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• Small mana pool. Davion is very spell-dependent at all stages of the game and this weakness must be addressed quickly with items like  Soul Ring,  Magic Wand,  Infused Raindrops, and  Power Treads. He also has a mana regen talent at level 10 that you may take.

• Low attack damage. Although  Elder Dragon Form adds 20 magic DPS for 5s to his attack and his splash damage amplifies it in a way, he needs to obtain a damage item like  Armlet of Mordiggian and his level 15 damage talent before he can really pack a punch.

• Poor mobility. Davion has no innate skill for initiating, escaping, or repositioning. His 280 movement speed is quite bad, although in  Elder Dragon Form he gains 30 MS. A  Blink Dagger,  Silver Edge,  Hurricane Pike,  Drum of Endurance, and/or  Sange and Yasha is important.

• Magic and pure damage. Davion is usually in the middle of team fights and pushes, yet his armor does nothing versus magic and pure damage. Against magic damage, we get items like  Infused Raindrops until we can finish a  Black King Bar or occasionally a  Hood of Defiance. Against both magic and pure damage, we will prioritize strength-gain items that increase our HP.
  
  See Dotabuff's matchups for Davion for a full list of friends and foes.
  
  DAVION'S FAVORITE TEAMMATES
  
  Davion likes teammates that shore up weaknesses and/or keep the enemy grouped so that his splash damage is more impactful.

  • Carries.  Drow Ranger and  Luna both pair amazingly well with Davion because they increase his DPS and pushing power.

  • Offlaners.  Magnus,  Enigma, and  Earthshaker are incredible initiators or counter-initiators that keep the enemy grouped.  Empower is also great on Davion. See this video for why I love Magnus + Davion so much.

  • Supports.  Vengeful Spirit is good for the same reason as Drow and Luna.  Warlock can counter-initiate, keep enemy grouped, and amplify your damage.

  
  DAVION'S FAVORITE FOES
  

  • Heroes reliant on physical damage.  Templar Assassin,  Weaver,  Lycan,  Sven,  Phantom Assassin,  Riki,  Juggernaut,  Slardar,  Legion Commander,  Windranger,  Slardar,  Ursa,  Clinkz,  Nature's Prophet, etc. Note that some of these heroes can counter you with  Maelstrom and  Silver Edge, however.

  • Heroes that hate AOE. In other words, heroes with illusions or minions:  Phantom Lancer,  Terrorblade,  Naga Siren,  Chaos Knight,  Nature's Prophet,  Beastmaster,  Chen, etc.

  
  DAVION'S LEAST FAVORITE FOES
  
  Mids that hard-counter you includeHuskar, Outworld Devourer, andMeepo. I generally ban OD and then hope that Huskar or Meepo don't get picked if the enemy has last pick. Other annoying mids includeMonkey King,Ursa, andNecrophos. Against Ursa, get your stun early in case he goes on you. Against Necrophos you will probably have to rush aHood of Defiance.Viperis manageable in lane but after lane can potentially be dangerous.
  
  Carries to watch out for includeSlarkandLifestealer.Heaven's Halberdcounters Slark very hard so always get it after BKB. Other heroes to watch out for includeVenomancer,Ancient Apparition,Enigma,Timbersaw,Undying,Pudge,Underlord, andLich. Each of these heroes counters strength heroes like Davion, deals heavy pure or magic damage, and/or makes you kitable.Force Staffmight be necessary in addition to BKB.