The Moon rider herself! Luna is essentially a beginner-friendly hero, but we frequently see her getting picked in both pub and pro games. The reason is her quick farming abilities and massive AoE damage output. Her relevancy in the current meta is due to her immense physical damage as well as her magical damage which makes her extremely flexible.
We bring you the Best 10 Luna Counters in the current meta which can help you counter the Moondrider quite effectively.
10. Slark
This vicious creature of the deep sea knows no bounds. Slark is one of the stealthiest and deadly carry heroes in the game. His lethal skills make him quite popular in the current meta. Diffusal Blade makes him immensely strong as it causes Luna to lose mana quickly. He can also purge off Luna’s stun, allowing him to chase the latter effortlessly. Slark also farms faster compared to Luna, which gives him an advantage over him in the late game.
Why is Slark a great hero against Luna?
- Shadow Dance prevents Luna from damaging Slark, and together with Shadow Blade he can kite her or escape.
- Luna has no way to escape from Pounce's leash.
- For the same reasons, Slark makes a very powerful ally for Luna when they are in the same team.
Items to Buy on Slark
- Silver Edge - Provides invisibility which can be used to escape or set up on Luna
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Increases Pounce distance by a huge margin, also providing him two charges of the same
- Eye of Skadi - Great for reducing Luna’s regen while also providing stats.
- Butterfly - Increased evasion, agility, and movement speed
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity
9. Pudge
A Luna counter hero list is NEVER complete without Pudge in it. After all, he is the most picked hero in the game against the Lethal Luna! You may not be the greatest hooker in the game but you may have some unexpected fun moments like hooking your ally accidentally as he is chasing the enemy or hooking the powerful enemy into your team only for him to wipe all of you! Pudge can often be a great pick if you have the right heroes to synergize with. Ex. Bloodseeker, Batrider.
Why is Pudge a great counter to Luna?
- Flesh Heap's magic resistance allows him to survive Eclipse, and Meat Hook and Dismember can disable Luna through her Black King Bar.
- However, Lucent Beam can still cancel Dismember from a safe distance, even if its damage is going to be reduced.
Items to buy on Pudge
- Aether Lens - Increased cast range, can catch Luna off-guard
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Can “eat” an ally, basically ingesting them and healing them inside him
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Blademail - Reflects back Luna’s damage upon activation
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Pudge
8. Phantom Lancer
The countless army of fierce warriors is quite overwhelming for Luna. The sheer capability to multiply and confuse his enemies. Phantom Lancer may be quite underwhelming in the early game due to the lack of items but the late game is quite a treat for him as he can fight with the help of his items. His ultimate is extremely great against heroes that lack AoE abilities to counter him. He can pounce on enemies easily and deal a ton of physical damage.
Why is Phantom Lancer a great counter to Luna?
- Phantom Lancer creates many illusions to tank Luna's Eclipse.
- Doppelganger can be used to dodge a number of Lucent Beams during Eclipse.
- Phantom Lancer can chase Luna effectively regardless of her high movement speed thanks to Phantom Rush and Spirit Lance.
- Although her Moon Glaives kill his illusions quickly, Luna's low health pool is easily exploited by the sheer damage output from his illusions.
Items to buy on Phantom Lancer
- Diffusal Blade - Slows down Luna and burns his mana
- Mana Style - Exceptional to push lanes and dispel her silence
- Butterfly - Increased evasion, agility, and movement speed
- Eye of Skadi - Great for reducing Luna’s regen while also providing stats.
- Abyssal Blade - Can be used to quickly lock down Luna after getting on top of her, allowing you to beat him down with the physical damage
- Heart of Tarrasque - Increased HP, useful to survive the massive physical damage from Medusa
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Phantom_Lancer
7. Meepo
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Whenever there’s a Meepo in a pub game, chances are he is either a smurf or even better, someone, trying him out for the first time! Jokes aside, Meepo is an extremely powerful hero but there is a catch, he requires extreme amounts of practice and dedication. Everything from your map awareness to micro-skills needs to be on point, even your keybind setup! That’s the reason why this hero ranks number 1 on this list, Meepo isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Why is Meepo a great counter to Luna?
- Meepo can tank Eclipse because of his clones.
- Earthbind takes away Luna's mobility advantage.
- Meepo can shut down Luna's split-push ability with his global presence.
Items to buy on Meepo
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Eye of Skadi - Great for reducing Luna’s regen while also providing stats.
- Scythe of Vyse - Disables Luna and removes her from the fight
- Dragon Lance - Provides immense stats and regen
- Heart of Tarrasque - Increased HP, useful to survive the massive burst damage from Luna
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Meepo
6. Broodmother
Whether you have Arachnophobia or not, I’m sure you’re afraid of the almighty Broodmother. Unless you’re an AoE damage dealing core, you should be afraid of this 8-legged menace. Her foes do no AoE damage unless they have Radiance or multiple AoE spells, which means Brood has free rein for the first 30 minutes of the game, and may possibly be knocking at your tier 3s. All it takes is Insatiable Hunger and Diffusal Blade to melt enemies!
Why is Broodmother a great counter to Luna?
- Her Spiderlings can harass Luna in lane heavily, as Luna has little AoE abilities to clear Spiderlings.
- Broodmother can knock down towers in the early game quickly, and limit Luna's farming space.
