Hi again from Hyperversum, and welcome to another Support-guide! This one. as you can see, it's about Windranger (or Windrunner, as you prefer)!

As for my last (and first) guide, I don't pretend to be a pro (and not even a good player), but I want to share what I’ve learned with Lyralei in my games and something that may not everyone knows.
P.s. Still under work, please feel free to comment and notice some mistakes or give ideas.


She's watching and saying that i'm failing at her!

Now, let's start with the description of our cute redhead!
Lyralei (AKA Windranger/Windrunner) is a really eclectic hero. A long duration stun, an high power nuke, a good escape and an ultimate with multiple uses make she able to play almost every role, with the exception of the hard carry, but I think it played better in the role of the 4th / 3rd hero of the team (and therefore requires a minimum of farm to be truly effective).
With a precise shackle and a good Powershot she can deal a lot of damage in the early game or ensure a kill and also gank effectively.
When you reach the more advanced parts of the game continues to be extremely versatile, according to the items that he did and that makes use of the ability.

What I said in my last guide about CM also applies to WR: you have to know a little the hero before using it to her full power, but in the case of WR the use of her skills is important as understanding what you want to do.


Pro:
+ Long duration stun
+ Powerful Nuke
+ With good items, hard to kill
+ Redhead + Nice attack animation and base damage
+ At high levels she just melt tower/enemy with the ultimate
+ Really funny to play (who don't love her voice and feisty spirit? :D )

Contro
+ Very squishy early on (more or less 500 hp with 3 branches)
+ Still squishy in mid/late, but not as other heroes
+ VERY LOW base armor
+ Requires positioning in general
+ Requires a particularly good positioning to shackle effectively
+ Countered by Nuke and Stun

Shackleshot: One of my favorite skill in the whole game! With this you shackle the target to a tree or a enemy unit behind him. At 4 it lasts 3.75, a very huge stun. Obviously it isn't like Dragon Knight stun, you'll need to aim. In fact if you fail it, the stun lasts just 0.75 seconds!
So, pay attention to these tips about this Skill working: the distance between the main target and the second target is of 500 if it's a tree or 525 if it's a unit and it prioritize units over trees; the maximum angle is around 25°/26°; it can shackle enemies to invisible heroes but not to a courier; it can't be dodge, so even if the target blink you'll it him.
These tips are important, but not as this one.
Focus on this: the line for the Shackleshot depends on the position where Windranger shot the Shackleshot and the final position the enemy. This means that the only things that count are where Windranger casts the spell and the position where the target is hit. Don't forget this.
A good Shackleshot can deny 7.50 of enemy seconds of action, if you succeed in hitting 2 heroes. In a team fight, this is probably Windrunner best contribution, in particular if you succeed in stopping 2 enemies carries or others important teamfight presence

Powershot: A bit easier to land than Shackleshot, but still a powerful skill.
It's a magical damage nuke of 360 damage, so as Shackleshot this isn't obviously a straight- forward nuke, you need to aim and charge for 1 second before Lyralei shot. But, here is a tip! You can cancel the charge, and if you do this at 80% of the channel you will shot it almost its full damage!
The range of 1825 units, 9 seconds of cooldown, movement speed of 3000 units make this skill a truly efficient tool of harass in early game and nuking power thereafter. Finally, it can hit more than one target, losing speed and 10% damage for each times it hits. It can even destroy trees!
Can you ask something more from a nuke?

Windrun: And there it is her most famous skill, from which her takes/used to take her name. It's a very good escape. By activating it you'll reach more or less the maximum velocity (something like 500), slow enemy and obtain total evasion from right click attacks. Pay attention that Windrun won't dodge already flying attacks. Even if this is your escape, it's also a powerful fighting skill: in fact while fighting the evasion will be very good (How many early fights I won in this way <3 ).
The main problem of this skill is that stun and nuke can still hit you, so pay attention.
P.S. If you know that you're going to be stunned, try to wait to use the Windrun just before the enemy stun.

Focus Fire: Your ultimate, and the skill that makes Lyralei a siege machine! By giving away some damage (50% / 40% / 30%) you'll gain a lot of attack speed against one target. Notice that you can still use skill or attack another target and then return to attack without losing your new attack speed! Using this at high level will destroy towers or an enemy hero (and it become even better if you're playing a semi carry build).

For such a versatile hero you can't choose a standard order for the skills, so I prefer to adapt to the situation. Your first skill can be Windrun, to avoid a early gank and it's a must if you take the suicide solo lane, or Shackleshot for a early gank, but I don't like it too much. However, the skill that I usually max first, the best in my opinion, is Powershot. Such a powerful nuke in lane is terrible for enemy lane. But you have to control yourself, in early game you don't have a lot of mana. My advice is to don't spend too much mana until you have 2/3 point in Powershot with which you start to harass as hell. Focus Fire is a very good ultimate, but taking it before 10/11 levels isn't a good choice.

About her Role:
As everyone know and as I said WR can play in a lot of roles and she can handle all of them very good: hard support (but I feel that in this role she's a bit wasted), semi-support, midder (not my favourite. FORGET IT, she can shine in mid, but will need help from the team to gank at her best) and even semi-carry (you can a lot of damage, but can't obviously stand a normal and good famed carry).
So, we know her skills and possible role, what we should do?
In my opinion the best idea is to set your build after your team composition. There is no other support? Buy those wards girl, you'll need 'em. Someone wants to mid with Centaur? Take that lane and do some good ganks. Your team lacks of Damage Dealer? Try a semi carry style.
In addition, you should choose a skill order based on your role. If I'm in mid I love to take a point more in Shackle than to Powershot, to increase the time of my gank.
Whatever it's her role, the most important thing to know is how to play her at the top of her power.

