Dota 2 has various types of damage dealers. Nukers for an instance, are the type of heroes that are capable of dealing high damage in a short duration of time. These nuker heroes are highly picked in the current meta due to their reliability and relative ease of play. These heroes fare well in the early game due to their high damage which allows them to get a few kills early on. The nukers are known to make the most out of their early game, as it allows them to get even stronger in the late stages of the game. Nukers are suitable for every single game, regardless of the meta or the matchup you are facing.
There are various nuke heroes in the game, but not all of them are equally strong or relevant to the meta. We bring you the Best 15 Nukers which deal high damage and obliterate enemy heroes within no time.
15. Lion
The vicious Lion cripples enemies and leaves them scarred for life with his intense nuke damage. He also drains their mana, turns them into helpless critters, and all in all, make them highly useless. The lethal nuke damage from his Finger of Death ultimate can further be amplified with the number of kills he gets with it, allowing a possibility of one-shotting his foes in the later stages of the game. Most heroes are essentially melee or ranged creep against Lion if they do not have a good start in the game.
Lion is one of those support heroes who fit any matchup, his versatility is highly unparalleled in the current meta. Lion is played by both beginners and professionals, as he works in every single skill bracket. He has multiple spells which can be used to disable his enemies while allowing him to deal damage to them at the same time. He is strong right from the early game as his lockdown followed by some damage from his team can neutralize enemies quickly with his magical nuke damage.
What makes Lion a great nuker?
- Lion’s magical damage can be amplified further in the game with the items that he purchases (ex. Aghanim’s Scepter or Veil of Discord)
- Aghanim’s Scepter grants 50 bonus damage per kill that Lion gets with his ultimate, incentivizing him to use it frequently to gain more charges
- He can one-shot enemy heroes in the late game with his damage
- High burst damage and magical output that scales well in the later stages of the game.
- Highly relevant in any matchup due to his spell combinations.
- Lion is known to have a decent cast range for spells, which is further amplified with the items he gets.
- Multiple disables, can be used to chain stun and cripple his enemies right from the early game.
https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Lion
14. Snapfire
Many are deceived by the rather innocent appearance of this Grandma. She is as vicious and fierce as she was in her younger days. Snapfire quickly became one of the most played support and nuke heroes. Her ultimate offers her an exorbitant amount of AoE magical damage, which helps you in clearing creeps and controlling teamfights. Her Scatterblast is also successful in dealing a ton of magical damage which is highly useful in the early game.
The best part about Snapfire is her flexibility, as she can be played both as a support and as a core hero, depending on the matchup. She is widely regarded as a high-value hero who has a lot to add to a teamfight. Her nuke abilities can supplement her allies’ spells, making sure there are no stones left unturned when it comes to winning a teamfight. Snapfire, all in all, is a well-rounded hero, she may have her weaknesses but her strength puts her on this list.
Why is Snapfire a great nuker?
- Her ultimate, Mortimer’s Kissses, is a highly effective crowd control spell that also deals a ton of effective damage right from the early game
- Snapfire has multiple magical damage nuke spells which allow her to act offensively and push through teamfight
- She can also farm quickly, courtesy of her massive AoE damage, allowing her to push lanes and gather farm faster than some core heroes on this list!
https://www.dota2.com/hero/snapfire
13. Tiny
You’re stuck between a rock and a hard place (no pun intended) if you’re facing Tiny. Tiny takes full advantage of his massive magical damage and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to decimating enemy heroes. Tiny can be played in multiple positions, due to the flexibility of his skill set but he does extremely well in the middle lane. All Tiny needs is a Blink Dagger in the early game to mow down enemy heroes, as he can follow it up with the Toss combo or Toss them to his allies who finish the job for him.
Although it can be difficult to carry this combo successfully in the late game as enemies purchase Black King Bar which grants them magic immunity, Tiny is much more reliant on his physical damage which is equally threatening in the later stages. A pesky and annoying Tiny can attempt to Toss his enemy mid-laner back into his allies or solo kill them in no time with his nuke combo. In the late game, most heroes can’t match the damage or impact of the stone giant.
Why is Tiny a great nuker?
- High lockdown potential right from the early game with the stun toss combo.
- Extremely active in the early stages of the game and can rotate to other lanes to fight.
