Cirrus

Level 4 is the first real checkpoint. That is when Cirrus takes flight, and from then on he permanently ignores terrain — there is no upkeep, so once you get there it never drops. The flip side: through level 3 he is a grounded assassin who cannot cross walls, and that stretch is his weakest. Camp clearing runs on Lacerate, the 2-second debuff (up to 5 stacks) his basic attacks and skills apply. Lacerated targets take damage every 0.2s, and minions and monsters take the full amount whether or not they are moving. Camps melt, and level 4 arrives early. Until then keep deep invades rare, since an ambush leaves you no escape route. Only touch the 4-minute Tyrant when your team can collapse on it from both sides.

Level 4 is where Cirrus comes online. Approach from over-the-wall angles that wards rarely cover. Skill 1 builds 60% Movement Speed while you hold it (level 1) and dashes forward when you release, stunning whatever it hits for 0.5s. The dash travels straight ahead — it does not swing you around behind the target, so set up the angle yourself before you commit. Only after hitting a hero can you jump a set distance in any direction. Use it to disengage, or to land on the side they are running toward. Canceling the charge-up refunds 20% of the cooldown, so pull out instead of forcing a read that has gone wrong. Basic attacks grant Breath, worth up to 60 Movement Speed, but it drains quickly. You are fast for a few seconds after swinging rather than stacking speed the longer you fight. Finish a core item by 10 minutes and farm isolated side laners to widen the lead.

A frontal late-game collision is a death sentence for Cirrus. Wait at a flank or behind a wall, and commit to the back line only after one or two enemy CC skills have been burned. The order is Skill 1's stun into basic attacks, then Skill 2. Once the wind blades land their slow, you get 4 seconds of 20% Attack Speed with extended basic attack range and three feathers per swing. When everyone turns on you, that is Skill 3. It cuts incoming damage by 30% (level 1; 60% at level 3), clears the crowd control on you, and sweeps the target into the air. While airborne you cannot be targeted and can still move — that is the window that makes their return fire whiff, and it ends in your landing hit. Landing damage rises 10% per stack of Lacerate on the target, so how much you carved before the lift is how hard it lands. Lacerate deals percent-HP damage to enemies while they move, which means a tank trying to run bleeds the most.

Never call the engage yourself. After your tank absorbs the opening, come in from fog straight onto the enemy marksman or mage. Stun with Skill 1 and stack Lacerate with basic attacks. If you get chased, cut their speed with Skill 2's slow and leave straight over a wall — terrain does not apply to you. Skill 3 works as a finisher or as an escape hatch. Landing damage grows 10% per stack of Lacerate, so swinging first and lifting second makes the hit land far heavier. Used defensively, the value is simply the airborne window where nothing can target you. One target at a time. Greeding for a second kill is how you never make it home.