Supports are undoubtedly the most hardworking heroes in a team. They overlook the map vision, babysit weak allies, rotate to assist their allies in a teamfight, and are almost always the sacrificial lamb in a botched teamfight. The supports do it all without complaining. They’re the reason behind the success or failure of a team in the early game. This incredible parental role is often underestimated, and these unsung heroes do not get their due. In fact, in certain scenarios, the support heroes have more impact and importance, especially in the early stages of the game. Support heroes are highly necessary and it is only right if we acknowledge their impact.
With so many buffs and nerfs to the support heroes in the current meta, it can be hard to pick the right hero. We bring you a list of the Best 10 Support Heroes in the 7.33 meta. These relevant heroes are extremely good in all aspects of the game and are also fight-ready from the early game.
10. Ancient Apparition
Ancient Apparition is a powerful support hero that excels in lane due to his excellent harass capabilities and lane control with his chilling touch spell. He can secure kills for his carry with his Cold Feet, which forces enemies to remain in place or suffer the consequences. Along with that, his ultimate, Ice Blast, can be a game-changer in team fights, preventing enemy heroes from healing and making it easier for the team to secure kills. In the late game, Ancient Apparition's Ice Vortex spell can also provide invaluable vision, as well as increasing spell damage for allies, making him a valuable asset to have on the team.
Right from the laning phase, Ancient Apparition proves to be a menace if played as a lane support. The new update has buffed his Ice Vortex, as it now provides ample vision and amplifies the magical damage of allied spells, allowing for easier kills and more efficient farming. Overall, Ancient Apparition is a reliable support hero that can excel in any stage of the game, from the early laning phase to the late-game team fights.
What makes Ancient Apparition a powerful support?
- Ice Blast is a phenomenal spell that can significantly affect team fights and turn the tide of a game. It's a global range that can contribute to team fights from anywhere on the map.
- Chilling Touch and Cold Feet, can also be very impactful in the early game and provide strong harass and kill potential in lane.
- Ice Vortex can be used to provide vision and slow enemies, making it a versatile spell that can be used both offensively and defensively.
- He is also a great hero to pair with other heroes that have high burst damage, as his ultimate can ensure that enemies cannot be healed or saved by their allies.
Items to buy on Ancient Apparition
- Force Staff - Allows Ancient Apparition to force herself or the targetted unit 600 units ahead in the direction he is facing. This allows him to either escape from his foes or initiate on them, depending upon the scenario.
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Increases Ice Vortex damage and heal reduction, destroying DK’s game
- Rod of Atos - Upon usage, it roots the targeted unit. It can be the much-needed lockdown that Ancient Apparition needs to stop enemies from TP’ing. It can also be combined with Ice Blast to lock enemies down and damage them.
- Glimmer Cape - Glimmer Cape is more of a support’s way of escaping enemy damage or aiding their allies in escaping as upon cast it turns you or the targetted ally invisible.
- Scythe of Vyse - Scythe offers Ancient Apparition immense disable potential which he seems to lack. It turns the targeted enemy into a pig, making them unable to use any spells or items while also reducing their movement speed. This disabler item is of high value to him as it allows him to dominate the late game, locking down his foes and decimating them with the follow-up from his team.
Ancient Apparition is strong against
- Alchemist - Ice Blast nullifies the health regeneration granted by Chemical Rage, which Alchemist greatly relies on to stay alive in battle.
- Chen - Ice Blast prevents Divine Favor and Hand of God from healing his allies or himself.
- Dazzle - Shallow Grave prevents Ice Blast's shatter for up to 5 seconds, but can mostly only delay it as Ice Blast's debuff lasts 10 seconds and prevents Shadow Wave from healing them.
Ancient Apparition is weak against
- Anti-Mage - Mana Break and Mana Void deal a lot of damage to Ancient Apparition due to his high mana pool.
- Lycan - Shapeshift increases Lycan's movement speed and renders him unslowable, allowing him to easily avoid and escape Ancient Apparition's abilities.