- Does not require much practice to master, all you have to do is press two buttons at the same time!
- Can nuke squishy low magical resistance heroes with his toss combo which deals high magical damage
- Tree Grab can obliterate enemies in no time if he goes the physical damage route.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Tiny
12. Jakiro
The twin-headed dragon, Jakiro, has ravaged wars with the balance of his cold-blooded vengeance and scorching wrath. Mostly played in the safe lane as a support, there is not much interaction with enemies in the early game, but the mid and late game can be easily controlled by Jakiro as he deals immense nuke damage with decent lockdowns. Most enemies are squishy until the late game, which means that all you need as a Jakiro is a Veil of Discord and a Rod of Atos to get the job done. All his magic damage makes him a delight to play and push lanes with.
As a Jakiro, all you need is a few levels to have an impact, and the gold and farm will quickly follow! Jakrio relies more on levels due to the sheer amount of damage his spells are capable of dishing out. He can without doubt solo kill low magic resistance heroes with his magical damage. Jakiro is also highly reliant as a lane pusher with his massive AoE, while also being a relevant team fighter throughout the late game. His high magical nuke damage and fighting capability make him a relevant hero in the 7.32d meta.
What makes Jakiro a great nuker?
- Jakiro has 3 damage over time spells, Dual Breath and Liquid Fire) and 1 affecting an entire area ( Macropyre), making it easy for him to disable enemies to deal immense damage to them and the towers as well.
- Jakiro’s ultimate can demolish enemy heroes if he receives decent follow-up from his teammates.
- Jakiro is highly relevant through the late game due to his building damage potential.
- Ice Path is also strong against his enemies, catching them off-guard and holding them down in one spot.
- Highly relevant right from the laning phase as he can dish high damage right off the bat.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Jakiro
11. Tinker
The genius mechanical maniac is known to tinker around with gadgets and fry weak foes with lasers and rockets. Tinker is an exceptional mid-laner due to his impeccable ability to deal high amounts of damage within a short duration. He is a highly active laner who does not fall off in the early game, thanks to his shield which keeps him tanky. Even if Tinker has a bad lane, he can just rotate to the other lanes to get kills and help his lagging teammates.
Most low magic resistance heroes are weak laners against Tinker and thus stand no chance as they will always be targeted with constant harassment in the form of magical damage from rockets and lasers. With the addition of the Shield, Tinker can easily escape or otherwise initiate and lock enemies down with his annoying Scythe and Rearm combo. Without a Black King Bar, enemies have no means of staying resilient in a teamfight, let alone have any means of gap closing even if they manage to farm enough.
Why Tinker is a great nuker?
- Tinker has multiple spells which allow him to deal high magical damage right from the early game
- Tinker also can refresh his spells with his ultimate, which allows him to constantly keep on dishing out high damage
- Laser ensures enemies can’t deal physical damage for a few seconds, ensuring Tinker and his allies are safe during a teamfight
- Tinker can also shield himself and his allies, adding that extra layer of protection, allowing them to endure a rough fight
10. Visage
The vicious and chilling Visage has been a staple pick since the last few patches. Primarily played in the mid lane, he is known to struggle in the early stages of the game due to the lack of damage to secure creeps, but the tables turn as soon as Visage gets his ultimate. Not only can he gank lanes with his familiars, but Visage also has high armor which makes him resilient in teamfights. He can translate well into the late game if he manages to keep up the pace right through the early game, nuking his foes left and right without any effort.
A late-game Visage is not a laughing matter, with his Aghanim and Shard, he will eagerly destroy his foes. He can push extremely well with the help of familiars which can be used to lock down enemies as well as deal damage to them in teamfights. He is extremely tanky and can opt for different item builds. Visage has extremely high attack speed, which with the help of his familiars and Aghanim’s Scepter can shred through enemies quite quickly.
Why is Visage a great nuker?
- The damage dished from Soul Assumption is extremely hard for enemies to negate even in the late game
- Visage also has low cooldowns on all his spells, he can also get items that can further reduce his cooldowns
- Familiars can be used to split push and start teamfights, while also helping him in farming and nuking down squishy enemies with his damage.
