Who counters the most popular heroes, and who should you pair them with? Each guide picks a hero's hardest counter and best teammate from one patch's ranked match statistics, explains why the matchup works in the lane, in fights and in the late game, and lists other heroes that counter it or play well with it. Guides are grouped by patch, newest first.
Ursa's Fury Swipes keep adding damage against Pudge's large health pool once the lane is over, while Muerta's Calling turns every hook into a silenced kill zone.
Rubick steals Lion's Hex and Finger of Death and turns them back on his team, while Elder Titan's Natural Order strips the magic resistance of the heroes Lion disables.
Brewmaster's Thunder Clap and Cinder Brew slow Rubick and Primal Split survives his burst, while Naga Siren's Song of the Siren and Ensnare hold enemies for Telekinesis and stolen spells.
Riki's Smoke Screen silences the hero who needs every spell and picks him off unseen, while Undying's Tombstone and Decay hold enemies in Invoker's Chaos Meteor and Sun Strike.
Spectre's Haunt reaches Sniper wherever he stands and Desolate punishes him for standing alone, while Shadow Demon hides Sniper with Disruption and spreads his shots with Disseminate.
Omniknight's Guardian Angel blocks the physical damage Omnislash relies on, while Gyrocopter helps Juggernaut take over the midgame.
Centaur Warrunner's Hoof Stomp ignores Windrun's evasion and Retaliate punishes Focus Fire, while Lone Druid and Windranger start ahead together and win most of the games past 50 minutes.
Lifestealer heals from Axe's large health pool with every hit, while Largo's Catchy Lick and Frogstomp keep Axe's taunted enemies in place.
Underlord's Pit of Malice stops Spirit Breaker where his Charge ends and Fiend's Gate brings help, while Muerta's Calling silences the heroes around the target he charges.
Broodmother's spiderlings waste Paralyzing Cask's bounces and her pushes end games before Witch Doctor matters, while Voodoo Restoration heals every Meepo at once.
Broodmother's spiderlings and pushes give Ogre Magi's single-target spells too many targets, while Bloodlust and Fireblast make Muerta's attacks deadlier.
Axe's Berserker's Call stops Lina's spells and Culling Blade finishes her, while Bane's Fiend's Grip holds a target still for Light Strike Array and Laguna Blade, mostly in High.
Shadow Shaman's single-target disables can only hold one Meepo at a time, while Sand King's Burrowstrike and Epicenter hold enemies inside Mass Serpent Ward, mostly in Very High.
Winter Wyvern's Cold Embrace saves the ally Legion Commander Duels and Winter's Curse turns her own team against her, while Timbersaw's Whirling Death weakens the hero she Duels.
Night Stalker's Crippling Fear silences Earthshaker before Echo Slam and flies over Fissure, while Clinkz kills the heroes Earthshaker stuns, mostly in Very High.
Ancient Apparition's Ice Blast stops the healing Necrophos lives on, while Death Pulse keeps Ursa at high health for Maul and Heartstopper Aura weakens the heroes he fights.
Slardar's stuns and Corrosive Haze keep Lifestealer from hitting and healing, while Sand King's Epicenter holds enemies where Lifestealer can feast on them.
Enigma's Malefice and Black Hole interrupt Freezing Field and hold Crystal Maiden still, while Marci's Rebound and Dispose set up her Frostbite and Crystal Nova.
Mars's Bulwark and Arena of Blood block the attacks Drow Ranger depends on, while Meepo turns one of the patch's weakest heroes into a pair that wins more than half its games in every bracket.
Meepo's Earthbind stops Anti-Mage's Blink and several Meepos out-fight him before he is farmed, while Kez's Talon Toss and Grappling Claw help him take fights early.
Grimstroke's Phantom's Embrace silences Slark before he can escape, while Alchemist's Acid Spray strips the armor Slark is hitting.
Viper wins the lane and Viper Strike turns off Dragon Blood, while Largo's Croak of Genius and songs keep Dragon Knight fighting through the late game.
Medusa's Split Shot clears zombies and Tombstone and she wins the long games Undying loses, while Visage and Undying win the early game together.
Meepo's Earthbind and burst kill Zeus before his spells matter, mostly in Very High, while Storm Spirit and Zeus grow into a strong late-game pair.
Wraith King is the strongest hero of the patch, and Warlock's Fatal Bonds and Chaotic Offering win the long fights he relies on; Tiny tosses him into fights and Avalanche holds his targets.
Templar Assassin's Refraction absorbs Techies' bombs one blast at a time, while Lone Druid's Spirit Bear and Entangle hold enemies on Techies' mines and take over the map with him.
Nyx Assassin's Mind Flare and Mana Burn turn Outworld Devourer's huge mana pool against him, while Enigma's Black Hole holds a group for Sanity's Eclipse.
Meepo's Earthbind stops Mirana's Leap and her Sacred Arrow can stun only one Meepo, while Storm Spirit's Electric Vortex holds a target for Sacred Arrow in a pair that wins late.
Phoenix cuts Phantom Assassin's attack speed and hits her with magic she can't evade, while Shadow Fiend's Presence of the Dark Lord lowers the armor of her targets.
