Kez stats, abilities and strategy [7.41]
Flexible melee master with two sets of weapons and abilities
When it comes to strategy, Kez tends to wing it — he's able to swap on the fly between his katana and sai to slash, dash, swoop, and parry as the needs of the battlefield demand. But when he puts his mind to it, he can account for any eventuality, choosing the right tool to attack, escape or simply outwit his enemies with a little advance planning.
Win Rate 45.8%
Pick Rate 4.7%
Attributes
560 +61.6/lvl
315 +20.4/lvl
20 +2.8/lvl
27 +3.5/lvl
20 +1.7/lvl
Stats
Damage:
50 - 56 + 3.5/level (165 - 171 at level 30)
Range:
225
Armor:
5.5 + 0.6/level (24.8 at level 30)
Movement:
310
Roles
Carry
Durable
Nuker
Pusher
Support
Escape
Disabler
Initiator
Patch 7.41
- Base Movement Speed decreased from 315 to 310
- Base Attack Speed decreased from 110 to 100
Facets
Abilities
PASSIVE: No
Kez switches between his Kazurai Katana and Shodo Sai.
He gains different attack capabilities and abilities based on the weapon equipped. The abilities level up together, and when an ability is used, the associated alternate weapon ability also goes on cooldown.
Kez deals extra damage on the first Katana hit or ability after switching to Katana, and gains bonus speed after switching to Sai.
KATANA ATTACK RANGE: 225
KATANA BASE ATTACK TIME: 1.9
KATANA BONUS AGILITY BASE DAMAGE: 16%
KATANA SWAP BONUS DAMAGE: 12%
SAI ATTACK RANGE: 150
SAI BASE ATTACK TIME: 1.5
SAI SWAP MOVEMENT SPEED: 12%
SAI SWAP SPEED DURATION: 2
COOLDOWN: 8
8
Aghanim's Scepter
Casting a weapon ability that would set its alternate weapon ability on cooldown does not do so if it's the first one used within 3 seconds after casting Switch Discipline or if it was already on cooldown.
Casting any weapon ability refreshes the cooldown of Switch Discipline.
Patch 7.41
- Cooldown changed from 7.75s - 0.25s per level up to 8s - 0.25s per level
- Now the first katana hit or ability will deal 12% bonus damage after switching to Katana, and after switching to Sai Kez gains +12% movement speed for 2 seconds
- Aghanim's Scepter no longer restarts the alternate ability cooldown if it was already on cooldown
As former followers of the Shodo, the leaders of the Kazurai Order can switch effortlessly between twin disciplines of martial mastery over sai and blade.
Echo Slash
DAMAGE TYPE: Physical
PASSIVE: No
Kez slashes forward in a 800 distance line with his Katana, attacking enemies in an area and applying a brief 100s impact slow. After a short delay, the area is attacked again. Heroes take bonus damage.
Destroys trees. Doesn't apply Cleave.
ATTACK DAMAGE: 70% / 80% / 90% / 100%
BONUS HERO DAMAGE: 20 / 40 / 60 / 80
ATTACKS: 2
ECHO DELAY: 1.2
SLASH RADIUS: 200
21 / 18 / 15 / 12
75 / 90 / 105 / 120
LEVEL 25 TALENT: +1 Echo Slash Attack
Kez and his master Kraw have worked tirelessly to train the Kazurai new ways to keep the flyers off balance by improving upon ancient techniques.
Grappling Claw
AFFECTS: Unit
PIERCES DEBUFF IMMUNITY: No
PASSIVE: No
Kez swings on a grappling hook towards the target unit or tree. When the grappling hook collides with the target, that unit has slowed movement speed. Upon reaching the enemy target, Kez lands an attack on them.
SLOW DURATION: 0.7 / 0.8 / 0.9 / 1
MOVE SLOW: 70% / 80% / 90% / 100%
13 / 11 / 9 / 7
40
650 / 750 / 850 / 950
Patch 7.41
- When targeting a tree, now always destroys the targeted tree and ends in the tree's position
The Kazurai have the speed and reach to drag even the highest flyers from the skies.
