The greedy yet ferocious Alchemist is back with his menacing ogre to ravage the battlefield! Though not seen much through the group stages at this International, Alchemist is a common sight in pub games. The appeal of this breathtaking giant lies in his passive Greevil’s Greed, which grants him extra gold after killing creeps, and enemies, or even securing bounty runes! Alchemist is a wonderful core who can translate exceptionally well into the late game if he has an easy laning phase. His impressive ability to farm items fast and participate in teamfights early is not matched by the majority of the heroes in the game.
Alchemist is a devastating hero, but it is entirely possible to counter him with the right set of heroes and items. Some heroes can effortlessly counter him within no time. We bring you the Best 10 Alchemist Counters in the current meta!
Best general items against Alchemist
- Spirit Vessel - Immense DPS and along with heal reduction to Alchemist when used. This item can be used to reduce Alch’s regen from his ultimate, Chemical Rage.
- Lotus Orb - The active reflects targetted spells and hence can also be used to reflect Alchemist’s Unstable Concoction, stunning Alch himself.
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, negating the stun from Unstable Concoction and damage being dealt by Alchemist.
- Assault Cuirass - Increases armor and attack speed while reducing the same for enemies in an AoE. This item is exceptional to weaken the armor of the tanky Alchemist.
- Eul’s Scepter - Can be used to sweep yourself or the targetted enemy into the air for 2.5 seconds, making them unable to use spells or move. This can be used to lock down Alchemist or temporarily remove yourself from the fights, it dispels most debuffs upon self-cast.
- Solar Crest - Grants armor, attack speed, and movement speed to the targetted ally while reducing the same stats if used upon enemy Alchemist. This makes him unable to stand firm in teamfights.
10. Kunkka
Kunkka is known to be a great counter to the greedy Alchemist. He is an extremely tanky entity, and the boat buff makes it even worse for Alchemist to penetrate his armor. Kunkka also has impressive damage right from the get-go, pressuring Alchemist to jungle or make his way back to the base to heal up. Kunkka is also extremely relevant through the late game, just like Alchemist but his crowd control skills can essentially separate the team fight while he can strike down certain targets.
All of Kunkka’s spells are extremely lethal, and ensure Alchemist doesn’t escape his clutches alive. Kunkka can deal some serious physical damage with the help of a few items which makes him ungodly in the mid and even late stages of the game. Alchemist can easily falter off and lose momentum if he falls prey to Kunkka once or twice in the game. He is the ideal pick in the mid-lane if you want to see utter domination of the Alchemist.
Why is Kunkka such a great hero against Alchemist?
- Tidebringer will deal lots of damage to Alchemist before he builds physical survivability items.
- Torrent and X Marks the Spot can control Alchemist at all game stages before he has Black King Bar.
- Ghostship's rum buff will greatly reduce the Alchemist's damage output in teamfights including his Radiance.
Items to buy on Kunnka
- Daedalus - Provides immense critical damage, enough to decimate Alchemist in no time
- Assault Cuirass - Increases armor and attack speed while reducing the same for Alchemist in an AoE.
- Armlet of Mordiggian - Provides increased HP and damage, and is toggleable. Kunkka benefits highly from this toggleable HP mechanic.
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Ghostship creates a fleet of ships that crash at the same spot, allowing you to chain-stun Alchemist
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity against Alchemist’s spells
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Kunkka
9. Slardar
Slardar is a menace when he is paired against squishy and low-armor melee heroes like Alchemist. Though Alchemist has high regen, he has extremely poor armor which can decimate him in the teamfights. The main reason why Slardar is often seen against Alchemist is because of his ultimate Corrosive Haze. The ultimate also provides true sight and reduces his armor. Causing Slardar’s bashes can hit pretty hard, stopping Alchemist right in his tracks. He is an exceptional pick as a strong, space-making offlaner.
Slardar can break even against Alchemist in the laning phase, due to both being tanky and melee. But, as we know, Slardar is more level-reliant and does not need multiple items to have any impact, unlike Alchemist who can’t fight without a few items. Slardar can effortlessly carry the game if he manages to drown Alchemist by pressuring him and neutralizing him in the laning phase with his phenomenal abilities and items.
