Mid-lane mage who slows a target, steals their ultimate, and morphs into them.
Valentina is a mid-lane mage built around I Am You: she slows an enemy hero, steals the right to cast their own ultimate, and morphs into their form and basic-attack type for up to 12 seconds. Shadow Strike marks whoever it hits and terrifies them on a second hit within 4 seconds, while Arcane Shade's recastable dash both repositions her and shaves time off Shadow Strike's cooldown.
She has to track every enemy ultimate's exact effect and cooldown, land the 0.5s I Am You slow on the right target, then pilot a completely different kit for up to 12 seconds while still surviving as a squishy mage.
Max Shadow Strike first for the slow, mark, and burst damage, level Arcane Shade second for the extra bolts and cooldown refund, and take I Am You at levels 4, 8 and 12.
Valentina gains 8–50 extra EXP each time she deals damage to an enemy hero. Cooldown: 2 seconds. If the enemy hero's level isn't higher than Valentina's, 30% of the damage dealt is converted into her HP. The EXP scales with Valentina's level.
Valentina casts Shadow Strike in the target direction, dealing 340–665 (+185% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage to enemies hit and slowing them by 40% for 1 second. Enemy heroes hit by Shadow Strike are marked with a Shadow Sigil for 4 seconds and will be terrified for 1s when hit by Shadow Strike again within the duration (a unit can only be terrified once within 4 seconds.
Valentina dashes in the target direction, firing 3 Shadow Bolts at nearby enemies that deal 125–225 (+30% Total Magic Power) Magic Damage each. Valentina can cast this skill again within 6s (costs Mana). The cooldown of Shadow Strike is reduced by 1 second each time a Shadow Bolt hits an enemy.
Valentina slows the target enemy hero by 70% for 0.5 seconds and gains the ability to cast their Ultimate. Casting the enemy's Ultimate turns Valentina into the enemy hero's form and allows her to inherit their Basic Attack type for up to 12 seconds. Her regular skills remain unchanged, unless the enemy's Ultimate has a Morph effect.
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Cooldown not recorded
Signature combo
Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.
7,970g total
Default pick into a mixed lane matchup where you can farm and look for ultimate-steal windows.
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 against her burst.
Ice Queen Wand — Stacking slow to control dash-heavy assassins hunting her before I Am You is ready.
Winter Crown — Negates a burst combo aimed at her during the exposed I Am You cast window.
7,990g total
When the enemy has a short-cooldown ultimate worth stealing repeatedly across a fight.
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 — Extra penetration once her stolen ultimate and Shadow Strike alone can't break through defense.
Clock of Destiny — 10% Cooldown Reduction and Destiny's stacking Hybrid Defense to keep recasting Arcane Shade through a long game.
Flask of the Oasis — HP and sustain in a drawn-out mid-lane skirmish before her items complete.
8,010g total
Against a heavy-CC or dive-heavy draft that can shut down I Am You before she casts it.
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
Athena's Shield — Short-window magic damage reduction against a burst assassin diving her.
Radiant Armor — Sustained magic damage reduction against a DPS-heavy magic threat.
Winter Crown — Buys a window to land Shadow Strike's slow before committing to I Am You.
The heroes that make this matchup hard, and the mechanic that does it.
PhoveusFighterHardOnce Demonic Impact or Dark Wave has put Sinner's Mark on her, Judgement leaps him onto Valentina from anywhere, so Arcane Shade's dash never buys the distance she needs, and Demonic Force's charge knocks her back out of the I Am You cast.
KhufraTankHardBouncing Ball knocks any blink that tries to cross him straight into the air, cutting off Valentina's Arcane Shade approach, and Tyrant's Rage then drags her back to his front and stuns her against the nearest wall.
MinsittharFighterHardKing's Calling's Royal Guards stop her using Arcane Shade at all inside the field, and Spear of Glory stuns her on the tip then drags her back to him, denying the window she needs to land Shadow Strike or complete I Am You before he finishes her.
BaratsTank · FighterSoftAs a durable frontline fighter he can walk through Shadow Strike's 1s slow to close distance, and stealing his ultimate only grants Valentina his physical basic-attack type — a weak payoff since her build is stacked with Magic Power instead of physical attack.
CyclopsMageSoftStar Power Lockdown immobilizes her for up to two seconds from range, and Starlit Hourglass keeps shaving his cooldowns every time his spheres connect, so he can punish any gap in her rotation before she ever starts the I Am You cast.
BelerickTankSoftDeadly Thorns fires damage back at Valentina every time Shadow Strike or Arcane Shade's bolts tag him at close range, and Wrath of Dryad only taunts, so stealing it with I Am You gets her a peel tool she has no frontline to use.
AliceTank · MageSoftBlood Banquet heals Alice every half-second once Crimson is stacked, so she sustains through Shadow Strike's burst in the lane trade, and Doom Waltz's 70% slow pins Valentina mid-combo, denying the follow-up she needs right after landing a slow.
