Razor is a ranged agility hero who is unpopular among Dota 2 players. He used to be very popular, but since Valve hasn't shown much love to this hero to make him a solid pick in recent years, players have lost interest in him. However, there are some who still have a soft spot in their hearts for this hero. What distinguishes Razor is his early to mid-game power.

He can force opponent Core to leave the lane simply by being present in it. This power is derived from Static Link ability, which drains the physical attack damage of the enemy. What makes this hero difficult to play and not a solid pick is his inability to recover from laning and early game failure. We'll discuss Razor in this guide because we believe he's a strong hero in patch 7.29b. However, you must understand how to play him.

Razor's Gameplay

Razor's abilities make him an ideal candidate for a Core role, rather than a Support role. In contrast to the majority of Cores in the game, he does not require teammates to clear space for him to farm. His abilities enable him to play the game aggressively from the start. His item build and gameplay are a little different than those of the majority of Cores.

Razor's Early Game

Easy matchups: You should know which hero you're up against in the lane, as well as his strengths and weaknesses. If the enemy is a melee who cannot counter Static Link, we strongly advise starting the game with this ability. You have the opportunity to use it when he is about to get the last hit or deny a creep. Razor gains a significant amount of physical attack damage from Static Link, but he has a small HP pool, so avoid chasing him down too much, especially if he has a high magic damage ally.

Razor Static Link
Razor Static Link

After stealing his damage, you can easily get the last hit or even harass the enemies in the lane for the duration of Static Link. Keep in mind that you should prioritize creeps in a lane where you have the advantage, which means denying and obtaining as many last hits as possible. Due to his low damage output resulting from your Static Link, your opponent cannot outlast hit you. Hence, You can almost completely deny more than half of your creep wave and obtain nearly all of the last hits, which will aid you in winning the laning phase.

Avoid focusing exclusively on last hits; if your opponent approaches the creep wave in the hope of obtaining some final hits, punish him with physical attacks. Use your attack range advantage to zone him out of the lane. He can't trade with you effectively because of the Static Link unless he has strong support.

Razor getting last hits
Razor getting last hits
  • Tip: If you play on the sidelanes, ask your support to pull the nearby camp. This will prevent the creep wave from pushing under the enemy tower, giving you more space to chase the enemy and steal more damage.

If you have disabler support like Witch Doctor or Lion, cooperate with him and set up kills. You can eliminate enemy heroes with your high damage combined with a Disable or Movement Slow ability, especially the squishy Supports. Add a point to Plasma Field for subsequent levels because this ability slows enemies, increasing your chances of killing opponents in the lane. If necessary, you can add a point to your Storm Surge to increase movement speed.

Hard matchups: Razor's most challenging opponents are heroes like Lina, who has a long attack range and deals massive magic damage. You cannot harass such heroes unless you have strong support and have extensively practiced Razor.

  • Even if you close the gap and cast Static Link on them, their high magic damage will instantly kill you before you can use your physical damage advantage against them.
Razor Plasma Field
Razor Plasma Field

In these types of matchups, it is preferable to start with Plasma Field because it helps you secure the range creep last hits while also allowing you to hit them without moving out of position. If you can't use your Static Link and the enemy has a kill threat against you, ignore this ability and spend your points on Storm Surge. The increased movement speed provided by this ability can aid you in escaping enemies and competing for runes in the middle lane. You can catch up to opponents on lost networth by farming creep waves and Neutral Camps with Plasma Field.

Razor's Mid Game

Easy matchups: Razor is not one of those AFK farming heroes you see in pub games; instead, he is an extremely active hero. He moves fast, allowing him to change lanes quickly, and requires few items to fight alongside his allies.

Because most Cores require farming to purchase at least one of their primary items, you can use Razor's nature to punish enemy Cores. If you participate in early game team fights, the enemy team's mental state will be devastated due to your numerical advantage, and even if their Core joins the team fights, you will deal more damage than him with your Static Link, which will lead to winning the mid-game. Furthermore, After each team fight, don't forget to push the nearest tower.

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Hard matchups: Using the Smoke Of Deceit to kill one or two enemy heroes who are separated from their allies is the key to almost every difficult matchup. Following that, you have a numerical advantage that allows you to take towers. Razor is not an initiator hero, and he is too susceptible to magic damage before purchasing the Black King Bar.

You must have this item in order to use Static Link on an enemy Core; otherwise, you will die even before casting it.

Tips:

  • Because the majority of heroes are close to one another at the start of a team fight, you should use your Plasma Field to deal damage to anyone. When it becomes ready at the end of the team fight, use it to chase down the enemy or escape from them.
  • Even if you're facing a difficult matchup, you must fight for kills rather than farm in the jungle, unless you've fallen significantly behind in the laning phase. This type of gameplay is necessary because your hero is significantly stronger in the early and midgame than in the late game, and you must capitalize on this strength.
  • Fighting and playing aggressively does not imply that you should ignore farming completely. Kill neutral camps and push out lanes because fighting when your lanes are pushing toward your towers will have no positive effect on the game's outcome. Additionally, you can use your Plasma Field to farm two neutral camps simultaneously.
  • When possible, take advantage of the Eye of the Storm to speed up your farm. This ultimate has a low cooldown and enables you to push lanes quickly.

