When we think of the iconic heroes of Dota, the list is never complete without Crystal Maiden. She is one of the OGs, who is played immensely in every meta regardless of her buffs or nerfs. There is no escaping this hero, the pick rates are off the roof in the current meta, her spells are stronger than ever!
Tired of facing the charming Crystal Maiden? Worry not, we bring you the Best 10 Heroes that Counter Crystal Maiden, turning her into nothing but a glorified ranged creep!
10. Clockwerk
The mechanical genius, Clock is back in the meta! Often played in the offlane or pos 4 against Crystal Maiden, early rotations can cause significant damage to her. Crystal Maiden is known to be a squishy hero, and Clockwerk, on the other hand, is extremely tanky, hence she gets harassed heavily by his early game harass. After reaching level 6, the Hookshot ensures the Maiden hiding in the distance is caught and punished in case she is channeling her Freezing Field. All of his skills can help gank her due to the scout and lockdown potential, the Cogs especially can be of great danger, isolating her from her allies and essentially solo killing her. Only the players who are brilliant at positioning know how to stay away from this robotic menace.
Why is Clockwerk a great counter to Crystal Maiden?
- Battery Assault, Power Cogs, and Hookshot can interrupt Freezing Field, the latter two being able to go through invisibility should Crystal Maiden use Glimmer Cape.
- Rocket Flare can be used to find Crystal Maiden should she try to hide in the trees to try to safely cast Freezing Field.
- Hookshot allows Clockwerk to easily close in on Crystal Maiden and kill her.
Items to buy on Clockwerk
- Blademail - Reflects back CM’s ultimate damage upon activation
- Pipe of Insight - Provides immense magic damage block on activation, and affects the whole team, great to avoid all nukes of Crystal Maiden
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Essentially grants him Refresher’s Orb, but only for Hookshot
- Ghost Scepter - Prevents Crystal Maiden from attacking him
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all of CM’s magic damage spells, making you invulnerable in the fight
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Clockwerk
9. Earth Spirit
Undoubtedly one of the best Crystal Maiden counters in the game has to be the elemental Earth Spirit. He has all the tools required to ruin the game of a poor Crystal Maiden, everything from stun to silence. His Rolling Boulder ensures that Crystal does not escape and is also used to stun her if she channels her ultimate. Along with the stun, he can also silence and slow her and deal them damage over time with his ultimate, Magnetize. Unlike most heroes on this list, Earth Spirit can be played in multiple roles, his flexibility ensures he fits in every other matchup and contributes to teamfights by disabling Crystal Maien and dealing some insane damage to her that can’t be negated easily.
Why is Earth Spirit a great counter to Crystal Maiden?
- Boulder Smash and Geomagnetic Grip allow Earth Spirit to easily disrupt Freezing Field, regardless of where Crystal Maiden is due to their incredible range. Earth Spirit is quite possibly the best hero for stopping long channeling abilities, and Crystal Maiden is vulnerable to him without a Black King Bar.
- 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.
- Crystal Maiden has low movement speed and no other escape mechanism, rendering her extremely vulnerable to Earth Spirit's arsenal of long-range, damaging spells.
Items to buy on Earth Spirit
- Spirit Vessel - Immense DPS and heal reduction to CM when used
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
- Lotus Orb - Reflects targetted spells hence can also be used to dispel
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Glimmer Cape - Provides invisibility, can also be used on allies to escape from Freezing Field or to initiate on Crystal Maiden
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Earth_Spirit
8. Doom
Doom has sent countless of his enemies to the realm of hell, including the icy Crystal Maiden, it's safe to say that Doom is back in the meta. His abilities ensure nothing but pain and agony to the squishy Crystal Maiden as she has no way of escaping the former’s clutches. Doom can initiate the CM and Doom her in case she uses her ultimate with Black King Bar on. He can also solo kill her with the massive damage coming from the Infernal Blade if the coast is clear. He may struggle in the laning phase but it is the late game where he shines as he can lane comparatively better than Crystal Maiden.
What makes Doom a great counter to Crystal Maiden?
- Doom alone can easily pick off Crystal Maiden since she is fairly fragile, even with using only basic attacks, Infernal Blade, and Scorched Earth.
- Doom prevents her from using any abilities in a fight, making her impact negligible.
- Devour allows Doom to acquire a stun, allowing him to cancel Freezing Field without having to use Doom.
Items to buy on Doom
- Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility which can be used to escape from Freezing Field or set up on Crystal Maiden
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Shiva’s Guard - Can effortlessly push lanes and provides increased armor which is amazing against Crystal Maiden
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all of Crystal Maiden’s magic damage spells, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Refresher’s Orb - Can refresh spells and items and use them again in quick succession to delete CM from the fight
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Doom
7. Jakiro
The twin-headed dragon, representing both ice and fire, has a deep hatred for the icy Crystal Maiden. Mostly played in the safe lane as a position 5 or in the off-lane as position 3 or, Jakiro can outperform Crystal Maiden quite easily and isolate her carry by just shoving her out of the lane or throwing all his spells at her. The mid and late game can be easily controlled by Jakiro as he deals immense magic damage with decent lockdowns, interrupting Freezing Field quite easily. As Crystal Maiden is squishy, all you need as a Jakiro is a Veil of Discord and Rod of Atos to get the job done.
