Warden vs Wraith

Do

• Plan for Slowing Hex Slowing Hex 1,600 souls Tier 2TechPress +29s Cooldown +3.5s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay +16% Move Speed -26% Dash Distance — know which tier it sits in so you are not improvising at the shop.
• Know what Project Mind looks like. It is the cooldown this lane revolves around.

Avoid

• Walking to lane on the same path every wave against a hero with Wraith's engage range.

Do

• 730 max health, so she loses any trade she does not win with her gun
• Card Trick Card Trick 500m Range0.6s Cooldown Dealing weapon damage generates cards of a random suit, which she can then throw. Crowd Control none directly Damage 45 spirit base (about 0.55x spirit scaling); Mobility A Club card grants +24% move speed 1 +2 charges 2 +40 damage and increased spirit scaling 5 all suits improved and a higher chance for Jokers requires her to land weapon damage first, so a laner who denies shooting windows starves her entire kit
• Alchemical Flask Alchemical Flask 12s Cooldown Hurls a flask that damages enemies in a small area and leaves them dealing less weapon damage and moving more slowly. Crowd Control -16% movement slow for 3s Damage 60 base (about 0.63x spirit scaling); Defensive The weapon damage reduction is effectively a defensive buff for his whole… 1 enemies hit lose 1 Stamina 2 +35 damage and an additional -25% weapon damage (total -55%) 5 -7s cooldown (12s base) and +2m radius; 's -30% to -55% weapon damage for 7s wins nearly every early weapon trade outright

Avoid

• The Rake Rake 10m Range16s Cooldown A close slash that deals spirit damage scaled up by how much health the target is missing, executes weakened non-hero units outright, and refunds health to Mina on a kill. Damage 60 base damage with 25 heal per kill. Defensive Heal per kill (+30 more at T2) is her only sustain; 1 +60 damage. 2 +30 heal per kill, -8s cooldown. 5 +7% missing-health damage and increased heal-per-kill spirit scaling. 's 52-round magazine and high fire rate win extended weapon trades against burst laners
• Card Trick converts lane chip damage into stored burst and Heart heals, making her trades net-positive

Do

• Their first real spike is Full Auto Full Auto 5s Duration45s Cooldown For a short window Wraith's fire rate increases and every bullet carries bonus spirit damage. Damage +2 spirit damage per bullet on top of her weapon damage 1 -20s cooldown (45s base down to 25s) 2 +10% fire rate and +3s duration 5 unlimited ammo and increased scaling on spirit damage per bullet T1 (-20s cooldown) — respect it from that point, not before.
• Your spike is Binding Word unlock: A conditional 1.75s Root on a 34s cooldown is his first real kill threat

Avoid

• Taking an even fight against Wraith on their spike timing when you could take the same fight ten minutes later on yours.

Do

• Watch for Telekinesis. It is single-target and 10m range at base, so simply standing spread out and beyond 10m of Wraith denies it entirely
• Interrupt her channels: Project Mind is 1s and Telekinesis is 1.25s, both interruptible. A Viscous Puddle Punch Puddle Punch 40m Range24s Cooldown Materialises a fist at a chosen point up to a long distance away, punching everyone in a small area upward. Crowd Control Knockup on everyone in the 4m radius plus a -24% movement slow for 3s Damage 20 damage base plus about 0.6x melee scaling; Mobility Grants Viscous and allies increased air control when caught in it 1 +1 charge and +20 damage 2 +1.5m radius and +60% lifesteal 5 -14s cooldown and deals Heavy Melee damage , Warden Binding Word, Venator Gutshot Gutshot 10m Range23s Cooldown A point-blank shotgun burst within about 10m that shoves everyone hit backwards. Crowd Control knockback on everyone hit; Damage 60 base (about 0.7x weapon scaling) plus 30 bonus (about 0.8x scaling) when… Mobility none for Venator himself 1 +25 damage 2 -10s cooldown (23s base) and +0.4s stun duration 5 after a wall stun, Venator's next heavy melee becomes blessed wall Stun or Vyper Petrifying Bola Petrifying Bola 115s Cooldown Throws an explosive bola. Crowd Control 2.2s petrify on a direct hit (T3 adds +1s, up to 3.2s); Damage 50 area damage (about 0.74x spirit scaling); Defensive Petrifying an incoming diver removes them from the fight for over two… 1 +49.5 petrify damage 2 -20s cooldown 5 +1s petrify duration and petrifies all enemies in the area, not just direct hits landed on the channel wastes a 50s or 150s cooldown

Avoid

• Spending your own escape before Project Mind is on cooldown.

• Telekinesis Ultimate

  The one cooldown worth tracking on its own timer: stunned during the 1.25s channel, then the target is airborne and unable to act for roughly 2.25s.