ValirMageSoftSearing Torrent's firewall punishes Valentina every time Arcane Shade's dash carries her through it, and Ashing's stacking Ablaze adds free damage — plus a stun at three stacks — on top of every skill trade in the mid lane.
KaleaSupport · FighterSoftTidal Strike charges in and knocks Valentina airborne and Tsunami Slam grabs her outright, an all-in approach she has no hard CC of her own to peel before I Am You is even relevant.
BeatrixMarksmanSoftWesker's Elation shreds Valentina outright if she dashes into shotgun range, and Renner's Apathy snipes her for one enormous shot from a distance she can't safely close with Arcane Shade alone.Heroes whose own counter list names Valentina — the same matchup, read from the other side.
AldousFighterHardShe can copy Contract: Chase Fate mid-fight and turn Aldous's own execute dash against his team.
AtlasTankHardShe can copy Fatal Links itself once Atlas commits to it, turning his own signature engage into a second pull against his own team.
BenedettaAssassin · FighterHardValentina can copy an enemy engage ultimate to immobilize or burst Benedetta right as she commits to a dash.
CarmillaSupport · TankHardHer ultimate copies an enemy's ultimate on cast, letting her steal Curse of Blood and turn Carmilla's own link-and-burst tool against her team.
FaramisSupport · MageHardValentina's I Am You can steal Cult Altar outright, handing her own team the specter state and resurrection window Faramis's team was counting on to win the fight.
KaditaMage · AssassinHardValentina can copy Rough Waves the moment Kadita uses it against her, turning Kadita's own invincible burst into a threat aimed back at her.Duo partners whose kit completes this one.
DiggieSupportTime Journey clears crowd control off Valentina and briefly makes her control-immune, giving her the safety to land Shadow Strike's slow and complete the 0.5s I Am You cast without being interrupted by peel.
MathildaSupport · AssassinGuiding Wind hauls Valentina along with Mathilda and shields her on arrival, putting her in range to land Shadow Strike from an angle the target doesn't expect, before they can reposition away from the ultimate-steal setup.AliceTank · MageThrone of Ruin lands on a group and immobilizes everyone in range for a second, giving Valentina a clean window to land Shadow Strike's mark and re-apply it within 4 seconds for a guaranteed terrify on her intended I Am You target.
NatanMarksmanShadow Strike's slow, and the terrify from a second hit within its 4s Shadow Sigil window, buys Natan the uninterrupted positioning he needs to finish a locked-down target with his stacking basic attacks.
FlorynSupportFloryn's automatic healing on the lowest-HP ally keeps Valentina topped up through mid-lane poke trades, letting her play aggressively for Primal Force's damage-to-HP conversion.
Yi Sun-shinAssassin · MarksmanTraceless dashes him onto a target Valentina has already slowed with Shadow Strike while he's immune to control, and Mountain Shocker's turtle ship rams in to stun anyone she's chipped down with Arcane Shade's bolts.
ChipSupport · TankChip's shield and body-block absorb burst aimed at Valentina during the vulnerable window when she's standing still to complete the I Am You cast.
MashaFighter · TankAncient Strength gives Masha three separate HP bars to burn through, so she absorbs the focus fire and gives Valentina space to land Shadow Strike's slow on her actual ultimate-steal target without becoming the priority kill herself.
HarithMageHarith's Chrono Dash chain keeps pressuring the same target Valentina slows with Shadow Strike, and if she steals an engage ultimate, his follow-up dash lands cleanly on the target it locks down.
JoyAssassinMeow, Rhythm of Joy! chains up to four dashes cleanly onto a target Valentina has already slowed with Shadow Strike, since they can't kite away from her follow-up burst.Scout the enemy ultimates before committing to I Am You — a marksman's rain-of-arrows or a tank's engage grab is a far better steal than a purely defensive shield ultimate
Land Shadow Strike once to apply Shadow Sigil, then wait for the 4s window and hit them again to guarantee the terrify before you commit I Am You
Weave Shadow Strike and Arcane Shade bolts into every trade in lane — Primal Force's bonus EXP per hit accelerates her to level 6 faster than a passive poke pattern would
Use Arcane Shade's recast to reposition after Shadow Strike lands rather than before, so the cooldown reduction from bolt hits is already banked
Against a target with no useful ultimate, skip I Am You entirely and just burn Shadow Strike and Arcane Shade bolts as a straightforward poke combo
No — she has one of the highest skill ceilings in the mage class, since she needs to memorize every enemy ultimate's effect and cooldown and correctly judge whether a steal is even worth taking mid-fight.
Lightning Truncheon into Holy Crystal and Genius Wand covers cooldown, raw burst, and penetration for most games; swap in Ice Queen Wand or Winter Crown when the enemy has heavy dive or burst threats hunting her.
Khufra and Minsitthar are the hardest counters since Bouncing Ball knocks her dash approach into the air and King's Calling's Royal Guards shut Arcane Shade off entirely while Minsitthar drags her in.
No — it's only as strong as the ultimate she steals, so a purely defensive or situational enemy ultimate is often not worth the risk of the telegraphed slow; skip it and just poke with Shadow Strike and Arcane Shade instead.
