What players buy
The items bought most in each of Valve’s four game stages
Public matches · each item’s own count
1stMost bought
127 buys
2ndSecond most
116 buys
3rdThird most
61 buys
4thFourth most
60 buys
5thFifth most
43 buysBy GamGem ResearchLast updated 22 Sept 2026
Kez
Melee · Agility
- Win rate
- 45.3%
- Pick share
- 0.4%
- Matches
- 204,074
- Patch
- 7.41f
Draft coverage
BringsCarryEscapeDisabler
NeedsSupportInitiatorFrontlineBurstTower damage
Recommendation
Pick
- The game is heading for 0–20 min — that is where this hero measures best, at 55.8% over 269 matches.
- You are playing around Herald — its strongest medal, 47.4% over 5,306 picks.
Avoid
- Keeper of the Light is on their side — this hero wins 36.2% of 58 matches against it.
- Treant Protector is on their side — this hero wins 38.9% of 72 matches against it.
- Windranger is on their side — this hero wins 44.8% of 194 matches against it.
127 buys116 buys61 buys60 buys43 buys
Skill Order
Which ability to max first, and where each point goes — what most league players on Kez took at each level.
QEcho Slash
Kez slashes forward in a 800 distance line with his Katana, attacking enemies in an area and applying a brief 100s impact slow.
No Target · Physical damage
WGrappling Claw
Kez swings on a grappling hook towards the target unit or tree.
Unit Target
EKazurai Katana
Katana attacks and abilities apply a stacking damage over time to enemies that deals a percentage of the original attack's damage as additional damage over time.
Attack Modifier · Unit Target · Physical damage
RRaptor Dance
Kez enters into an uncontrollable state for 1 second, becoming invulnerable for 0.2s and receiving a basic dispel.
No Target · AOE · Pure damageMax Order
EQW
Max E first, then Q, then W. Most took R at 6 / 13.
Level-up Order
- QEcho Slash
- WGrappling Claw
- EKazurai Katana
- RRaptor Dance
- TTalent
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QEcho Slash | Q | Q | Q | Q | ||||||||||||
| WGrappling Claw | W | W | W | W | ||||||||||||
| EKazurai Katana | E | E | E | E | ||||||||||||
| RRaptor Dance | R | R | ||||||||||||||
| TTalent | T | T |
Matchup map
How Kez performs against every opponent with 30 or more counted games
106 opponents · public matches40%60%Kez's win rate
≥ 60%Very favorable
55 – 60%Favorable
50 – 55%Even
45 – 50%Unfavorable
40 – 45%Hard
< 40%Very hard
If this happens, use this
- They are running away
Something that holds them still, or closes the gap yourself. Matched on “slow”, “stun”, “hook”.
- I am being jumped
A way out, a way to shrug the debuff, or something to eat the burst. Matched on “dispel”, “invisib”.
- Kill them in one window
Damage that lands now rather than over a minute. Matched on “pure”, “damage over time”, “critical”.
- Pressure their mana
Burn it, drain it, or take the spell away entirely. Matched on “silence”.
- See what is coming
Vision, or true sight against something invisible. Matched on “vision”.
By medal
- Herald47.4%5,306
- Guardian46.1%15,898
- Crusader45.2%26,437
- Archon44.9%36,891
- Legend44.6%42,133
- Ancient44.4%31,473
- Divine45.1%25,411
One count per medal, not one rate split across them; a medal with no counted matches is left out.
By match length
- 0–20 min55.8%269
- 20–30 min52.7%882
- 30–40 min52.6%513
- 40–50 min49.2%197
- 50 min +53.8%104
Bands under 120 matches are absent rather than shown small.
Learning Kez
Abilities
Echo Slash
No Target · Physical damageKez slashes forward in a 800 distance line with his Katana, attacking enemies in an area and applying a brief 100s impact slow. After a short delay, the area is attacked again. Heroes take bonus damage.
Grappling Claw
Unit TargetKez swings on a grappling hook towards the target unit or tree. When the grappling hook collides with the target, that unit has slowed movement speed. Upon reaching the enemy target, Kez lands an attack on them.
Kazurai Katana
Attack Modifier · Unit Target · Physical damageKatana attacks and abilities apply a stacking damage over time to enemies that deals a percentage of the original attack's damage as additional damage over time. Kez may activate the ability to impale the target with his attack, preventing them from moving or turning. The target's Katana debuff bursts, causing some of the stacks to deal damage instantly.
