Kez stats, abilities and strategy [7.40b]
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 44.8%
Pick Rate 5.8%
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:
315
Roles
Carry
Durable
Nuker
Pusher
Support
Escape
Disabler
Initiator
Patch 7.40
- Base Strength increased from 19 to 20
Facets
Flutter
Win Rate: 45.3%
Pick Rate: 87.5%
Kez deals extra damage on the first attack after switching to Katana, and gains bonus movement speed after switching to Sai.
Shadowhawk
Win Rate: 40.7%
Pick Rate: 12.5%
Triggering a Shodo Sai Mark from invisibility deals bonus critical damage. Increases Raven's Veil invisibility duration.
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.
KATANA ATTACK RANGE: 225
KATANA BASE ATTACK TIME: 1.9
KATANA BONUS AGILITY BASE DAMAGE: 16%
SAI ATTACK RANGE: 150
SAI BASE ATTACK TIME: 1.5
COOLDOWN: 7.75
7.75
FACET: Flutter
Kez deals extra damage on the first attack after switching to Katana, and gains bonus speed after switching to Sai.
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.
Casting any weapon ability refreshes the cooldown of Switch Discipline.
Patch 7.40b
- Katana Base Attack Time worsened from 1.8s to 1.9s
- Katana Bonus Agility Base Damage increased from 12% to 16%
- Can no longer be disabled by Silence
Patch 7.40
- Cooldown reduction per level increased from 0.2s to 0.25s
- Cooldown on level 1 decreased from 7.8s to 7.75s
- Cooldown on level 30 decreased from 2s to 0.5s
- Katana Base Attack Time improved from 2.0s to 1.8s
- Katana Bonus Agility Base Damage decreased from 20% to 12%
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 line with his Katana, attacking enemies in an area and applying a brief 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
DISTANCE: 800
MOVE SLOW: 100%
SLOW DURATION: 0.25
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
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
Patch 7.40
- Damage per second rescaled from 5/7/9/11 to 3/6/9/12%
- The active effect may only trigger up to a maximum of 500 stacks
- Aghanim's Shard now also increases Max Stacks to 1000 and stack as burst damage from 50% to 100%
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, remaining immune to magic damage for the remainder of the cast time and the duration of the slashes.
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
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 Attack Speed During Falcon Rush
LEVEL 15 TALENT: +2s Falcon Rush Duration
Patch 7.40b
- Can no longer rush towards buildings or trigger on them
- Echo Attack Damage decreased from 35/40/45/50% to 30/35/40/45%
Patch 7.40
- No longer causes Kez to have a fixed attack rate or any interaction with attack speed
- Echo Attack Damage decreased from 45/55/65/75% to 35/40/45/50%
- Echoes now have 50% reduced chance to proc random effects
- Echo with Maelstrom (25% chance) will have a 12.5% chance to proc its passive
- Echoes can no longer trigger Marks, but may still create them
- However, their chance to mark will be reduced from 18% to 9% due to the proc chance change mentioned before
- Rush Speed decreased from 1000 to 850
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
1200
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's attacks and abilities with the Sai have a chance to Mark enemies. The next attack or ability damage from Kez will stun the enemy and deal a critical strike, consuming the buff.
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 and gains a stronger Mark that stuns for longer and deals 4% * Target Hero Level bonus critical strike.
The sub-ability may be used to cancel the blocking early.
CHANCE TO MARK: 18%
MARKED DURATION: 8
MARKED CRITICAL STRIKE: 125% / 150% / 175% / 200%
MARKED STUN DURATION: 0.4
PARRY STUN DURATION: 0.4
20 / 15 / 10 / 5
30 / 20 / 10 / 0
LEVEL 25 TALENT: +100% Shodo Sai Mark Critical Strike
Patch 7.40
- Marked Stun Duration decreased from 0.5s to 0.4s
- Parry Stun Duration decreased from 0.5s to 0.4s
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
FACET: Shadowhawk
Increases Raven's Veil invisibility duration.
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
+100% Shodo Sai Mark Critical Strike
+ 0.8%
+40 Attack Speed During Falcon Rush
+4% Kazurai Katana Damage Per Second
+ 2.1%
+1 Raptor Dance Strike
+2s Falcon Rush Duration
+ 2.4%
+50 Raptor Dance Radius
+12% Magic Resistance
+ 0.7%
Win Rate
Pick Rate
Patch 7.40b
- Level 20 Talent Attack Speed During Falcon Rush decreased from +60 to +40
Patch 7.40
- Level 20 Talent +50% Attack Damage Added to Talon Toss replaced with +60 Attack Speed During Falcon Rush
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.