Doll-summoning Marksman who links enemies and boxes divers out with her dome
Melissa is a Marksman who fights through her dolls, using Muddles to link and slow nearby enemies with Eyes on You! while Cuddles' Go Away! ultimate creates a repelling dome that damages and denies entry to anyone trying to reach her. Falling! grants a burst of Attack Speed and refunds cooldown as she damages enemies caught by Muddles.
Positioning Muddles to link the right targets and timing Go Away! to wall off divers rather than trap her own team takes practice, though her basic-attack core is straightforward.
Level Eyes on You! first for the link and slow, max Falling! second for Attack Speed and cooldown refund, and take Go Away! at 4, 8 and 12.
Uh-oh, Melissa's taken apart another bunch of dolls!"My tailor shop excels at "fixing" dolls and "fixing" dolls. Am I right?, Muddles?"(Melissa deals 125% damage to minions, creeps and summoned units.)
Always active — no cooldown
Melissa is falling… In your dreams!"Watch me slide forward and increase my Attack Speed for 3 seconds—Ah, that was just boring…""Muddles, go that way!""Cuddles, come here!"(The skill's cooldown is reduced by 0.5 seconds each time Melissa damages the enemy by attacking Muddles.)
Go, Muddles!"The plan's like this: Throw Muddles out to hold the bad guys, and then… I come on stage!""I puncture the bad guys, while Giggles hit Muddles to punish the bad guys! Hee, fantastic!"(Muddles deals 250–400 (+80% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage on the first hit and links nearby enemy heroes and summoned units for up to 6 seconds. Linked enemies will be slowed by 60% that decays over 1.5 seconds and can break the link by moving out of the range.
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Do you know? Hugs will give you the courage to face the darkness."Cuddles, protect me! For 4 seconds, let no bad guys come close. Unless I say otherwise!"(When activated, the field knocks back Melissa creates a dome that continuously damages and repels enemies in the area and deals 500–900 (+100% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage to them. It'll then continuously knock back enemies who attempt to enter the field.
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Signature combo
Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.
7,050g total
Default pick for the gold lane to scale into a late-game basic-attack carry.
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
Immortality — Second life against dive comps that threaten to kill her before Go Away! is up.
Sea Halberd — Cuts enemy healing when facing lifesteal fighters or tanks.
Wind of Nature — Two full seconds of physical damage immunity against physical divers who reach her before Go Away! saves her.
6,840g total
When the enemy stacks physical defense and you need scaling penetration to keep dealing damage.
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
Blade Armor — Against crit-reliant enemy Marksmen threatening to burst her down first.
Queen's Wings — Extra effective HP for surviving burst combos long enough to use Go Away!.
Dominance Ice — Anti-heal against the lifesteal fighters chasing her, and flat Hybrid Defense while they are inside Eyes on You!'s link.
The heroes that make this matchup hard, and the mechanic that does it.
Yi Sun-shinAssassin · MarksmanHardYi Sun-shin's mobility lets him weave in and out of Basic Attack range faster than Muddles can maintain a link on him.
TerizlaFighter · TankHardTerizla's Penalty Zone knocks Melissa airborne and its Scaffold hooks her back in three times, dragging her through Go Away!'s dome instead of being repelled by it.
GrangerMarksmanHardGranger's burst damage can kill Melissa outright before Go Away!'s dome comes online to zone him out.
BaratsTank · FighterHardBarats's Detona's Welcome charge devours and suppresses Melissa for 1.2 seconds, landing before she can wall herself off with Go Away!'s knockback dome.
GatotkacaTank · FighterHardGatotkaca's ultimate pulls Melissa into the enemy team, bypassing Go Away!'s dome since the pull lands before she can react.
EudoraMageHardEudora's Ball Lightning stuns Melissa for 1.2 seconds, long enough for the Superconductor follow-up to kill her before Go Away! is ready.
EdithTank · MarksmanHardEdith's Onward charge throws Melissa over Phylax's shoulder and Lightning Bolt immobilizes her from range, both bypassing the positioning Go Away!'s dome is meant to protect.
