He is definitely thinking about Heroes of Newerth.
And yes that hero is in HoN. It's the Soul Reaper.
HoN is just Dota with a new engine though. Although good for what it is LoL plays out like a true sequel should... although the link between the two games are tenuous at best. Although cosmetically similar they feel like completely different games.
I used to love Dota though. And I fought tooth and nail to bring people over to HoN. But when I got into the closed beta of LoL I couldn't bring myself to come back. I played the same damn game for too long and I welcomed this breathe of fresh air.
I might try HoN again though. From the looks of things it seems like they distanced themselves from the old formula just enough to spark interest in me again.
I haven't played kat yet, how is she? from just seeing her play it seems like she would be fun
She's okay as far as how effective she can be but her main draw for me is how fun she is to play.