Razor Farming camps with Eye of Storm

Razor's Late Game

Your hero isn't particularly powerful against Roshan, but try to kill him with the help of teammates. Aegis Of Immortal allows you to play in front of your team without fear, which Razor has always been afraid of, but he can do so with Aegis.

  • Tip: Always target the enemy's physical damage dealer with the Static Link to weaken him. Never overcommit in a fight, and without your Black King Bar ready, diving into your opponent's backline can result in a match loss.

Razor's Itemization

Razor does not require items that improve his farming speed or even items that increase his damage. He needs items that boost his movement speed and make him more resistant to physical and magical damage.

Early Game Itemization

To win Midlane, you must purchase stat items as well as sufficient regen. Some of the suggested items include a Circlet, Faerie Fire, two Iron Branches, and one set of Tangoes. These items will make it easier to contest for last hit and denies. By purchasing a bottle as your next item, you will be able to spam more Plasma Fields, allowing you to farm faster and harass your enemy. Complete your Wraith Band with Circlet and purchase Boots of Speed later in the game.

In the side lanes, the starting items are nearly identical to those in Midlane, except that you should purchase Boots of Speed instead of a bottle.

  • Tip: Purchasing a Magic Stick is highly recommended when confronted with heroes who wield an excessive number of spells.

Mid Game Itemization

Falcon Blade is the best early to mid-game item for Razor. It replenishes his mana, increases his HP pool and damage. Falcon Blade includes everything you'll need during the game's early stages.

Investing in Power Trades, Boots of Travel, or Phase Boots should be done in accordance with your teammates' heroes and the lineup you're facing. If you don't require increased movement speed but do require some tankiness with a reasonable attack speed, purchase Power Treads. Additionally, you can switch to agility to increase your attack speed or to intelligence before using abilities to maximize your mana efficiency. The Phase Boot is advantageous when chasing an opponent, or they chase you a lot.

We recommend Boots of Travel for Midlane Razor because it increases your movement speed and allows you to join sidelanes by walking or teleporting.

Razor using Boots of Travel
Razor using Boots of Travel

Sang and Yasha are excellent choices if the game isn't fight heavy or if the enemy does not prioritize you over teammates. If your team does not have enough disables to use in conjunction with Static Link, we recommend Eul's Scepter of Divinity.

If you're playing a fight-heavy game, consider purchasing Black King Bar as soon as possible because, as previously stated, Razor requires spell immunity to deal with disables and high magic damage.

Razor using Black King Bar
Razor using Black King Bar

Late Game Itemization

For the late game, one of the best options is Sange and Yasha. This item increases your movement speed and attack speed and also increases your status resistance against disablers. After that, you can buy Aghanim's Scepter for more tower push. It helps you and your team to destroy the barracks and towers faster so the enemy can't defend them. From now on it depends on you to buy whatever item you need.

If you haven't already purchased Black King Bar for the late game, now is the time. If you're up against a lineup that deals a lot of physical damage, you can also buy Assault Cuirass, depending on the matchup.

Eye of Skadi for Razor is another fantastic item in the late game. This item boosts Razor's stats and slows the target being attacked, making it easier to kill enemies. Due to Razor's lack of Disables, this item is recommended for him. Satanic is the best option if you want to increase your chances of survival and make yourself more difficult to kill.

Razor's Neutral Items

Tier 1

Arcane Ring

Faded Broach

Ironwood Tree

Keen Optic.

Ocean Heart (If you're playing in Midlane, pick up this item because it gives you a good amount of stats and also provides you 10 HP regen with 5 Mana regen when you are in the river)

Tier 2

Ring of Aquila

Quicksilver Amulet

Pupil's Gift

Essence Ring

Bullwhip

Dragon Lance

Tier 3

Titan Sliver

Paladin Sword

Spider Legs

Elven Tunic

Orb of Destruction

Tier 4

The Leveler

Minotaur Horn

Ninja Gear

Flicker

Tier 5

Apex

Ballista

Mirror Shield

Stygian Desolator

Ex Machina

Razor's Situational Items

Hood of Defiance: Razor, as previously stated, requires protection from magical damage, as well as items that provide him with more sustain in lane. The hood of Defiance provides passive magic resistance and blocks 400 magic damage when activated. It also provides the holder with a good amount of HP regen. It's an excellent item for the Offlane Razor against the heavy magic damage lineup.

Eul's Scepter of Divinity: As previously stated, Razor is vulnerable to heroes with disabling abilities, and he also lacks the ability to disable. Eul's is a good item for Razor because it can provide him with what he requires. You can drain their damage while they are in the air by using Eu'l's Scepter and Static Link. Because most enemies flee Razor by Teleporting, you can use Eul's to prevent them from doing so.

Aghanim's Scepter: If your team is lacking in tower push, you can purchase this item to help you destroy the structures faster. This item also improves abilities.

Aghanim's Scepter 7.29b
Aghanim's Scepter 7.29b

Refresher Orb: If you're six slotted, you can purchase this item to refresh your items and abilities. If you have Aghanim's Scepter, this is an excellent item to have.

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