What makes Slardar a great hero against Alchemist?
- Corrosive Haze followed by Slithereen Crush takes advantage of the Alchemist's main weakness, which is physical damage before he has the chance to improve his survivability with items.
- Bash of the Deep will deal lots of damage during the laning phase.
Items to buy on Slardar
- Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports Slardar 1200 units in the distance he is facing, it can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to closing the gap and get on top of Alchemist.
- Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility to Slardar which can be used to escape or set up a gank on Alchemist.
- Aghanim’s Shard - Silthreen Crush applies Corrosive Haze on usage, it can be used to get on top of Alchemist with Blink and quickly smash him down with follow-up from your team.
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight against Alchemist.
- Lotus Orb - Reflects targetted spells and hence can also be used to prevent Alch from using Unstable Concoctions.
- Assault Cuirass - Immense armor gain to both Slardar and his allies, also reduces Alchemist’s armor at the same time in an AoE.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Slardar
8. Necrophos
Alchemist is often countered by Necrophos with the help of his rancid spells. The plaguemancer has ravaged all battles, ensuring the greedy dwarf does not stand a chance against his ungodly damage. Alchemist can’t fare well against Necrophos in the laning phase as he can’t withstand the insane amounts of magical damage being dished out by him. Necrophos is an exceptional hero when it comes to locking Alchemist down, courtesy of the Reaper’s Scythe, allowing his allies to beat him down while he is locked up.
Necrophos is a very annoying laner against Alchemist, thanks to his passive. His abilities provide him with immense healing while dealing damage to his foes. Alchemist can outpace Necrophos in the ultra late game with magic resistance and immunity, so it is ideal to finish the game whenever you get the chance to else things can take a turn for the worst!
Why is Necrophos a great counter to Alchemist?
- Reaper's Scythe can kill Alchemist before Chemical Rage has the time to heal him.
- Ghost Shroud can prevent Alchemist from attacking Necrophos, as well as make him immune to Acid Spray and Unstable Concoction damage.
- Heartstopper Aura will do damage as long as Necrophos is alive based on health percentage, which is a problem for a strength hero such as Alchemist.
Items to buy on Necrophos
- Radiance - Burn damage prevents Alchemist from blinking away, and can also be useful in pushing lanes.
- Guardian Greaves - Heals Necrophos and his entire team, along with providing a basic dispel to him.
- Eternal Shroud - Converts magical damage into mana upon usage and passively offers spell lifesteal. This provides Necrophos with immense sustain against Alchemist.
- Lotus Orb - Reflects targetted spells and hence can also be used to prevent Unstable Concoction. It can also be used to dispel certain enemy debuffs.
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Increases Heartstopper aura damage when Ghost Shroud is active. Alchemist has low magic resistance, making him fall prey to increased magic damage from Necrophos.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Necrophos
7. Ursa
This ferocious and breathtaking bear is a force to be reckoned with. Ursa is one of the most played carry heroes in the game, known for his ability to jungle smoothly and slay Roshan alone. He can also rip through squishy heroes like Alchemist within no time! His Fury Swipes stack up quickly, combined with his second spell, Overpower, make him deal high amounts of physical damage right from the early game. Ursa’s ultimate, Enrage, makes him take less damage from Alchemist’s spells and physical damage, making him slightly invulnerable in teamfights.
Ursa also relies a ton on his items, but he does not need a ton of items to make an impact. Buying a Morbid mask allows him to sustain in lane and turn around a fight swiftly coupled with his ultimate, it also allows him to Roshan extremely early on in the game. Ursa almost always purchases a Black King Bar due to his poor natural magic resistance, and doing so against Alchemist is a no-brainer. Alchemist stands no chance if Ursa has a smooth early game.
Why is Ursa a great counter to Alchemist?
- Chemical Rage can’t save Alchemist against Ursa's Fury Swipes.
- Enrage grants Ursa status reduction which reduces the stun duration,
- Alchemist can’t withstand the late-game damage which is dished out by Ursa, who does not falter off in the late game.
Items to buy on Ursa
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating, allows Ursa to both escape or get on top of Alchemist
- Diffusal Blade - Upon usage, it can slow Alchemist down by 100% upon casting and physical attack. It also burns his mana, making him useless as he is unable to cast any spells.
