Valeera Abilities and Strategy

• Only use Blade Flurry for PvE purposes or if you started a combo with Ambush, or you will run out of energy very quickly.
• The Unrevealable portion of Vanish allows Valeera to pass through other units, and may be used mid-fight to trick enemies with new positioning.
• Do not hesitate to use Sinister Strike to dodge powerful enemy skillshots or even to disengage from a losing fight.
• Resist the temptation to use Cheap Shot to lock down enemies. This ability is mainly used for the blind. It is better to use Garrote to crowd control.
• Try to use Eviscerate when 3 Combo Points are available to maximize its damage output.
• The Silence portion of Garrote can be used to interrupt an enemy's channeled ability.
• Do not be afraid to use Cloak of Shadows liberally, as the cooldown is rather short for a Heroic Ability. In 1v1 scenarios, Cloak of Shadows should be used just as Garrote's silence ends, so enemies cannot interrupt your damage with abilities.

Vanish (D) Valeera

• Cooldown: 8 seconds

Vanish from sight, becoming Stealthed, gaining 20% Movement Speed and access to new Abilities. For the first second, Valeera is Unrevealable and can pass through other units. Remaining stationary for at least 1.5 seconds while Stealthed grants Invisible.

After being Stealthed for 3 seconds, Ambush, Cheap Shot, and Garrote have 100% increased range, and cause Valeera to teleport to the target when used.

The first step to success with Valeera is mastering every facet of her Stealth mechanic Vanish. Vanish can be used for both engage and disengage and when utilized properly will allow Valeera to freely stride through teamfights to pick off her target(s) of choice. Use the increased Movement Speed bonus from Vanish to flee from pursuing enemies or to catch an enemy trying who many themselves be trying to escape. The Unrevealable portion of the Ability is invaluable and allows Valeera to more safely reposition within a fight even while taking damage. This can also be used to juke enemy Heroes and force them to head in a direction opposite to that of Valeera. Much of Valeera's kit ( Ambush, Cheap Shot, and Garrote), may only be used when in Stealth, so keep in mind that these Abilities effectively share the 8-second cooldown with Vanish. It is also important to note that when Valeera is already Stealthed, using her Mount will not only break the effect but will also place Vanish on full cooldown.

If you stand still for over 1.5 seconds, Valeera will be completely invisible. This can and should be abused if you know where an enemy is heading towards, by just standing still on the way to that destination. They will not be able to see you coming, and therefore will not react to your engage.

Sinister Strike (Q) Valeera

• Energy: 25
• Cooldown: 5 seconds

Dash forward, hitting all enemies in a line for 110 (+4% per level) damage. If Sinister Strike hits a Hero, Valeera stops dashing immediately and the cooldown is reduced to 1 second.

Awards 1 Combo Point.

Stealth: Ambush

Heavily damage an enemy and reduce their Armor.

Sinister Strike is a strong gap-closer that provides Valeera with much of her mobility during fights. When possible, Valeera should always try to hit an enemy Hero with every cast of Sinister Strike to not only generate a Combo Point, but to greatly reduce its cooldown. Sinister Strike can also be used to dodge powerful enemy skillshots or to disengage from an enemy Hero altogether.

Ambush (Q) Valeera

• Energy: 10
• Cooldown: 1 seconds

Ambush an enemy, dealing 130 (+4% per level) damage and reducing their Armor by 10 for 5 seconds.

Awards 1 Combo Point.

Unstealth: Sinister Strike

Dash forward, damaging enemies.

Ambush is Sinister Strike's Stealth counterpart and is used to deal a large amount of burst damage to a target and reducing their Armor. Should burning down a target as fast as possible be Valeera's primary objective, she should open out of Stealth by casting Ambush onto her target. If Valeera is Vanished for 3 seconds, this Ability has 5 range and teleports Valeera behind her target. This gap-closer effect is integral to Valeera’s ability to reach her desired target’s, especially when they are hidden away in the enemy backline.

Blade Flurry (W) Valeera

• Energy: 40
• Cooldown: 4 seconds

Deal 130 (+4% per level) damage in an area around Valeera.

Awards 1 Combo Point per enemy Hero hit.

Stealth: Cheap Shot

Stun, Blind, and damage an enemy.

Blade Flurry is an area of effect damage Ability that can be used by Valeera on multiple enemy Heroes to quickly generate Combo Points. Blade Flurry will serve as a reliable source of wave-clear when in lane. It is mostly not recommended to use Blade Flurry in fights. The energy cost of the Ability is way too high, and greatly reduces your damage potential. However, if you started with Ambush, it should be used instantly, because the low energy cost from Ambush compensates it.

Cheap Shot (W) Valeera

• Energy: 30
• Cooldown: 1 seconds

Deal 30 (+4% per level) damage to an enemy, Stun them for 0.75 seconds, and Blind them for 2 seconds once Cheap Shot's Stun expires.

Awards 1 Combo Point.

Unstealth: Blade Flurry

Deal damage in an area around Valeera.