Kazurai Katana
AFFECTS: Unit
DAMAGE TYPE: Physical
PIERCES DEBUFF IMMUNITY: Yes
PASSIVE: No
DISPELLABLE: Yes
DEBUFF: Yes
Katana attacks and abilities apply a stacking damage over time to enemies that deals a percentage of the original attack's damage as additional damage over time.
Kez may activate the ability to impale the target with his attack, preventing them from moving or turning. The target's Katana debuff bursts, causing some of the stacks to deal damage instantly.
DURATION: 7
DAMAGE PER SECOND: 3% / 6% / 9% / 12%
IMPALE DURATION: 0.5
STACKS AS BURST DAMAGE: 50%
MAX BURST STACKS: 500
20 / 15 / 10 / 5
40
200
Aghanim's Shard
Kez lifesteals 100% from the impale. If the impale comes from behind the target, the target is stunned. Increases max burst stacks.
LEVEL 20 TALENT: +4% Kazurai Katana Damage Per Second
To fight back against the reach of Imperia and her Queensguard, the Kazurai had to become skilled in the ways of attrition.
Raptor Dance
AFFECTS: Area
DAMAGE TYPE: Pure
PIERCES DEBUFF IMMUNITY: Yes
PASSIVE: No
Kez enters into an uncontrollable state for 1 second, becoming invulnerable for 0.2s and receiving a basic dispel.
If the cast completes successfully, Kez performs a series of deadly radial slashes around him that deal damage based on the max health of the target and heal Kez for a percentage of all damage dealt.
Slash Lifesteal is reduced to 20% when slashing a creep or an illusion.
STRIKES: 4
RADIUS: 450
BASE DAMAGE: 30 / 60 / 90
MAX HEALTH AS DAMAGE: 2.5%
40 / 35 / 30
100 / 125 / 150
LEVEL 15 TALENT: +1 Raptor Dance Strike
LEVEL 10 TALENT: +50 Raptor Dance Radius
Patch 7.41
- No longer provides magic damage immunity
Unleash the inner fury of the Flightless to feast on the essence of your foes.
Falcon Rush
PASSIVE: No
DISPELLABLE: Yes
DEBUFF: Yes
Kez gains the ability to rush towards enemy targets to deliver echoing secondary attacks. While in this state, Kez has phased collision and slow resistance.
Does not work on buildings.
RUSH RANGE: 525
RUSH SPEED: 850
ECHO ATTACK DAMAGE: 30% / 35% / 40% / 45%
SLOW RESISTANCE: 15% / 30% / 45% / 60%
DURATION: 3.75 / 4.5 / 5.25 / 6
ECHO PROC CHANCE REDUCTION: 50%
21 / 18 / 15 / 12
85 / 90 / 95 / 100
LEVEL 20 TALENT: 40 Bonus Attack Speed During Falcon Rush
LEVEL 15 TALENT: +2s Falcon Rush Duration
An ancient Shodo technique used to hunt faster aerial foes, stealing the advantage and delivering multiple attacks within a single flap of their prey's panicking wings.
Talon Toss
AFFECTS: Unit and area
DAMAGE TYPE: Physical
PIERCES DEBUFF IMMUNITY: No
PASSIVE: No
Kez throws a Sai at the target unit, applying a fixed damage attack and silence.
The fixed damage attack has True Strike.
DAMAGE: 60 / 120 / 180 / 240
SILENCE DURATION: 2 / 2.25 / 2.5 / 2.75
13 / 11 / 9 / 7
60 / 65 / 70 / 75
650 / 750 / 850 / 950
Patch 7.41
- Cast Range decreased from 1200 to 650/750/850/950
The Shodo learned to rely upon distance and disorientation to survive against much stronger opposition.
Shodo Sai
PIERCES DEBUFF IMMUNITY: Yes
PASSIVE: No
DISPELLABLE: Strong Dispels Only
Kez has a chance to critically strike the target when attacking with Sais.
Kez may activate the ability to disarm himself, lock his facing, and parry attacks and attack effects from the targeted direction for 2 seconds. If an attack is parried from an enemy Hero in this way, that Hero is stunned for 0.4s and gains a Mark. When a Marked target is attacked by Kez, it will guarantee a critical strike and stun the target.
The sub-ability may be used to cancel the blocking early.