- Satanic - Provides increased lifesteal on physical attacks upon activation, also provides basic dispel from the latter.
- Black King Bar - It provides spell immunity from all of Alchemist’s damage spells, making him invulnerable in the fight. It is always a top priority item against Alchemist.
- Skull Basher - Provides a chance to Mini Stun on physical attacks. It can further be upgraded into Abyssal Blade later on in the game.
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Scepter allows Ursa to use Enrage even when he is disabled/stunned, hence it is useful to get rid of Alchemist’s Stun. Shard procs Enrage whenever Ursa uses Earthshock.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Ursa
6. Pugna
Pugna is highly regarded as an annoying spellcasting hero, dealing decent damage right from the laning stage. A pure lane matchup can favor Pugna against Alchemist as he has more INT and mana pool than the latter, along with that Alch faces constant harassment and gets shoved out of the lane due to the bonkers damage he deals. Pugna has higher magical damage when is hard to negate in the late game, unlike Alchemist who is rather easy to counter with Life Drain.
Pugna is known to farm effortlessly due to his AoE spell and hit his item timings relatively early. You can also save your low HP allies with Life Drain if they’re being targeted by Alchemist. The latter hates magic damage, and Pugna on the other hand loves magic damage, while not allowing others to do so with Nether Ward. Pugna is an extremely flexible pick and can be played in pretty much all five roles depending on the matchup. This allows him to be a staple pick against the mighty Alchemist.
Why is Pugna great against Alchemist?
- Alchemist can't stall the damage of Nether Blast and Life Drain, but he can buy Black King Bar 30 minutes into the game to diminish its damage.
- Alchemist has no innate disables to stop Life Drain and Decrepify
- The short cooldown of both Life Drain and Decrepify also means Pugna can deal with Alchemist and his clone simultaneously most of the time
- A good Pugna looks to end the match early while Alchemist, a very item-reliant hero, thrives in longer matches.
Items to Buy against Alchemist
- Aether Lens - Increased cast range along with providing decent stats and mana. It can further be upgraded into Octraine Core which reduces spell and item cooldowns by 25%.
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from Alchemist’s lethal damage and also applies a basic dispel, although it has an extremely high cooldown of 180 seconds.
- Scythe of Vyse - It hexes the targetted unit, essentially making them unable to use spells or items, along with reducing their movement speed for 3.5 seconds. This is extremely useful to shut down Alchemist while your team slaughters him.
- Dagon - Huge single targetted burst damage, Dagon can be upgraded, increasing the cast range and damage it deals on the highest level (level 5). This combined with Decrepify can quickly eliminate Alchemist from the team fight.
- Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports you 1200 units in the distance you are facing, it can’t be used for 3 seconds if you take any form of damage. Blink is used to close the gap and to get on top of Alchemist, or it can also be used to escape away from him.
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making Pugna invulnerable in team fights
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Pugna
5. Slark
Slark, the lethal creature of the deep sea is a threatening counter-pick to Alchemist. This is due to the slippery tendency of the hero, as he can use Pounce to get away from the Unstable Concoction projectile and then dispel it with Dark Pact. Slark is also known to steal agility, making him excellent against Alchemist who already has low agility, reducing his attack speed as well as his mobility. Slark can also outfarm Alchemist by a margin if he manages to have an excellent early game.
Slark is also one of the stealthiest carry heroes in the game due to the items he builds. Diffusal Blade makes him immensely strong as it causes Alchemist to lose mana while crippling his movement speed and also dealing high damage with the help of Sange and Yasha. He can also purge off enemy spells, allowing him to chase them quickly.
Why is Slark a great hero against Alchemist?
- Essence Shift will steal stats over long durations at a time should Alchemist lack the damage to kill Slark.
- Shadow Dance allows Slark to not be targeted by Unstable Concoction, making Alchemist stun himself and making himself vulnerable to the enemy.
- Dark Pact also allows Slark to just purge off the Unstable Concoction stun if timed correctly.
