Sven, the sensational swordsman is a staple carry hero who you’ll often see in your pub games, regardless of your skill bracket. He is picked primarily because he can survive the laning phase without getting into any trouble, and along with that he can also farm exceptionally, staying relevant even in the late game. Sven’s immense cleave and physical damage make him unstoppable, and his item choices only amplify his ungodly strength. He is one of the few carry heroes capable of getting a solo rampage at any stage of the game! Sven is quite invincible with his recent buffs.
But as we know, even the mighty are capable of falling no matter how unstoppable they appear to be. There are always some heroes which can counter Sven’s onslaught and make him look feeble. The following are the Top 10 Sven Counters in the current patch! These relevant heroes dominate Sven or at the least, give him a run for his money.
Best General Items Against Sven
Glimmer Cape/Shadow Blade - Shadow Blade is always useful against Sven to escape from his lethal physical damage. Glimmer Cape is more of a support’s way of escaping Sven’s damage or aiding their allies in escaping as upon cast it turns you or the targetted ally invisible.
Lotus Orb - Upon usage, it reflects targetted spells to the caster. Along with that, it can be used to dispel any enemy debuffs. It can hence be used to reflect Storm Hammer, granting a chance to even AoE stun Sven and his allies!
Crimson Guard - Upon usage it provides immense physical damage block to both the caster, his allies, and even buildings in an AoE. This is exceptional against Sven as he is notorious for dealing boatloads of right-clicking damage.
Force Staff - Allows you to force yourself or the targetted unit 600 units ahead in the direction they are facing. Force Staff is an exceptional item to disengage from Sven, or to initiate on him if the time is right.
Eul’s Scepter - Can be used to sweep yourself or the targetted enemy into the air for 2.5 seconds, making them unable to use spells or move. This can be used to lock down Sven or temporarily remove yourself from the fights, it dispels most debuffs upon self-cast.
Heaven’s Halberd - Disarms the targetted enemy, making them unable to do physical attacks while the caster and others can freely attack them It is a useful item to easily get your attacks onto Sven, who relies on physical damage, without much retaliation.
10. Templar Assassin
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Templar Assassin, the guardian of the temple’s secrets is a lethal force to be reckoned with. TA is widely regarded as one of the best late-game mid heroes, this is due to the damage which she dishes out without losing relevancy. Sven can’t withstand the onslaught of TA’s physical damage and armor corruption even in the later stages of the game. TA’s armor reduction from both her Meld and Desolator is hard for Sven to deal with, he has no strong way to stop this ungodly onslaught of damage.
Templar Assassin deals some heavy damage while taking barely any in return if she has the Refraction shield on, it proves to be a helpful mechanic against Sven in teamfights. Most experienced TA players occasionally disappear into the jungle to stack and farm as soon as they have the levels and farm. Sven can match TA’s farming speed but he can not match her mobility no matter how hard he tries, he simply falls off when TA gets six slotted. There is simply no way Sven can go head-to-head against an equally farmed Templar Assassin after the 50-minute mark.
Why is TA a great counter to Sven?
Refraction is a valuable form of defense against Sven’s damage.
Psi Blades deals pure damage and spills over instantly.
Sven has no easy way to burn Refraction charges and needs help from teammates to kill TA successfully.
Items to Buy on Templar Assassin
Desolator - Provides increased damage along with armor corruption on physical attacks. It can also gain stacks and increased the mentioned perks with the increase in stacks. Sven has decent armor but the armor corruption from both Desolator and Meld can prove to be deadly if not stopped.
Blink Dagger - Upon cast, Blink transports Templar Assassin 1200 units in the distance she is facing, can’t be used for 3 seconds if she takes any form of damage. Blink is used to close the gap and to get on top of Sven, or it can also be used to escape away from him.
Daedalus - Provides TA with a chance to deal immense critical damage on physical attacks as well as increase her base attack damage. It is an exceptional item to deal high damage to Sven in the middle game.
Hurricane Pike - Allows TA to close the gap and deal immense damage to Sven, also provides decent stats and increases her attack range.
Scythe of Vyse - Upon usage it hexes Sven, essentially making him unable to use spells or items, along with reducing his movement speed for 3.5 seconds.
