Kez is the latest hero in Dota 2, and he has much to offer. Although he hasn’t been around long, we already have some stats that show he can be a solid pick in many situations. We want to talk about many things in his Dota 2 Kez guide, so let’s dive in and learn more about him.
Dota 2 Kez Overview
After the Dota 2 Kez release date was announced, fans were eager to see the new hero. Kez is an agility carry that is very different from the rest. In fact, we believe he feels similar to Invoker in some ways because of his unique abilities (more about that later).
What’s different about Kez in Dota 2 is that he has two different weapons – Kata and Sai. There’s an ability called Switch Discipline that allows him to switch between them. This is very important because switching between the two things will change his abilities.
Kez is a melee hero that has the following starting important stats:
- Attack – 49-55
- Armor – 4.3
- Movement Speed – 315
- Attack point – 00.35
- Sight Range – 1800/800
- Base attack time – 2.0
In terms of the Kez Facet, he currently has Hero of the Flightless. What’s interesting is that this thing has not added anything yet, so we will have to wait for Valve to update it soon.
As for Kez’s positioning, most people pick the hero for the safe lane. With that said, it seems like he is also popular as a mid-laner, as well as an offlaner.
Dota 2 Kez Abilities
Kez is definitely not a hero that is suitable for beginners because he has among the most complex skill sets out there. We will go through each ability in a second, but you will most likely need some time to get used to everything.
- Echo Slash – When used, Kez will slash forward with his Kata and do 70/80/90/100% of his attack damage and 30/45/60/75 bonus damage to heroes. Following a short delay, the area will be attacked again, and all enemies will be slowed down by 100% for 0.25s.
- Grappling Claw – The hero will swing in a grappling hook towards a given unit or tree. Once the hook collides with someone, the latter will have an 80% movement speed slow, and Kez will have a 100% lifesteal on his next attack. Additionally, Kez will get 50/100/150/200 extra lifesteal if his target is a hero.
- Kazurai Katana (can be upgraded by a Shard) – Kez’s passive allows him to deal 7/8/9/10% damage per second for 5/6/7/8s. During that time, enemies will have their HP regen reduced by 20/25/30/35%.
- Raptor Dance – After 1s of channeling, Kez gains 100% magic resistance and debuff immunity. If the channeling is successful, the hero will also do AoE damage, which gives him a lifesteal.
- Falcon Rush – Kez will rush an enemy, and while doing it, he has phased collision, and his attack rate is not that affected by attack speed.
- Talon Toss – When the hero uses the ability, he will throw a Sei at a target, dealing 75/125/175/225 damage and silencing units for 1.75/2/2.25/2.5 seconds. The ability has 15/12/9/6s cooldown.
- Shado Sai – Kez can mark enemies, and once that happens, the hero’s next attack gives him True Stike, will stun the enemy for 0.5s, and will do 140/160/180/200% critical strike.
Additionally, Kez may activate the ability to disarm himself. Once that happens, he will parry attacks and attack effects for 2s, allowing him to mark his target. - Raven’s Veil – The hero will release a wave of smoke that will apply Mark alongside the Parry bonus. This ability will reduce the enemy’s vision and Kez will get extra movement speed, a basic dispel, and invisibility until he casts a spell or attacks someone.
- Switch Discipline (Scepter Ability Upgrade) – Once you cast any weapon ability, Switch Discipline’s cooldown will be refreshed. Also, Kez can use the first ability after switching weapons without putting the other weapon’s ability on cooldown.
The Items that Players Go For
One of the important things we must mention in the Kez Dota 2 guide is the best items that you can get for the hero. Although he hasn’t been in play that much, it seems like some items work better than others.
Outside of the starting items, most Kez players usually get things like:
- Power Treads
- Black King Bar
- Aganim’s Shard
- Desolator
- Echo Sabre
- Diffusal Blade
- Manta Style
- Falcon Blade
As mentioned, this is a core hero that does a lot of physical damage, so all of the popular carry items should work fine. With that said, it will be interesting to see whether players will come up with something different. We will make sure to update this Dota 2 Kez guide.
Talents
Judging from the stats, it seems like people who pick Kez are still testing which talents work best. Speaking of the devil, here’s what is available and what we would pick:
- Level 10 – +1.5 Mana Regen or +12% Magic Resistance – Both are nice but the magic resistance is better in most situations.
- Level 15 – +50 Raptor Dance Radius or +2s Falcon Rush duration – In our opinion, Falcon Rush’s duration is better.
- Level 20 – 50% Falcon Rush Evasion or +5% Kazurai Katana Damage – Both work well here, so it depends on your opponents.
- Level 25 – +1s Echo Slash Attack or + 75% Shado Sai Mark Critical Strike – The second alternative is usually better.
Kez’s Opponents
Judging by the stats, Kez is definitely struggling against a few specific opponents. Here are the heroes that give him the most trouble as of now:
- Chen
- Ember Spirit
- Shadow Fied
- Ursa
- Tinker
- Luna
While doing this Dota 2 Kez hero guide, however, we also found that he works very well against a few specific heroes. Judging from the stats, these are Kez’s best opponents to go up against:
- Batrider
- Shadow Demon
- Arc Warden
- Keeper of the Light
- Phantom Lancer
His win rate is exceptionally high against Batrider, which is not a surprise, considering the debuff and his escape mechanism.
Conclusion
All in all, Dota 2 Kez is a solid hero that we will definitely see more of in the next couple of weeks. He is very strong in a lot of situations and can be a nightmare to play against. We at esports-news.info will monitor his performance, so expect future updates.