BelerickTankSoftBelerick's thorn damage punishes Melissa for sustained Basic Attacks through Eyes on You!'s link, and his tankiness shrugs off her early-game damage.
BaxiaTankSoftBaxia Mark shaves a flat amount off every one of Melissa's Basic Attacks, and Baxia-Shield Unity's charge closes the gap despite Go Away!'s dome.
PharsaMageSoftPharsa's superior range lets her poke Melissa down before Eyes on You! or Falling! are close enough to matter.Blade ArmorReflects damage on the Basic Attacks Melissa relies on through Eyes on You!'s link, and cuts her crit damage.
Antique CuirassStacking damage reduction blunts repeated Basic Attacks from Falling!'s cooldown-refund loop.
Winter CrownNegates the damage window Go Away!'s dome creates before Melissa's team can follow up.Heroes whose own counter list names Melissa — the same matchup, read from the other side.
HildaFighter · TankHardEyes on You! links Hilda with a 60% slow and Go Away! repels her every time she tries to close, so she never reaches combo range.
AldousFighterSoftHer long-range poke whittles him down and Go Away!'s dome repels him back out before he ever closes into enhanced-attack range.
AlucardFighter · AssassinSoftHer range and barrier zone kite Alucard from outside melee range, denying the sustained basic-attack contact his lifesteal needs.
KarinaAssassinSoftMelissa's Eyes on You! link slows Karina by 60% and Go Away!'s dome physically repels her, so the burst combo she needs in one clean rotation never connects.
LeomordFighterSoftMelissa's Muddles tether applies a decaying slow from range, letting her kite Leomord's melee combo before he ever closes in with Decimation Assault.
LesleyMarksman · AssassinSoftMelissa's Muddles tether applies a decaying slow the moment Lesley is in range, denying her the distance she needs to safely channel Ultimate Snipe.Duo partners whose kit completes this one.
HarleyAssassin · MageHarley's blink burst finishes off targets Melissa has already linked and slowed with Eyes on You!.
GusionAssassinGusion picks off enemies caught in Eyes on You!'s link before they can escape its slow.
YinFighter · AssassinYin's Instant Blast stuns a target with the Golden Ring's follow-up, pinning them inside Melissa's Eyes on You! link for a guaranteed Basic Attack chain.
MartisFighterMartis's Decimation executes targets that Melissa's sustained Basic Attack damage has already worn down.
GlooTankGloo's binding and tankiness give Melissa a stationary target to link with Eyes on You! and safely Basic Attack.
FannyAssassinFanny finishes off enemies Melissa has slowed and damaged through Eyes on You!'s link before they can retreat.
PaquitoFighter · AssassinPaquito's engage forces enemies into range where Melissa can link them with Eyes on You! and open Basic Attack damage.
LolitaSupport · TankLolita's shield lets Melissa tank a burst combo long enough to land Eyes on You! and start her Basic Attack chain.
ChouFighterChou's ultimate kicks a fleeing target back into Melissa's Basic Attack range instead of letting them escape her link.
EstesSupportEstes's healing keeps Melissa alive through poke exchanges so she can scale into her late-game power spike.Position Muddles to link priority targets with Eyes on You! before committing to a fight
Use Go Away! defensively when divers close in, not just as a follow-up damage tool
Chain Falling!'s cooldown refund by keeping Muddles' link active on a damaged target
Farm safely early and look to scale — Melissa's power curve favors patience over lane aggression
Melissa is moderate difficulty — her Basic Attack core is simple, but positioning Muddles' link and timing Go Away!'s dome to block divers instead of your own team takes practice.
A standard hypercarry build with Berserker's Fury, Windtalker, and Malefic Roar covers most games, giving crit damage and penetration for her late-game power spike.
Granger, Eudora, Edith, and Gatotkaca counter Melissa hard — they either burst her down before Go Away! is ready or displace her through the dome entirely.
Go Away! summons Cuddles to create a dome that continuously damages enemies inside and knocks back anyone trying to enter, denying divers access to Melissa for its duration.