- Mirana - Leap allows Mirana to easily escape the freezing range of Cold Feet. Mirana also tends to build Manta Style which dispels Cold Feet.
9. Rubick
Rubick is known to be an evergreen pick as he never seems to go out of fashion, he can essentially be picked against any hero with crowd control abilities or high damage abilities. It does not take a master-tier Rubick to be excellent at stealing the right spells or spellcasting, all you need is a little practice to shine bright on this arcane thief. Rubick can disable his foes with the help of Telekinesis, allowing him to disable his foes. Rubick loves enemies a taste of their own medicine if he successfully uses their spells on them!
In 7.33, Rubick is frequently picked because of the flexibility he provides, along with the impact he has in the game. You can also ideally outfarm and kill certain heroes if you play a slightly greedy Rubick. He can also dominate effortlessly in the late game if he acquires his items, especially his Aghanim’s which allows him to steal an extra spell, which could lead to mind-boggling combos! Rubick is an essential hero if your team lacks a team-fighting support hero.
What makes Rubick a great support?
- Deals immense magic damage right from the early game with the help of Arcane Supremacy.
- Has increased status duration on the spells he steals, allowing him to stun-lock his enemies while his allies beat them down.
- Makes enemies use their spells wisely as the arcane thief can be quick to steal them.
- He can also farm rather quickly, allowing him to translate into a more aggressive core-like playstyle if he acquires his items.
Top 5 Best Endgame Items for Rubick
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Decreased cooldown on Spell Steal and allows him to use Aghs upgraded version of stolen spells, exceptional if he can steal big ticket spells, which is the core reason for picking this hero.
- Aether Lens - Increased cast range, can catch enemies off-guard with the increased range by using Telekinesis from a significant distance or even from the fog.
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from enemy spells and also applies a basic dispel, although it has an extremely high cooldown of 180 seconds.
- 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 escape or initiate on the enemies.
- Glimmer Cape - Provides invisibility, and can also be used on allies to escape or to initiate on the enemies.
Rubick is strong against
- Enigma - Enigma's ultimate Black Hole can be devastating if being stolen and dropped on multiple heroes.
- Phoenix - Phoenix's signature Supernova, if cast successfully, can turn a team fights around if being stolen.
- Shadow Fiend - Shadow Fiend's Requiem of Souls allows Rubick to output enormous crowd damage and control the enemy team.
Rubick is weak against
- Anti-Mage - All of Rubick's spells are single targets and can be reflected by Anti-Mage’s Counterspell.
- Bristleback - Rubick deals little damage on his own, and Bristleback can simply shrug off all his spells and chase Rubick down with his Quill Spray and the damage bonus from Warpath.
- Nightstalker - Crippling Fear silences nearby heroes and cannot be dispelled, which hinders Rubick's way to retaliate when being jumped on.
8. 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, which is a great way to initiate on his foes! His ultimate prevents them from escaping away or using any spells, essentially providing his team a way to beat down on him and secure the kill. Grimstroke's vigor in the early game makes him a valuable pick for teams who want to dominate their opponents from the start.
In 7.33, Grimstroke is an exceptional support hero who can provide a lot of impact in the laning stage. With his long attack range, he can harass enemy heroes and secure ranged last hits for his carry. He also has a decent attack animation and damage, making it easier for him to last hit and deny creeps. Also, his movement speed is above average, which allows him to move around the map quickly and provide support to his teammates.
Why is Grimstroke a powerful support?
- Grim’s ultimate Soulbind, can be a game-changer in team fights as it chains two enemy heroes together, causing them to take increased damage and share any spells that are cast on them.
- Phantom's Embrace, is a powerful silence and damage-over-time spell that can lock down a single enemy hero for a significant amount of time.
- Grimstroke can use his ultimate in tandem with other heroes with powerful single-target spells, such as Lina or Lion, to deal massive damage to tethered enemies.
- Grimstroke has decent mobility with his spells, allowing him to move around the map quickly and set up ganks or escape from dangerous situations.