  • It is single-target and 10m range at base, so simply standing spread out and beyond 10m of Wraith denies it entirely
  • Once lifted you cannot act, but your team can: the counterplay belongs to your allies, who should focus Wraith during the 1.25s channel to break it
  • Cast Unstoppable Unstoppable 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorInstantCast +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer before the lift, or carry slow resist or Debuff Reducer Debuff Reducer 1,600 souls Tier 2ArmorPassive +25% Debuff Resist +90 Bonus Health for the slow after the slam (Telekinesis is her ultimate, so Dispel Magic Dispel Magic 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +45s Cooldown +10% Spirit Resist +3s Buff Duration +250 Heal Amount cannot purge it), because the movement lockout is what actually kills you, not the 100-200 damage
• Card Trick Ability 1

  Her resource loop and her flexible utility slot. Shooting builds cards; throwing them converts sustained gunfire into burst, healing, resist shred or chase speed depending on what she draws.

  • Deny the shooting window and you deny the cards — breaking line of sight before she can land sustained weapon damage starves the entire ability
  • The card throw is a visible projectile on a 0.6s cycle; strafing through the throw avoids the Spade burst
  • Heart healing was nerfed in the 09-16-2026 patch, so anti-heal (Healbane Healbane 1,600 souls Tier 2ArmorPassive +8s Duration +7 Spirit Power -35% Incoming Healing , Venator's Consecrating Grenade Consecrating Grenade 25s Cooldown Lobs a grenade that bounces once or twice before detonating in a roughly 4.5m area. Damage 35 impact (about 1.0x weapon scaling) plus roughly 10 burn DPS (about 1.6x… 1 -5s cooldown (25s base) 2 +1.5m radius and +1s burn duration 5 an additional 20% healing reduction on top of the base 30%, and grants extra charges , Vindicta's T1 Crow) now cuts her only self-sustain
• Project Mind Ability 2

  Her entry and her exit, but not both at once. The core Wraith decision is whether Project Mind is being spent to reach a backliner or saved to get out afterwards.

  • Interrupt the channel. It is 1s and interruptible, so a Viscous Puddle Punch, a Warden Binding Word, a Venator Gutshot wall Stun or a Vyper Petrifying Bola at the right moment wastes her whole escape
  • Track the cooldown. Before T3 it is 50s, so a Wraith who has used Project Mind to enter has no exit for nearly a minute — collapse from multiple angles
  • Strip the 300 T2 barrier with a cheap ability first so your real damage lands on health

1. 1 Project Mind

   Project Mind first — it is both her entry and her exit. Force her to spend it defensively and, pre-T3, she has no way into or out of a fight for 50 seconds

2. 2 Telekinesis

   Telekinesis second: it is her only Hard CC and on a 105-150s cooldown. Baiting it onto a durable target means your carry is untouchable for the rest of the fight

3. 3 Full Auto

   Full Auto third: make her burn the 5-8s window on a target that breaks line of sight, then all-in her during the 25-45s cooldown

• 730 max health with no innate durability outside Project Mind's T2 barrier Strong evidence
• Project Mind is her entry AND her exit but can only be one at a time before T3's 18s cooldown Strong evidence
• Both Project Mind's 1s channel and Telekinesis's 1.25s channel are interruptible, so CC-heavy teams shut her down Strong evidence

• Telekinesis lifts you helpless for about 2.25 seconds, slams you for 100-200, and then blocks your Stamina and every movement-based ability and item for 2.25-3.75 seconds — that post-slam lockout, not the damage, is what kills you Strong evidence
• Project Mind teleports her 25-40m past every piece of cover and terrain, so distance and walls do not protect a backliner from her Strong evidence
• Full Auto with T3 gives her unlimited ammo at +30% fire rate for 8 seconds, which is enough to delete a squishy that cannot break line of sight Strong evidence
• Card Trick Spades add +60 burst on top of her gun, and Diamonds strip your bullet and Spirit Resist so everything she and her team do lands harder Strong evidence
• The full chain — Project Mind in, Telekinesis your carry, Full Auto while they cannot use Stamina — is a scripted backline deletion Strong evidence

• Interrupt her channels: Project Mind is 1s and Telekinesis is 1.25s, both interruptible. A Viscous Puddle Punch, Warden Binding Word, Venator Gutshot wall Stun or Vyper Petrifying Bola landed on the channel wastes a 50s or 150s cooldown Strong evidence
• Stay beyond 10m of her and spread out — Telekinesis is single-target at 10m base range and cannot reach a dispersed formation Strong evidence
• Collapse from multiple angles after an aggressive Project Mind: before T3 that is a 50s cooldown, so she is stranded in your team with no exit Strong evidence
• Buy anti-heal; the 09-16-2026 nerf to Heart healing means Healbane or Venator's Consecrating Grenade now cuts her self-sustain Strong evidence
• Break line of sight for the 5-8s of Full Auto rather than trading into it; the window expires and the cooldown is 25-45s Strong evidence
• Cast Unstoppable before Telekinesis lifts you, or carry slow resist or Debuff Reducer for the slow after the slam; Dispel Magic cannot purge an ultimate Strong evidence
• Metal Skin Metal Skin 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +24s Cooldown +5s Duration +12% Bullet Resist -20% Dash Distance +20% Gravity Scale is the right shape of answer to Wraith's gun — 5 seconds of complete bullet immunity on a 24-second cooldown — but know its two holes before you rely on it. It does not stop on-bullet build-ups, so their Toxic Bullets Toxic Bullets 3,200 souls Tier 3WeaponPassive -40% Incoming Healing bleed, Silencer Silencer 6,400 souls Tier 4WeaponPassive +12% Spirit Resist -25% Spirit Damage Reduction +2.5s Silence Duration +6s Debuff Duration +10s Immunity Duration stacks and slow build-ups keep landing while you are immune, and it costs you −1.5 m/s and −20% dash distance for the duration, which is the wrong trade if you were planning to walk out during it. Use it to win a stand-and-fight window, not to escape one. Documented