Aghanim’s Scepter - Allows her to teleport to her traps, regardless of their location on the map. This global potential and low cooldown on the traps make her an exceptional split pusher with immense mobility, something which Sven lacks severely.
The nefarious Necrophos corrupts Sven’s immunity with his rancid spells. He is one of the most hated heroes due to the DPS damage he deals, along with being a pesky laner due to his passive Heartstopper aura. His abilities provide him with immense healing while dealing damage to Sven, making it impossible for him to lane against this plague monster. Sven struggles against magic damage and Necrophos has a lot of it.
Necro’s ultimate, Reaper’s Scythe, allows him to lock Sven down and deal immense damage to him, allowing him to get increased HP and Mana regen if the swordsman is neutralized under its duration. Ghost Shroud grants him ethereal form which makes it unable for Sven to hit him, it can be used to kite Sven around or to escape from his hard-hitting physical damage for a brief duration.
Why is Necrophos a great counter to Sven?
Immense sustain to Necrophos and his allies with Death Pulse. It also deals damage to enemies, making it a useful ability to save his allies in the team fight against Sven’s ungodly damage.
Heartstopper Aura and Reaper's Scythe go right through Sven's armor.
Insane damage with Reaper’s Scythe, which provides him with increased and permanent health and mana regeneration
Items to buy on Necrophos
Radiance - Burn damage prevents Sven from blinking away, and can also be useful in pushing lanes
Guardian Greaves - Upon cast, it heals Necrophos and nearby allies. It also dispels certain debuffs.
Eternal Shroud - Converts magical damage into mana upon usage and passively offers spell lifesteal.
Lotus Orb - The active reflects targetted spells hence can also be used to reflect Sven’s Storm Hammer, stunning the rogue swordsman himself.
Aghanim’s Scepter - Reduces the cooldown on Heartstopper Aura
Troll Warlord has been a staple pick against Sven for the longest time. The tenacious Troll is known to fare well right from the laning stage due to his abilities which help him secure creeps and ward off enemy laners. Sven is generally never seen going head to head against Troll in the laning phase, as it is the mid or the late game where these two titans meet for the face-off. Troll can withstand ungodly amounts of damage being dished out by Sven, thanks to his ultimate which allows him to lifesteal while making him unkillable.
It does not take much time for Troll to be able to quickly melt Sven in the late game. Troll has both the attack speed advantage as well as the range advantage, which Sven is known to struggle against. Battle Trance can essentially make Troll go from 0 to 100 real quick, ensuring Beast has no chance to escape if he tries to come close. Troll can solo Roshan, unlike Sven who often needs his team’s assistance.
Why is Troll Warlord a great counter to Sven?
Troll is more reliant on levels as opposed to farm, making him more involved in teamfights, unlike Sven.
Battle Trance makes Sven prioritize other heroes first in teamfights.
Troll has simply more survivability compared to Sven with his life steal, attack speed, and ultimate.
Items to buy on Troll Warlord
Skull Basher - Provides Troll with a chance to Bash (Mini Stun) on physical attacks. It can further be upgraded into Abyssal Blade later on in the game to lock down Sven completely.
Satanic - Provides increased lifesteal on physical attacks upon activation, also provides basic dispel from the latter.
Sange and Yasha - Provide decent stats, agility, strength, and physical damage. SnY also provides status resistance and increased movement speed, making Troll faster and stronger against Sven.
Battlefury - Provides cleave on physical attacks which can be essential to split push and farm quickly, mirroring Sven’s farm pattern.
Diffusal Blade - Slows down Sven by 100% upon casting and physical attack. It also burns his mana and dispels any buffs that he may have.
Monkey King Bar - Provides increased physical attack damage, also provides true strike upon physical attacks
The spectacular Spectre is a nightmare for most heroes as she is always known to catch you off-guard. In most scenarios, Sven and Spectre have equal potential in the game, it’s always the one who can sustain himself that comes out on the top. Sustainability is a huge factor against Sven, and Spectre takes care of it by building tanky items like Manta Style, Eye of Skadi, and Abyssal Blade which offer her high
All you need is a few items to face the swordsman alone. Spectre may lack in the farming department in the early game but its the kills and ganks which reward her with gold, making her devastating in the late game. Her late-game potential to quickly solo kill Sven from anywhere on the map is unmatched by any other carry in the game.