Items to Buy on Grimstroke
- Aghanim’s Shard - Causes Ink Swell to deal 40% more damage and heal the target for 40% of the damage Ink Swell deals. Upon expiration, the target will receive a strong dispel. The strong dispel is highly useful to save allies from harmful nerfs.
- Glimmer Cape - Glimmer Cape is more of a support’s way of escaping enemy damage or aiding their allies in escaping as upon cast it turns you or the targetted ally invisible.
- Ethereal Blade - Upon usage, it disarms the targeted unit, making them take 40% more magical damage while also slowing them and dealing initial damage based on the enemy’s primary attribute.
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from enemy spells and also applies a basic dispel, although it has an extremely high cooldown of 180 seconds.
- Force Staff - Allows Grimstroke to force himself or the targetted unit 600 units ahead in the direction they are facing, it can be useful to escape or initiate on the enemies.
Grimstroke is strong against
- Broodmother - Stroke of Fate can deal heavy damage to Broodmother and her spiders, and with enough spiders, it can kill her instantly.
- Necrophos - Ghost Shroud amplifies damage taken from all of Grimstroke's abilities. Necrophos is particularly vulnerable to Ink Swell and Phantom's Embrace while in Ghost Shroud.
- Timbersaw - Timbersaw relies heavily on his abilities so Phantom's Embrace's silence makes it more difficult for him.
Grimstroke is weak against
- Puck - Phase Shift can easily disjoint Phantom Embrace and waste half of the Soulbind's duration.
- Shadow Demon - Disruption instantly removes Phantom Embrace, and can potentially save allies affected by Soulbind.
- Sniper - Sniper's position in the far back line makes him unlikely to be hit by any of Grimstroke's abilities during teamfights.
7. Keeper of the Light
You shall not pass, says the illuminating Keeper as he holds his ground against his menacing foes. Keeper of the Light is back in the meta due to the recent buffs to his abilities, allowing him to deal more damage and sustain in the lane. His spells allow him to be played both as a core and as a support, allowing flexibility in his item, as well as skill, builds. If you manage to master this wise Keeper, you shall be allowed to pass into higher MMR ladders. KOTL has insane heals which can further save him or his allies during teamfights.
The Keeper can be played both aggressively and defensively. He provides excellent lane control with his illuminating abilities that can clear waves of creeps and harass the enemy heroes. KOTL's ability to recall allies can quickly turn the tides of a battle, making him an excellent choice for saving allies or reinforcing an attack. Keeper’s ultimate provides a massive amount of burst damage in teamfights, making him a valuable addition to any lineup.
Why is Keeper of the Light a great support hero?
- Keeper of the Light has an incredible amount of utility, with abilities that can both heal and damage enemies, as well as provide vision for his team.
- Keeper of the Light’s Illuminate ability is one of the most powerful wave-clearing spells in the game, allowing him to quickly farm and push lanes while also dealing damage to enemy heroes.
- Keeper of the Light has great mobility and can quickly move around the map thanks to his ultimate, Spirit Form, which allows him to move through terrain and deal damage to enemies.
- KOTL can also provide mana to his teammates while also providing cooldown reduction, allowing them to spam abilities and stay active in fights.
Items to buy on Keeper of the Light
- Force Staff - Allows Keeper of the Light to force himself or the targetted unit 600 units ahead in the direction they are facing, it can be useful to escape or initiate on the enemies.
- Aghanim’s Shard - Grants Spirit Form which teleports the targeted friendly hero to Keeper of the Light’s location. It is an ideal way to help your core heroes have an impact on the map instead of having them farm all the time.
- Scythe of Vyse - Scythe offers KOTL immense disable potential which he seems to lack. It turns the targeted enemy into a pig, making them unable to use any spells or items while also reducing their movement speed. This disabler item is of high value to him as it allows him to dominate the late game, locking down his foes and decimating them with the follow-up from his team.
- Aeon Disk - Provides a strong dispel for Keeper of the Light if his health falls below 70%, making him take no damage for a brief duration while also making his attacks deal no damage. It also provides 75% Status Resistance for the same duration.