- Visage is one of those few heroes whose damage does not falter in the late game, meaning he is highly relevant even in the later stages
https://www.dota2.com/hero/visage
9. Timbersaw
A list of nukers is never complete without the terrifying Timbersaww. He also fares extremely well even against high-damage heroes due to his tanky armor. He is quite a dominating force in the early game as most heroes do not have much resistance to his magical and pure damage. Timbersaw can dictate the pace of the game with his moves, due to him being such a tanky hero. With all the ungodly damage being dished out by Timbersaw’s ultimate, there is no way that enemies can escape a fight alive. Timbersaw also has decent mobility which can allow him to chase enemies or escape from a teamfight.
Timber can triumph in the late game as well if he is given free rein, he can purchase various items which allow him to maintain control and dominance, including Eul’s Scepter of Divinity or Heaven’s Halberd. Even if enemies are farmed, Timber’s Reactive armor stops enemies from advancing any further and ignoring him in teamfights. This forces his enemy cores to jungle early on in the game, which makes them lag in the farm and XP department.
Why is Timbersaw a great nuker?
- Timbersaw is one of the few heroes left who has a pure damage-dealing spell (Whirling Death), which deals extremely high strength-based damage right from the early game
- Timbersaw's innate durability is very hard to deal with, not all heroes can deal enough damage to bring him down so easy
- His ultimate slows enemies down and deals high AoE damage which can further be combined with his other spells to deal even more damage
- He is also an excellent farmer who can mow down creep waves easily and acquire gold within no time
- Timbersaw's high Pure Damage and low-cooldown AoE nukes can also destroy squishy heroes within no time due to their low magic resistance.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Timbersaw
8. Lina
Lina smokes her enemies with her insane magical burst damage, there is no way you recover from this arson. Lina is played by both new and experienced players but only the most seasoned players can understand her true potential. She can rip through enemies effortlessly, with both her abilities and physical damage nuke output. Her AoE spells can easily demolish squishy support heroes. High movement speed allows her to rotate through lanes quickly. Lina has multiple builds which ensure nothing but pain and anguish to her opponents.
You should never play with fire, or you’ll end up getting burnt. Lina’s fiery gameplay cauterizes her enemies, and her quick and dreadful spells burn down her foes within no time. Lina is an exceptional laner due to her quick and available magic damage which mows down her counterparts. She also does not fall off quickly in the late game as she can go the physical damage route if her magical damage seems to wear off.
Why is Lina a great nuker?
- Lina has an immense Area of Effect (AoE) damage with all her spells, which can deal damage to multiple units at once, making her farm fast or get multiple kills.
- Lina’s ultimate, Laguna Blade, is one of the highest damage-dealing spells in the game, it can essentially allow her to solo kill heroes if combined with her other spells
- She is strong right from the early game, even if she has a tough lane, she can just rotate to other lanes and get kills with her ultimate
- Lina is also known to rotate right from the get-go, allowing her to get stronger by acquiring more kills and thus more farm.
- Lina is the go-to nuke hero due to the reliability of her spells and the effective magic damage dealt
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Lina
7. Pugna
Highly regarded as an annoying spellcasting hero, Pugna is great at dealing extreme nuke damage right from the laning stage. A pure lane matchup can favor Pugna against squishy cores as he has more INT and mana pool than the latter. Along with that, his enemies face constant harassment and get shoved out of the lane due to the bonkers damage Pugna deals which they can’t negate so easily in the early game. Due to low magic resistance, most heroes are easy to counter, the Decrepify and Life Drain combo decimates enemies within no time.
Pugna can also save your low HP allies with Life Drain and Decrepify if they’re being targeted by Lone Druid. Pugna is known to farm effortlessly due to his AoE spell and hit his item timings relatively early. Pugna loves dishing out 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 Lone Druid.
Why is Pugna a great nuker?
- The nuke damage dealt by Pugna’s Nether Blast and Decrpify combo is extremely hard to negate in the early game
- Most heroes have no innate disables to stop Life Drain and Decrepify.
- Decrepify prevents the enemies from attacking you, saving you and your allies
- A good Pugna looks to end the match early while pretty much all cores are item-reliant heroes, thriving in longer matches.