Why is Spectre a great counter to Sven?
Dispersion makes it harder for Sven to burst down Spectre in one on one fights and can reflect Sven's high damage to him or his nearby teammates.
Haunt and Radiance disables Sven's Blink Dagger.
Desolate's pure damage ignores Sven's high armor.
Items to buy on Spectre
Blademail - Reflects Sven’s damage to him upon activation.
Radiance - Burn damage prevents Sven from blinking away, and can also be useful in pushing lanes
Diffusal Blade - Slows down Sven by 100% upon casting and physical attack. It also burns his mana and dispels any buffs that he may have.
Manta Style - On usage, it creates two illusions of Sven, allowing him to dispel certain spells or dodge if he times them right. It is exceptional to push lanes effortlessly and dispel spells.
Eye of Skadi - Reduces regen and healing upon physical attacks. It helps reduce Sven’s regen if he opts for Satanic. Eye of Skadi also provides increased stats and HP to Spectre.
Abyssal Blade - Upon cast, it stuns the targetted hero for 2 seconds. Can be used to quickly lock down Sven after using ultimate, allowing you to beat him down with physical damage.
The illuminating Keeper won’t let you pass as he holds his ground against his menacing foes. Keeper of the Light is a devastating force against Sven right off the bat as he can deal ungodly amounts of damage right from the laning phase. This early-game annoyance can impact Sven’s farm, which demotes him to the jungle, removing him from fights in the early game, which can prove to be a problem for his team due to his absence in fights.
KOTL’s spells allow him to be played both as a core and as a support, allowing flexibility in his item, as well as skill builds, against the mighty Sven. KOTL has insane heals which can further save him or his allies during teamfights against the raw and mighty physical damage of Sven. Blinding Light makes him miss spells and his Scepter upgrade, Will-O-Wisp makes is a great way of keeping Sven on his toes, and is, in general, a great crowd-control spell.
Why is Keeper of the Light a great counter to Sven?
Can split push lanes and farm effortlessly, maintaining the pressure on Sven to clear out the waves hitting his tower.
Immense magical burst damage potential, which is devastating against Sven as he lacks magic resistance.
Low Cool down on spells, which can also be reduced with Chakra Magic
Items to buy against Sven
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 Sven.
Aghanim’s Scepter - Grants Will-o-Wisp ability which pulls the enemies in an AoE towards itself. It is a great crowd-control spell to control Sven.
Ethereal Blade - Upon cast, it releases a projectile that disarms the targetted unit, making them take extra magical damage.
Dagon - Huge single targetted burst damage, Dagon can be upgraded, increasing the cast range and damage it deals on the highest level (level 5). This combined with Illuminate and Ethereal Blade can quickly eliminate Sven from the team fight due to his low magic resistance.
Glimmer Cape - Glimmer Cape is more of a support’s way of escaping Sven’s damage or aiding their allies in escaping as upon cast it turns you or the targetted ally invisible.
Clockwerk, the mechanical genius is quite a rare sight in the current meta, but he is often seen picked against Sven as he can easily disrupt Sven’s onslaught. He is played in the offlane or as roaming support against Sven, as early rotations can cause great damage to him. With his ultimate, Hookshot, Clock can easily stun him and trap him even if the former has Black King Bar, he is a thorn in the backside of Sven with the Hookshot into Cogs combo.
The scout potential with Rocket Flare can help track Sven’s location and potentially remove him from teamfights. Sven can lane well and deny farm to Clockwerk in the laning phase but Clock as we know relies more on levels as opposed to farm to have an impact in the game. Items just amplify his impact in the late game.
Why is Clockwerk a great counter to Sven?
Power Cogs greatly limits Sven's positioning, potentially wasting the duration of Black King Bar in a team fight.
Battery Assault makes it hard for Sven to fight Clockwerk in his Power Cogs.
