Simple max-range marksman whose damage scales with distance
Layla is a gold-lane marksman built around fighting from as far away as possible — Malefic Gun deals up to 30% bonus damage the farther she is from her target. Void Projectile applies a mark that stuns on the next hit, and Destruction Rush fires a heavy burst of physical damage down a full line, permanently extending her attack range each time it's leveled.
Her three skills are simple skillshots with no combo timing or resource management, making her the most mechanically simple marksman in the game.
Max Void Projectile first for the mark-and-stun combo, level Malefic Bomb for burst and mobility, and take the ultimate at levels 4, 8 and 12.
Layla deals increased damage to enemies farther away from her (starting at 100% and increasing to 130% at 6 units away). This does not include Turrets.
“Target locked. Fire!”
Always active — no cooldown
Layla fires a Malefic Bomb in the target direction, dealing 200–400 (+80% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to the first enemy hit (can critically strike). Upon hitting an enemy, Layla's Basic Attacks and Void Projectile gain extra range for 3 seconds, and she gains 60% Movement Speed that decays over 1.2 seconds. The duration of the Movement Speed boost is doubled if an enemy hero is hit.
Layla fires an orb of Malefic Energy that explodes on hit, dealing 170–320 (+65% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to targets in the area and applying Magic Mark on them for 3 seconds. When Layla hits an enemy with a Magic Mark, she deals 100–200 (+35% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to nearby enemies and stuns them for 0.25 seconds.
Layla fires a blast of Malefic Energy in the target direction, dealing 500–800 (+150% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to enemies in a line. Passive: The range of Layla's Void Projectile and Basic Attacks is increased by 0.6–1.8 units. Her sight range is also slightly increased each time this skill is upgraded.
Signature combo
Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.
7,050g total
Default pick when the draft lets her farm safely to six items.
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
Blade Armor — Against enemy crit-reliant marksmen dueling her in the same lane.
Queen's Wings — The low-HP damage reduction buys survival her kit alone can't cover.
Sea Halberd — Cuts healing when the enemy team stacks lifesteal or regen.
6,910g total
Against burst assassins or a dive-heavy draft that goes through her frontline for her.
Battle spell
Purify90s CDPurify does not clear suppression (e.g. Franco's Bloody Hunt or Khufra's ultimate) — a common mistake is trusting it to escape a hook combo it can't actually cleanse.
Swap in when needed
Wind of Nature — Two full seconds of physical damage immunity against the burst assassins this build is aimed at.
Sea Halberd — Cuts healing when the enemy backline sustains through her damage.
Beyond the swaps listed in the builds above.
The heroes that make this matchup hard, and the mechanic that does it.
AtlasTankHardAtlas's ultimate is an unblockable team-wide pull that drags Layla out of her safe max-range position and into the middle of the enemy team regardless of positioning.
EsmeraldaTank · MageHardFrostmoon Shield stacks faster than Layla can chip it down, and Falling Starmoon blinks onto her and immobilizes, ending the max-range game outright.
HelcurtAssassinHardDark Night Falls strips Layla's sight range for three seconds and Hidden Terror blinks him on top of her, denying any chance to fight back or land Void Projectile's mark first.
TigrealTankHardTigreal's ultimate is a team-wide AoE stun and pull, dragging Layla out of position and locking her down before her team can peel.
JohnsonTank · SupportSoftJohnson can transform into his car and drive straight through terrain to reach Layla, bypassing the distance she relies on for Malefic Gun's damage bonus.
SunFighterSoftSun's clones keep applying pressure even if the real Sun is focused, closing distance on Layla faster than her kite tools can handle alone.
HylosTankSoftThickened Blood turns his huge mana pool straight into extra Max HP, and Glorious Pathway's slow immunity and regen walk him through Layla's damage for most of a fight.
GatotkacaTank · FighterSoftUnbreakable forces Layla to attack him while he sprints in, and Avatar of the Guardian lands on top of her for a one-second knock-up before she can kite away.
GrockTank · FighterSoftGrock's wall creates a barrier that blocks Layla's escape route or line of sight, denying the space she needs to kite safely.