- Nether Blast also works on towers, dealing a ton of high-value damage
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Pugna
6. Morphling
Morphling is quite a lethal hero, which most people find hard to counter due to his survivability and high nuke damage. As boring or complex as Morph may appear, he is quite an impressive hero right from the laning phase and stays relevant throughout the late game. Most people shy away from Morphling due to the difficulty of his abilities, but if you can master him, there is no way your enemies can have an upper hand. Morphling is a nuisance to enemy supports due to the infamous “shotgun” combo. Mastering Morphling requires quick decision-making skills, which only come with time and experience.
The menacing Morphling can be an excellent addition to the team if you want a carry that can fight from the get-go and is tanky. Everyone knows about the infamous Shotgun combo, which takes just two clicks to nuke and bring down enemy heroes In the late game, enemies struggle hard to match Morphling’s pace as their damage simply isn’t enough to cause a dent in Morphling’s health pool (courtesy of Attribute Shift) Morph (the ultimate) can be used to give enemies a taste of their own medicine and have them taken out from teamfights.
What makes Morphling a great nuker?
- Morph can nuke enemy heroes with the Adaptive Strike ability and Ethereal Blade, also known as the shotgun combo.
- Morph allows him to turn into enemy heroes (or allies if you purchase the Aghanim Scepter), which can often lead to deadly combos or allow him to escape team fights.
- Can easily survive a long team fight with the Attribute Shift ability, providing him immense tank and survivability potential.
- Attribute Shift ability makes him either gain strength or agility, both can be useful depending on the situation.
- Impressive level 1 attributes and stats, allows him to be extremely sustainable in the laning phase.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Morphling
5. Invoker
The quintessential mid-counter to squishy and low magic resistance heroes is the maser of arcane arts, Invoker. There are various reasons for it, the primary reason being his plethora of ungodly magical damage spells which are effective nukes. Low magic resistance is a weakness that Voker takes great advantage of. Invoker is known to dominate right from the early game. Invoker fares well in the laning phase, sometimes even breaking against some annoying and aggressive heroes.
Invoker’s skill set allows him to act both offensive and defensive, depending upon the scenario. Unlike most mid-laners, Voker can gank and push lanes fairly early on in the game due to the intensity of his spells. This gives him that edge in both experience and farm. Invoker is seen as a squishy mid-hero against the magic damage-dealing lot of heroes, but his abilities allow him to defend himself from the terrorizing lethal enemy heroes. He provides decent crowd control with his spell combos, which can help him turn the tides in teamfights with their massive nuke damage.
Why is Invoker a great nuker?
- Has a total of 10 spells that can be used both offensively to nuke the enemies and defensively to defend himself or his allies in a teamfight.
- He also has various spell combinations and builds which make him deal intense damage
- Decent sustain with the Quas Wex build, which allows him to play defensively.
- Decent aggression with the Quas Exort build, which allow him to play aggressively and deal more damage.
- Invoker also snowballs quickly if not contained in the early game, this is again due to his magical damage
- His magical damage can be further amplified with the items he purchases
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Invoker
4. Skywrath Mage
The notorious Skywrath knows his way around countering squishy low-HP heroes. Right from the laning phase, the enemy team is subjected to ungodly magic damage which they find hard to negate for a very long time, plus all of his spells have low cooldowns, making them spammable right from the get-go. Sky’s silence is also a key factor in ensuring his foes do not get their spells off in teamfights. This cripples the latter heavily as they can’t make a dent in the game if they get stopped right in their tracks by the arcane Mage.
Some heroes also have the threat of getting solo killed by Skywrath due to his high nuke damage. He takes advantage of the enemy's weakness to ensure they do not have any impact on the game. A wise Skywrath player will often try to lane against the Terrorblade, to shove him off the lane or make him waste gold by calling for regen or making him take the walk of shame back to base. If you’re lacking an impactful support hero, Skywrath is a great way to fill the void of a team fighter and nuke damage dealer.
Why is Skywrath Mage a great nuker?
- Immense magical damage spells which have a low cooldown, making them spammable right from the laning spells
- Ancient Seal can disable enemies by preventing them from using spells.
- Skywrath Mage is also an effective team fighter, his spells deal effective nuke damage and also help him disable enemies
- His nuke abilities can further be enhanced if he purchases items like Veil of Discord or Rod of Atos
- Mystic Flare can be used to great effect to burst enemies down provided Skywrath gets some prior lockdown for its maximum effectiveness
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Skywrath_Mage
3. Leshrac
Leshrac has been a staple mid-hero in the current meta due to his reliability and impressive nuke damage. Leshrac is relevant right from the laning phase, his damage shoves out enemies from the lane and forces them to purchase magical resistance items early on, slowing their progression on other more necessary items Leshrac can push lanes with his Edict, deal immense damage to heroes, and lock them down with his Split Earth. He is a consistent mid-hero and does not fall off in the late game.
