, her starting HP and STR growth give her around the same HP as other AGI heroes, if not only a tad less. This is slightly mitigated by two great escape skills that, with a little practice, will get her out of most sticky situations. However, whether it comes in the form of Wraith Bands, Treads, a Point Booster, or even an Eye of Skadi, Mirana needs a way to bolster her natural HP pool for more survivability.








Skills & Strategies




Starfall: A great nuke that can be used for ganking earlier on and farming later in the game. It has a relatively large range, and even has a chance to still strike the enemy if they're slightly out of it.

Rough AoE's of Starfall

The smallest ring is the 200 AoE double-strike.
The second ring is the normal 600 AoE range.
The third ring is the 900 AoE range where Starfall still has a 60% chance to hit your target.

Most of the times in ganks, you'll want to try to get within melee range of your target so that your Starfall has another chance to strike them for half damage. Cornering them in the forest or another location out of the way almost guarantees you to double-strike them with Starfall, providing a potent nuke that'll drop 1/2 the HP off of most heroes in early-game.

Note that the double-strike from Starfall takes corpses within the range into consideration -- the additional star may randomly fall on a corpse instead of the target you're aiming for.

Later on in the game, Starfall can be used in farming to great effect. Get within 600 range of the creep wave, drop a Starfall, and finish off what's left with regular attacks.


Elune's Arrow: Mirana's signature skill, Elune's Arrow has the potential to be the longest single-target stun in the game. With a bit of practice, it can be one of the greatest ganking skills in DotA, and absolutely devastates in the laning phase with an adequete lane partner.

Elune's Arrow is not a simple click-and-stun spell - it takes practice, intuition and sometimes even luck to pull off. Because of this, it's not possible to land a perfect arrow every single time it's fired off, no matter what your level of skill is. However, with practice, your aim and reflexes will get better, and your arrow accuracy (accessible by typing the command -aa ingame) will undoubtedly increase. Don't get disappointed if you miss the majority of your arrows in the beginning. Elune's is one of the hardest skills to master in the game, but is paid back in full by being one of the most fun and rewarding.

Graph of range relative to stun time:


As shown, Elune's travels for a full range of 3000. However, she only needs to be 1500 units away to stun the target for the full duration. Stunning the target from in between 1500-3000 range is optimal, although it should be noted that landing an Arrow from just 900 range away will still provide a whopping three-second stun. Arrow can also be used whether at close or long range for the nice damage that it provides - a 360 damage nuke in early-mid game is nothing to be laughed at, and can be what it takes to finish off a target, stun or not.

A great combo is to initiate with Elune's Arrow, Leap in, auto-attack, and finish them off with Starfall. In this image you see Syllabear recovering from his stun, attempting to run away. A simple Starfall finishes him off.


Catching them unaware with Arrow is always a devastating tactic. In this image, you see me standing behind the trees, remaining in the fog, and sniping Techies out.



Elune's Arrow should not always be used as an initiation tool. Sometimes its much easier to snag a fleeing hero than it is to land one while he's in the middle of a creep wave. In such situations, initiate with Starfall and stun him while he's running away. It is much more beneficial to take the time to gauge the situation than to simply fire a blind shot and hoping for a stun.

I Leaped in and Starfalled, and Huskar immediately turned around and ran. I shoot off an Arrow to keep Huskar pinned down until my ally VS can come and help me finish him off.



There are many minor strategies concerning Elune's that you will pick up as you become more experienced with PotM. For example, in the image below, Lich thought that he was safe from my Arrow by hiding behind his creep. However, I launched an Arrow right before his creep died (in the image, it just died) and he lost his cover. I leaped forward for an easy first blood.



Always take all factors into account - the movespeed of your arrow, the movespeed of the target, and even how the arrow bends over hills and dips. Don't forget the fact that the arrow does have some curve to it provided if you're shooting it up and down planes, and take it into account in your calculations.



For example, in the below image, I didn't take into account the incoming creep. As such, instead of hitting Gondar, I only ended up doing a little nuke to the creep that moved in front of him.



