The guardian of the Temple’s secrets, Lanaya the Templar Assassin is a splendid pick in the current patch. She obliterates all her foes with her devastating physical damage. Her laning phase is nothing short of a struggle but if she farms well, there is no way you win the game! With her pick rate being off the roof, people are also tired of losing to her!
To help you win games against the tenacious Templar, we have compiled this list of the Best 10 Counters which can ruin her gameplay quite easily.
10. Pudge
Most lists are never complete without Pudge in them! After all, he is the most played hero in the game. 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 TA or hooking the powerful her into your team only for her 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 Templar Assassin?
- His Rot can force Templar Assassin out of her Meld and destroy all of her Refraction charges quickly, and her small health pool and meager defense make her very vulnerable to his Meat Hook without Refraction.
- Aghanim’s Shard allows you to “eat” your allies, where they’re basically inside you, regening HP
Items to buy on Pudge
- Aether Lens
- Aghanim’s Shard
- Blink Dagger
- Blademail
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Pudge
9. Leshrac
It’s quite advantageous to pick a ranged hero if you’re facing melee heroes. Leshrac solves all your problems against them due to his high magical damage, AoE, and lockdown potential. The best part is that Leshrac is often picked as a flex hero, meaning he can be played in quite any lane! Apart from countering heroes with illusions, Lesh can also mow down buildings with Edict and farm faster than quite literally any hero in the game! A successful early game translates to domination in the late game!
Why is Leshrac a great counter to Templar Assassin?
- Immense farming and wave clear potential
- Pulse Nova can easily burn Templar Assassin's Refraction charges quickly, and can also hit her with her Meld.
- Low CD on spells
Items to Buy Leshrac
- Aghanim’s Shard
- Bloodstone
- Eul’s Scepter
- Kaya and Sange
- Black King Bar
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Leshrac
8. Pugna
The skeletal figure comes alive after he drains their life and turns them into bones and dust. Pugna is infamous for sucking the soul out of you. A pure lane matchup can favor Pugna as he has more INT and mana pool compared to most heroes along with that you face constant harassment and get shoved out of the lane due to the bonkers damage he deals. He is known to farm effortlessly due to his AoE spell and hit his item timings relatively early. You can also save your low HP allies with Life Drain!
Why is Pugna a great counter to Templar Assassin?
- Pugna's Decrepify can render Templar Assassin's physical attacks useless.
- Pugna can also cast Life Drain on Templar Assassin, burning her Refraction instances.
- On the other hand, Pugna generally has low health and armor. Use this to your advantage.
Items to Buy as Pugna
- Aether Lens
- Aeon Disk
- Scythe of Vyse
- Dagon
- Blink Dagger
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Pugna
7. Razor
The electrifying rage of Razor is quite unmatched in the new meta. Most melee heroes 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 his foes do not escape alive! Razor can also out farm most enemy carries, 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 enemies right from the early game.
Why is Razor a great counter to Templar Assassin?
- Razor's Eye of the Storm damage-over-time easily wears off Refraction charges, allowing Templar Assassin to be damaged.
- Static Link empties Templar Assassin's damage output even with the bonus from Refraction and will keep doing that even if the Razor cannot see her during Meld.
- Plasma Field can easily strike her during Meld.
Items to Buy on Razor
- Assault Cuirass
- Refresher’s Orb
- Shiva's Guard
- Aghanim’s Shard
- Heaven’s Halberd
- Blademail
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Razor
6. Dragon Knight
Davion, the Dragon Knight is a classic tank hero, his high strength and high HP nature fits the glove! He does not fall despite enemies trying to gank him, his armor shall never betray him! Dragon Knight is a tough nut to crack, he has natural high armor which is amplified by his Dragon’s Blood passive, which makes him unkillable unless all 5 enemy heroes rotate and hunt him down, which is of course impractical in most games.
Why is Dragon Knight a great counter to Templar Assassin?
- The damage over time from Dragon Knight's Elder Dragon Form rapidly burns down Refraction, allowing him to attack her.
- Also, Breathe Fire reduces Templar Assassin's damage and Dragon Tail is a stun with a considerable duration, letting him and his team whittle her health down once her defenses wear off.
- Templar Assassin will struggle to kill Dragon Knight thanks to his high armor and health regen from Dragon Blood as she deals entirely physical damage.