Items to Buy on Slark
- Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility which can be used to escape or set up a gank on Alchemist. It can later be upgraded into Silver Edge which can disable the latter’s passive Greevil’s Greed right after breaking invisibility.
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Increases Pounce distance by a huge margin, also providing him two charges of the same, allowing him to catch the Alchemist or escape from him.
- Eye of Skadi - Reduces regen and healing upon physical attacks. It helps reduce Alchemist’s regen even if he has his ultimate on. Eye of Skadi also provides increased stats and HP to Slark.
- Butterfly - Provides increased evasion, agility, and movement speed, which is essential in the late game to counter the lethal attacks of Alchemist
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity against Alchemist’s spells
- Aghanim’s Shard - Provides Depth Shroud ability which creates a cloud, hiding Slark and his allies inside it, making Alchemist unable to hit them, while they can freely hit the former.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Slark
4. Lifestealer
The terrifying Lifestealer ruins Alchemist’s gameplay within no time. Lifestealer is a great carry hero, especially if he is playing against squishy heroes like Alchemist. It is highly unlikely that Lifestealer goes head to head against Alchemist in the laning phase, meaning he can secure farm for himself and fare well in the early game courtesy of the lifesteal and magic immunity from Rage which also proves useful in the late game.
Alchemist’s physical damage and slow can be negated quite effortlessly by the Lifestealer with the help of his Armlet of Mordiggian as he can toggle through the former’s damage easily, right from the early game, making him invulnerable against the greedy dwarf in teamfights. The Lifestealer mainly relies on kills to get gold, making him a fight-oriented hero, as with the right items he can obliterate the entire enemy team and turn Alchemist’s ashes into dust. Alchemist does have that mini window in the early game where he can try to gank the Lifestealer, but if he fails at that, then he may never get another chance to gank him again.
Why is Lifestealer a great counter to Alchemist?
- Feast is good against high-health strength heroes such as Alchemist.
- Rage allows Lifestealer to not be targetable by Unstable Concoction, possibly making Alchemist stun himself.
Items to Buy on Lifestealer
- Armlet of Mordiggian - Provides increased HP and damage, and is toggleable. Staple item on Lifestealer as it increases his sustainability in fights.
- Desolator - Provides increased damage and armor corruption, and grants stacks whenever you kill opponents, increasing the aforementioned stats.
- Skull Basher - Provides a chance to Bash (Mini Stun) on physical attacks. It can further be upgraded into Abyssal Blade later on in the game to lock down Alchemist.
- Sange and Yasha - SnY provides decent stats, agility, strength, and physical damage. It also increases status resistance and movement speed, making Lifestealer faster and stronger against Alch.
- Eye of Skadi - Reduces regen and heal upon physical attacks on enemies. It helps reduce Alchemist’s regen. Eye of Skadi also provides Lifestealer with increased stats and HP.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Lifestealer
3. Viper
The venomous Viper knows no bounds and is on the same list when it comes to the most hated heroes in the game. Mid-players can benefit from playing this hero against Alchemist as it is a free win! Viper has the range advantage so Alchemist can’t freely come within the attack range to last hit, he has to use his spells which in turn cost him a great deal of mana. The DPS and slow from his spells are also quite annoying to play against as a squishy low HP Alchemist.
Alchemist players despise Viper as he makes their presence and impact disappear from the game. His ultimate, Viper Strike isn’t even needed to kill Alchemist as only his Poison Attack is enough to do the job. Picking Alchemist against a Viper is essentially just throwing the game away! Alchemist can’t farm fast enough if he is constantly being targetted by Viper, turning the former into nothing but a melee creep.
Why is Viper a great counter to Alchemist?
- The damage over time from Viper's Poison Attack and Viper Strike proves to be lethal as Alchemist has low armor and physical damage resistance.
- Nethertoxin is a big threat to Alchemist due to his low range in the laning phase, making him wear out his mana, and emptying his resources.
- Viper Strike and Poison Attack slow Alchemist’s movement speed so he cannot get out from Nethertoxin, essentially trapping him in.
- Viper withstands the test of time and can solo kill Alchemist in the late game. Whereas, Alchemist is known to fall off and does not deal enough damage to the former.