Leshrac is known for his high magical damage, AoE, and lockdown potential, all of these elements are lethal against squishy low-magic resistant heroes. The best part is that Leshrac is often picked as a flex hero, meaning he can be played in quite any lane. Apart from countering certain heroes, Lesh can also mow down buildings with Edict providing decent counter push and ratting in the late game if required. A successful early game for Leshrac translates to domination in the late game, as most heroes have no way to stop his lethal magic damage.
Why is Leshrac a great nuker?
- Immense farming and wave clear potential, allowing him to push lanes faster and acquire items quickly.
- High AoE magical damage output which also works on towers, making him one of the rare spellcasting heroes with decent tower damage!
- All of Leshrac's abilities can easily deal with creeps and multiple units faster as they deal a ton of damage
- Leshrac has immense magic nuke potential with all his spells, especially his ultimate which can deal a ton of nuke damage, leaving enemies wounded or at times, dead.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Leshrac
2. Queen of Pain
Facing off against the Queen of Pain is like being on the wrong side of the leash. There is constant spam and harassment, which is irritating to lane against as if it is overlooked then it can result in your death due to her insane nuke damage. Queen of Pain has the perfect skill set to both harass and kill the enemies, her mobility makes her even harder to catch as she can just Blink away if enemies try to initiate on her. Unlike most mid-lane heroes, the Queen of Pain is active as soon as she gets her level 6, allowing her to gank other lanes.
The seductive Queen of Pain knows how to hunt and haunt her prey. It is obvious that she is quite well-versed when it comes to handling damage, and for sure knows how to deal twice back to the caster. Queen of Pain is quite dominant against most mid-heroes, putting them at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to net worth. Her naturally high magic damage is quite hard for low magic-resistant heroes to tolerate. It also takes them ages to farm magic resistance to negate any sort of damage dished out by the mighty Queen.
Why is QoP a great nuker?
- Queen of Pain is extremely good at wave precise and farming due to her high mobility.
- Active hero and a decent early-game ganker due to her immense magical nuke damage
- Her damage allows her to be relevant right off the bat
- QoP’s damage can further be amplified with the help of certain items which allow her to destroy enemies quickly
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Queen_of_Pain
1. Zeus
Zeus is quite undoubtedly the best counter-pick to nuke squishy magic resistance heroes. Zeus fares extremely well if he is laning against certain heroes as he can smite them down in the early game as soon as he reaches level six. This allows him to gank other lanes without even being there! Zeus is also an excellent farmer which allows him to acquire multiple items which help him further dominate the game. The game gets slightly icky if the enemies get magic resistance items but as long as Zeus is in the backlines, he can pump out enough damage to turn the tides in his favor.
When Zeus acquires items like Aether Lens and Veil of Discord, squishy mid-heroes can’t handle the DPS, which proves to be extremely lethal. Ideally, most heroes do not want to build a BKB, but facing a magical Zeus will force them to opt for it, slowing down their progress on other more useful items, which can give his carry an edge over them in the late game. The late game is where Zeus is known to shine bright like a star as he can wipe out multiple enemies with his ultimate, and Refresher combination which is known to deal an ungodly amount of damage.
Why is Zeus a great nuker?
- Zeus' abilities deal high amounts of burst magical damage, which ignores the high armor of certain heroes.
- Zeus’ famous combo of Thundergod’s Wrath into Nimbus can decimate squishy enemy heroes in the early game, it can further be worsened if Zeus purchases a Refresher’s Orb which allows him to do twice the damage
- Can reveal invisible heroes with Lighting Bolt while also dealing damage to them and releasing other invisible units in an AoE
- His spells deal immense magical damage which enemies find hard to contain in the early stages of the game.
- He is an annoying laner, making his mid-counterpart ferry in regen items or going back to the base quite early on due to his intense nuke damage
- Zeus' Arc Lightning is also a good way to destroy illusions and clear through creep waves quickly
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Zeus
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