The strength of the hoof and horns has bestowed Magnus with a great ton of power. Magnus can be picked first as he can be mended and put into any lane. He works best in the offlane where he can compete and quite effortlessly out farm his enemy carry with empower. In the later stages of the game, Magnus is more spell and level reliant as opposed to farm.
The pros of picking Magnus heavily overpower the cons, making him extremely relevant in the current patch. To pick the right heroes to counter this beast, we bring you the Best 10 Counters to Magnus in the current meta.
10. Bloodseeker
Bloodseeker is a cold-blooded hunter, known for his mania and vigor. His blades cut deep into his foes, he leaves them bleeding and wounded. He is a lethal force that can never go unnoticed. Bloodseeker can effortlessly jungle or lane, as he is blessed with high base armor. His passive sustains him in the lane, allowing him to play aggressively. He can gank other lanes with the availability of his ultimate, often removing heroes from a team fight.
Why is Bloodseeker a great counter to Magnus?
- Flexible item build.
- Thirst provides increased movement speed and vision to hunt and kill low HP enemies.
- Rupture deals extra damage to Magnus during Skewer or Force Staff, preventing him from escaping or counter-initiating, forcing him to invest in a Linken's Sphere.
Items to buy on Bloodseeker
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Monkey King Bar - Increased physical damage, also provides true strike
- Mjolnir - Exceptional for pushing lanes and farming quickly
- Sange and Yasha - Provides decent stats and physical damage
- Abyssal Blade - Can be used to quickly lock down Magnus after getting on top of him, allowing you to beat him down with physical damage.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Bloodseeker
9. Nightstalker
This nefarious stalker hunts for his enemies throughout the night, as dawn approaches his powers to get weaker but he still holds the power to rip Storm apart! He can’t contest Nightstalker because he is frankly powerless against him in the early game, courtesy of the Silence. Nightstalker may be a slow farmer but as soon as he hits level 6, he can rotate towards other lanes to secure kills and gold. Blink Dagger and Nullifier turn Storm into a glorified creep.
Why is Nightstalker a great counter to Magnus?
- Dark Ascension reduces vision for the enemy team, which makes it more difficult for Magnus to initiate with Blink Dagger and Reverse Polarity.
- It is also more likely that Night Stalker will scout out Magnus with Aghanim's Scepter and a Gem of True Sight, after which he can silence Magnus with Crippling Fear.
Items to Buy against Magnus
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Aghanim’s Scepter - AoE Void, allowing him to farm quickly and slow the enemy team in teamfights
- Echo Sabre - Great stat gain along with immense damage and attack speed
- Nullifier - Mutes items, which is exceptional and can be used in tandem with Blink Dagger followed by his silence
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all of Storm’s magic damage spells, making you invulnerable in the fight.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Night_Stalker
8. Tinker
The mechanical maniac is also a genius, known to tinker around with gadgets and fry Drow with lasers. Weak laners like Drow Ranger stand no chance in the laning phases against a Tinker as she 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 her down with his annoying Scythe and Rearm combo!
Why Tinker is a great counter to Magnus?
- Tinker can break Magnus's Blink Dagger using March of the Machines and Heat-Seeking Missile, therefore delaying any initiation or making Magnus use Skewer or Force Staff to initiate.
- Tinker usually gets his own Blink Dagger as well, which makes him harder to lock down unless Magnus commits Reverse Polarity only for Tinker.
Items to buy on Tinker
- Scythe of Vyse - Great disable to completely shut her down and eliminate him 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 Magnus
- Bloodstone - Can quickly heal up if found by Magnus, also provides decent mana again
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Tinker
7. Sniper
Sniper may appear to be a harmless dwarf but don’t let his appearance deceive you! He has made millions of players rage quit all around the world. His voice and gameplay induce fear and disgust even amongst the most experienced Razor 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 the counter for squishy heroes, primarily melee heroes, or even the heroes that can’t reach him!
Why is Sniper a great counter to Magnus?
- Shrapnel can sometimes scout out Magnus and also place his Blink Dagger on cooldown.
- Aside from that, Sniper likes to stay far back behind enemy lines, so it's difficult to catch him with Reverse Polarity unless you already have vision on him and can Skewer him to the rest of his team
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 chance of Magnus catching him off-guard
- Monkey King Bar - Increased physical damage and true strike
- Daedalus - High critical damage
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Sniper
6. Phoenix
Phoenix can fit the bill quite easily if you’re lacking a support/healer in your ranked games. 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, which can be useful in the late game. You also have minor mobility with Icarus Dive, which also deals damage to enemies nearby!
What makes Phoenix great against Magnus?
- Fire Spirits does damage over time, preventing Magus from using Blink Dagger.
- Phoenix will usually be on the sidelines or further back ready to use Sun Ray.
- Even after Magnus successfully uses Reverse Polarity and skewer Phoenix's teammates, Phoenix can usually counter-initiate using all of its abilities.
Items to buy on Phoenix
- Spirit Vessel - Immense DPS and heal reduction to Void when used
- Heaven’s Halberd - Can disarm Magnus, making him unable to attack for a few seconds
- Veil of Discord - Amplifies his magical damage
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from Magnus in RP and also applies a basic dispel.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Phoenix
5. Rubick
Rubick is an evergreen pick as he never seems to go out of fashion! His excellent spells and spellcasting have kept him relevant all these years as he is a great disabler. Rubick does insane damage not only in the literal sense but if he gets hold of spells like Glimpse or even Fissure, then he can truly turn the tides around. The prominent reason why Rubick is frequently picked is because of the flexibility he provides, along with the impact he has in the game!
