This charismatic warrior has a bone to pick against the mages! His hatred for the arcane arts is unmatchable. He is the Anti-Mage! If not contained in the early game, Anti-Mage snowballs quite easily. His early item timings may allow him to fight and mow down towers effortlessly.
There has been a slight increase in the pick rate of AM in the current patch, this is due to the meta of split pushers and farm reliant heroes. We are tired of seeing him dominate in pub games, so we bring you the best 10 heroes that counter Anti-Mage in the current meta!
10. Outworld Destroyer
The sinister genius has his outlandish ways of dominating the battlefield. Outworld Destroyer can shatter his opponents with his malice and treachery. The arcane arts are undoubtedly the best way to counter Anti-Mage. The most recent physical build deals some heavy damage and steals all the essential INT that he has. As a laner, OD outperforms his enemies and is also known to gank lanes early on, securing momentum for his team.
Why is Outworld Destroyer Great against Anti-Mage?
- Arcane Orb's pure damage, making Counterspell ineffective.
- Sanity's Eclipse will hit Anti-Mage while he is disabled from Astral Imprisonment, and forces him to take heavy damage due to his low intelligence.
- Essence Flux keeps Outworld Destroyer at high mana, thus greatly reducing the damage from Mana Void.
Items to Buy Against Anti-Mage
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Hurricane Pike
- Scythe of Vyse
- Kaya and Sange
9. Grimstroke
This doomed artist has more than pain in his artwork, he paints with the blood of his slain foes. Grimstroke is primarily played in the support role and he is known for dealing high AoE magic damage and disabling his enemies. His silence can quickly be combined with Ink Swell ability, which is a great way to initiate on the AM! His ultimate prevents him from blinking away, essentially providing his team a way to beat down on him and secure the kill!
Why is Grimstroke Great against Anti-Mage?
- A combination of Soulbind and Phantom's Embrace can prevent Anti-Mage from casting spells.
- If Grimstroke has Aghanim's Scepter, Dark Portrait can reflect Anti-Mage's Mana Break making it useful in team fights.
Items to Buy Against Anti-Mage
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Ghost Scepter
- Glimmer Cape
- Ethereal Blade
8. Nightstalker
This silent stalker hunts for his enemies throughout the night, as dawn approaches his powers to get weaker but he still holds the power to rip his enemies apart! Anti-Mage can’t contest Nightstalker because he is frankly powerless against him, courtesy of the Silence. Nightstalker may be a slow farmer but as soon as he hits level 6, he can rotate towards other lanes to secure kills and gold. Blink Dagger remains an exceptional item that can be used to initiate along with the silence, or further hunt down the nimble AM!
Why is Nightstalker Great against Anti-Mage?
- Crippling Fear makes Night Stalker one of the best early game gankers to shut down Anti-Mage.
- Night Stalker's low mana pool causes him to take little damage from Mana Void.
Items to Buy Against Anti-Mage
- Blink Dagger
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Black King Bar
- Skull Basher
7. Disruptor
Prepare yourself for troubled weather as Disruptor barrages into the battlefield to change the trajectory of the battle! DIsruptor is one of the most picked support heroes in the current meta, as he provides insane disable in the form of Static Storm which further is amplified by Aghanim’s Scepter that mutes his enemies' items. AM can easily be caught off guard by Disruptor if he blinks in heroically, the aftermath can be in the favor of the Disruptor!
Why is Disruptor Great against Anti-Mage?
- Glimpse brings Anti-Mage back after he Blinks away.
- Static Storm stops Anti-Mage from Blinking.
Items to Buy Against Anti-Mage
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Ghost Scepter
- Glimmer Cape
- Force Staff
6. Legion Commander
Tresdin, the Legion Commander is a melee hero, which may discourage most players from playing her against AM due to the mana burn, but little do they know that she can heavily counter him with her high physical damage. You can catch him off guard with Shadow Blade and Duel him while he is farming! If you win enough Duels, you may just eviscerate Anti-Mage in just a few hits in the late game.
Why is Legion Commander Great against Anti-Mage?
- Duel renders Anti-Mage's escape capabilities with Blink and Counterspell useless. Blade Mail and Moment of Courage work well against Anti-Mage's relatively low health.
- A good initiation from Legion Commander and her team is enough to effortlessly kill Anti-Mage.
