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The best Phantom Assassin counters in Dota 2
Mortred the Phantom Assassin (PA) reigns supreme in Dota 2 patch 7.34b as one of the most popular and successful heroes.
She is being picked up in nearly 25% of games and with a fair bit of success to boot, winning 52% of her appearances at all brackets.
An elusive carry who can farm safely during the laning stage and then proceed to one-shot supports, it's no wonder everybody and their family is picking her up.
Despite her many strengths, Phantom Assassin counters do exist in Dota 2 and in this article, we will be looking at the best ways to shut her down using a variety of roles.
The three best Phantom Assassin counters in Dota 2 patch 7.34b
Wraith King
If you want to bring down the carry queen, you're gonna need a king to do so, in this case, Wraith King.
Mortred is a hard hero to pin down thanks to her Blink Strike and luckily for Wraith King, he is one of the few carries with a stun, and at 2.35 seconds, it's a fairly long one.
Another positive in favor of Wraith King is due to his combination of Mortal Strike and Vampiric Aura, he is one of the few heroes who can stand and trade hits with PA.
Thanks to the critical hits and lifesteal, the king doesn't get immediately burst down by Mortred, giving his allies enough time to take down PA's teammates.
Wraith King's biggest advantage in this match-up is that he can't be killed by a single critical hit from PA, thanks to Reincarnation.
Not only does his ultimate guarantee a rematch every fight, but the three-second respawn time eats at PA's Black King Bar duration, making her a far easier opponent when Wraith King gets up.
A Wraith King with Aghanim's Scepter also enables his team to fight back against PA.
Mortred's entire game plan is to jump in and kill supports instantly, and Aghanim's Scepter prevents that.
Thanks to his durability, lockdown, and incredible Aghanim's Scepter, Wraith King is a fantastic Phantom Assassin counter, winning the match up 53% of the time.
Axe
If you're an offlaner and you want to shut down Phantom Assassin, then your best bet is to pick the manliest hero in Dota 2.
Axe is one of the best Phantom Assassin counters because his combination of Berserker's Call and Blade mail is enough to kill Phantom Assassin at all stages of the game.
Blade Mail returns the damage a hero deals, which can reach the thousands against Phantom Assassin. Combine that with a few Counter Helix spins and PA will often kill herself in a few seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lArqMoMoGjg
Another point in favor of Axe is that there is nothing Phantom Assassin can do to play against Berserker's Call. It is an AoE taunt that pierces spell immunity, so neither a Linken's Sphere nor BKB helps to avoid it.
All of Phantom Assassin's damage is physical, which is perfect for Axe. In between Berserker's Call extra 20 armor and the bonus armor from Culling Blade, Axe can withstand a fair amount of hits from Mortred.
Another hero who has a similar playstyle as Axe is Legion Commander, who can also force PA to attack her and buys Blade Mail as well. Consider LC if Axe is banned.
Axe is the safer option though and currently boasts the best offlane win rate against Mortred at 53%.
Treant Protector
Supports in general suffer against Phantom Assassin. Her high damage output combined with incredible mobility and Blur makes her an incredible threat.
Instead of picking high-risk high-reward supports like Lion, who could control PA but are far more likely to feed her. It's better to go with durable heroes who can keep their distance.
Enter Treant Protector.
Living Armor is an incredible defensive ability that can provide up to 18 armor when maxed out and with the level 20 armor.
Since each point of armor adds roughly 6% Effective Health Point (EHP), Treant Protector can double an ally's resistance to physical damage. He can also use Living Armor on two allies since the spell lasts twice as long as it's cooldown.
Another reason to pick Treant Protector is Overgrowth. Similar to Berserker's Call, it is an ability that can lockdown enemies and can't be blocked in any way. Just be sure to use it after PA pops BKB, or she will just break out of it.
In the end, though, the main reason to pick Treant Protector is that he can almost nullify physical damage, allowing allies to survive a few hits from PA and take her down instead.
It's not easy to play against Phantom Assassin but while she is the carry queen right now, she isn't unbeatable. Keep your distance, get armor items, and pray she doesn't crit you on the first hit.
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Image source provided by: Valve