Elune's Arrow provides vision of the area around it. As such, it can sometimes be used as an effective scouting tool. However, don't forget that the cooldown is quite long and should not be used as such under normal circumstances.


Leap: Mirana's personal initiation/escape tool, Leap can be used both to enter battle with a MS and IAS boost, or to escape from potentially dangerous situations. Leap can also be used to dodge most stuns in the game.

Never leap into a battle unless you're sure of victory -- the IMS and MS bonus is nice for finishing off a target faster and chasing, but you never know when things might go sour and you'll need to Leap out of the situation (e.g. counter-ganks, miscalculated damage, missed arrow) or to catch up to a target.

Most of the times Leap is better left as an escape and chasing mechanism -- rarely one for initiation.

Its very possible to dodge stuns using Leap if you 1) leap in time, and 2) the enemy doesn't have any form of True Sight on you. Sometimes its advantageous in solo situations to Leap just to dodge a stun, and then to turn back around and finish the now helpless target off.

Leaping without aiming can be fatal to your health. Always take that split second to orientate yourself in the direction you're wanting to go before jamming down the e key.

It is a good idea to just leap into the trees and TP back to base in some situations.

In this image, I was ganked by three heroes. As I was slowed, leaping in any other direction than into the thicket would have been my demise. Instead, I leaped into the fog of the forest and TP'd back to safety.



Below is an image of leap distances per level. Keep it in mind as you calculate how far you want to go.


Moonlight Shadow: Although Moonlight Shadow has a high mana cost and long fade time, it is countered fully by the ability to grant your entire team invisibility for a few sweet seconds. Usable from saving a teammate to initiating with ease, MS is a great global ability with much utility.

Moonlight Shadow is not immediately taken in Mirana's skill build due to its high mana cost. However, after its gotten, it is a skill with many uses. Among its possible uses are...
  • saving yourself while your Leap is on cooldown
  • saving a cornered ally that has no chance to run
  • positioning your team for a clash, or invising your initiator (Tidehunter, Shaker, etc.) so that he has an easier time getting in place
  • covering channeling heroes so that they can't be targeted and stunned while casting their spells (e.g. Crystal Maiden, WD)
  • scouting the area before a possible team fight
  • moving your team inside Roshan's black-out area without being detected by wards placed outside

Don't forget that it's not an instant WW and has a long fade time (slightly decreased by leveling the skill up), and that activating it sooner rather than later will pay off. If for any reason you break invisibility during the MS buff (activating spells, attacking, using items), you can still regain the invibility by waiting for the fade time to pass again.







Skill Build
The cookie-cutter build:
1 - Elune's Arrow / Leap
2 - Leap / Elune's Arrow
3 - Starfall
4 - Starfall
5 - Starfall
6 - Elune's Arrow
7 - Starfall
8 - Elune's Arrow
9 - Elune's Arrow
10 - Moonlight Shadow / Leap
11 - Leap / Moonlight Shadow
12 - Leap
13 - Leap
14 - Moonlight Shadow
15 - Stats

from this point on, L3 Moonlight Shadow can be taken at any level based on the circumstances of the game. If your team needs the extra 2-second duration and the shorter fade-time, it's perfectly acceptable to grab the last level.

16~24 - Stats
25 - Moonlight Shadow

Justification:

Whether Elune's Arrow or Leap is taken at level one is decided by whether you plan on an early First-Blood attempt with a max-range Arrow or suspect that you might be the victim of a First-Blood attempt. Generally, Elune's is taken first because you never know when opportunity may show its shy face.

Starfall is always maxed over Elune's, no matter your proficiency with Elune's. The simple fact of the matter is that you will always land Starfall, while you will always miss some Arrows. Thus, mastering Starfall over Elune's is a better investment of your skill points and has a higher RoI in comparison to maxing Elune's first.

Moonlight Shadow is not taken at level six because of the enormous mana cost that PotM cannot support at the level. Taking another level of Elune's instead is more beneficial and will add more damage to the secondary nuke in your arsenal.