Winter CrownIts damage-negation window can swallow the burst from Destruction Rush or a marked-and-stunned combo.
Tough BootsCuts the duration of Void Projectile's stun, making it easier to walk out of her combo.Blade ArmorReduces crit damage and reflects basic attack damage back at her, punishing a basic-attack-reliant marksman.Heroes whose own counter list names Layla — the same matchup, read from the other side.
BrunoMarksmanSoftHer superior Basic Attack range and Malefic Gun's damage bonus against distant targets punish Bruno for closing in to retrieve the Powerball.
ClintMarksmanSoftHer superior Basic Attack range and Malefic Gun's damage bonus at distance punish Clint for trading in a straight poke exchange.
CyclopsMageSoftLayla's Malefic Bomb and Destruction Rush ultimate outrange Cyclops's zone entirely, letting her poke him down risk-free.
EdithTank · MarksmanSoftLayla's Malefic Bomb and Destruction Rush outrange both her Phylax and flight-form basic attacks, letting Layla poke her down from safety.
IrithelMarksmanSoftLayla's longer range and ultimate laser out-poke Irithel's shorter effective range in the early laning phase.
KajaSupport · FighterSoftVoid Projectile's Magic Mark stuns Kaja the moment she follows up, cutting off the Lightning Bomb approach before he ever reaches suppression range.Duo partners whose kit completes this one.
FrancoTankFranco's Iron Hook drags an isolated target into Layla's range, giving her a guaranteed follow-up window for Void Projectile's mark-and-stun and Destruction Rush.
RafaelaSupportHoly Healing tops Layla up and hands her 30% Movement Speed plus slow immunity, exactly what she needs to hold her max-range positioning through a fight.KajaSupport · FighterKaja's ultimate suppresses and drags a target within Layla's effective range, letting her land a full mark-and-burst combo on someone who can't escape.
GlooTankStick, Stick piles slow stacks on a target and Grab, Grab attaches Gloo outright, keeping them inside Layla's kill range long enough for Destruction Rush to finish them.
HarleyAssassin · MageDeadly Magic's ring slows a target by 40% and clings to them for four seconds, giving Layla the free window she needs to land Void Projectile's mark and follow-up stun.
Popol and KupaMarksmanBite 'em, Kupa! sets the wolf chewing on the same target Layla is already poking, and Kupa keeps chasing it so it can't disengage out of her range.
SelenaAssassin · MageAbyssal Arrow stuns from across the map, and the longer it flew the longer the stun, letting Layla safely poke and then finish with Destruction Rush from max range.
RogerFighter · MarksmanLycan Pounce lunges onto fleeing targets and heavily slows them, herding them back into Layla's effective attack range.
ZhuxinMageZhuxin's channeled Lantern Flare suspends enemies who accumulate enough stacks, and Layla can safely poke from range to help chip them down without risk.
FaramisSupport · MageKills Layla secures from range feed directly into Faramis's passive, growing his stats and skill damage toward the resurrection payoff of his ultimate.Land Void Projectile first to apply the Magic Mark, then follow up with any hit to trigger the stun on a priority target
Fight from max range whenever possible — Malefic Gun's passive rewards distance with real bonus damage
Line up Destruction Rush through as many enemies as possible; it hits everyone in the line, not just the first target
Use Malefic Bomb's movement speed boost to reposition during a fight, not just to chase, since it doubles in duration on a hero hit
Yes — she's widely considered the most beginner-friendly marksman, with simple skillshots and no combo timing or resource management to learn.
Swift Boots into Windtalker, Berserker's Fury and Malefic Roar covers the standard carry build, shifting into Tough Boots and Queen's Wings against a dive-heavy draft.
Atlas, Esmeralda, Helcurt and Tigreal are the hardest counters since they can pull, blink onto, or lock her down before she can kite, while Johnson, Sun, Hylos, Gatotkaca and Grock all close distance or out-tank her in softer ways.
Malefic Gun increases her damage the farther she is from her target, starting at 100% and scaling up to 130% at maximum range, which is why she wants to fight from as far away as possible.