Items to Buy against Alchemist
- Kaya and Sange - Increases stats along with increasing mana gain and reducing mana cost, allowing him to cast spells freely against Alchemist.
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Decreases Nethertoxin duration and increases damage, destroying the squishy Alchemist in no time
- Pipe of Insight - Provides immense magic damage block on activation, and affects the whole team.
- Hurricane Pike - Allows Viper to close the gap and deal immense damage to Alchemist, also provides decent stats and increases attack range
- Blademail - Reflects Alchemist’s magical damage to him upon activation
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, negating all the magical damage being dished out by Alchemist.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Viper
2. Ancient Apparition
The chilling damage of the Ancient Apparition is impossible for Alchemist to negate. Right from the laning phase, Alchemist is targetted and thrown around by Ancient Apparition with his decent magical damage, maybe even making sure that he has to either teleport back to base to regen or make the walk of shame back. Farming speed is slowed down for Alchemist due to the constant annoying harassment being dished out.
Ancient Apparition possesses all the quintessential qualities to ruin the Alchemist game with the help of Ice Blast, making it impossible for him to survive the team fight or gain HP or even lifesteal. He is also a great pick due to his flexibility as he can also be played in the mid-lane, which is quite a rare sight but can do wonders if played exceptionally well. Alchemist stands no chance in the late game if the mighty Apparition gets his spells off in skirmishes, ensuring the former is sent to the grave within no time.
What makes Ancient Apparition a great counter to Alchemist?
- Ice Blast cancels out Chemical Rage's rapid health regeneration.
- It can also take advantage of Alchemist's Armlet of Mordiggian toggling, as it will make HP drain insanely fast, essentially killing the bearer in no time.
Items to buy against Alchemist
- Force Staff - Allows you to force yourself or the targetted unit 600 units ahead in the direction they are facing, it can be useful to catch or initiate on Alchemist.
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Increases Ice Vortex damage and heal reduction, destroying Alchemist’s game, making him unable to heal with Chemical Rage or lifesteal with his items.
- Rod of Atos - Upon cast, Rod can be used to root Alchemist down and prevents him from using any spells.
- Glimmer Cape - Provides invisibility, can also be used on allies to escape or to initiate on Alchemist
- Scythe of Vyse - It hexes the targetted unit, essentially making them unable to use spells or items, along with reducing their movement speed for 3.5 seconds. This is extremely useful to shut down Alchemist while your team slaughters him.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Ancient_Apparition
1. Razor
The wrath of the Storm takes away the mightiest of opponents, Razor is prepared to whip Alchemist. Razor obliterates melee heroes, he steals their damage, slows them down, and whips them back with their damage! Razor can farm faster with his spells, which translates to early-game domination and early team fights as well. He is known to be a tempo-control hero, just like Alchemist but he is far more lethal right from the early game!
Razor decimates the likes of Alchemist due to the range advantage he has. The former is absolutely a beast when it comes to shoving people out of the lane and ruining their gameplay. Razor is also highly relevant in the current meta, making him the right pick in most matchups, He hits like a truck in the late game, leaving Alchemist no chance to recover if he is killed a few times.
Why is Razor Great against Alchemist?
- Alchemist's reliance on fast attack speed to do single-target damage makes him vulnerable to Static Link. It also goes through Black King Bar, which is a standard item on Alchemist.
- Eye of the Storm is great against high-health strength heroes as it reduces their survivability to physical damage.
- Razor has an early lane push to counter Acid Spray.
Items to Buy Against Alchemist
- Assault Cuirass - Increases armor and attack speed for Razor and his allies while reducing the same for Alchemist in an AoE.
- Refresher’s Orb - Can refresh spells and items and use them again in quick succession to delete Alchemist from teamfights
- Shiva’s Guard - Upon activation, it deals damage in an AoE, slowing down the affected targets. It also provides increased armor and reduces enemy armor in an AoE, which is highly essential against Alchemist.
- Aghanim’s Shard - Ultimate affects buildings and deals immense damage to heroes as well. Works exceptionally with Refresher’s Orb.
- Heaven’s Halberd - Can disarm Alchemist, making him unable to attack for a few seconds, while Razor can freely attack him or steal his damage at the same time.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Razor
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