Moonlight Shadow is taken at either 10 or 11, as team fights start to happen more frequently, and the invisibility is indispensible in fighting on your terms. Furthermore, it becomes more beneficial to start using it in saving allies from ganks as their respawn time is becoming longer and longer.






Item Build
As PotM is one of the most versatile heroes in the game, her item build both depends on the role she intends to play as well the needs of her team.

This guide will be focusing on a ganker build early-game. Additional options that work well with Mirana will be listed under the next section.

Starting items listed in the spoiler box:



Magic Stick: A great item to have that'll save your hide many times. Use it for that extra burst of HP that will help you get out of sticky situations or that extra bit of mana you need to launch one more Arrow to finish off a target. Magic Stick can also detect skills that happen outside of your knowledge (Kunkaa using Torrent, Lina casting LSA, Nerubian Assassin using Vendetta). Magic Stick can be upgraded to a Magic Wand later on if you want.

Circlet: To give Mirana a slight boost in stats - HP, damage, and mana. Will be used as a component to upgrade into Wraith Bands later on.

Branches: Simple stat-increasing items. Can be sold later on to free up item slots.

Tangoes: Tangoes are taken over salves to keep yourself at relatively high-HP instead of in the red zone where one nuke might finish you off. Ferrying over a bottle later on will also help with your regen.

Mirana is an acceptable buyer of wards if your team has no other hero to do the job. While she could hardly be said to be item-independent, she still does well early-game with little to no items and as such, has the leisure to purchase wards for her team.



core build:


Justification:
Wraith Bands: Slippers and Circlets are taken early-game and turned into Wraith Bands later for cheap stat-increasing items. Wraiths help to increase your damage and HP slightly, all great for Mirana's needs. Wraith Bands can be stacked if you feel like you need the cheap HP.

Magic Stick: Can be upgraded to a Magic Wand if you feel like you need the additional, no CD charges.

Boots: Depending on the circumstances, a form of upgrade to Boots of Speed should be taken sometime during the core build.
Boots of Travel: BoT are so great on Mirana that some go as far as to call it core. It provides priceless mobility and really complements her role as a ganker with great map-presence. However, unless you're farming extremely well and can get a quick pair of BoT, leave them until later on in the game as they delay your core too much and leave your stats gimped.

Phase Boots: A viable upgrade to BoS on Mirana, Phase Boots make chasing a fleeing target with Elune's almost a joke. The damage and armor it provides is nothing to be laughed at either. Phase Boots are a viable option on a heavily gank-oriented Mirana.

Treads: Treads are more suited for a team who is relying on Mirana to carry the game should it extend that late. The ASPD bonus is great, and the +10 STR really gives Mirana's low HP pool a boost for greater survivability. Almost always, you'll want to keep Treads on STR. Treads are recommended over Phases for most games, as the IAS and STR is great for Mirana, but there are a few circumstances where Phase Boots may be more beneficial.
Bottle: Never start with a bottle; instead, have the team courier ferry it over to you as soon as possible. Bottle is great for Mirana: it gives her burst regen and the ability to capture runes, all suited towards her role as a solid ganker.

Diffusal Blade: Diffusal Blade turns Mirana into a ganking goddess (sorry, Priestess), as well as gives her cheap stat bonuses, feedback, and most importantly, Purge. Purge can be used to remove buffs from enemies like God's Strength and Insatiable Hunger, or to remove negative buffs from allies like Track. Most of the times, however, you'll be using it for the slow that makes enemies crawl at a snail's pace.
Tip: Diffusal Blade should always be taken should the enemy have a significant purgeable skill (Sven, Broodmother, Warlock, Omniknight.)
Scroll of TP: Self-explanatory, you should always have one-two of these on hand for quick teleports. TP to counter-gank, TP to defend towers, TP to gank, TP to farm, and TP to safety. Irregardless of whether you think you need it or not, you never know when one will either save you or net you a kill, and as such, should always have one on hand.