CRITICAL CHANCE: 20%
CRITICAL DAMAGE: 125% / 150% / 175% / 200%
MARK STUN DURATION: 0.5 / 0.6 / 0.7 / 0.8
MARK DURATION: 8
20 / 15 / 10 / 5
30 / 20 / 10 / 0
LEVEL 25 TALENT: +80% Shodo Sai Critical Strike
Patch 7.41
- The proc effect now triggers a critical strike only instead of creating a Mark
- 18% Chance to Mark replaced with 20% Critical Strike Chance
- As a result, marks are applied only by parrying and casting Raven's Veil
- No longer restricts Kez from proccing passive Bash spells of Skull Basher and Abyssal Blade
- Mark Stun Duration increased from 0.4s to 0.5/0.6/0.7/0.8s
- No longer has a parry bonus by default
- Now upgraded with Aghanim's Shard
- Parrying creates a stronger mark that will stun the target for an additional 0.2s and an a crit bonus of 50%
The Shodo may have lost their way, but Kez and the Kazurai can still use Shodo knowledge for the good of the people.
Raven's Veil
PIERCES DEBUFF IMMUNITY: Yes
PASSIVE: No
DISPELLABLE: Strong Dispels Only
DEBUFF: Yes
Kez releases a wave of smoke that applies his Mark to nearby enemies, briefly reducing their vision. Kez receives a basic dispel and gains bonus movement speed and invisibility until he attacks or casts a spell.
WAVE RADIUS: 1500
WAVE SPEED: 1500
BUFF DURATION: 7 / 8 / 9
VISION DEBUFF DURATION: 4
BONUS MOVEMENT SPEED: 15% / 25% / 35%
40 / 35 / 30
100 / 125 / 150
Eying either threat or opportunity, Shodo masters slip instantly into shadow to reset the terms of any engagement in their own favor.
Cancel
PASSIVE: No
Stop blocking physical attacks.
Talents
+1 Echo Slash Attack
+80% Shodo Sai Critical Strike
+ 0.8%
40 Bonus Attack Speed During Falcon Rush
+4% Kazurai Katana Damage Per Second
+ 1.6%
+1 Raptor Dance Strike
+ 0.3%
+2s Falcon Rush Duration
+50 Raptor Dance Radius
+12% Magic Resistance
+ 1.8%
Win Rate
Pick Rate
Patch 7.41
- Level 25 Talent +100% Shodo Sai Mark Critical Strike replaced with +80% Shodo Sai Critical Strike
Strategy
Rush {falcon-blade} as early as possible in lane to cover up your HP and mana weaknesses while also gaining some much needed damage.
Use Echo Slash to secure the ranged creep last hit.
Look to farm instead of fighting or rotating to acquire {desolator} as early as possible. Your kill threat goes up exponentially with it.
Plant {observer-ward} for yourself in the area you are farming to secure vision for yourself and your team.
Build items that give you tankiness such as {black-king-bar} or {sange-and-yasha}. These items provide good overall stats and durability with damage.
Raptor Dance applies a basic dispel on cast and gives you a minor invulnerability period alongside high magic resistance. Use it to get yourself out of roots or slows as well as dodge magic damage combos from enemy heroes while dealing massive AoE damage.
You can stop {town-portal-scroll} and channeled spells on enemy heroes by Marking them with Raven's Veil and then targeting them with an ability or right click.
Shodo Sai can be activated to stun enemy heroes while facing them when they are right clicking you. It can give you an initiation to follow up with Falcon Rush and the rest of your spells. Particularly useful against ranged heroes.
Kazurai Katana can be activated to keep an enemy hero in place and do massive burst damage with the Katana stacks. This also prevents heroes from turning, which is particularly useful against certain heroes like {bristleback}.
Counter Strategy
Look to disrupt Kez while he's jungling by placing deep {observer-ward} and ganking him with {smoke-of-deceit}.
Kez is squishy early on and needs levels to ramp up in strength. Look to pressure him on early levels.
Kez has multiple mobility spells to close the gap on your or dodge spells. Be mindful of your positioning and spell casting.
Raptor Dance applies a basic dispel on cast and provides high magic resistance for the duration. Avoid wasting spells that might get dispelled or dodged.