• The 1s Project Mind channel and the 1.25s Telekinesis channel: both are interruptible and both are long cooldowns wasted Strong evidence
• Any time Full Auto is active — she is stationary, committed, and has no defensive layer while shooting Strong evidence
• The 50s (pre-T3) window after Project Mind is spent, especially if she used it to enter rather than to leave Strong evidence
• After the 300 T2 Project Mind barrier expires (5s), she is a 730 HP hero with nothing Strong evidence
• Before she has banked Card Trick charges — a Wraith with no cards has lost her burst, her heal and her resist shred at once Strong evidence

• There is a hard behavioural change at 20:00 in this matchup: respawn goes from 35 to 38 seconds as of 09-16-2026, and you are the hero Wraith can pick off without a fight starting. Three seconds does not sound like much until you price it against the Rift's 7-minute cadence and the Urn at 20 and 25 — a single death now reliably costs you presence at the next objective. Past 20:00, stop taking the solo camp that is one rotation from their side of the map. Documented
• Your kit is built around lockdown and that is worth less on the Mid Boss than on Wraith — it carries 35% Debuff Resist as of 03-06-2026, so your disables run roughly two-thirds as long on it. Plan the take around damage and positioning rather than a CC chain, and spend the chain on Wraith if they contest. The payoff is worth the trip: 3,000 souls + 50 per minute, two permanent buffs each, and a Rejuvenator crystal giving up to three single-use revives that return a player at full health after 3 seconds, for 3 minutes. Documented

• Your Silence may be worth more in a chain than a teammate's Stun. The 03-06-2026 diminishing-returns system reduces subsequent CC by 10% then 30% inside an 8-second window, and community reporting holds it applies to stuns only — not to silences, slows, hexes or disarms. If that is right, sequencing your Silence after an ally's Stun costs you nothing, while a second Stun in the chain is already 10% shorter. Treat it as community-reported rather than confirmed, but order your chain accordingly against Wraith. Uncertain
• Stacking a second damage-reduction debuff onto Wraith is close to a wasted slot: since 05-22-2026 total damage-reduction debuffs stack diminishingly rather than additively. If someone on your team already brings one, your souls buy more as anti-heal or as resist shred, both of which sit on different multipliers. Coordinate this before the game rather than discovering it in the fight — two players independently buying Inhibitor Inhibitor 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorPassive +150 Bonus Health +5s Debuff Duration -30% Damage Penalty +10% Weapon Damage -40% Incoming Healing against their carry is a common and invisible waste. Documented
• You have peel and Wraith is the dive threat, so your job in the fight is not damage — it is being in range of whoever they are jumping on. Position between their entry point and your squishiest teammate and hold your peel tool for the moment they commit, not for the moment they appear. Strategic

• Wraith decides where you stand, not you. The practical rule is to never hold a position whose failure case is being moved — stand so that being yanked or knocked puts you somewhere survivable rather than inside their whole team. Cover at your back is worth more than cover in front. Strong evidence

• Wraith dives, and you do not have an exit in your kit. This is the clearest item priority in the matchup: buy a movement or escape active before you buy your next damage item. A damage item does not help you if the fight starts with you already dead. Strong evidence
• Slowing Hex (spirit T2) — Wraith's Project Mind is what you are buying against here. Buy it when an enemy repeatedly uses a movement ability or item to dash, blink or fly out of your kill window. Documented
• Vortex Web Vortex Web 6,400 souls Tier 4TechPress +42s Cooldown +4s Duration +0.2s Cast Delay +0.5s Tether Duration +28% Move Speed -36% Dash Distance +8% Ability Range +8% Radius Builds from Slowing Hex (spirit T4) — Wraith's Project Mind is what you are buying against here. Buy to set up team wipes against scattered, mobile enemies — it groups them and takes away their escapes at once. Documented
• Cursed Relic Cursed Relic 6,400 souls Tier 4TechPress +55s Cooldown +3.25s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay -25% Damage Penalty (spirit T4) — Wraith's Telekinesis is what you are buying against here. Buy to shut down one enemy carry or to cancel a game-deciding ultimate outright. Documented

• The losing pattern against Wraith is deciding to leave, walking to the zipline and finding you cannot attach. Any damage from an enemy hero or objective blocks zipline attachment for 3 seconds, and Wraith has the chip range to keep that 3-second timer rolling indefinitely. Break line of sight first, wait out the lockout, then attach — do not walk to the rope while still taking fire. Documented