So PL just came out this week - and like many new Heroes - many of you are probably wondering "How the fuck do I play him?". Well.... worry no longer!

Below is a post from a Redditor (that was NOT me) in this Phantom Lancer discussion thread. I feel it's a quality guide to this new hero - and it's a great starting point to playing him. Before I go into his post (which is quality work) - I'd like to highlight a couple points from this post:

1. You generally do not need more than 2 points in Walk until later in the game.
2. You generally level Juxtapose only after you have Lance maxed and points in Walk.
3. Ring of Aquila is good early game - Soul Ring however, can be a stronger choice.
4. PL is a hard carry - but is generally played as a strong pusher that can split push as effectively as a Clinkz, Brood, etc.
5. Diffusal blade is amazing on this hero and is considered core. Aura items such as Vlads do not stack on the images. Neither do +damage items (such as battle fury - Radiance however, does). All are considered bad an you should not be built.

And now, the aforementioned post from Clarty94...

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There are two main item builds for pl.

Firstly is the classic treads, vanguard, radi. Extensions are diffusal, manta, heart. This build offers extremely strong pushing, farming potential, anti-push and is generally a bitch to deal with once the core is finished. Back when pl was a popular pick (around 6.64) this was generally the main build used.

Second is the more aggressive treads diffusal rush. Extensions are manta and heart. With this build you will rice until you have diffusal, then go around the map ganking like crazy, somewhat similar to a riki, but with more carry potential.

Skill build wise there are a few options. Firstly is the stat heavy build usually played if you are going to be ricing hard for your radiance. If you have good team co-ordination and expect to have support from team-mates this is the way to go.

lance
walk
lance
stats
lance
stats
lance

8-9. stats

10-11. phantom edge

12-15. juxta

phantom edge.

17-21. stats

22-25 dopplewalk

This build offers strong survivability and gives a nice hp boost, as well as improving pl's relatively poor manapool. It comes at the cost of cooldown and manacost on dopplewalk though. In more organised games this is usually better, because if you get ganked they are almost certainly going to bring dust, so the stats help more when it comes to staying alive.

Second build is more suitable for pubs, and is generally the one that I play. The lowered cooldown and mana-cost on dopplewalk really allow you to use it more often, both offensively and defensively.

lance
walk
lance
walk
lance
walk
lance
walk
edge
juxta
edge

12-14. juxta

edge

Stats for the rest.

Playstyle wise phantom lancer is best played in a 4-protect 1 strat. He is an exceptional hard carry unmatched by pretty much nobody late game. If your team can turtle him to late game he will become unstoppable- main problem is getting there.

In late game he plays differently to other hard-carries like void or am- generally you want to stay out of the fray and spam your lance from afar, letting your illusions wreak havoc. That being said, don't be afraid to run in and whack people once the nukes all go down.

Late-game pl is a devastating pusher. Whack creepwaves, spawn illusions, then head to a new lane/jungle while your illusions farm the lane. This is a reason why radi is a good item on him- it allows you to effectively farm multiple lanes at once, speeding up your farm greatly.

Laning wise pl isn't as bad as some hard carries- you have good base damage and a decent, low cd nuke in lance. Often soul ring or rob are picked up to allow you to spam this skill. Good lane partners are cm and ezalor, who will provide you long-ranged harass as well as the mana to nuke your opponents into oblivion in lane.

In the current competitive metagame pl is pretty useless unfortunately. While he is certainly a very strong hard carry, push strats neuter him as he is essentially useless until he has treads vangaurd radi, and unlike spectre he isn't even devastating once those items are picked up. If you are picking him make sure to pick lots of counter-push and support him heavily early game so he is sure to get the farm he needs to survive.

PS. Don't get vlads or battlefury please. Also avoid pure +damage items, as the damage doesn't transfer to illlusions. Instead get stat items like butterfly and manta.