- Glimmer Cape - Glimmer Cape is more of a support’s way of escaping enemy damage or aiding their allies in escaping as upon cast it turns you or the targetted ally invisible.
Keeper of the Light is strong against
- Monkey King - KOTL’s ultimate Will-O-Wisp will stun Monkey King from Tree Dance by destroying his tree.
- Broodmother - Illuminate wipes out Broodmother's spiders and prevents her from pushing the lane. It also gives the vision to reveal where Broodmother is hiding in the trees.
- Nature’s Prophet - Keeper of the Light can stall Nature’s Prophet’s with Illuminate. This makes him strong against pushing heroes.
Keeper of the Light is weak against
- Juggernaut - Blade Fury allows him to be immune to all of Keeper of Light’s abilities.
- Legion Commander - Duel can be used to instantly take Keeper of the Light out of a team fight.
- Nightstalker - Crippling Fear prevents Keeper of the Light from using his spells to keep his team alive during team fights.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Keeper_of_the_Light
6. Io
There are various mysterious entities in Dota but Io takes the cake for being the most mysterious. Is it a bulb, or is it a disco ball? We shall never know. All we know is that this ball of energy is powerful enough to turn the game around if he helps his allies on time! A perfect relocation can quickly turn the game around by saving your teammates or even by rating. Io provides decent sustain right from the laning phase. Throughout the previous few patches, Io used to be a rare sight, but now you can see your pubs flooded with Io due to the buffs to his Tether and Relocate.
Io as a support hero requires a lot of coordination and communication with the team. His abilities are mostly focused on helping and enabling his allies, rather than dealing damage or stunning enemies. This means that skilled Io players can make a huge impact on the game by positioning themselves well and making timely saves or ganks. However, this also means that playing Io effectively requires a team that understands how to work with it and take advantage of its abilities. Io is a high-risk, high-reward hero that can be a game-changer in the right hands.
Why is Io a powerful support?
- Io’s Tether ability can heal and increase both his and his ally’s movement speed, making it an excellent tool for ganking, saving allies, or engaging in team fights.
- Io's Overcharge reduces his attack speed but increases his damage reduction and the tethered ally's attack speed and damage, providing great team fight potential and sustain.
- Io’s ultimate, Relocate, allows Io and its tethered ally to teleport to any location on the map, making it a powerful tool for ganking, split pushing, or escaping from danger.
- Io's ability to sustain and protect allies, along with his mobility and ganking potential, makes it an excellent choice for both aggressive and defensive strategies.
Items to buy on Io
- Guardian Greaves - Mekansm along with Arcane Boots are further upgraded into Guardian Greaves at 25 minutes into the game. Upon usage, it heals Io and his allies in an AoE, replenishing their HP and mana, while also removing negative debuffs from Undying s the caster).
- Glimmer Cape - Glimmer Cape is more of a support’s way of escaping enemy damage or aiding their allies in escaping as upon cast it turns you or the targetted ally invisible.
- Ghost Scepter - Upon usage, it makes Io immune to physical attacks while making him unable to attack at the same time. He also takes increased magical damage under its duration. This is an exceptional item to save yourself from the onslaught of foes.
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from enemy spells and also applies a basic dispel, although it has an extremely high cooldown of 180 seconds.
- Holy Locket - Can be used to heal allies or Io himself on usage, based on the charges which are granted based on enemy hero casting spells, basically a glorified Magic Stick. This provides the tiny bit of sustain and healing required to withstand enemy damage.
Io is strong against
- Nature’s Prophet - Tether on a friendly unit can destroy Nature Prophet's trees should he surround himself with Sprout as a defense.
- Pudge - Tether and Overcharge make it much harder for Pudge to kill a target with Meat Hook, and Relocate can save the Io's ally while Dismember is being channeled.
- Meepo - Tether helps Io escape from Earthbind even if Meepo has Blink Dagger.
Io is weak against
- Ancient Apparition - Ice Blast prevents Io from healing the target.
- Batrider - Io's tendency to stick close to its Tethered target can make Io and its target vulnerable to Batrider's harassment.
