Hero Mastery

Lina

A nuke + right-click hybrid: Dragon Slave clears waves, Light Strike Array stuns, Fiery Soul stacks attack + move speed on every cast, and Laguna Blade deletes a single hero.

Mastery parameters

Your GPM, last hits and damage per game against other Lina players — average vs Top 20%.

Members only

Learning journey

1 Know the kit
2 Win the lane
3 Timing & rotations
4 Win the fights
5 Master

5 stages, each with one target from your own games and one short quiz. Make Lina your mastery hero to start — progress shows on Home and Arcana.

Phase by phase

The 1v1: last hits + rune control

You 70%Team 30%

Skills in lane — Pro cores max Dragon Slave (Q) first — 83% of 397 games since patch 7.41, then Fiery Soul (E). First talent at level 11.
Level 6 — Laguna Blade — Laguna Blade deletes a squishy hero. Light Strike Array → Dragon Slave → Laguna is your one-shot combo.

Skills 1–7

Starting items

Iron Branch56%
Faerie Fire15%
Tango14%
Observer Ward13%
Circlet of Nobility1%
Magic Stick1%

Pros buy this phase

Boots of Travel57%
Falcon Blade19%
Power Treads12%
Maelstrom7%
Phase Boots2%

The Midlaner's job this phase

Focus on last hits & denies — a 10-creep lead by minute 5 is a real level advantage.
Minutes 6, 8, 10, …: check water/power runes. A full Bottle means you can spam spells.
Ask a support to arrive 30 seconds before power runes when your lane is rough.

Counters & weaknesses

Magic burst heroFragile hero (easy to catch)

The items that shut Lina down, 3 heroes that trouble it, and your answer when you play it.

Members only

Why this way? How OpenAI Five learned

One hero, one role first
OpenAI's first bot played only Shadow Fiend, only mid, until it mastered it. Stay on Lina in one role before moving on.
Small, measurable rewards
OpenAI Five was rewarded for last hits and staying alive long before it understood winning. That's why each journey stage has one number to hit.
From yourself to the team
Its 'team spirit' rose over the game: early on, look after yourself; late, play for the team. Each phase's meter shows the split.
Use proven builds
OpenAI Five's builds were hand-written, not trial and error. Start from the pro build, then experiment.

Phase items: what pros buy on this hero (OpenDota). Parameters: percentiles of players on this hero (OpenDota). Item effects checked against Valve's own item data.