Extensions:



Justification:
Linken's Sphere: Linkin's is an extension often used on Mirana for players finding themselves crippled by one or two specific disables. Not only does it provide a great, buffed-up spell block, but it gives nice stats and regen for more spammable Starfall and Arrow use. Consider it if you're playing a role more geared towards support and need the nice spell-block provided.

Manta Style: Even in 6.6x, where Manta Style is no longer a natural extension to Diffusal Blade, it works well on Mirana. Giving her nice stats, movespeed, and mirror images, Manta Style is a great luxury item on Mirana. Effectively increasing her damage by 66%, targetting a purged target with Mirana and two images really hurts. Note that ranged images do not have the feedback effect, even if it shows the animation.

Eye of Skadi: A hardcore luxury item, Skadi gives Mirana a great boost to her HP and stats, as well as an invaluable Cold Attack that not only slows a target, but decreases their attack speed by 20% as well. EoS should not be taken before another damage item, as Mirana's DPS will be lacking if she jumps straight to a Skadi.
Note: Cold Attack only semi-stacks with Diffusal Blade's Feedback ability -- if the target has mana remaining, Cold Attack won't trigger. As such, Skadi is best left to the Maelstrom-Skadi build, where Skadi provides the additional HP needed to beef Mirana up.
HoT: A pure survivability item, Heart gives Mirana additional survivability should she find herself dying too easily. However, unless Mirana really needs the brutal HP and regeneration that HoT provides, a Manta or Skadi usually is a better idea as it provides nice stats and more DPS.

Butterfly: An item suited to a semi-carry Mirana, Butterfly gives Mirana a large boost in DPS as well as EHP in the form of evasion. Consider this item as an extension to Mirana's core if you're looking to provide a stronger presence late-game.

Black King Bar: BKB should always be considered should you be facing heavy disables that are crippling you. It provides some needed HP, a little damage, and most importantly, the Avatar effect that will make you invulnerable to otherwise devastating spells for 5+ seconds. If you're finding yourself being chain-stunned to death every gank or team fight, a BKB is the way to go.

Buriza: A late-game luxury for carry PotM, Buriza increases PotM's DPS by radical amounts. Should you have sufficient survivability and another DPS item already (Manta, Butterfly, Maelstrom), Buriza should be considered as the next extension.






Alternative Items


Justification:
Chain Lightning: One of the most popular builds on Mirana, the CL orb makes her farm like nobody's business, as well as provide AoE damage in team clashes. Chain Lightning can be taken in place of Diffusal Blade for a more carry-oriented Mirana. However, note that it provides no survivability bonuses of any kind and costs more than a Butterfly. Gauge the situation and see if you're in need of any survivability items first before heading straight to making a Maelstrom / Mjollnir. A popular extension to the build is Skadi, as it provides 25 STR, HP, and a great Cold Attack. If you decide to take the Mjollnir-Skadi build, be sure to grab a Point Booster sooner rather than later as it'll give you some much needed HP and mana.
Tip: Mjollnir can be considered if you have any heavily focused tanks on your team (Axe, Dirge, Necrolyte). Mjollnir is also useful against image heroes (e.g. PL).
Desolator: Mirana is a popular Stygian carrier. If your team needs the Corruption, consider taking Desolator as your orb. It has a decent build-up, although provides raw damage and no survivability. Desolator is usually gotten when Mirana is focusing on being the team's carry and needs a straight source of DPS.

Orchid: Providing damage, attack speed, mana, MP regen, and Soul Burn, Orchid is a viable luxury item on Mirana. With it, she can cast her spells freely and disable a hero's spells for a few seconds, amplifying the damage they take along the way. If your team needs a silence for some heroes that are hard to kill otherwise (blinkers, invisibility heroes, etc), consider buying an Orchid.

Guinsoo: A late-game luxury item for Mirana, Guinsoo is taken mostly for the Hex ability. Hex has always been one of the most dangerous abilities in the game, and Mirana is a decent user if the team needs it to shut down a dangerous hero for the few seconds that it takes to knock him out of the fight.