Items to Buy Against Anti-Mage
- Blink Dagger
- Shadow Blade
- Aghanim’s Shard
- Blademail
5. Puck
Puck is a mixture of flamboyance and skill. Although, relatively a weak laner and squishy, Puck can turn the tides around if he manages to secure his early game by farming sufficiently and ganking other lanes. Anti-Mage fares well versus Puck unless the latter has the upper hand! The right items at the right time allow him to sustain himself and deal lethal magical damage without worrying about the mage slayer!
Why is Puck Great against Anti-Mage?
- Waning Rift silences Anti-Mage, preventing him from blinking away.
- Dream Coil stops Anti-Mage from blinking, with Aghanim's Scepter also locks down Anti-Mage for a long duration.
Items to Buy Against Anti-Mage
- Blink Dagger
- Aghanim’s Shard and Scepter
- Linken’s Sphere
- Eul’s Scepter
4. Bane
The culprit of endless nightmares in the shadow realm, Bane remains a solid counter to Anti-Mage. He can quickly disable the latter by applying debuffs, and locking him down for a good duration! A good Anti-Mage can easily use Counter Spell to reflect off the ability, but a better Bane knows when to pump fake his spells and trick him! The late stages of the game bear witness to utter control by Bane if he is managed to use Fiend’s Grip on AM!
Why is Bane Great against Anti-Mage?
- Fiend's Grip prevents Anti-Mage from Blinking away or using Manta Style. It also pierces spell immunity.
- Nightmare sets Bane's team up for chain disables on Anti-Mage.
- Enfeeble lowers Anti-Mage's status resistance and magic resistance, making him more vulnerable to disables and magic damage.
Items to Buy Against Anti-Mage
- Glimmer Cape
- Aether Lens
- Aghanim’s Shard
- Force Staff
3. Shadow Demon
The most fearsome Demons, Fiends, Apparitions they all bow down to Shadow Demon. Primarily played in the support role, SD deals a ton of damage due to his Shadow Poison ability, allowing him to gather stacks on seemingly unobservant enemies. Along with dealing great magical damage, Shadow Demon also is known to disable AM with Disruption and Purge. Even in the late game, the AM may instantly get Disrupted and taken out of the fight if he is not quick enough to press Reflective Shield.
Why is Shadow Demon Great against Anti-Mage?
- Disruption sets up Anti-Mage for a chain disable. The illusions will deal extra damage due to Mana Break.
- Soul Catcher causes Anti-Mage to take a large chunk of damage and can hit him when he is inside from Disruption.
- Shadow Poison hits Anti-Mage even after he's Blinked away.
Items to Buy Against Anti-Mage
- Blink Dagger
- Glimmer Cape
- Aether Lens
- Ghost Scepter
2. Doom
Doom is feared by both angels and devils, he is known to dominate the battlefield with his terrifying spells and animosity. Though the laning phase may be rough on Doom, he hits his item timings quickly, thanks to Devour and Scorched Earth. Being more level reliant over the farm, Doom must constantly gank other lanes to secure farm and space for his team! He shreds through AM due to his high value disable, ensuring AM does not escape!
Why is Doom Great against Anti-Mage?
- Doom shuts down Anti-Mage's escape capabilities with Blink. The ability also deals pure damage, which ignores the protection from Counterspell.
- If Doom has Aghanim's Scepter, Doom can break Mana Break and Counterspell, weakening both his offense and defense.
- Doom's low mana pool causes him to take little damage from Mana Void.
Items to Buy Against Anti-Mage
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Black King Bar
- Shadow Blade
- Refresher’s Orb
1. Axe
Doing immense physical damage right off the bat is quite unheard of in the early stages of the game, but Axe is one noble exception! A few Counter Helix spins and boom you’re dead! It’s even worse if Axe uses Call after AM’s Manta! Right from the laning stage, Axe is a menace to him, causing him to abandon the lane and delegate himself to the jungle, which is obviously not ideal for him! He is relentless in his approach to ganking and is totally not to be messed with in the late game.
Why is Axe Great against Anti-Mage?
- Berserker's Call prevents Anti-Mage from escaping with Blink and works well with Blade Mail against Anti-Mage's relatively low health.
- Counter Helix often triggers even if Axe's depleted of mana, which will make Anti-Mage take more damage than he's dealing and deals pure damage, ignoring the protection from Counterspell.
- Axe's low mana pool makes him a bad target for using Mana Void.
Items to Buy Against Anti-Mage
- Blink Dagger
- Shadow Blade
- Blademail
- Vanguard
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