- Bloodseeker - Rupture forces Io to stay in place, preventing it from using the Tether bonus movement speed to escape.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Io
5. Enchantress
This bubbly and friendly creature is a devastating force if bothered! Enchantress has the mystical force of nature beside her, guarding and coaching her through the deep forests. She is often overlooked due to her low base attack damage but that should not make you ignore her mid and late-game potential. She can work smoothly as a roaming and laning support, even playing in the offlane if needed. In 7.33, her abilities allow her to gank and deal some serious damage to her foes. Enchantress is in high demand due to her domination with her impressive buffed toolkit in the current meta.
Enchantress can be a great addition if your team lacks a support hero. Her versatility allows her to fit into various roles, which makes her quite flexible in the drafting stage. Enchantress can also easily transition into a semi-carry in the mid and late game if she is given the necessary items and space to farm. In the laning stage, she can harass enemies with her range and slowly chip away at their health, making it easier for her carry to secure kills. With the right positioning and timing, Enchantress can turn team fights in her team's favor with her abilities.
What makes Enchantress a powerful support?
- Enchantress can use her enchant ability to take control of neutral creeps and use them to gank enemy heroes, making her a powerful ganker in the early game.
- With Nature's Attendants, Enchantress can heal herself and her allies in a team fight, giving her team an edge in long teamfights.
- Enchantress has a long attack range, allowing her to harass enemy heroes from a safe distance and secure last hits on creeps.
- With her ability to control neutral creeps, Enchantress can use them to push lanes and take down towers quickly.
Top 5 Best End-Game Items for Enchantress
- Holy Locket - Can be used to heal allies or herself on usage, based on the charges which are granted based on enemy hero casting spells, basically a glorified Magic Stick. This provides the tiny bit of sustain and healing required to withstand enemy damage.
- Glimmer Cape - If enemies initiate you or your allies without any disabling items then you can quickly get away with using Glimmer, it is an essential item on support Enchantress.
- Dragon Lance - Provides increased stats and regen along with increased attack range. Enchantress isn’t a tanky hero, but an early-game Dragon Lance assures she does not get prioritized by enemies in fights. It can further be upgraded into a Hurricane Pike.
- Heaven’s Halberd - It is used to disarm enemies, making them unable to make physical attacks while Ench and others can freely attack him.
- Solar Crest - Solar Crest grants armor, attack speed, and movement speed to the targetted ally while reducing the same stats if used upon enemies. This makes them unable to stand firm in teamfights.
Enchantress is strong against
- Lycan - Lycan relies heavily on right clicks making Untouchable very effective against him.
- Ember Spirit - Impetus will deal huge amounts of damage when he uses a Fire Remnant to escape.
- Ursa - Enchant can dispel Overpower, and Enchant's slow can help kite Ursa in fights and also in the lane.
Enchantress is weak against
- Broodmother - Enchantress can be easily overwhelmed with Broodmother's spiderlings from Spawn Spiderlings and Enchantress can only control one of them with Enchant and she has no good wave clear (Spawn Spiderlings can also kill creeps controlled with Enchant).
- Juggernaut - Blade Fury dispels the slow from Enchant and can burst Enchantress down during the laning stage.
- Nyx Assassin - Vendetta breaks Untouchable and deals great damage against her.
4. Undying
Dirge, the undefeated Undying is nothing short of a nightmare to the enemy team. Picking him first ensures you threaten your enemy with strength steal and harass potential. Having high HP as support will guarantee your carry ally a free rein as you will be busy shoving your foes away from the XP range while your carry safely farms and outpaces his opponents. Undying maintain the tempo in the mid-game as his Tombstone has proven to be immensely helpful to disrupt enemies and slow their movements. His enemies stand no chance once he transforms into the Flesh Golem.
Undying has various skills which help him be highly relevant right from the get-go. His high HP makes it easy for him to tank the teamfight and lets his team deal damage from a safe distance. Undying is the ideal support in the current brawling meta where all the heroes seem to just fight it out mercilessly in the laning stage. He is a threat to melee and strength heroes as he can sap their strength and deal high damage to them. Undying’s pick rate is highly attributed to his teamfight potential.