FAQ
Should Mirana solo a lane or take a dual?

Mirana is a capable soloer, although she works better in a dual lane if your team has a more able solo (Zeus, Tinker, etc). Pairing up with a hero that has a strong early-game or a stun makes drawing first blood almost a joke with Elune's Arrow and easily allows Mirana and her partner to dominate the lane.

eg. Lina stuns while you stand back and fire off an arrow at the disabled target, providing over a six-second stun. With Light Strike Array, Dragon Slave, Elune's Arrow, and Starfall, its not hard to systematically dismantle your lane over and over again.

Of course, competent players won't exactly let Mirana just pick them off with a free Arrow. They'll attempt to hide behind creep so that its harder to target them. In these instances, its best to either use Arrow to snare a fleeing hero after your Starfall & lane partner's combo than to use it as an initiator.


Should I be focusing solely on ganking?

PotM should not be ganking all over the map like other roaming gankers such as Vengeful Spirit or Venomancer. Mind the fact that she needs a decent amount of farm like any other carry hero to perform well as the game progresses. Of course, PotM has harsh ganking potential, but don't let it wind you up underlevel and underfarmed -- finding a good balance between the two is key. Gank when there are opportunities available, but stick to the lane and farm if you're not assured of a kill.


How do I combo PotM's skills?

Mirana's skill combos are either,
1) Leap or walk up close to the target, Starfall, attack, and stun the hero when he tries to run
2) Initiate with Arrow, leap to the hero, Starfall, and finish off with regular attacks
Do not use Moonlight Shadow to help yourself gank except in the most dire of circumstances, as the mana cost is high and most ganks can be accomplished without using such a costly skill. MS should be saved for better situations where you might find yourself wishing it wasn't on cooldown.


What is your opinion about firing off blind arrows?

There are rare instances where you might get lucky by firing off a blind arrow into the dark, but for the most part, its much more beneficial to take the time to predict your enemy's movement path, and aim it carefully. With enough practice, aiming your Arrow at a moving target will start becoming more and more intuitive. However, patience will always pay off.


Can I use Starfall to harass?

Starfall can be used as a nuke to harass opponents to great effect. After you have ferried over a bottle, the mana cost is mitigated and you can use it more frequently. It has a decently long range and the chance to double-hit at melee range. Always last-hit two or three creep with Starfall when harassing the enemy. Never waste it to just damage the enemy, as it'll be mana wasted.


In this image, you see me in the middle of using Starfall. After the stars fall (heh), I'll have netted three creep kills, damaged CM, and gotten the chance to double-strike her as she's within the 200 AoE range. Ignore the fact that Mirana is L25 in the image -- its for demonstration purposes only.


Why is Starfall maxed over Elune's Arrow?

One of the most hotly debated subjects over playing Mirana is whether to max Elune's Arrow or Starfall first. Taking one level of Elune's early is a constant, but some choose to max Arrow over Starfall as they're comfortable enough with their aiming skill. This guide's take on it is as follows:


Pros:
- A guaranteed 300 damage nuke with a chance to double strike for half the damage and to hit a target in a range up to 900.
- AoE, can strike multiple targets at once, and is easy to aim
- A lower cooldown than Arrow

Cons:
- Has a higher mana cost than Arrow when maxed (160 v. 100)



Pros:
- Adds damage to your arrow
- A lesser mana cost than Starfall, with more damage to a single target
- Generally deals more damage than Starfall

Cons:
- Competent opponents are able to dodge your arrow, hiding behind creep to lessen the chances of being struck

The major con of skilling Elune's Arrow first (that competent opponents will dodge your arrow a good deal of the times) plays a large role in the decision to max Starfall first over Elune's Arrow. Whereas Starfall costs 60 more mana than Arrow when maxed, it is a guaranteed hit and a solid nuke. Maxing out Arrow first is like putting all your eggs in one basket -- if you miss your arrow (and you will plenty of times against decent players), then your gank will fail. Ultimately, Elune's is better used for the long stun duration (that doesn't change based on level) than the damage.