Clockwerk's Blade Mail forces Sven to avoid attacking while inside Power Cogs, effectively rendering him useless for a few seconds.
Items to buy on Clockwerk
Blademail - Reflects Sven’s damage to him upon activation. This is highly useful in teamfights to make Sven stop hitting you as he relies heavily on physical damage.
Crimson Guard - Upon usage it provides immense physical damage block to Clockwerk, his allies, and even buildings in an AoE.
Aghanim’s Shard - Provides Jetpack ability which provides flying movement, flying vision, and bonus movement speed. It is helpful to escape from Sven as he does not have unobstructed pathing.
Black King Bar - It provides Clockwerk with spell immunity from all of Sven’s Storm Hammer.
Force Staff - Allows Clock to force himself or the targetted unit 600 units ahead in the direction they are facing. It is quite essential in catching or escaping from Sven’s onslaught.
Probably known as the most toxic hero in Dota, Venomancer is quite hated because of how well his abilities can shove pretty much any hero off the lane. If you are a carry Sven facing an offlane Venomancer, you better escape to the jungle or ask your support to make you some stacks because Venomancer can ruin your farm with his magical DPS. Venomancer can also split push and deal decent damage to buildings thanks to his wards.
As we know, Sven has low magic resistance, a weakness that Veno takes the most advantage of. Venomancer can counter Sven due to the damage output which is further amplified by his items which include Veil of Discord, Scythe of Vyse, and much more. Venomancer can keep up with the farming pace of Sven, which can backfire for Sven in the middle game if he is constantly ganked by the venomous beast.
Why is Venomancer a great counter to Sven?
High DPS and magic damage can further be amplified with items.
Venomancer forces Sven to choose between using his Black King Bar or getting constantly slowed by his poison.
Constant harassment right from the early game, taking advantage of his low magic resistance.
Items to Buy on Venomancer
Spirit Vessel - Immense DPS and heal reduction to Sven when used. This item can be used to reduce Sven’s lifesteal, rendering heals and Satanic useless.
Heaven’s Halberd - Upon usage, it can be used by Venomancer to disarm Sven, making him unable to attack for a few seconds. Sven being a melee physical damage hero is affected severely by this item as it can prevent him from doing damage in teamfights.
Force Staff - Allows Venomancer to force himself or the targetted unit 600 units ahead in the direction they are facing.
Eul’s Scepter - Can be used to sweep Sven or the targetted enemy into the air for 2.5 seconds, making them unable to use spells or move.
Veil of Discord - Provides amplified magical damage in an AoE. Sven has low magic resistance hence he can fall prey to the insane magic damage being dished out by Venomancer.
Scythe of Vyse - Upon usage it hexes the targetted unit, essentially making them unable to use spells or items, along with reducing their movement speed for 3.5 seconds. This is extremely useful to shut down Sven while your team slaughters him.
The lethal Lifestealer is one of the most picked heroes in the current meta. His strength ruptures even the most meta heroes like Sven, as he can simply outlast him in teamfights and has a way to dodge his stun. Lifestealer is quite good at carrying the team on his back, especially if he is playing against squishy heroes or heroes who rely more on magic spells to do damage. Sven can’t compete against Lifestealer as he has no way of locking him down.
Lifestealer can completely negate all the magic damage and effects from Sven and his teammates with his Rage, making him spell immune. Lifestealer, as his name suggests, can lifesteal and outlast Sven who lacks the in-built sustainability. However, he lacks in the farming department and mainly relies on kills to get gold, making him a fight-oriented hero, as with the right items at the right time, he can give Sven a run for his money.
Why is Lifestealer a great counter to Sven?
Lifestealer excels at killing high-health heroes with Feast, and Sven is no exception.
Rage stops Storm Hammer from hitting Lifestealer.
Rage and Open Wounds help Lifestealer survive against Sven's high physical damage.
Items to Buy on Lifestealer
Armlet of Mordiggian - Provides increased HP and damage, and is toggleable. Lifestealer benefits highly from this toggleable HP mechanic against Sven as he dishes out a ton of physical damage.
Desolator - Provides increased damage along with armor corruption on physical attacks. It can also gain stacks and increased the mentioned perks with the increase in stacks.
