Medusa is a hero who’s notorious for her right-click potential — so here’s some of the best items you can get for her.
Only a few Dota 2 heroes can compete against Medusa when it comes down to carries. She is often thought the be the best hero for the late game because of her abilities. Besides being a good damage dealer, Medusa is one of (if not the) tankiest heroes in the game. This allows her to soak a lot of damage and “outlive” her opponents.
However, getting to the state when Dusa becomes an immortal beast is easier said than done. Despite not being the most fragile hero, she doesn’t do much early on. Furthermore, her mid-game presence depends largely on the items she goes for. That’s why this article will point out every popular item that you can get for the hero and how to decide which one is worth it.
Power Treads
Medusa is one of the heroes that benefit a lot from stats. That’s why most of the items you will find on this list give the hero loads of stats. This helps her become tankier and have a larger mana pool, which helps her Mana Shield. However, before we take a look at some of the big items on this list, we have to point out an item called Power Treads. This thing gives movement speed, attack speed, and some stats, making it ideal for Dusa.
Even though Phase Boots also used to be a popular option, most players decided to get treads. Besides the stats, you can switch the PT and receive different attributes, depending on the scenario.
Linkin’s Sphere
This is one of Medusa’s signature items, which is why you can find it in every skill bracket. Linken’s is not that expensive, it gives stats, mana regen, and the ability to negate one single-target ability. This makes it a popular pick for many heroes, including Medusa.
However, the item does not give enough damage or attack speed, which is why it is not as common as it once was. Nowadays, most Medusa players prefer to get more damage so that they can participate in team fights as soon as possible.
Manta Style
Even though certain players buy Sange and Yasha, Manta Style has proven itself as one of the must-have items for Medusa. Regardless of whether the hero is played as a midlaner or an offlaner, Manta Style gives her everything she needs. Apart from the stats and the damage, she can create two illusions, which increase her farming speed and survivability.
Eye of Skadi
Eye of Skadi is probably the item that makes Medusa one of the most dangerous heroes in the game. This is an item that costs a lot of money, but since Dusa is one of the faster-farming heroes in the game, she can get it relatively easily.
Skadi is a unique item because it gives tons of stats, which is exactly what the hero needs in order to shine. Another thing that makes it special is that she can slow enemy units on each attack, even while using Split Shot. This makes Medusa a lot more dangerous, especially in tricky situations.
Butterfly
Butterfly is an item that works amazingly on almost every agility carry in the game. Thanks to Evasion, Medusa can tank even more damage and while simultaneously punishing the enemy heroes for pushing. Apart from the evasion, Butterfly also provides tons of agility and attack speed. As you know, agility grants armor, and it’s also Dusa’s main stats, so you can see why this item works so well for her.
Having said that, Butterfly can easily be countered by enemy heroes that have true strike. In other words, if you decide to purchase this item, your opponents will almost always get a Monkey King Bar. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get Butterfly, but the item won’t be as useful as it usually is.
Daedalus
Even though Medusa is one of the tankiest heroes in Dota 2, she doesn’t do as much damage as you might think. That’s why some people decide to purchase at least one or two items that will give her enough damage. One of these items is called Daedalus, and it can do wonders when used alongside things, such as a Divine Rapier or another damage item.
Unfortunately, Daedalus doesn’t give any stats, which makes it a late-game item. Even though getting the item early on is tempting, Medusa needs to make sure she can tank some damage before doing damage.
Divine Rapier
This is one of the most controversial items in Dota 2 because of its damage and effect. Besides being one of the most expensive items in the game, Divine Rapier gives its yielder +350 damage, which is a lot, to say the least. Sadly, this comes at a price because if the hero dies, he will lose the item, and it can be obtained by the enemy team. In other words, people purchase a Divine Rapier when they really need that extra damage or when they’re certain they won’t die.
Medusa is one of the few heroes in Dota 2 that can successfully carry this item and keep herself alive long enough to bring down the enemy team. However, this item can single-handedly turn around a teamfight, which means that getting it is always risky.
Aghanim’s Scepter
The last item that you can often see on some Medusa players is Aghanim’s Scepter. It is important to point out that this item is situational because Valve regularly changes the things it provides. In other words, you have to check the current patch to see whether it is worth it.
At the time of writing this article, the item allows Medusa to turn enemy heroes into stones with her Mystic Snake. Additionally, she gets a new spell called “Cold Blooded”. This is a passive ability that sends a single-target Mystic Snake when someone targets Medusa. It has a 12-second cooldown, which means it has the chance to proc two times during team fights.