Should I play Mirana as a glass cannon?

Building Mirana up as a paper tiger, such as a build consisting of Mjollnir and Butterfly, is not a bright idea. Some might argue that with two escape mechanisms, Mirana is one of the hardest heroes to kill in the game. This guide argues that with one silence or stun, Mirana is dead.

Be sure to give her some HP. If going for the popular Chain-Lightning / Skadi build, an early Point Booster works wonders.

Stacking Wraith Bands for additional HP is never a bad option. STR Treads are always good as well if you see yourself needing a bit more additional HP.


Why is Arrow maxed after Starfall if its primarily used for the stun?

Elune's Arrow is primarily used for the stun. However, the extra 270 damage it adds to your combo versus leaving it at level one is deadly in the middle stages of the game. For this reason, Arrow is maxed after Starfall to provide another high-damage single-target nuke to your arsenal.


Why is Bottle not taken as a starting item?

Contrary to popular belief in lower-level play, Bottle should never be taken as a starting item. Mirana specifically needs stat items in early-games to last-hit better as well as to improve her low base-HP. Using your team's courier to ferry over a bottle after you've farmed it is your best option, as PotM needs a bottle to help regen mana and HP, but not straight away.


Who are good allies for PotM?



Fellow disablers such as CM (Frostbite, Aura), Bane (Grip, Nightmare), and Rhasta (Voodoo, Shackles, Wards) are great allies for Mirana, allowing her to land her arrow easily. Heroes that have ground-targetted snares (e.g. Kunkaa, Lina) will find Mirana's Arrow a godsend as it allows them to easily land their spells. Any hero that detracts attention from Mirana (Axe, Tidehunter, etc) and allows her to not be the one absorbing the damage is also good ally of hers.

Some heroes can really take advantage of Moonlight Shadow. Initiators like Shaker or Tidehunter that can use the invisibility to set up the perfect Ravage or Echo Slam or channelers like Crystal Maiden that can abuse the invisibility to disappear off the map for a short duration while channeling will all appreciate Moonlight Shadow.

A major point to make is that Mirana a hero that will fit into almost any line-up, which is why you almost always see her in higher-tier play. Mirana isn't a hero you should be shy to pick, and will work well in most games.


Who does PotM fall to?



Stunners and heroes with long disables make short work of Mirana, disabling her ability to leap out of dangerous situations. For the same reason, Silencers such as Krob, Drow, and Bloodseeker also destroy her ability to get out of sticky situations.

Other heroes to watch out for are heroes with high burst damage combos (NA, Lion, Lina) or heroes with long DoT spells that might still kill you even if you're long gone (Doombringer, Venomancer's Poison Sting + Nova combo). Any hero that eliminates PotM's escape mechanism is always a constant threat on the battlefield.






Replays


Replay One

A heavily gank-oriented game, this replay demonstrates the strategy of a roaming PotM (played by Maelk). With some interesting picks (such as Sniper, Furion, and Pudge), strong PotM play, and over 2 kills a minute, its an impressive watch.

Note: This is why Sniper is never picked in higher-tier play.






Replay Two

In this game, Mirana is played by Misery, soloing bot. This isn't a game where Mirana goes godlike or unfairly portrays the hero's power in an unfair and exaggerated manner; rather, its a solid game with Mirana that accurately displays how she should be played.

The game is also of interest because of the rather unusual picks. Slardar, Bloodseeker, and even Clockwerk are not picks seen too often in higher-level play and provide for an entertaining game.







Changelog & Credits
July 28th, 2009: guide originally written for version 6.61b, submitted in draft mode.
July 30th, 2009: guide finished and submitted for final publishing.

- Thanks to Lancerlove for the great merged Boots image.
- Thanks to ArtiQ for going through my guide and helping to correct grammar mistakes


source