Why is Jakiro a great counter to Crystal Maiden?
- Ice Path allows Jakiro to easily cancel Freezing Field.
- Freezing Field makes Crystal Maiden an easy target for all of his abilities without a Black King Bar.
- With the talent for Macropyre dealing Pure Damage and ignoring spell immunity, Black King Bar becomes nearly useless for Crystal Maiden, as its high damage over time and long duration will force Crystal Maiden to forcefully cancel Freezing Field.
Items to Buy on Jakiro
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Reduced CD on spells
- Veil of Discord - Deals amplified magic damage in an AoE
- Glimmer Cape - Provides invisibility, can also be used on allies to escape or to initiate on Magnus
- Rod of Atos - Allows him to lock Crystal Maiden down and prevents her from using any spells
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Jakiro
6. Nyx Assassin
Nyx is hated passionately by all the Crystal Maiden mains due to his first pick potential. Nyx Assassin is known to be one of the most annoying heroes in the game, regardless of the patch, he is the most relevant support in the game. Especially against high INT and damage heroes like Crystal Maiden. He can interrupt her Ultimate with just his Spike Carapace, along with burning her mana and even hunting her and solo killing her in the late game. Nyx can do wonders with his powerful toolkit. Heroes with AoE damage consider him to be a nightmare to play against, Crystal Maiden stands no chance in the laning phase against this pesky bug.
Why is Nyx Assassin a great counter to Crystal Maiden?
- Crystal Maiden has a very bad movement speed, so Impale is easy to land against her. Furthermore, even while trapped by Frostbite, Nyx Assassin can still cast Impale.
- Crystal Maiden has very low armor, so Vendetta is very effective.
- Nyx Assassin has two ways to stop Freezing Field, provided she doesn't get a Black King Bar. He can pop Spiked Carapace and simply walk into the field, or he can use Impale to interrupt the field since Crystal Maiden has to channel it.
Items to buy against Crystal Maiden
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape from CM’s Frostbite
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Allows Nyx to burrow beneath the ground, increasing his cast range and making him invulnerable to Freezing Field or other spells
- Aether Lens - Increased cast range, can catch CM off-guard
- Lotus Orb - Reflects targetted spells hence can also be used to dispel Frostbite
- Spirit Vessel - Immense DPS and heal reduction to CM when used
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Nyx_Assassin
5. Luna
Luna is a quintessential counter to Crystal Maiden, and this is the reason why she is often seen being picked against ranged heroes like him, the stun just can’t be ignored! Another reason is her quick farming abilities and massive AoE damage output which can’t be contained by Crystal Maiden as she lacks in the AoE department. Luna offers tremendous wave clearance, which returns her a great deal of gold. She fares well in the early game against Crystal Maiden and offers decent damage to her nearby allies. This is an example of great synergy, Luna can be picked alongside massive crowd control heroes, which prove to be a great counter to the puny and squishy Maiden in any stage of the game.
Why is Luna a great counter to Crystal Maiden?
- Lucent Beam allows Luna to easily cancel Freezing Field.
- Without Black King Bar protection, Lucent Beam and Eclipse can make short work out of Crystal Maiden's abysmal health.
- Skilled Luna will always buy Dust of Appearance, allowing her team to have a vision on Crystal Maiden while invisible and during channeling Freezing Field.
Items to buy on Luna
- Eye of Skadi - Great for reducing Crystal Maiden’s already poor regen while also providing stats.
- Satanic - Can quickly heal up on physical attacks upon activation, also provides basic dispel from the latter.
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Butterfly - Increased evasion, agility, and movement speed
- Manta Style - Dodge CM’s Frostbite can be used to push lanes
- Hurricane Pike - Allows Luna to close the gap and deal immense damage to CM, also provides decent stats
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Luna
4. Tusk
Tusk is known to be a heavy hitter right from the laning phase, he can obliterate a position 5 CM all by himself, and his extremely high damage from Tag Team makes him a threat to the icy Maiden. His icy disables and chilling moves paralyze Crystal Maiden and eliminate all her chances of escape, thanks to both Snowball and Ice Shard which can mess up her chances of escaping. Tusk can also effectively cancel the channeling of CM’s ultimate with his Walrus Punch and Kick if he has the Scepter, which becomes essential against the tanky Maiden. All it takes is one Smoke of Deceit to gank the Maiden, which can be done quite easily with the Snowball and Tag team!