Cheap Shot is Blade Flurry's Stealth counterpart and Valeera's primary source of hard crowd-control. The Stun duration makes it feel quite impactful and is great for following up on allies other sources of crowd control in order to lock down a specific target. The 2 second Blind that follows the Stun also makes Cheap Shot a great opener against targets that rely primarily on Basic Attacks to deal damage. The damage generated by Cheap Shot is almost negligible therefore Valeera should only open out of Stealth with Cheap Shot in order to Stun as a setup and/or Blind for peeling. Similarly to Ambush, if Valeera is Vanished for 3 seconds, this Ability has 5 range and teleports Valeera behind her target.

Eviscerate (E) Valeera

• Energy: 25
• Cooldown: 1 seconds

Eviscerate an enemy, dealing damage per Combo Point.

1 Point: 85 (+4% per level)

2 Points: 170 (+4% per level)

3 Points: 255 (+4% per level)

Stealth: Garrote

Silence and damage an enemy over time.

Eviscerate is Valeera's highest source of single target damage and works based off of a "Combo Point" system. Eviscerate can only be cast when she has both at least 1 Combo Point and the required amount of Energy. Combo Points are awarded to Valeera every time she successfully strikes an enemy Hero with one of her Basic Abilities. The more Combo Points Valeera has stored, the more damage Eviscerate will do when cast (up to a maximum of 3 Combo Points). Because of this interaction, Eviscerate is most efficient when it is the next Ability cast after Valeera has attained 3 Combo Points, as anything less will result in a weaker Eviscerate, and anything more will waste potential Combo Point generation.

Garrote (E) Valeera

• Energy: 30
• Cooldown: 1 seconds

Deal 20 (+4% per level) damage to an enemy and an additional 140 (+4% per level) damage over 7 seconds, and Silence them for 2.5 seconds.

Awards 1 Combo Point.

Unstealth: Eviscerate

High damage finishing move.

Garrote is Eviscerate's Stealth counterpart and provides Valeera an opener with a good mix of both damage and utility in the form of a Silence. Although the immediate damage output of Garrote is not as high as Ambush, the combination of damage and utility does make it an incredibly useful opener for when Valeera needs to not only blow up a target, but help ensure they have no means of escape through casting their own Abilities, such as a gap-closer or any means of damage mitigation. Similarly to Ambush and Cheap Shot, if Valeera is Vanished for 3 seconds, this Ability has 5 range and teleports Valeera behind her target.

In this section we discuss how this Heroic Ability works and give some tips on how to use it. If you are looking for a detailed explanation on when and why you should pick it, check out the dedicated section in the Talent Build page.

Smoke Bomb (R) Valeera

• Heroic
• Cooldown: 60 seconds

Create a cloud of smoke. While in the smoke, Valeera is Unrevealable, can pass through other units, and gains 60 Armor, reducing damage taken by 60%. Valeera can continue to attack and use abilities without being revealed. Lasts 5 seconds.

Using this Ability does not break Stealth.

Smoke Bomb is the first option of Valeera's two defensive Heroic Abilities. Once Valeera has activated Smoke Bomb, she is able to stand within its area-of-effect to become Unrevealable, unaffected by Unit Collision, and much harder to kill with a 60% reduction in damage taken. Being "Unrevealable" means that Valeera will remain not only untargetable but completely invisible to her opponents while under its effect. This implies that enemy Heroes will not be able to strike Valeera with Basic Attacks or targeted Abilities. Smoke Bomb is incredibly strong against Assassins who rely heavily on Basic Attacks as their primary source of damage. Smoke Bomb is a phenomenal Ability which allows Valeera to dart back and forth within a crowd picking off any misfortunate Hero who remains within its presence. Make sure to always cast Smoke Bomb within close proximity to team fights to ensure that enemies will not be able to simply walk away from the area and completely negate the Ability altogether. Valeera may also cast Vanish during Smoke Bomb and simply walk away from its area-of-effect. This will trick many players into thinking that Valeera is still within the smoke and will cause them to wait for her to appear after its duration.

In this section we discuss how this Heroic Ability works and give some tips on how to use it. If you are looking for a detailed explanation on when and why you should pick it, check out the dedicated section in the Talent Build page.

Cloak of Shadows (R) Valeera

• Heroic
• Cooldown: 15 seconds

Valeera is enveloped in a Cloak of Shadows, which immediately removes all damage over time effects from her. For 1.5 seconds, she becomes Unstoppable and gains 75 Spell Armor, reducing Ability Damage taken by 75%.

Using this Ability does not break Stealth.

Cloak of Shadows is Valeera's second Heroic Ability choice and much like Smoke Bomb provides her with a nice amount of defensive utility. Cloak of Shadows may be heavily considered if Valeera finds herself matched up against a crowd-control heavy team composition, as that tends to be one of her greatest weaknesses. The 15 second cooldown of Cloak of Shadows is surprisingly low for a Heroic Ability and makes it a rather strong choice. Because of this, Valeera should not be afraid to use Cloak of Shadows anytime she fears mortal danger is imminent when caught in the midst of hard crowd control or heavy Spell Damage.