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Pick another hero

Hero Mastery

Lycan

The fastest pushing carry: Summon Wolves add damage + control, Feral Impulse buffs all your units, and Shapeshift grants crit + max move speed for objectives.

Pos 1 · Carry (Safe Lane)Pos 3 · Offlaner
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Mastery parameters

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

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Learning journey

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

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

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Phase by phase

Laning: last hits above everything

You 80%Team 20%

  • Skills in lane — Pro cores max Summon Wolves (Q) first — 100% of 311 games since patch 7.41, then Feral Impulse (E). First talent at level 11.

  • Level 6 — Shapeshift — Shapeshift gives crit + max speed. This is your window to push towers and take an early Roshan before anyone.

Skills 1–7

  1. Q1
  2. E2
  3. Q3
  4. W4
  5. Q5
  6. R6
  7. Q7

Starting items

  • Iron Branch42%
  • Sage's Mask22%
  • Tango11%
  • Quelling Blade11%
  • Faerie Fire5%
  • Magic Stick4%

Items this phase

  • Tango
  • Quelling Blade
  • Iron Branch
  • Circlet of Nobility
  • Magic Wand
  • Boots of Speed
The Carry (Safe Lane)'s job this phase
  • Aim for 45–50 last hits by minute 10 — check that number every game, it's your main KPI.
  • Don't over-harass: trade HP only when it doesn't cost you last hits.
  • Minutes 2 & 4: ask your support to pull so the lane stays near your tower.

Lycan

Counters & weaknesses

Summoner (many units)Right-click carry (physical damage)

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

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Why this way? How OpenAI Five learned

  1. One hero, one role first

    OpenAI's first bot played only Shadow Fiend, only mid, until it mastered it. Stay on Lycan in one role before moving on.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.