Items to Buy on Broodmother
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Gives a ton of charges to Webs and makes them global
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Monkey King Bar - Increased physical damage, also provides true strike
- Diffusal Blade - Slows down Tiny and burns his mana
- Bloodthorn - Silences and deals immense damage at the end of the duration
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Broodmother
5. Juggernaut
Juggernaut is a masked Samurai that is better left untamed. It is impossible to contain him if he unleashes his true potential. Juggernaut is considered to be a top-notch counter to Wraith King but only the advanced players understand the true potential and mechanics of this hero. Not only is he great at farming, but he can also control the tempo with his ultimate. He is also known as one of the most flexible heroes in the game in terms of item builds, which explains his pick rate.
Why is Juggernaut a great counter to Luna?
- Because of her low range, Luna cannot easily destroy Healing Ward.
- Both Blade Fury and Omnislash are direct counters to Eclipse, offering Juggernaut spell immunity.
Items to buy on Juggernaut
- Diffusal Blade - Slows down Luna and burns her mana
- Sange and Yasha - Increased damage and stat gain
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Increased duration on Omnislash with Scepter and a mini slash with Shard
- Butterfly - Increased evasion, agility, and movement speed
- Eye of Skadi - Great for reducing Luna’s regen while also providing stats. Works with both Omnislash and Swiftslash
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Juggernaut
4. Bristleback
Bristleback has quite literally been a thorn in the side for Luna in the game in the recent meta. He takes no damage while dealing quite a ton of damage and neutralizing his foes! Often considered to be an obnoxious laner, he is hated with passion by millions of dota players 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.
Why is Bristleback a great counter to Luna?
- Quill Spray and Bristleback harass Luna more efficiently than she does with Lucent Beam.
- Bristleback helps return a lot of damage to Luna’s team if she uses her nukes on him and he has his back to her.
- Viscous Nasal Goo and Warpath are enough to outrun a speedy Luna.
- Bristleback tends to be a frequent carrier of Crimson Guard, which is good protection from bouncing glaives.
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 Luna’s damage upon activation
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Bristleback
3. Sniper
Sniper has made millions of players rage quit all around the world! His voice and gameplay induce fear and disgust even amongst the most experienced players. Sniper is suitable both as a mid and a carry hero due to his space-making and farming abilities. He may be a squishy hero but his incredible physical damage output and range make it impossible for enemies to come close to him. He is often considered to be the counter for squishy heroes or primarily for melee heroes.
What makes Sniper great against Luna?
- High base attack range and movement speed, which is advantageous against Luna who needs to close the gap to catch heroes
- Sniper usually sits at the back and it's hard for Luna to get close to him to attack.
- Due to Sniper's Shrapnel and his long-range, Luna has a hard time taking high ground despite her Moon Glaives being fantastic for taking Barracks and buildings.
Items to buy on Sniper
- Maelstorm - Helpful to farm and push lanes quickly
- Dragon Lance - Increased stats gain
- Mask of Madness - Increased attack speed and lifesteal
- Silver Edge - Provides invisibility in the chance of Luna catching him off-guard
- Monkey King Bar - Increased physical damage and true strike
- Daedalus - High critical damage
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Sniper
2. Techies
The sheer smugness on the Techies’ faces indicates that you won’t be having a good game. The worst part of having Techies in the game is that you may never know how long it may last. You may have a quick 20 stomp or the game could go on for 2 hours! Techies are pretty one of the easiest heroes to play, but are a nightmare to play against! The master players know the best spots for mining, and you may surely know what happens if you walk over them.
Why is Techies a great counter to Luna?
- Luna has low HP, low range, and often stalks through the jungle. She cannot properly disarm Proximity Mines and could fall victim to their traps.
- Of course, if Luna happens to catch Techies off-guard, they won't be able to survive for long against Eclipse, Lucent Beam, and right-clicks.
Items to buy against Luna
- Kaya - Increased mana reduction and decent stats
- Bloodstone - Can quickly heal up if found by Luna, also provides decent mana again
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape from Luna
- Eul's Scepter - Provides a basic dispel, can be used to dispel spells or to set up on Luna with Blast Off
- Octraine Core - Provides spell lifesteal and stats
- Lotus Orb - Reflects targetted spells hence can also be used to reflect Beam
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Techies
1. Tinker
The mechanical maniac is also a genius, known to tinker around with gadgets and fry his enemies with lasers. Weak laners stand no chance in the laning phases against a Tinker as he will always be targeted with constant harassment in the form of rockets and lasers. With the addition of the Shield, Tinker can easily escape or otherwise initiate and lock his foes down with his annoying Scythe and Rearm combo!
Why is Tinker a great counter to Luna?
- Tinker's March of the Machines and Laser both destroy Luna's small health pool and make it hard for Luna to initiate with Eclipse (and make it hard to land glaives in Laser's case).
- Since Tinker typically buys Blink Dagger, Luna has a hard time catching him despite her high movement speed.
- Tinker can easily disable and nuke Luna down with Dagon or Scythe of Vyse before she can use Lucent Beam or Eclipse.
Items to buy on Tinker
- Scythe of Vyse - Great disable to completely shut her down and eliminate her from the fight
- Aether Lens - Increased cast range to use laser and other spells and items
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Increased damage and AoE for spells
- Shiva’s Guard - Can effortlessly push lanes and provides increased armor which is essential against Luna
- Bloodstone - Can quickly heal up if found by Luna, also provides decent mana again
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Tinker
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