Ya'shil the Harpy Stormwitch

Ya'shil was once the queen of the harpies, but caught battling to the death in the invasion of the Burning Legion, the harpies had no choice but to surrender their homeland. Ya'shil is still the master of the winds, and can summon fierce turbulent winds that can lift enemies into the air. Her spells complement each other greatly, making her not only deadly but also difficult to kill.

Stats
Affiliation: High Elves
HP: 465
Mana: 238
Primary: Agility
Str: 15 + 1.2
Agi: 22 + 2.8
Int: 17 + 1.8
Range: 550
Speed: 300

Ya'shil starts with a normal amount of hitpoints and mana, high agility, but at 550, her range is slightly shorter than that of most ranged heroes. Her average movespeed can be increased with the Cyclone's speed aura, but with Turbulence, she can easily outmaneuver just about any hero.


Stratoblast [T]
The Harpy launches a blast of stratospheric wind at an enemy target, dealing damage, knocking the unit back a certain distance, and stunning for 1 second.


Level 1 - 50 dmg, 150 knockback
Level 2 - 100 dmg, 225 knockback
Level 3 - 150 dmg, 300 knockback
Level 4 - 200 dmg, 375 knockback
Level 5 - 250 dmg, 450 knockback

Cooldown: 9
Mana Cost: 100/115/130/145/160

Stratoblast is a highly flexible ability; at most times it can be used like a normal damage/stun spell, but the knockback really gives this ability variety. The most common use of the knockback is a combination with Turbulence; using Turbulence first, the hero becomes invisible and swooshes to behind the enemy hero. This causes the enemy to knocked towards the Harpy's team, usually at a tower or an allied hero. This combo also slows down an enemy retreat dramatically by forcing them to go backwards. Good players often find creative uses for this ability. Because of the increased damage and knockback, many players prefer to max this soon, i.e. immediately after Cyclone.


Cyclone [E]
Summons a controlled cyclone to assist the Harpy.



Level 1 - 400 hp, 23 to 25 dmg, gains Trueshot Aura
Level 2 - 600 hp, 33 to 35 dmg, gains Wind Turbulation
Level 3 - 800 hp, 43 to 45 dmg, gains Quivering Aura
Level 4 - 1000 hp, 53 to 55 dmg, gains Trueshot Aura (Level 2)
Level 5 - 1200 hp, 63 to 65 dmg, gains Wind Turbulation (Level 2)

Cooldown: 30
Mana Cost: 100/115/130/145/160

The Cyclone is a summoned unit useful for its three important auras. Trueshot Aura adds 10% attack damage to nearby ranged units, including the Harpy and the Cyclone itself. At Cyclone level 4, Trueshot Aura improves to level 2, providing 20% bonus damage.

Wind Turbulation gives a subtle movespeed boost, 5% at level 1 and 10% at level 2, which are gained at levels 2 and 5 of the Cyclone respectively. It may seem insignificant, but 10% movespeed can often make the difference between a succesful chase ending in a kill and a failed one where the enemy escapes with only a remnant of hp.

Quivering Aura is slightly different in that it affects enemies and has only one level, but it does have significant power, reducing nearby enemies' attack damage by 15%. Each aura alone may seem small, but with all three together it can sway any battle, especially larger ones where the auras affect more heroes.

The Cyclone can also be used to capture Observatories in the early game without having to give up experience by leaving the lane with the hero. Combined with its auras, it is no secret that good players will max this ability first.


Turbulence [R]
Uses the turbulence in the air to become invisible for 5 seconds, increasing movespeed to maximum. Cooldown decreases per level.

Cooldown: 18/16/14/12/10
Mana Cost: 75

Similar to Nerubian Weaver's Shukuchi in DotA, Turbulence is used to travel very quickly and escape difficult situations. It does not deal damage when hitting someone; however, this added stealth helps set up ideal knockback situations in combination with Stratoblast. Its most valuable asset is the speed, allowing the Harpy to quickly traverse SMotA's landscape.

For detailed information about the invisibility mechanic, check out the Invisibility article.


Cyclonic Storm [C]
The Harpy Stormwitch summons boisterous cyclones into the air for a duration of time, making nearby enemy units invulnerable but unable to attack, move, or cast spells.

Level 1 - 5 seconds, 1000 aoe
Level 2 - 6 seconds, 1500 aoe
Level 3 - 7 seconds, 2000 aoe
Level 4 - 8 seconds, 2500 aoe

Cooldown: 120/100/80/60
Mana Cost: 150/200/250/300

Another flexible spell at the Harpy's disposal, Cyclonic Storm disables and launches all nearby enemies into the sky, although at the same time making them unable to attacked. This is useful in escaping, chasing, and base destroying. If you or an ally is about to die, casting this will normally give more than enough time to escape, and at the same time allowing other allies to zoom in and counter attack. While chasing, this can be used to give you and your allies time to run into the enemy's escape path, also allowing a deliberate positioning of a Stratoblast knockback. The third main use is to delay enemy opposition when capturing or destroying their base, as this ability does not lift buildings into the air! After all the units are hopelessly blown into the air, the Harpy and her allies gain precious time for bringing down the target structure before the swirling enemies come back down.