Why is Tusk a great counter to Pangolier?
- Snowball allows Tusk to easily cancel Freezing Field from a safe distance without putting himself in any danger.
- Walrus Punch is most certainly a high enough damage nuke to easily kill off Crystal Maiden.
- Ice Shards can prevent the already immobile Crystal Maiden from escaping, making her an easy kill for either Tusk or a teammate.
Items to buy on Tusk
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Desolator - Increased damage and armor corruption
- Drums of Endurance - Provides increased movement and attack speed to Tusk and his allies on the activation
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape from Crystal Maiden’s Frostbite or Freezing Field
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Scepter provide Walrus Kick which allows him to kick CM during teamfights, even if she has BKB on during Freezing Field
- Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility which can be used to escape or set up on CM
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Tusk
3. Naga Siren
Naga emerges from the deep seas as a beautiful yet threatening entity whose voice can cure the worst diseases! Naga deals some heavy physical damage right off the get-go to Crystal Maiden. Along with her damage, she can also lock her down with her net or even the ultimate. Crystal Maiden can pierce the ultimate with BKB, but with her Aghanim’s Scepter, she can’t pierce the net! She can pin her down and rip her into pieces with the assistance of her mirror illusions, all of this can happen over and over again as Naga can easily lock CM down during teamfights and take her out before she does any damage. She can also effectively counter-push and ensure she gets all the farm in the world with her illusions.
Why is Naga Siren a great counter to CM?
- Mirror Image can dispel Frostbite.
- Song of the Siren can stop Freezing Field regardless of any kind of invisibility as well as allow Naga Siren's team to quickly close the gap on Crystal Maiden.
Items to Buy on Naga Siren
- Diffusal Blade - Slows down Crystal Maiden’s movement speed and burns her mana
- Butterfly - Increased evasion, agility, and movement speed
- Manta Style - Can dispel CM’s frostbite and can be used to push lanes
- Eye of Skadi - Great for reducing CM’s regen while also providing stats.
- Heart of Tarrasque - Increased HP, useful to survive the massive burst damage from Freezing Field
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Naga_Siren
2. Tidehunter
Tidehunter does exceptionally well against squishy heroes, especially against the ones with low armor and health pool like Crystal Maiden. He deals little to no damage to her due to Anchor Smash along with his naturally high Base Armor and already awful base damage of her. Crystal Maiden has no choice but to ignore this mighty melon man during teamfights as he can not deal damage due to the heavy Kraken Shell, along with that the Kraken Shell may also dispel Frostbite. Crystal Maiden has no way to turn the tides against the Tidehunter himself in the late game!
Why is Tidehunter a great counter to Crystal Maiden?
- Gush can make Crystal Maiden's already weak armor even weaker.
- Kraken Shell can dispel Frostbite, preventing him from getting stuck inside Freezing Field.
- Ravage is very useful for interrupting Freezing Field, even while Crystal Maiden is under the effects of Glimmer Cape. Crystal Maiden must purchase a Black King Bar, which is far more costly.
Items to Buy on Tidehunter
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Shiva’s Guard - Can effortlessly push lanes and provides increased armor which is amazing against Crystal Maiden
- Lotus Orb - Reflects targetted spells hence can also be used to prevent spells like Frostbite
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Makes Gush AoE and allows him to use Anchor Smash on Towers
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape from Maiden in case she uses Frost Bite or Freezing Field
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Tidehunter
1. Bristleback
Bristleback has quite literally been a thorn in the side for Crystal Maiden in the game in the recent meta. He takes no damage while dealing quite a ton of damage and neutralizing her quite effortlessly! All his spells work in tandem to both reduce her armor, slow her and deal extreme damage with Warpath. Crystal Maiden’s squishy HP makes her the first target for Bristle during teamfights. Often considered to be an obnoxious laner, he is hated with passion by all the Crystal Maiden mains all over the world. He is quite the fun hero to play since all he does is spam his spells, which he can do effortlessly as he is backed by his insanely high armor, CM stands no chance against him in the late game.
Why is Bristleback a great counter to Crystal Maiden?
- Viscous Nasal Goo can hinder Crystal Maiden's already abysmal mobility, which allows Bristleback (or his teammates) to run her down and kill her.
- Bristleback frequently builds Blade Mail, which can quickly kill Crystal Maiden if her ultimate is used while he is under its effect.
- The passive part of Bristleback will trigger many, many times under the damage from Freezing Field, and as the stacks increase, the damage output from each successive cast (or proc) will eat away at Crystal Maiden's small HP pool.
Items to buy on Bristleback
- Ethereal Shroud - Converts magical damage into mana upon usage and passively offers spell lifesteal
- Kaya and Sange - Increased mana regen and overall stat gain
- Octraine Core - Provides spell lifesteal and stats
- Blademail - Reflects back CM’s damage upon activation
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Bristleback
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