This is her when people don't understand that she can deal massive damage.

Lyralei need some items to be effective as hell, let's see what.

Courier: beg the other support to buy it, but if no one won't do it be a good guy and help your team.
Wards: You should buy a set of these hacking maps things, in particular if you're on the suicide lane.
Branches: Always good.
Tango: Who don't need them?
Clarity: usually I buy 2 of these, to spam a one more Powershot and don't lose the first blood
Wand: Why not? Press a button and have mana to kill someone or save your ginger ass!
Phase Boots: The only truly effective choice for WR in my opinion. Damage and the phase are perfect to your skill-set, in particular for positioning.
Arcane Boots: No one have these boots? People should play more support. Anyway, if you feel that they will help they can be good. Still I prefer Phase.
Ring of Protection: You had low armor? Not anymore! And, obviously...
Ring of Basilius: A bit more damage, armor and a nice mana regeneration at low levels. Something else? It's truly effective, in particular to spam Powershot. Skip this only if your lane mate is building this. The mask can be used to build a Urn or Eul.
Urn of Shadows: Meh. I usually don't build this on WR, but it can work sometimes if you need a bit of hp and no one is building it.
Meka: Not everyone love it on WR, but it's pretty cool. You're a good Meka carrier, and can build it fast. The armor and the aura is perfect for you. If you don't upgrade the wand it is even more fast!
Force Staff: CORE. With this you can do incredible escape, position you or the enemy for the shackle and a lot of nice things! Also the Int and hp regeneration helps.
Pipe: If needed and no one is building it..
Eul: I've already said that I love this scepter? Movement speed (yuck), incredible mana regeneration, Int and nice effect. Perfect for any WR build, if you need it.
Atos: Nice stats and effect, can work sometimes, in particular if you need hp.
Orchid Malevolence: Some people say that this item is core on WR. And I won't say no. It's very useful on her, but if you aim this, skip other mana regeneration and build a fast Oblivion Staff as first item after boots.
Ahganim: The effect is great, and makes you a very powerful damage dealer, but it costs a lot and it won't be that powerful if you can't survive.I made this like 1 or 2 times, and it was mainly for fun, but it works, in particular if you succeed in having an high Damage.
Vyse: Obviously a great item to shut down enemies. Expensive as hell, but it gives also very interesting stats. Nice item to substitute the Orchid, consider it in particular if the enemy team ha a better late game.
Liken's Sphere: Nuke won't be a great danger now, but still pay attention. This will your life a lot. Consider it in particular if you're playing against nasty Nuker. To build it, start from Perseverance that helps a lot in early game. As for Vyse.... yum, stats!
Daedalus: Your aiming high? This is your target! What a dps can ask more? At its best with Ahganim. Attention, if enemy have evasion MKB is a better idea.
Crystalis: If you can't afford a Daedalus, even just a Crystalis is great with your ulti.
Mjollnir:Using it together with your ultimate will cause a storm of lightning upon your enemy. You should consider it if you experience that you are targeted a lot from physical dps. Someone use it, but I prefer other items.
Satanic: If you're aiming for a very strong carry presence, this can be good, but I feel that there are better items, this should be just a luxury idea when you stomp and want to have fun.

This is just a list of useful items, you should choose the right one for the situation, but having a Meka, a Orchid, Phase boots and force staff can be a perfect build if you don't have particular needs and it don't even costs too much.

Tips
Friends of Lyralei: Pretty much everyone. Who don't appreciate a good stun and nuking fire? Most heroes will be good with you. Pay attention to those that can slow or stun enemies easily (as Crystal Maiden, Wraith King, Chaos Knight, ) they can prepare your shackle!
Note that Drow Ranger gives you a nice damage boost.

Foes: Lina, Skywrath Mage, Lion and all strong nuker and all heroes with a very direct stun, like Wraith King. As they are powerful allies, they're terrible enemies for you.


This maybe will seems obvious to a normal player, but it's something important to begginner so....5 rules from my pubs experience!
1) “Snipe!”: Try always to land your Powershot from where enemies can't see you. Act like Pudge with his hook, wait that enemies attack or stop for every other reason and then shoot.
2) “Move!”: You can be not sure about a possible Shackle, it's normal. Take your time to position better, but don't waste the possibility. Who don't Shackle can't Shackle.
3) “Save!”: Don't waste your Windrun. You maybe want to use it move faster, but a gank can happens at any time, and you should be ready to run away.
4) “Mana!”: In early game don't waste your mana. Shooting a useless Powershot can be the difference between a kill or your death.
5) “Adapt!”: Even if you started the match as a 5th player, consider to change role. If you see that your carries struggle to win teamfight because enemies are really tanky, think about build a damage item. If you don't have any urn in the whole team, consider it.

This fifth rule probably is your goal for the match: fit what others heroes can't do, since you can do almost anything. A good Windranger player knows what to do at the right moment, or at least (like me) he tries to do it.


P.s. This is how i wish to seem when playing Windranger xD

P.P.S. As for my first guide, i don't own the pics, but i don't know the artists. If someone know them, i will add their names. I'm looking forward to this hero.