Lycan · Offlane (pos. 3)
Lycan Safe Play Guide
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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.
Overview
This guide is about playing Lycan safely and consistently. Safe offlane means soaking experience from a distance, pulling the wave's attention and never dying for a last hit. The kit brings crowd control (fear) with Howl, sustain with Wolf Bite and invisibility with Summon Wolves.
Strengths
- Invisibility with Summon Wolves to scout, escape or set up ganks.
- Valve tags Lycan as Durable: it stays in fights longer than most heroes.
- Reliable fear: Howl sets up kills.
Weaknesses
- Melee: has to walk up to its target, which makes the lane harder against ranged heroes.
- Low base armor (0): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Survival buildDefensiveRecommendedPrioritises the popular items that keep you alive — Helm of the Overlord and Helm of the Dominator. Choose it against heavy disables or burst, or when you are the enemy's focus. Built from what Lycan players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Against physical damageDefensiveSituationalFor games against right-click carries: keep your first two core items and add armor, evasion or damage block.
Builds
Survival build
When to use it
Prioritises the popular items that keep you alive — Helm of the Overlord and Helm of the Dominator. Choose it against heavy disables or burst, or when you are the enemy's focus. Built from what Lycan players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
219%177%- OfflaneMain77% of matchesOff lane as the space-making core (pos. 3).
- MidPriority 219% of matchesMid lane, one against one (pos. 2).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Helm of the Overlord+21 All Attributes, +7 Armor, +7 Health Regeneration. Active: Dominate.
- 2Helm of the Dominator+6 All Attributes, +6 Armor, +6 Health Regeneration. Active: Dominate.
- 3Black King Bar+10 Strength, +24 Damage. Active: Avatar.
- 4Nullifier+75 Damage, +10 Armor, 10% Movement slow. Active: Nullify.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Summon Wolves›Feral Impulse›Howl
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Talents by level
- -25% Summon Wolves BATHowl Reduces Total Attack Damage25
- +7s Shapeshift Duration+25% Feral Impulse Damage20
- +375 Summon Wolves Health-15s Shapeshift Cooldown15
- +14 Wolves Damage+3 Howl Armor Reduction10
Against physical damage
When to use it
For games against right-click carries: keep your first two core items and add armor, evasion or damage block.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
219%177%- OfflaneMain77% of matchesOff lane as the space-making core (pos. 3).
- MidPriority 219% of matchesMid lane, one against one (pos. 2).
Core items
- 1Helm of the Overlord
- 2Aghanim's Shard
Situational
Skill order
Max order:Summon Wolves›Feral Impulse›Howl
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
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Talents by level
- -25% Summon Wolves BATHowl Reduces Total Attack Damage25
- +7s Shapeshift Duration+25% Feral Impulse Damage20
- +375 Summon Wolves Health-15s Shapeshift Cooldown15
- +14 Wolves Damage+3 Howl Armor Reduction10
Abilities
- Summon Wolves30s115 / 120 / 125 / 130 mpSummons 2 wolves to aid Lycan in battle. At level 3, wolves gain Permanent Invisibility, and at level 4 wolves gain Cripple that gives 20% chance to cripple the target, causing 8 damage per second and lose 60 attack speed for 4 seconds.
- Duration
- 50
- Base attack time
- 1.2·1.1·1·0.9·0.9·0.9
- Damage
- 22·28·34·40·46·52
- Hp
- 325·375·425·475·525·575
- Wolf count
- 2
- Howl22 / 20 / 18 / 16s40 mpStrikes fear into enemies, reducing armor and attack damage of all enemies within 2000 range of Lycan and his wolves. At night, Howl's armor and attack damage reductions are global.
- Duration
- 8
- Attack damage reduction
- 25%·30%·35%·40%
- Armor reduction
- 4·5·6·7
- Feral ImpulsePassiveIncreases the HP regeneration and damage of Lycan and all units under his control.
- Bonus damage
- 10%·20%·30%·40%
- Bonus hp regen
- 2·4·6·8
Wolf Bite105 / 95 / 85s150 mpLycan bites an allied hero or creep-hero, granting them Shapeshift properties. Lycan and the bitten target gain 40% Lifesteal and share the healing effect of Lifesteal with each other as long as they are within 1200 range of each other.Ultimate — heals. Time it for the enemy's burst, not for chip damage.
Apex PredatorPassiveLycan and units he controls deal extra damage to neutral creeps.- Extra damage
- 18%
- Shapeshift105 / 95 / 85s100 mpLycan assumes his lupine form, granting him critical strikes and added vision at night. During Shapeshift, Lycan moves at increased speed and cannot be slowed. Movement and critical strike bonuses are also applied to all units under Lycan's control.
- Duration
- 25
- Shapeshift move speed
- 550
- Bonus night vision
- 1000
- Transform time
- 1.1
- Critical chance
- 40%
- Critical damage
- 160%·200%·240%
Most played skill order
The most played order in the last 100 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.
Max order:Summon Wolves›Feral Impulse›Howl
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Strategy
1Safe laning
Safe offlane means soaking experience from a distance, pulling the wave's attention and never dying for a last hit. Trade when the enemy support uses their mana or leaves the lane; a level up is worth more than a kill here.
2Surviving fights
You go in first: land Howl on as many heroes as you can and soak the spells your carry fears. Your way out is Summon Wolves: if it's on cooldown, stay further back.
3Positioning and peel
Stand where the enemy has to go through your team to reach you, and protect whoever the enemy focuses. Hold Howl for the enemy diver.
4Playing from behind
When the game goes badly, farm what's safe, defend with your team and wait for the enemy to make a mistake: a single won fight can turn it around.
Tips
- Keep Summon Wolves for escaping, not for chasing.
- Save Howl for whoever jumps on your team.
- Keep Wolf Bite for the enemy's burst, not for chip damage.
- Go back when your key abilities are down: a reset costs less than a death.
- Never be the first to show on the map in the late game.
- If enemies are missing from the map, back off before they appear.
Matchups
Weak against
- Terrorblade46.0%win rate in the matchup
Lycan only wins 46.0% of the 63 games measured against Terrorblade this patch.
63 matches
- Snapfire47.3%win rate in the matchup
Lycan only wins 47.3% of the 55 games measured against Snapfire this patch.
55 matches
- Ember Spirit49.1%win rate in the matchup
Lycan only wins 49.1% of the 57 games measured against Ember Spirit this patch.
57 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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