What makes Undying a powerful support?
- Undying has a low cooldown on most of his spells, making them spammable and ensuring he can teamfight at any point in time.
- He is highly relevant right from the laning phase with his Decay ability which steals enemy strength.
- His Tombstone allows him to fight without any hassle, and slow his opponents while dealing high damage to them all at the same time.
Items to buy on Undying
- Force Staff - Pushes Undying or the targetted unit in the direction they are facing. It can be used both offensively or defensively depending on the situation.
- Solar Crest - Provides the caster and the targetted friendly unit with 6 bonus armor for 12 seconds along with increased movement and attack speed. In the case of an enemy, the bonuses are reversed.
- Guardian Greaves - Mekansm along with Arcane Boots are further upgraded into Guardian Greaves at 25 minutes into the game. Upon usage, it heals Undying and his allies in an AoE, replenishing their HP and mana, while also removing negative debuffs from Undying s the caster).
- Glimmer Cape - Upon cast, it provides invisibility to Undying and can also be used on allies to escape or to initiate on their enemies.
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from enemy spells and also applies a basic dispel, although it has an extremely high cooldown of 180 seconds.
Undying is strong against
- Nature’s Prophet - Undying's Tombstone will cheerfully chew through treants, incidentally netting you some extra income during fights.
- Spectre - Spectre must chase for kills and relies on movement speed for mobility in fights, and has no way to counter the Tombstone zombies.
- Ogre Magi - Undying saps strength from heroes with Decay, and Ogre Magi's high strength gain will allow Undying to steal more and more strength, becoming stronger with each use.
Undying is weak against
- Alchemist - With Greevil's Greed, Alchemist can farm Tombstone zombies and gain a significant gold advantage.
- Luna - Luna's Moon Glaives and Lunar Blessing can help her destroy Tombstone easily, and this becomes more effective if Luna is equipped with Manta Style.
- Necrophos - Heartstopper Aura will do more damage to Undying if he gained strength from Decay, as it does damage based on a hero's maximum health.
3. Phoenix
If you’re lacking a support hero in your ranked games, Phoenix can fit the bill quite easily. Not only is he known to heal allies, but he can also deal AoE damage to his foes. Phoenix’s most important spell has to be the Fire Spirits, which not only does great damage to the hordes, it slows them and reduces their movement speed. The spirits can be prioritized and maxed first, this can prove to be useful in the late game. You also have minor mobility with Icarus Dive, which also deals damage to enemies nearby!
In the early game, Phoenix can use his abilities to harass and zone out enemies in the lane while also providing sustenance to his allies. Supernova is a game-changer in team fights, forcing enemies to focus their attention on destroying the egg instead of attacking Phoenix's allies. As the game progresses, Phoenix can transition into a powerful team fight presence, providing crucial slows, debuffs, and heals to turn the tide of battles. A skilled Phoenix player can use his abilities to create chaos on the battlefield and disrupt the enemy team's plans.
What makes Phoenix a powerful support?
- Phoenix’s ultimate, Supernova, can turn the tide of team fights, making it an essential tool in team fights.
- Phoenix can harass enemies in the lane and support his carry with Fire Spirits, which reduces the enemy's attack speed and deals damage over time.
- Phoenix's Icarus Dive ability allows him to both escape from dangerous situations while also initiating teamfights.
Items to buy on Phoenix
- Spirit Vessel - Spirit Vessel allows Pheonix to use it on the targeted enemy, reducing their health regen, lifesteal, and heal by 45% and also dealing immense damage per second. It provides +40 Health regeneration if used on Invoker or allied heroes. You gain charges if you kill enemies or if they die in an AoE near you.
- Heaven’s Halberd - Prevents the targeted enemy from doing any physical attacks for 5 seconds. It also offers passive evasion and stats from Sange for Phoenix. It is an ideal item if you are facing hard-hitting physical damage the enemy carries.