Why is Rubick a great counter to Magnus?
- All of Magnus's spells are perfect for Rubick to steal, especially Reverse Polarity for a counter-initiation.
- Telekinesis is one of the best instant disables in the game, completely ruining Magnus's initiation.
Items to buy on 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 is able to steal Electric Vortex
- Aether Lens - Increased cast range, can catch Morph off-guard
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from Morph and also applies a basic dispel
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape from Morph
- Glimmer Cape - Provides invisibility, can also be used on allies to escape or to initiate Morph
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Rubick
4. Razor
The electrifying rage of Razor is quite unmatched in the new meta. Most melee heroes like Sven do not fare well versus this beast, this includes a lot of carry heroes as well. Having high movement speed and AoE damage ensures that he does not escape alive! Razor can also out farm Sven, giving him the upper hand. Razor quickly snowballs in under 15 mins with the right items. His high movespeed can prove to be fatal against slow movement speed heroes right from the early game.
Why is Razor a great counter to Magnus?
- Plasma Field can slow Magnus during Skewer, and when combined with Eye of the Storm, will potentially disable his Blink Dagger, preventing him from initiating.
- Static Link drains the bonus damage from Empower. However, it can be broken by Skewer and/or Force Staff.
- Storm Surge gives Razor and his allies the high mobility needed to avoid Shockwave & Reverse Polarity.
Items to Buy on Razor
- Assault Cuirass - Immense armor gain, also reduces Drow’s armor at the same time
- Refresher’s Orb - Can refresh spells and items and use them again in quick succession to delete Drow from the fight
- Shiva’s Guard - Can effortlessly push lanes and provides increased armor which is essential against Drow
- Aghanim’s Shard - Ultimate affects buildings and deals immense damage to heroes as well
- Heaven’s Halberd - Can disarm Drow, making her unable to attack for a few seconds
- Blademail - Reflects back Drow’s damage upon activation
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Razor
3. Huskar
This ferocious hunter leaves no stone unturned. His crazy damage potential is unmatched by his foes. He makes them weaker with his fire. Huskar is a very aggressive hero and that’s why he is fun! His annoying nature makes people rage quit! Though a slow farmer, he relies more on kills to acquire gold, hence ganking other lanes as soon as possible. It’s all fun and games until you see a wild Huskar pouncing on you with sheer anger!
Why is Huskar a great counter to Magnus?
- Magnus cannot man fight Huskar even with Empower, Berserker's Blood's high attack speed and health regeneration, combined with Huskar's high health and Burning Spear stacks will allow Huskar to kill Magnus before he can kill him.
- From a safe distance, Huskar can surprise and counter Magnus's initiation with Life Break and Burning Spear.
- Burning Spear also deals damage over time, disabling Blink Dagger and preventing him from initiating or escaping.
Items to buy on Huskar
- Armlet of Mordiggian - Increased damage and HP, can toggle through Tiny’s damage
- Heaven’s Halberd - Can disarm Magnus, making him unable to attack for a few seconds
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Satanic - Can quickly heal up on physical attacks upon activation, also provides basic dispel from the latter.
- Hurricane Pike - Allows Huskar to close the gap and deal immense damage to Gyro, also provides decent stats
- Assault Cuirass - Immense armor gain, also reduces Magnus’ armor at the same time
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Huskar
2. Jakiro
The twin-headed dragon has ravaged wars with the balance of his cold-blooded vengeance and scorching wrath. Mostly played in the safe lane or in the off-lane, 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 magic damage with decent lockdowns. Most enemies are squishy which means 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 Magnus?
- Jakiro's abilities deal damage over time, which can disrupt Magnus's attempts to initiate with Blink Dagger and Reverse Polarity.
- Macropyre not only disables Blink Dagger for a considerable duration but can also destroy Trees, revealing Magnus's cover and position.
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 Magnus down and prevents him from using any spells
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Jakiro
1. Disruptor
Prepare yourself for troubled weather as Disruptor barrages into the battlefield to change the trajectory of the battle. DIsruptor is one of the most picked support heroes against Magnus in the current meta, as he provides insane disable in the form of Static Storm which further is amplified by Aghanim’s Scepter that mutes his items. Magnus can easily be caught off guard by Disruptor if he wanders in without suspecting anything, the aftermath can be in the favor of the Disruptor.
Why is Disruptor a great counter to Magnus?
- Disruptor can disable Magnus's Blink Dagger using Thunder Strike for a considerable duration, disrupting his initiation attempts.
- Glimpse brings Magnus back after he escapes with Skewer and/or Force Staff.
- Static Storm if used in a fight can prevent Magnus from using Reverse Polarity after he jumps in.
Items to Buy on Disruptor
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Mutes Magnus’ items.
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from Mag and also applies a basic dispel
- Glimmer Cape - Invisibility can be used to escape or set up to gank Magnus
- Eul’s Scepter - Can be used to set up for Lighting Storm ultimate.
- Force Staff - Great gap closer and can also be used to escape.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Disruptor
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