As we mentioned, DP has decent damage
and she also has 600 attack range, so she can afford to harass most heroes,
especially in the early levels.
Early
Laning Stage:
At low levels, you should use Spirit Siphon and hit the enemy. Chase them
for as long as possible before you reach the enemy tower’s range – make sure
you don’t get hit by the tower, otherwise,
the trade will probably not be worth it. Watch the creep equilibrium and use
the space to last-hit and deny. Don’t
commit to a kill unless the enemy is very low or your supports are rotating –
DP is not a good hero for solo kills.
Most heroes don’t have an answer to the Spirit Siphon that early, so you
can gain a considerable advantage here. (Keep
in mind, however, that the enemies can place a support to help their mid laner,
in which case you won’t be able to do much but farm unless you also get help.)
Late
Laning Stage:
At levels 4-5 you shouldn’t be too
aggressive because the enemy will already have level 2-3 on their important and
dangerous abilities and if you overextend to harass with Siphon you can easily
die to a rotation. Unless you have a huge advantage (e.g. 2 levels) or the
matchup favors you heavily, you should start playing more carefully and focus
more on last-hitting.
Once you’re level 6 you can skill
your ultimate and if the enemy is being too aggressive you can attempt to kill
him with Siphon and Exorcism. Keep in mind that you need to wait for a perfect
situation – the enemy needs to be very close to you and far from his tower so that you have some time to chase him
down. More often, however, you will simply use your ult to pressure the enemy
tower and get an advantage this way.
Try
not to use all of your Spirit Siphon charges for harassing – you usually want to have 1 or 2 in case the enemies make a move on
you. Unless they burst you down in a matter of seconds, you will be able to
heal a lot and escape or even turn the fight if you receive TP support.