- Veil of Discord - Upon usage, it amplifies the spell damage done to enemies in an AoE. It is the perfect early-game item that works swimmingly with all of Phoenix’s spells. Phoenix already has ways of dealing high damage, but it's never bad to have that extra amplified damage as it can help him eviscerate the entire enemy team with the right spellcasting.
- Aeon Disk - Provides a strong dispel for Phoenix if his health falls below 70%, making him take no damage for a brief duration while also making his attacks deal no damage. It also provides 75% Status Resistance for the same duration. It is not a common item on support heroes like Phoenix, but it is an ideal item against the heroes
- Force Staff - Pushes Phoenix or the targetted unit in the direction they are facing. It allows him to chase enemies or escape a sticky fight.
Phoenix is strong against
- Templar Assassin - Her Refraction charges can and will be easily burned away by Phoenix's damage over time abilities, and Meld can't protect her from Phoenix's AoE abilities, even without detection.
- Earthshaker - Most of Phoenix's abilities disable Earthshaker's Blink Dagger for a good period due to the damage-over-time nature of its spells.
- Ancient Apparition - Supernova with or without Aghanim's Scepter allows to save an ally or himself through Ice Blast.
Phoenix is weak against
- Huskar - Berserker's Blood will let Huskar easily face down a Supernova with increased attack speed.
- Bloodseeker - His Rupture can turn Icarus Dive into a suicide option, and it cannot be dispelled, meaning even if Phoenix completes a Supernova, choosing to Dive may just cut its health back down.
- Snapfire - Lil' Shredder can quickly burst Supernova’s egg, especially when Supernova is at level 1, which only requires 6 hits to kill, as Lil’ Shredder's attack count is 6 even at level 1.
2. Crystal Maiden
Crystal Maiden is the perfect support hero regardless of the meta. She can be picked in tandem with any carry hero and nine out of the ten times their lane combo will be victorious. She has all the spells that her enemies hate! Everything from decent AoE damage to lockdown, there are ways to dominate the low magic-resistant heroes. Often, laning is a nightmare for her opponents as they are subjected to constant harassment, shoving them out of the lane. Crystal Maiden does her best when she has levels, making her more relevant as she can participate in teamfights.
Crystal Maiden is by far, one of the least complex support heroes in the game, which explains her high pick rate, she can easily catch her enemies off-guard with her Frost Bite and unleash her Frost Nova on them. She is an exceptional laner, a dominant fighter, and all in all a great way to counter multiple heroes at once with her intense AoE damage. Her toolkit is highly lethal, it does not fall off no matter how late you are in the game. All it takes is one spell to catch unsuspecting enemies off-guard.
What makes Crystal Maiden a powerful support?
- Impressive spells can be used to lock enemies down and deal damage right from the laning phase.
- Her passive provides global mana regeneration, helping all her allied heroes with their mana regardless of their position on the map.
- She can farm quickly to acquire items, making her active support
- Highly relevant in the late game as her spells do not fall off, they’re only amplified due to her talent tree and items.
- Ultimate can be used in tandem with any ally who has crowd control abilities, allowing her to neutralize multiple enemies at once.
Top 5 Best Endgame Items for Crystal Maiden
- Force Staff - Allows Crystal Maiden to force herself or the targetted unit 600 units ahead in the direction she is facing. This allows her to either escape from her foes or initiate on them, depending upon the scenario.
- Glimmer Cape - Upon cast, it provides invisibility, and can also be used on allies to escape or to initiate on her enemies.
- Ghost Scepter - Upon usage, it makes Crystal Maiden immune to physical attacks while making her unable to attack at the same time. She also takes increased magical damage under its duration. This is an exceptional item to save yourself from the onslaught of foes.
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making her invulnerable in the fight, immune to any spells that silence her. It can be used in tandem with her ultimate, Freezing Field.
- Aeon Disk - The disk saves Crystal Maiden from getting burst quickly by her enemy's physical or magical damage, blocking her from taking or doing any damage if her health falls under a certain threshold. It also applies a basic dispel upon reaching the said threshold.