Tidehunter clears Phantom Lancer's illusions and blocks their weak hits, while Gyrocopter's Call Down and Flak Cannon carry the fight until his illusion army is ready.
Luna has no hard counter, but Bristleback shrugs off her bouncing glaives in Very High; Kez's silences and Lunar Blessing make a strong pair in High and Normal.
Lycan's Shapeshift can't be slowed and his wolves catch the hero with no escape, while Meepo's Earthbind roots targets for Ancient Seal and Mystic Flare.
Timbersaw cuts down the trees Hoodwink fights from, while Visage's Familiars stun the targets she nets with Bushwhack in High and Normal.
Lich has no hard counter, but Bristleback's spell damage slips past Frost Shield; Lich's Frost Shield and lane control lift Huskar, one of the weaker heroes of the patch.
Magnus has no hard counter, but Luna's glaives and Eclipse punish the tight fights he starts; Omniknight keeps Magnus alive after Reverse Polarity.
Templar Assassin's Refraction absorbs Sven's huge single hits one at a time, while Warcry and Storm Hammer give Kez the armor and stun to fight with him in Very High.
Snapfire has no hard counter, but Huskar's magic resistance blunts her spells in High and Normal; Tusk's Snowball and Ice Shards hold enemies inside Mortimer Kisses.
Shadow Fiend is the weakest hero of the patch, and Medusa's Mana Shield soaks his burst while she beats him in most games; Chaos Knight is one of the partners that helps him most.
Silences don't stop Phantom Lancer's passive illusions and Silencer's single-target spells waste themselves on copies, while Global Silence locks enemies inside Mars's Arena of Blood.
Brewmaster's Primal Split gives Vengeful Spirit's single-target spells too many targets, while Treant Protector's Overgrowth holds the hero Nether Swap pulls in, mostly in Very High.
Silencer's Global Silence and Last Word stop Dawnbreaker's spells and her Solar Guardian landing, while Vengeful Spirit's Nether Swap and Magic Missile set up the fights Dawnbreaker lands in.
Undying's zombies keep Spectre's targets from ever being alone and he wins the early game she needs to survive, while Riki's Smoke Screen and Haunt pick off heroes together.
Puck's Waning Rift silences Queen of Pain's Blink and Phase Shift dodges Shadow Strike, while Omniknight's Guardian Angel and Purification keep her alive after she Blinks in.
Nature's Prophet is the second-weakest hero of the patch, and Dawnbreaker's Solar Guardian answers every Teleportation; Puck is the partner that helps him most, though even that pair loses more than it wins.
Kunkka's Torrent and Ghostship stop Disruptor's fights before they start, while Kinetic Field and Static Storm trap enemies for Troll Warlord's Battle Trance.
Broodmother's spiderlings and pushes give Night Stalker no lone hero to hunt, while Dragon Knight's Dragon Tail and Elder Dragon Form win the fights Void and Crippling Fear start.
Slardar's Corrosive Haze and Slithereen Crush punish the Spirit Bear and Lone Druid at once, while Tusk's Tag Team adds to every hit of the Bear and Snowball brings the Druid into fights.
Viper's Viper Strike turns off Berserker's Blood and his Predator hits harder the lower Huskar's health, while Underlord's Pit of Malice and Firestorm hold enemies for Burning Spear.
Chaos Knight's Reality Rift pulls Viper in and his Phantasm illusions overwhelm a single Viper Strike, while Clockwerk's Power Cogs trap targets inside Nethertoxin.
Broodmother's Spiderlings keep Flux from damaging her and swarm the lanes Arc Warden pushes, while Drow Ranger's Precision Aura gives both Arc Wardens agility and Gust peels divers off them.
Morphling's Waveform and Attribute Shift get him out of Static Link and Eye of the Storm, while Alchemist's Acid Spray stacks with Eye of the Storm's armor reduction.
Rubick steals Pit of Malice, Firestorm or Fiend's Gate and uses them on Underlord's team, while Huskar fights inside Underlord's pit and arrives through Fiend's Gate.
Clinkz fights with attacks that the Doom curse can't stop and picks Doom off before his late game, while Spectre's Haunt follows up on the hero Doom has silenced.
Anti-Mage's Mana Break and Counterspell take away the mana and Laser that Tinker relies on, while Io's Tether and Overcharge feed him mana and spell amplification.
Troll Warlord's Whirling Axes make Sleight of Fist miss and Berserker's Rage stops Fire Remnant, while Terrorblade's Reflection holds enemies for Ember's chains, mostly in Very High.
Bristleback turns his back to Ursa's Fury Swipes and slows him with Viscous Nasal Goo, while Abaddon's Aphotic Shield dispels Ursa and Curse of Avernus speeds up his attacks.
Phantom Lancer's illusions outnumber Terrorblade's and never give Sunder a real target, while Void Spirit's Aether Remnant and Astral Step hold enemies for Metamorphosis.
Marci's Dispose and Unleash catch Earth Spirit between his remnant combos, mostly in High, while Sven's Storm Hammer and Great Cleave cash in on Geomagnetic Grip's silence.
Every hero's hardest counters, best teammates, tips and peak times, from the current patch's ranked matches. Heroes with a counter guide link to the guide. To counter a full enemy draft, use the Counter & Synergy Picker.
