Medusa · Carry (pos. 1)
Medusa 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 Medusa safely and consistently. Playing safe means farming behind your team's vision, never showing first on the map and letting someone else take the first contact. The kit brings crowd control (root) with Gorgon's Grasp and mobility with Mystic Snake.
Strengths
- Mobility: Mystic Snake gets Medusa in and out of fights.
- Sustain from Mana Shield to stay in lane and in fights.
- Valve tags Medusa as Durable: it stays in fights longer than most heroes.
Weaknesses
- Low base armor (-1): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
- Item-dependent: weak until Manta Style is done.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Survival buildDefensiveRecommendedPrioritises the popular items that keep you alive — Manta Style and Aghanim's Scepter. Choose it against heavy disables or burst, or when you are the enemy's focus. Built from what Medusa 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 — Manta Style and Aghanim's Scepter. Choose it against heavy disables or burst, or when you are the enemy's focus. Built from what Medusa players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
185%- Safe laneMain85% of matchesSafe lane as the farming core (pos. 1).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Manta Style+10 Strength, +26 Agility, +10 Intelligence. Active: Mirror Image.
- 2Aghanim's Scepter+10 All Attributes, +175 Health, +175 Mana.
- 3Falcon Blade+200 Health, +1.8 Mana Regeneration, +14 Damage.
- 4Disperser+40 Agility, +10 Intelligence. Active: Suppress.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Mystic Snake›Split Shot›Gorgon's Grasp
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
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Talents by level
- +2.5s Stone Gaze Duration+40 Intelligence25
- +40% Mystic Snake Damage / Mana Gain+12% Split Shot Outgoing Damage20
- +1 Gorgon's Grasp Volley-4s Mystic Snake Cooldown15
- +20% Gorgon's Grasp Radius+12% Stone Gaze Bonus Physical Damage10
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.
185%- Safe laneMain85% of matchesSafe lane as the farming core (pos. 1).
Core items
- 1Manta Style
- 2Butterfly
Situational
Skill order
Max order:Mystic Snake›Split Shot›Gorgon's Grasp
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● |
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Talents by level
- +2.5s Stone Gaze Duration+40 Intelligence25
- +40% Mystic Snake Damage / Mana Gain+12% Split Shot Outgoing Damage20
- +1 Gorgon's Grasp Volley-4s Mystic Snake Cooldown15
- +20% Gorgon's Grasp Radius+12% Stone Gaze Bonus Physical Damage10
Abilities
- Split ShotMedusa magically splits her shot into several arrows. These arrows deal a lower percent of her normal damage.The extra targets will not receive other attack effects (such as critical strike).
- Outgoing damage
- 50%·60%·70%·80%
- Extra targets
- 4
- Mystic Snake15 / 14 / 13 / 12s80 / 100 / 120 / 140 mpA mystic snake made of energy jumps from target to target dealing damage. Damage and speed increases with each jump. After it reaches its last target, it returns to Medusa to replenish her with mana. The snake returns a percentage of the targets' total mana.
- Jump radius
- 450
- Jumps
- 3·4·5·6
- Base damage
- 90·140·190·240
- Mana gain
- 15%
- Damage/speed increase per jump
- 25%
- Gorgon's Grasp30 / 26 / 22 / 18s65 / 85 / 105 / 125 mpMedusa fires arrows in a line that land in 3 groups, with each grouping larger than the previous. Enemies struck by a volley of arrows take an initial burst of damage and then are rooted, cannot turn, are revealed to the enemy, and take damage per second.
- Initial radius
- 150
- Radius growth
- 50
- Delay
- 1
- Duration
- 0.8·1.2·1.6·2
- Damage
- 30·70·110·150
- Damage per second
- 100
Cold BloodedPassive12sWhen Medusa is targeted with a spell, a single-target Mystic Snake is sent back towards the enemy that turns them into stone for 1s.
Mana ShieldPassiveCreates a shield that absorbs 98% of incoming damage in exchange for Medusa's mana. Illusions absorb 60% less damage per point of mana.- Damage per mana
- 2
- Stone Gaze90s250 mpAny enemy units looking at Medusa will have their movement and attack speed slowed. If 2 seconds of total time is accumulated looking at Medusa while Stone Gaze is active, that unit will turn to stone. Petrified units are stunned, and take bonus physical attack damage.
- Radius
- 1200
- Duration
- 5·5.5·6
- Slow
- 35%
- Stone duration
- 2·2.2·2.4
- Bonus physical attack damage
- 35%·45%·55%
- Speed boost
- 50%
Most played skill order
The most played order in the last 35 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.
Max order:Mystic Snake›Split Shot›Gorgon's Grasp
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
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| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● |
| · | · | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · |
Strategy
1Safe laning
Playing safe means farming behind your team's vision, never showing first on the map and letting someone else take the first contact. Trade right-clicks only when the enemy walks up to last hit, and step back as soon as their support shows up.
2Surviving fights
Walk in after the enemy has used their key disables, hit whatever you can reach safely and keep Mystic Snake for getting out. Your way out is Mystic Snake: 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 Gorgon's Grasp 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 Mystic Snake for escaping, not for chasing.
- Save Gorgon's Grasp for whoever jumps on your team.
- Keep Mana Shield 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
- Ogre Magi36.3%win rate in the matchup
Medusa only wins 36.3% of the 113 games measured against Ogre Magi this patch.
113 matches
- Shadow Fiend40.6%win rate in the matchup
Medusa only wins 40.6% of the 138 games measured against Shadow Fiend this patch.
138 matches
- Rubick41.7%win rate in the matchup
Medusa only wins 41.7% of the 115 games measured against Rubick this patch.
115 matches
- Snapfire42.3%win rate in the matchup
Medusa only wins 42.3% of the 142 games measured against Snapfire this patch.
142 matches
- Tusk42.9%win rate in the matchup
Medusa only wins 42.9% of the 105 games measured against Tusk this patch.
105 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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