Thanks to his high pick rate at The International 10 (TI10) you may have noticed Magnus has shot up in usage in pub games.
Magnus requires a fair bit of mechanical skill and positioning to be a dangerous threat. But that won’t stop many players from trying to be the next Collapse.
This incredible boost to the hero’s popularity makes it vital for players to learn a few Magnus counters if they want to climb the MMR ladder.
Fortunately, even if you are playing against a Magnus pro, you can easily stop him if you know how. Here are the three best Magnus counters.
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The three best Magnus counters that will help you out in-game
Wraith King
In the carry role, there is no better Magnus counter than Wraith King. What makes Wraith King win this matchup are his ultimate and Skeleton summons.
Wraith King does decently against Magnus in the laning stage. Magnus leverages his high attack damage with Empower to secure last hits and denies against his enemies. This isn’t an issue for Wraith King thanks to Mortal Strike providing him with a guaranteed critical hit. This allows him to farm well even against high damage opponents.
Late game is when Wraith King becomes a terror for Magnus to deal with. Magnus’ main benefit is to separate an enemy from his team. Magnus will aim for the enemy frontline and Skewer them into his allies.
Wraith King’s Reincarnation makes him the best hero in the game to be skewered away from his team. Wraith King is naturally hard to bring down, making him an unappetizing target to begin with. Reincarnation’s double life means Magnus and his team must expend a lot of resources to bring the king down.
Vampiric Spirit lets Wraith King summon an army of skeletons to attack structures for him. This allows Wraith King to send his minions forward and take objectives for the team, keeping them safe from Magnus.
Wraith King is one of the best Magnus Counters. He forces Magnus to Skewer him while being the worst hero to target in the game. It’s no wonder Wraith King has a 58% win rate against Magnus.
Silencer
When it comes to the support role, Silencer is the best Magnus counter in the game thanks to his arsenal of silences, his lane prowess, and being impossible to catch.
Silencer is notorious for his ability to dominate the lane. Glaives of Wisdom allows Silencer to consistently harass Magnus and force him to buy multiple regeneration items or leave the lane.
Silencer can compound his laning presence with Arcane Curse and Last Word. Silencer can easily bring down Magnus with the help of a carry during the laning stage.
Arcane Curse is a fantastic spell to have against Magnus. It’s easy to catch him in the spell’s AoE due to its high cast range. Magnus can’t blink if he is hit by Arcane Curse. The slow also makes it difficult to walk in and use Reverse Polarity effectively.
Silencer’s ultimate, Global Silence is what makes him the best position 5 Magnus counter. When Magnus blinks in and Skewers an ally back to his team, Silencer can provide a lot of time for his team to help with Global Silence.
Due to Global Silence being…well… a global silence, Silencer can position himself far from the team, ensuring he gets it off when needed. Magnus can buy items to remove the silence but these items would either come late in the game or delay Magnus’ other core item purchases.
A good Silencer will ruin the game for Magnus at all stages. Silencer is tough to lane against, does a lot of damage in team fights, and nullifies Magnus’ ability to get pickoffs.
Venomancer
Venomancer is a fantastic Magnus counter thanks to how much vision Venomancer provides for the team along with his long-duration damage over time spells that prevent Magnus from moving freely in fights.
It all comes down to Plague Wards that Venomancer is a great Magnus Counter. Plague Wards allow Venomancer to scout in trees for his team or check the high ground for enemies. The wards also attack enemies with physical damage, which disables Blink Dagger.
Plage Wards also enable Venomancer to siege buildings or defend barracks without putting himself or allies at risk. Since Magnus relies on separating enemies, these Plage Wards are a nightmare for him to deal with.
Venomancer’s other spells, Venomous Gale and Poison Nova both last for an absurdly long time, making Blink Dagger useless if the user is hit by them. Both spells provide Venomancer with strong killing potential, especially against Magnus who is likely to be hit by both in teamfights.
Venomancer won’t often lane against Magnus but whenever they do the matchup heavily favors Venomancer. A ranged hero with multiple slows is a nightmare for anyone to deal with in Dota 2.
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