Dota 2 FAQ : Best way to build Lion?

So far i get Tranquil Boots and Dagon, while leveling up my stun and mana suck harrass. Then obviously at lvl 6 the ult. But is there a way to get more intricate with him and possibly reduce the late game fall off? Any advice is GREATLY appreciated.

Reducing the fall off is easy. Don't buy Dagon and get useful items insteadBlink Dagger. , Force Staff and Eul's Scepter of Divinity all allow you to position yourself better and control a teamfight. Your carries are the ones who should be providing damage.

 

You always level up the stun all the way, the only choice you have to make is deciding between  Mana Drain or Hex. Generally Hex is maxed over  Mana Drain vs high mobility heroes such as Storm Spirit/Earth Spirit/Ember Spirit and other heroes like weaver and Spirit Breaker

So you don't fall off as hard, you could buy a Veil of Discord, which amplifies your magic damage to stay relevant later in the game. Also Scythe of Vyse  is extremely good on him, sounds weird for a hero already with a hex but it works out wonderfully.

Blink is almost always the best item. Situationally Force Staff first when it's a counter, for example Clockwerk or Riki. Late game initiation with Lion will almost always be a trade for your life - this can be 'worth it' if you have found an opening onto their carry or an important team fight contributor. Since you frontload most of your effectiveness with Hex -Finger of Death, sucking up damage and often undisciplined stuns is giving the rest of your team a pass from those.

If you are not the initiation, Blink allows you to position way way back/out of Line of sight - far enough where you'd wouldn't be hit by a ravage from Tidehunter blinking into your team for example. Then you just wait out Black King Bar, and counter initiate with your control abilities onto the main threat DPSers still standing.

Because Blink is a hard to get item for Lion , but stronger impact the earlier you get it, you should really work with your second support and play a greedier 4 or 3 role with them as the initial 'ward bitch'. Once you hit 6, find kills and gold.
 
Post Blink, you can transition to the hard 5 role and funnel your gold into observers/sentries/dust/gem. If you are crushing and/or game goes late and you do get $ for luxuries, generally I go for 2 choices - Aghanim's Scepter or Ghost Scepter  into Ethereal Blade. Either way you usually buy the Point Booster or Ghost Scepter  for bulk and survivability, and save up the ~3k needed for the rest.

Lion is one of the most useful supports throughout the game. The stun can net your team kills or escape at all phases. The Hex allows instant cc and ganks as well as stopping changeling quickly. The Mana Drain might seem weak but it's extremely useful against initiators like tide or Enigma. Your Hex is instant, follow up with  Mana Drain, you can completely change a team fight if they cant get their ulti off due to  Mana Drain. The ultimate damage scales pretty well, the 1000+ damage is always a useful spell to knock out a support quickly or to nuke down a carry.

As far as item build, I usually get stick with. Brown boots for a while, wand, and rush a Blink . Force Staff is always good, Aghanim's Scepter is okay if you need the nuke dmg and stats. Another Hex is always a game changer. Normally you won't be getting any more than this since you are buying wards and smokes.

The most important part about playing Lion is postioning in a fight to be most effective and make sure you don't save ultimate to KS. Use it quickly on the hero you need dead asap. This will win you a fight 90% of the time. Those players who save the ultimate just for the last hit kill are scumbags and shouldn't play support.

Ganks often and be a nuisance to the enemy with the  Mana Drain. Please don't buy Dagon, for that money, there are way more useful items to get like Blink or Force. Sometimes even mek of no other teammate can carry it. Dagon is for pub stomps. If you really want the best dmg, get Aghanim's Scepter and Veil of Discord/Ethereal Blade