Switch Discipline
No Target · Instant CastKez switches between his Kazurai Katana and Shodo Sai. He gains different attack capabilities and abilities based on the weapon equipped. The abilities level up together, and when an ability is used, the associated alternate weapon ability also goes on cooldown. Kez deals extra damage on the first Katana hit or ability after switching to Katana, and gains bonus speed after switching to Sai.
Raptor Dance
No Target · AOE · Pure damageKez enters into an uncontrollable state for 1 second, becoming invulnerable for 0.2s and receiving a basic dispel. If the cast completes successfully, Kez performs a series of deadly radial slashes around him that deal damage based on the max health of the target and heal Kez for a percentage of all damage dealt.
Falcon Rush
Hidden · No Target · Instant CastKez gains the ability to rush towards enemy targets to deliver echoing secondary attacks. While in this state, Kez has phased collision and slow resistance.
Talon Toss
Hidden · Unit Target · AOE · Physical damageKez throws a Sai at the target unit, applying a fixed damage attack and silence.
Shodo Sai
Hidden · Point Target · Instant CastKez has a chance to critically strike the target when attacking with Sais. Kez may activate the ability to disarm himself, lock his facing, and parry attacks and attack effects from the targeted direction for 2 seconds. If an attack is parried from an enemy Hero in this way, that Hero is stunned for 0.4s and gains a Mark. When a Marked target is attacked by Kez, it will guarantee a critical strike and stun the target. The sub-ability may be used to cancel the blocking early.
Raven's Veil
Hidden · No TargetKez releases a wave of smoke that applies his Mark to nearby enemies, briefly reducing their vision. Kez receives a basic dispel and gains bonus movement speed and invisibility until he attacks or casts a spell.
Base attributes
- Strength
- 20 +2.8
- Agility
- 27 +3.5
- Intelligence
- 20 +1.7
- Move · range
- 310 · 225
Talents
- 4Shodo Sai Critical StrikeEcho Slash Attack
- 3Kazurai Katana Damage Per SecondBonus Attack Speed During Falcon Rush
- 2Falcon Rush DurationRaptor Dance Strike
- 1+12% Magic ResistanceRaptor Dance Radius
Aghanim’s Scepter
Changes Switch Discipline
Casting a weapon ability that would set its alternate weapon ability on cooldown does not do so if it's the first one used within 3 seconds after casting Switch Discipline or if it was already on cooldown. Casting any weapon ability refreshes the cooldown of Switch Discipline.
Aghanim’s Shard
Changes Shodo Sai
Parrying creates a stronger Mark that deals additional stun and critical damage.
Sources
- Kit, talents and upgrades · mechanicalread 22 Sept 2026
Ability names, icons, behaviour, damage type and text, plus the Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard descriptions — as the game itself ships them. Nothing here was counted over matches.
- Win rate by medal · countedread 15 Sept 2026
The same hero at each of Valve’s eight medals, over 4,610,063 public matches. Each medal carries its own sample, because the eight buckets are nothing like the same size.
- Matchups and match length · counted, on a narrower windowread 16 Sept 2026
Win rate against each opponent and across five match-length bands. This channel reports far fewer games than the medal figures above: the median hero pairing is 51 matches and the largest on the whole roster is 707. Rows under 30 games are absent rather than shown small, and the ones that remain are ORDERED by a figure shrunk toward even by its own sample — the rate you see is the real one, the ranking is the careful one.
- What players build · countedread 15 Sept 2026
The five most common items in each of Valve’s four game stages, with each row’s own pick count.
- Skill order · counted, in league matchesread 3 Oct 2026
Where skill points go, read off every player's own learning order in premium and professional league matches on patches 7.41 and 7.40. Each level shows the ability most players took there and the share that did — a column only a third agree on is printed as a third, not as the rule. Heroes under 30 counted games show no path.
- Situation index · derived, and checkableread 22 Sept 2026
Each situation is a phrase match against Valve’s own ability text, and every row shows the phrases that matched. No win rate is attached, because nobody counts one per situation.
Mechanics are the ones Valve publishes for patch 7.41f. GamGem is not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve Corporation.