Hon to dota 2 hero conversion chart

Dota 2 Counterpicking Gu >

Counterpicking is hard to deal with. We’ve all been there before. You queue and find a match. Teammates are alright. You actually get to pick the position you prefer. Seems good so far.

But the instant you lock in your hero selection, the other team counterpicks. They choose heroes that are strong against yours, and take advantage of your hero’s weaknesses. And there’s not much you can do about it.

The match starts. It’s impossible to lane against these enemy heroes. You’re forced to retreat into the jungle. You have to hide in the trees to leech lane experience. Game is hard. At this point, you’re just hoping to get carried.

That’s not fun. You know what’s fun? Counterpicking your opponents. This guide explains how to do just that.

Counterpicking in Dota 2 Is All About Options

Dota 2’s depth separates it from similar games. You can choose from a massive pool of heroes. You can play each hero in a number of ways. The variety of items and talents makes every hero even more flexible.

The options are overwhelming. But this means that there’s always something to learn. Regular players and seasoned professionals have this in common: we’re all learning.

(In all fairness, pro players are learning at a exceptionally advanced level. Pros are analyzing nuances that we plebs can’t comprehend, but that’s besides the point.)

In the spirit of learning, let’s look at the principles behind counterpicking rather than tediously listing counters for each hero.

How to Counterpick Specific Heroes

When most players think of counterpicking, they start by targeting individual heroes on the opposing team. To do so, we need to be aware of the abilities and attributes of our mark. What skills does the target rely on to survive and deal damage? Is the hero a meatshield? Elusive? Mana dependent? Stealthy? Weak in the early game? If we don’t understand what our target does, we can’t counter them.

Merry Frostivus from your favorite butcher! (Image via the Dota 2 Blog.)

As an example, let’s take a look at the most played hero in Dota 2: Pudge.

Pudge’s signature skill is “Meat Hook.” The ability deals a ton of pure damage, which ignores Armor and Magic Resistance. The hook pulls a single unit to his location, but requires precise aim.
Pudge’s second ability, “Rot,” significantly slows and damages all nearby enemies. It also damages Pudge in the process.
As for attributes, Pudge has one of the highest Strength growths (Strength added each level) in the game. This is amplified by his third skill, “Flesh Heap.” It provides additional Strength for being involved in kills, as well as some Magic Resistance.
Pudge’s ultimate ability, “Dismember”, allows him to hold an enemy hero in place while absorbing their health points (HP).

We can conclude that Pudge’s primary power lies in landing Meat Hooks. A good hook can isolate an unsuspecting opponent. Once they’re grabbed, Pudge activates Rot and Dismember to finish them off. Pudge can also use his Meat Hook defensively to pull teammates out of trouble. As for attributes, Pudge is beefy. The hero naturally has a ton of HP thanks to his Strength growth and Flesh Heap skill.

Five Ways to Counter Pudge

Based on these observations, which heroes can we pick to counter Pudge?

Mobile heroes. We can dodge Meat Hooks. (Queen of Pain, Puck, Storm Spirit)
Heroes who spawn illusions or summon units. We can block hooks with dummies. (Lycan, Phantom Lancer)
Heroes with good vision. It’s easy to avoid hooks if we can see where Pudge is. (Night Stalker, Clockwerk)
Heroes with armor reduction abilities. High HP heroes typically lack armor. Pudge is no exception. (Ex: Bristleback, Dazzle)
Heroes that deal percentage-based damage. Abilities that don’t deal a flat amount of damage are super effective against beefy heroes. (Lifestealer, Timbersaw)

There are many ways to deal with any individual hero. But you need to understand their strengths and weakness first. The best way to do this is to play the hero a few times. (For those who lack time or patience, I recommend Turbo mode.)

The ideal counterpick to address a certain hero will change from match to match, and also depends on who the other heroes in the game are.

Counterpicking The Other Team’s Draft

I have a confession to make.

For most of my DotA/Dota 2 playing experience, I completely ignored the other nine heroes in the game. I didn’t think it was that big a deal. I just played whatever hero I wanted. And I built whatever items I felt like. It wasn’t until I started watching professional matches that I realized how much I had been missing.