6.79 changed around a lot of the mechanics involved with playing Phantom Lancer. In this guide we'll have a look at how the altered items and heroes affect him, and use that to create a concise and easy-to-understand guide on how to build him. For basic information on the hero, check out my Infinite March guide. http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=145838735

PL himself didn't get affected much by 6.79, there's only one patch note regarding him:
- Spirit Lance is now dodgeable

This means that people with an escape mechanism (like invisibility or blink) will now be able to dodge Spirit Lance. Previously, this spell could not be disjointed except by banishing (Disruption or Astral Imprisonment).

The skill build used doesn't change as a result.














This is your default build up to level 7 which maxes your nuke as soon as possible.
When playing Phantom Lancer, getting into the jungle to accelerate farm is a big deal, so we're forgoing stats to instead level up Juxtapose.

If you're getting bullied in lane a lot, you can choose not to level up Juxtapose and instead go for more levels of Doppelwalk.

6.79 massively impacted Phantom Lancer's item build.

STARTING ITEMS:
Some items got more expensive, but since your starting gold also got altered there's no need to change your build. One thing that's different is getting a Ring of Protection as one of your starting items- it would originally be used for Tranquil Boots, but we won't be getting those this time. I'll explain why in a bit. Consider a Stout shield if you're expecting a lot of physical harass, and upgrade that to a Poor Man's Shield. You won't be able to buy the Shield at your base, so either don't get a third branch or buy it at the Side Shop.









EARLY GAME:
Previously, going Tranquil Boots and Drum of Endurance into a Diffusal Blade was the standard go-to build. However, with the changes applied to Tranqs, this build will need to be altered.
In order to give PL the sustain and life regeneration he needs, we'll replace Tranquil Boots with Power Treads to give him some boosted stats, and Vladimir's offering for life regeneration.
Feel free to upgrade your Stout Shield to a Poor Man's Shield if you're receiving a lot of damage.
If your enemy's spamming spells, get a Magic Wand. Make sure to carry a TP scroll!





Now we're at a bit of a crossroad. At this point, PL really needs some more damage. The most effective ways of getting that damage would be either a Yasha or a Diffusal. Whichever you're getting depends on your situation. If you're looking to farm more (and therefore want lots of cost-effective damage and nothing else) a Yasha would be a great pickup. If you're looking to roam and gank (Riki-style!) then you might want to consider getting a Diffusal first.
However, Phantom Lancer is incredibly farm-dependent so I'd really advise against a roaming style- just farm more!






Keep in mind that in 6.79 a lot of abilities are dispellable! Since Phantom Lancer always gets a Diffusal Blade, he can dispel these abilities by using the Diffusal's active.

Here's a list of newly dispellable abilities:
Abaddon:
- Aphotic Shield is now dispellable.

Axe:
- Battle Hunger is now dispellable.

Brewmaster:
- Thunder Clap is now dispellable.

Bristleback:
- Viscous Nasal Goo is now dispellable.

Chen:
- Test of Faith teleport is now dispellable.

The biggest one here by far is Abaddon's shield- ganking him got a lot easier. Keep in mind that dispelling the shield means it'll pop and still deal damage. Dispelling the shield via Diffusal Blade means he'll get slowed too.

LATEGAME:
Phantom Lancer's lategame is still exactly the same. Get your Heart of Terrasque and Manta Style first, followed by Boots of Travel, a Butterfly and Daedalus. Check out my "Infinite March" Phantom Lancer guide for reasons why you'd buy these items.

To counter PL, you need to prevent him from getting farm. That's really it. Bully him in lane and ward his camps so there's nowhere left for him to farm, and you'll easily win the game.

Phantom Lancer got a minor nerf in 6.79, which is described like this:

- Spirit Lance is now dodgeable

This means that any hero with an escape mechanism at level 1 can outlane a PL, since they don't need to worry about taking lances to the face. Combine that with some sort of physical harass, and PL'll be bullied out of getting any farm at all.

Weaver's fit perfectly for this job. Use your Geminate Attack on PL whenever it's on cooldown, and just Sukuchi away if he tries to Spirit Lance you. Lategame you can use Sukuchi to wear down illusions and chase down PL. (Remember, Dust of Appearance now slows down people even more!)

Bounty Hunter can dodge Spirit Lances early game with Shadow Walk, harass with Jinada and reveal PL lategame with Track. Remember that PL can use his Diffusal's Purge on himself to remove Track.


Timbersaw counters PL at nearly every point in the game. Phantom Lancer relies entirely on millions of rightclicks to attack, so Reactive Armor means he won't take any damage. That, combined with the huge amount of AoE damage he does, means you'll have no problems facing a midgame PL.

If PL does eventually make it lategame, this is pretty much the only way to counter him. However, getting to the point where Medusa can reliably take down PL is a really rocky one. If she's ancient jungling, you can just shut her down and her lane presence is barely noticable.

Dark Seer, Shadow Demon and Enchantress can all get a PL illusion of their own, which can Juxtapose just like PL's illusions themselves can!

To recap everything:
The changes to Tranquil Boots massively altered PL's item build, and the nerf to Spirit Lance means he can get counterpicked a bit more easily. Here's a shortened version of both the item and skill builds.


This is the skill build you'll use in an uncontested lane. Follow this up by maxing out Juxtapose and Phantom Edge. If you're taking a lot of harass, get more levels in Doppelwalk instead of Juxtapose.
















These are the main gist of the items you'll have to get, in order.








Make sure to check out my Infinite March guide for a more beginner-friendly introduction to Phantom Lancer, as well as my in-game guide at http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=186930599