Ishar — Patch 1.63 Verdict
[Default: B]
Ishar — Mage Guide
Key Insights
- Furball scales off Ishar's bonus magic power, so AP items buff both your damage and Furball's armor, magic resist, and attack simultaneously.
- When Furball dies it sprints at enemies for 5 seconds with 100% bonus move speed; track the 15s respawn before committing to fights.
- Q requires two hits on the same target to plant the mushroom. The 2.5s delayed explosion only threatens after both land.
- W stuns anything Furball passes through for 0.75s, then knocks up enemies near Ishar for 1s. A Furball already on top of you gives near-zero stun range.
- Dreamy Circle's barrier lasts 3 full seconds; Furball dashes to its center gaining 30% damage reduction, 100% attack speed, and 60 magic damage per second aura.
Strengths
Dreamy Circle splits teams and cages diving assassins.- W stun-into-knockup chain is reliable CC with no skillshot aim.
Furball's passive scaling adds real late-game tankiness.- Two-hit
Somnial Fungus forces zone respect even off cooldown.
Weaknesses
- Pre-mushroom laning is weak; early ganks against her are low-risk.
- All CC relies on Furball's position; one displacement dismantles her combo.
- Somnial Fungus's 2.5s delay telegraphs her burst; aware players walk out.
- No Flicker means no real escape;
Somnial Shield alone can't outrun assassins.
Matchups
Abilities
PFurball
Furball's Attack Power, HP, Armor, and Magic Armor scale with Ishar's bonus Magic Power. Furball's first attack deals Magic Damage. When not in combat, Furball regenerates 6% HP per second and can be resummoned after 15 seconds. If Ishar dies, Furball gains 100% Movement Speed and hunts enemies for 5 seconds.
1Somnial Fungus
Ishar releases power to deal Magic Damage to enemies. If the target is hit 2 times, the next ability cast spawns a mushroom behind the first hero hit. After 2.5 seconds, the mushroom explodes and deals Magic Damage. Furball charges the first target hit by this ability (always prioritizes heroes), dealing Physical Damage and applying a brief Movement Speed slow.
2Somnial Shield
Ishar creates a shield and gains 50% Movement Speed for 2 seconds. Furball charges back to Ishar and stuns enemies it passes through for 0.75 seconds. Upon return, enemies around Ishar are knocked airborne for 1 second and have their Movement Speed reduced by 50% for 1 second.
RDreamy Circle
Ishar creates a Magic circle at a target location. After 0.5 seconds, the circle becomes a barrier blocking enemies for 3 seconds. Furball charges to the skill location, dealing Magic Damage and granting itself a buff: takes 30% reduced damage, gains 100% Attack Speed, and deals 60 Magic Damage per second to nearby enemies.
Skill Order
Priority: R > Q > W| Skill | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Somnial Fungus | 1 | · | 3 | · | 5 | · | 7 | · | 9 | · | · | · | 13 | · | · |
| 2Somnial Shield | · | 2 | · | 4 | · | · | · | 8 | · | 10 | · | 12 | · | 14 | · |
| RDreamy Circle | · | · | · | · | · | 6 | · | · | · | · | 11 | · | · | · | 15 |
Loadout
Desolate
Protect
SecretMid Lane
1
2
3
4
5
6Support
123
4
5
6Core Combos
Mushroom Burst (Core Trade)
1121Land two Qs to plant the mushroom, throw in an auto-attack to close the damage gap, then press W so Furball's return stun holds the target inside the detonation zone when the mushroom pops on the third Q cast. The sequence is designed so the explosion lands mid-stun.
All-In Teamfight Lock
R1121Drop Dreamy Circle behind the enemy frontline to seal off retreat, double-Q to plant the mushroom on a squishy trapped inside, then W to stun-knockup while the mushroom timer counts down. Furball's R aura deals continuous damage to everyone penned inside.
Flicker Engage
R2111Place R on top of your position, then immediately Flicker forward into the enemy cluster so the barrier now cages them behind you. Follow with W for the knockup and rapid-fire QQ to plant and detonate the mushroom before anyone escapes.
Death-Passive Punish
R11P2If Ishar dies during an extended fight, Furball's enrage sprint should already be inside a live Dreamy Circle. Cast R and plant a mushroom before going down so Furball's death-buff aggression overlaps with the trapped enemies and the pending explosion.