Items to buy on DK
- Blink Dagger
- Shadow Blade
- Assault Cuirass
- Heaven’s Halberd
- Black King Bar
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Dragon_Knight
5. Viper
The venomous Viper knows no bounds and is on the same list when it comes to the most hated heroes in the game against TA. Most new players can benefit from playing this hero as they get to know about the basic DPS mechanics along with the advantage of having multiple different item builds according to the game. Melee heroes despise him as he makes your presence and impact disappear from the game! The break applied from Nethertoxin quite literally ruins the game for most heroes with strong passives.
Why is Viper a great counter to Templar Assassin?
- The damage over time from Viper's Poison Attack and Viper Strike rapidly wear down Refraction charges, allowing Templar Assassin to be damaged.
- Nethertoxin is a big threat to Templar Assassin. Her initially low range makes it very hard to deal against Nethertoxin in the laning phase. At any stage of the game, a Nethertoxin can always force her to undo her Meld.
Items to Buy on Viper
- Kaya and Sange
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Dragon Lance
- Blade Mail
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Viper
4. Batrider
Batrider is quite the favorite of most initiators and harass in the current meta, as he is picked to provide great early game domination and control potential. His laning phase is quite impeccable due to the sheer amount of magical damage output that he provides, shoving the enemies out of the lane. If you aren’t careful enough, then you may be susceptible to heavy damage courtesy of the napalm stacks! Along with dominating the laning phase, Batrider is successful in dominating the late game if not contained!
Why is Batrider a great counter to Templar Assassin?
- Batrider's abilities are designed to deal damage over time, burning through Templar Assassin's layers extremely quickly.
- Flamebreak applies 7 instances of damage, burning through the entirety of Refraction, and Firefly applies damage on the place.
- Flaming Lasso pierces Black King Bar and renders Templar Assassin helpless unless there are allies helping her.
Items to buy on Batrider
- Blink Dagger
- Black King Bar
- Boots of Travel
- Force Staff
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Refresher’s Orb
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Batrider
3. Windranger
Behold the ranger of the gusts and the wild winds! Windranger is one of the few heroes who can be picked in any lane. No matter the position, she is known to deal some heavy damage or assist her allies in doing so. To utilize her to her full potential, she is picked in the middle lane, where she can thrive in most matchups due to the insane damage that she is known to dish out. Along with winning the lane, she can also dominate the middle and late game if she hits the right item timings, hence her pick rate skyrockets.
Why is Windranger a great counter to Templar Assassin?
- Windranger's Focus Fire tears apart Templar Assassin's refraction very quickly and easily bursts her down due to her low health pool against Windranger's immense attack speed.
- Templar Assassin's Psionic Trap doesn't slow down Windranger due to her skill in Windrun.
- Templar Assassin's high damage can also be easily evaded thanks to Windrun's 100% evasion.
Items to Buy on Windranger
- Monkey King Bar
- Maelstorm
- Black King Bar
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard
- Daedalus
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Windranger
2. Phoenix
If you’re lacking a support/healer 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!
What makes Phoenix a great counter to Templar Assassin?
- Sun Ray has a quick damage tick and will burn through her Refraction in no time.
- Supernova deals damage over time in an incredibly large area, and again with her quality-over-quantity style, she may not be able to attack quickly enough to break through the Phoenix Sun by herself.
- Icarus Dive allows Phoenix to shrug off the slow from her trap and make an easy escape from her ambush.
Items to buy on Phoenix
- Spirit Vessel
- Heaven’s Halberd
- Aeon’s Disk
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Veil of Discord
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Phoenix
1. Venomancer
The most toxic hero in Dota! Venomancer is quite hated because of how well his abilities can synergize with literally any other hero. He is known for dealing immense magical damage and DPS to his foes. Venomancer can counter most strength heroes due to the damage output which is further amplified by items. Having AoE damage spells, Venomancer can farm quickly and efficiently.
Why is Venomancer a great counter to Templar Assassin?
- High DPS and magic damage that can further be amplified with items.
- Venomancer's entire arsenal deals lingering damage over a long time and therefore burns through her Refraction very quickly.
- His persistent slow from Poison Sting allows his team to catch up to her even with the disruption from her Psionic Trap.
Items to Buy on Venomancer
- Spirit Vessel
- Heaven’s Halberd
- Force Staff
- Eul’s Scepter
- Veil of Discord
- Scythe of Vyse
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