Sange and Yasha - Provide decent stats, agility, strength, and physical damage. SnY also provides status resistance and increased movement speed, making Lifestealer faster and stronger against Sven.
Skull Basher - Provides a chance to Bash (Mini Stun) on physical attacks. It can further be upgraded into Abyssal Blade later on in the game to lock down Sven completely and prevent him from being useful in teamfights.
Assault Cuirass - Increases armor and attack speed while reducing the same for Sven. Lifestealer is an excellent pick against Sven due to the potential to decimate his armor within no time.
None stand a chance against the Wraith King! He resurrects from his shattered bones and comes back with a vengeance. His vigor and lifesteal make him one of the most badass heroes in the game. Wraith King is a great addition to your team if you lack a hard-hitting carry against Sven. He is known to farm quickly with the addition of the skeletons, which allows him to split push, he is also durable in fights due to his ultimate which brings him back to life.
Why is Wraith King a great counter to Sven?
Reincarnation helps Wraith King outlast Sven in fights, and wastes the duration of God's Strength.
Wraithfire Blast's low cooldown allows Wraith King to stun Sven several times in a team fight.
Items to buy on Wraith King
Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports Wraith King 1200 units in the distance he is facing, can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to close the gap and to get on top of Sven, or it can also be used to escape away from him.
Armlet of Mordiggian - Provides increased HP and damage, and is toggleable. Wraith King benefits highly from this toggleable HP mechanic against Sven due to the latter’s high physical damage. It also aids Wraith King in surviving through the early game.
Monkey King Bar - Provides increased physical attack damage, also provides true strike upon physical attacks
Desolator - Provides increased damage along with armor corruption on physical attacks. It can also gain stacks when you neutralize the enemy and increase the mentioned perks with the increase in stacks.
Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, negating the stun from Storm Hammer and damage being dealt by Sven.
Assault Cuirass - Increases armor and attack speed while reducing the same for enemies in an AoE.
Sven may be a strong melee hero but against Razor, he is just another melee hero. Razor is famous for being a counter-pick to melee heroes as he can harass them by stealing their damage and bullying them out of the lane, and Sven is no exception to this. Static Link ruins Sven’s laning phase as her attack damage is constantly being stolen by Razor, which is hard to escape from as he has a high movement speed to maintain in the radius.
The mid and late game can also turn nightmarish for Sven if he fails his laning phase, lagging behind Razor, which is bound to happen. His ultimate also discourages Sven from initiating onto him, making him choose different less significant targets. Though Sven can outfarm Razor in the mid and late game, Razor still has the range and movement speed advantage which makes Sven’s efforts quite futile in teamfights.
Why is Razor Great against Sven?
Static Link greatly lowers Sven’s damage output right from the laning phase, making him deal significantly less damage in teamfights.
Razor’s ultimate, Eye of the Storm strikes have true sight, thus Sven has a hard time against most of Razor’s spells.
Razor has much high crowd control and dominance in the game with his active spells and relies more on team fight and objectives to get gold, making him an active hero who is constantly ganking, unlike Sven who needs time to farm and accumulate items. This gives Razor a significant advantage in the laning phase.
Items to Buy Against Sven
Assault Cuirass - Increases armor and attack speed while reducing the same for enemies in an AoE. This item is exceptional to weaken the armor of the tanky Sven.
Refresher’s Orb - Can refresh spells and items and use them again in quick succession to delete Sven from the fight. This item is essential as it allows you to use Eye of the Storm twice in teamfights.
Shiva’s Guard - Upon activation, it deals damage in an AoE around Razor, slowing down the affected targets. It also provides increased armor and reduces enemy armor in an AoE.
Aghanim’s Shard - Eye of the Storm ultimate affects buildings and deals immense damage to heroes as well. The shard is extremely useful against Sven as it allows you to push lanes and deal high tower damage.
Blademail - Reflects Sven’s damage to him upon activation.
Heaven’s Halberd - Upon usage, it can be used to disarm Sven, making him unable to attack for a few seconds. Sven being a melee physical damage hero is affected severely by this item as it can prevent him from doing damage in teamfights.