Expert Video Guide
RoV : Ishar สอนเล่นอิชาร์ เมจตัวตึงสุดแรง กับลูกหมีสุดโหดคอมโบเดียวตาย!! - Best Ryouta — Best Ryouta
Gameplan
Ishar's first real power spike is Orb of the Magi completion. The flat HP and mana let her trade repeatedly in lane without going dry, and Furball's scaling jumps noticeably at that point. The true mid-game spike arrives when Soul Scroll is online alongside Hecate's Diadem. At that point the mushroom detonation deals enough damage that a two-man group caught inside R simply can't ignore it. Dreamy Circle's barrier hitting full value in teamfights makes objectives, Dragon and Dark Slayer specifically, her strongest moments. She's weakest in the window between levels 1 and 5 before the mushroom mechanic is established, and again in ultra-late games against full-build assassins who can blow through both the shield and Furball in a single rotation.
Early Game
Levels 1–6- →Play safe and focus on landing two Qs on the enemy mid laner to establish the mushroom threat. Don't greed for kills before level 4. Your job pre-mushroom is to not feed.
- →Position Furball aggressively in the wave so its first-hit magic auto harasses while you farm, giving you free chip damage without exposing yourself.
- →Ping your jungler when the mushroom is planted and your W is up. That combination is a free-kill setup if they arrive within 2.5 seconds.
Mid Game
Post Broken Spear- →After Orb of the Magi and Gilded Greaves, rotate to Dragon fights and use R's barrier to cut the Dragon pit exit. This is where Ishar's terrain tool wins objectives that pure-damage mages cannot.
- →In skirmishes, always press W before walking toward the enemy rather than after. Arriving with Furball already recalled means you deliver the knockup the instant you enter melee range.
- →If you are behind, use the R barrier defensively. Place it between your retreating carry and pursuing assassins rather than forcing damage you can't afford.
Late Game
Teamfight phase- →Dark Slayer setup is Ishar's highest-value late-game action: place Dreamy Circle across the pit entrance so the enemy can't collapse, then let your team secure the objective safely.
- →By Hecate's Diadem plus Staff of Nuul, Furball's aura damage inside R is significant enough that it's worth targeting squishy enemies rather than the tank. Adjust your R placement to catch carries, not frontline.
- →Track enemy Flickers and gap-closer cooldowns. Dreamy Circle only wins fights if enemies can't instantly Flicker through the barrier, so hold R for the 2 to 3 seconds after those tools are burned.
Pro Tips
- →Before pressing W, check where Furball is standing. If it's already next to you, the stun arc is negligible. Walk slightly away from enemies first so Furball travels through them on its return path.
- →Dreamy Circle blocks movement but not dashes, so use it to cut off non-dashing enemies (tanks, carries without gap-closers) rather than trying to cage heroes with dashes. Against dashers, place it as a retreat wall behind your own team instead.
- →In lane, enemies often step back after the first Q hit to dodge the mushroom. Use that predictable retreat to drop Q slightly behind where they're backing to rather than at their current spot, effectively leading the target.
- →Ishar's death-enrage passive on Furball is most valuable when a Dreamy Circle is already up. If you are going to die in a fight, drop R first so Furball's 5-second aggression sprint overlaps with the barrier and any live mushroom detonation.
Ishar is a niche but rewarding pick for Diamond-plus mid laners who want a mage with genuine macro impact rather than pure burst. Her terrain creation and dual-body kit offer decisions that straightforward damage mages don't. She doesn't belong in every draft, and taking her blind into high-mobility assassin compositions will frustrate even skilled players. The single most important habit to build is tracking Furball's position before every W press. That one adjustment separates players who get half a stun from players who get the full stun-into-knockup chain every single time.
Ishar — Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ishar good in the current ROV patch?+
Ishar is a B-tier mid laner in the current Thai-server ranked meta, viable but not dominant. Her barrier and dual-entity kit give her unique playmaking tools that stronger players can exploit around objectives, but the prevalence of mobile assassins in this patch makes her laning phase and combo setup reliably punishable at high rank.
What is the best build for Ishar?+
The standard core is Orb of the Magi into Gilded Greaves, then Soul Scroll, Hecate's Diadem, Staff of Nuul, and Holy of Holies. Orb first is non-negotiable. The HP sustain covers her weak early laning, and the magic power scales both her personal damage and Furball's stats at the same time.
How do you counter Ishar?+
Pick heroes with reliable dashes who can exit the Dreamy Circle barrier before it fully forms, or mobile assassins like Nakroth and Butterfly who can one-rotate Ishar before her two-Q mushroom plant is complete. In lane, stepping back after the first Q hit to avoid the mushroom setup is the single most effective counterplay. A mushroom that never detonates on a hero is essentially a wasted ability.
Is Ishar hard to play / good for beginners?+
Ishar is rated Hard difficulty, and that rating is earned. Managing Furball's position as a second entity while executing the two-Q mushroom setup and timing Dreamy Circle's barrier placement is a lot to track at once. Beginners will almost certainly underperform on her. She's best picked up by players who already have a solid grasp of mid-lane wave management and teamfight positioning.