Burst mage-assassin who rings a target in fire and keeps hitting the ring
Harley is a burst mage who drops Deadly Magic's ring of fire on a single target, then hits that ring with his own skills to keep piling damage onto them for the four seconds it lasts. Space Escape's blink leaves a decoy hat behind, letting him fake his real position mid-combo.
Landing the Deadly Magic ring on the right target and then hitting it with follow-up skills before the four seconds run out requires tight sequencing under pressure.
Max Poker Trick first for the poke and attack speed stacks, level Space Escape for the extra mobility, and take the ultimate at levels 4, 8 and 12.
Harley's mastery of magic allows his Basic Attack to deal 60 (+50% Total Physical Attack)(+60% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage. His attacks reduce the enemy's Magic Defense by 2 for 3 seconds on hit (up to 10 stacks).
Always active — no cooldown
Harley throws 3-5 waves of cards in the target direction, each dealing 130-210 (+25% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage to the first enemy hit and granting him 10% extra Attack Speed for 3 seconds on hit (up to 5-10 stacks). Enemies hit more than 3 times will take less damage from subsequent hits.
Harley blinks in the designated direction, leaving a magic hat at his place, increasing his Movement Speed by 30% for 2 seconds.
A single spark can start a praine fireHarley casts a magic ring of fire at the target enemy hero (can be blocked by other heroes), dealing them 200-400 (+60% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage and slowing them by 40% for 1.5 seconds. The magic ring stays around the enemy for 4 seconds, during which Harley can hit the magic ring to damage the enemy with his skills.
Our source cuts this description off mid-sentence — the rest is not shown.
Signature combo
Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.
8,120g total
Default pick for picking off isolated targets in the jungle and skirmishes.
Battle spell
Flicker120s CDThe 'Flicker combo' — blinking in right as a hook or stun lands, or blinking out the instant an enemy ultimate is cast — is the single most common high-elo outplay moment in the game.
Swap in when needed
Divine Glaive — Scaling penetration once the enemy stacks magic defense.
Winter Crown — Survives a dive aimed at him while he's mid-ring combo.
Ice Queen Wand — Slow stacking to stop a ringed target from walking out of his skill range.
7,140g total
Against a squishy backline you can isolate and burst before help arrives.
Battle spell
Sprint100s CDUnlike Purify, Sprint does nothing against stuns or roots already applied — it only prevents future slows and outruns melee threats, so it's best on heroes who aren't the primary CC target.
Swap in when needed
Divine Glaive — Penetration once the target builds early magic defense against him.
Holy Crystal — Raw power spike once the game is safely ahead.
Winter Crown — A two-second damage-immune freeze if the dive goes wrong.
The heroes that make this matchup hard, and the mechanic that does it.
LolitaSupport · TankHardGuardian's Reflection bounces Poker Trick's cards straight back, and Deadly Magic can be blocked by any hero standing in front of its target, so she denies Harley's entire combo before it starts.
EudoraMageHardEudora out-bursts Harley in a straight mage duel with a single-target stun into nuke before Harley can even land the ring.
NataliaAssassinHardNatalia's stealth ambush kills Harley before he ever gets Deadly Magic's ring onto a target.
SaberAssassinHardTriple Sweep locks on and knocks Harley airborne for 1.2 seconds through his own combo, and a targeted lock-on is not something Space Escape's single blink can dodge.
SunFighterSoftSun's clone baits Space Escape's blink onto a fake target, and his sustain outlasts the burst Harley needs to land in one window.
Popol and KupaMarksmanSoftIn Alpha Wolf Form, Kupa's lunge stuns Harley for a full second right as he tries to close with Space Escape.
GlooTankSoftGloo sticks to Harley and slows him, denying the repositioning Space Escape's single blink is supposed to buy.
ChipSupport · TankSoftDeadly Magic can be blocked by another hero, and Crash Course's shield lets Chip stand in front and eat the ring meant for a squishier target behind him.Winter CrownNegates the burst window while Deadly Magic's ring is still on the target, saving them from what should be a kill.
Athena's ShieldCuts magic damage taken during the short window his ring combo needs to be lethal.
Tough BootsCuts Deadly Magic's 1.5-second slow, making it easier to walk out of range before Harley can hit the ring again.Heroes whose own counter list names Harley — the same matchup, read from the other side.
CecilionMageHardHis blink combo closes distance instantly and one-shots immobile backline mages like Cecilion before they can react.
JoyAssassinHardHarley's blink-teleport combo matches Joy's mobility hit for hit, and his burst damage kills her faster than she can chain dashes to safety.
KimmyMarksman · MageHardHarley's Deadly Magic ring slows Kimmy by 40% and sticks to her for 4 seconds, and his Space Escape blink-burst combo kills her before Starlium Beam or Traction Pulse can be cast in response.
GordMageSoftSpace Escape blinks him in and back out, so he can ring Gord with Deadly Magic and leave before Gord's cooldowns are up to stun him a second time.Duo partners whose kit completes this one.
LyliaMageLylia's Shadow Energy detonation lands a second burst on the same target Harley has ringed, inside one window.
Chang'eMageMeteor Shower's barrage finishes targets Harley has already ringed and softened with Poker Trick.
ZetianMagePhoenix Descent's zone cuts a target's Magic Defense by 10%, amplifying every hit Harley lands on the ring.
AuroraMageFrosty Breeze freezes a target for a full second, letting Harley land the ring and follow up on it uninterrupted.
NanaMageMolina Smooch transforms a target for 1.5 seconds and shreds their Magic Defense, holding them still while Harley works the ring.
ZhaskMageZhask's Nightmaric Spawn chips a target down with its Death Ray so Harley's ring damage is enough to finish the kill.
ZhuxinMageFluttering Grace's slow and Crimson Beacon's field keep enemies lined up inside Poker Trick's card waves.
ValentinaMageValentina can copy an enemy engage ultimate to open a new kill window for Harley's ring combo.
CyclopsMageStar Power Lockdown immobilizes a target for up to two seconds, long enough for Harley to land Deadly Magic and hit the ring.
VexanaMageVexana's Eternal Guard holds the space around a target for 15 seconds, keeping them where Harley's burst can finish them.Aim Deadly Magic at an isolated target so it can't be intercepted by a body-blocking frontline hero
Hit the active ring with Poker Trick to add damage for every one of the four seconds it stays up
Use Space Escape's decoy hat to bait a skill shot before actually committing to the fight
Stack Poker Trick's attack speed bonus before diving in to add basic-attack damage to the combo
He's demanding — landing Deadly Magic's ring on the right target and then hitting it with follow-up skills before the four seconds run out takes real practice, and his low HP punishes any misplay.
Lightning Truncheon into Glowing Wand and Holy Crystal covers cooldown, burst, and raw power; add Divine Glaive once the enemy team stacks magic defense.
Lolita and Saber are the hardest matchups — Guardian's Reflection can deny his entire combo, and Saber's Triple Sweep knocks him airborne before he can react.
It damages the target on cast and slows them by 40% for 1.5 seconds, then stays around them for four seconds — during that window Harley's own skills can hit the ring to damage the target again, so the value comes from how many casts he lands before it expires.