Crystal Maiden is strong against:
- Terrorblade - While Terrorblade can kill Crystal Maiden due to her low durability with Reflection and Metamorphosis, Crystal Maiden can do the same to him if he is not careful.
- Phantom Assassin - Though certainly not a "hard counter", Crystal Maiden's skillset (magical damage nukes) does pose a substantial threat to Phantom Assassin through the mid-game, especially if followed up with engagement by her team.
Crystal Maiden is weak against:
- Doom - Doom alone can easily pick off Crystal Maiden since she is fairly fragile, even with using only basic attacks, Infernal Blade, and Scorched Earth.
- Earthshaker - All of Earth Spirit's spells allow him to easily close in on Crystal Maiden and kill her. Since she is low health support, she generally stays behind in teamfights, but Earth Spirit can easily close the distance.
- Jakiro - Ice Path allows Jakiro to easily cancel Freezing Field.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Crystal_Maiden
1. Chen
Chen is criminally underrated, as most players fear understanding his true potential. As overwhelming as it may sound, Chen is one of the best fighters and early-game pushers present in the game. Chen starts pretty slow in the early game, but with enough farm and levels can assist his allies in ganking and even solo-pushing the towers with his infamous zoo army, while they provide various auras to him and his team. A late-game Chen isn’t squishy anymore, if he is farmed enough, he turns into the fourth and much-required core for a squishy lineup.
Chen is a devastating entity in the late game, his spells are amplified further with his lethal talent tree. He is highly dominant, and can catch multiple enemies off-guard at once if he has the right creeps in his zoo! There are various playstyles to Chen, even if you aren’t exceptional at micro, you can still play a different build of Chen which does not rely on his Zoo creeps. This immense flexibility proves Chen is an ideal fit regardless of the matchup. Chen is undoubtedly a favorable pick in the current meta.
What Makes Chen powerful support?
- Holy Persuasion converts jungle creeps into allied units controlled by Chen, allowing him to farm with them and further hit towers with them in the mid-game.
- The abilities and auras of the creeps can be highly useful while farming, fighting, or even pushing.
- Can build utility items, which provide armor, healing, and magic resistance.
- Chen can also be an impressive team fighter right from the early game with his controlled creeps.
Top 5 Best End-Game Items for Chen
- Solar Crest - Solar Crest grants armor, attack speed, and movement speed to the targetted ally while reducing the same stats if used upon enemies. This makes them unable to stand firm in teamfights.
- Guardian Greaves - Mekansm along with Arcane Boots are further upgraded into Guardian Greaves at 25 minutes into the game. Upon usage, it heals Undying and his allies in an AoE, replenishing their HP and mana, while also removing negative debuffs from Undying s the caster).
- Wraith Pact - On activation, the Pact summons a movable totem that deals 30 DPS and reduces 30% of the damage dealt by enemies in a certain radius. This makes it great against both magical and physical damage heroes.
- Pipe of Insight - Upon activation, it provides magic resistance to Chen and nearby allies, which is essential against spell-casting enemies as it reduces the magic damage that Chen and his allies take from their spells. The duration lasts for 12 seconds and can block up to 400 magic damage.
- Force Staff - Allows Chen to force himself or the targetted unit 600 units ahead in the direction he is facing, it can be useful to catch or escape from enemies.
Chen is strong against
- Arc Warden - Chen in the early game is a faster pusher than Arc Warden until Arc Warden buys Maelstrom.
- Beastmaster - Chen can take control of the Boar from Call of the Wild Boar at any time.
- Bane - Bane has zero Spells to deal with multiple Chen's Creeps.
Chen is weak against
- Sven - Great Cleave and God's Strength can destroy Chen and his creeps quickly.
- Earthshaker - Echo Slam will deal immense damage due to the number of creeps Chen will have.
- Monkey King - Monkey King can kill Chen or any of his allies with his physical damage burst from Boundless Strike and Jingu Mastery before he can use the Hand of God
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Chen
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