The first son of heaven, Mars, is somewhat of a new addition to the game. His impressive and damage-dealing spells rank him very high on this list. Mars is exceptional if you want a great wave clear and someone to tank out all the damage and lead the charge for your team. Mars is exceptionally decent in the current patch.
But like all heroes, even Mars can be countered. We bring you the Best 10 Counters to Mars in the current patch, these heroes can decimate Mars pretty effortlessly.
10. Ogre Magi
Looks are surely deceiving! You may be puzzled by these rather dimwit ogres being so high up on our list, there is a reason for it! They’re just so good in this current patch! They’re all you need in a support hero, they have high hp and armor, they deal immense damage from the early game, and most importantly they have a stun! When Ogre reaches level 6, his ultimate enhances his ability to fight by providing him a chance to multiply the effect of his spells!
Why is Ogre Magi a great counter to Mars?
- Mars has no way to trade with Ogre Magi in the early game thanks to his high base health, resistance, and Ignite.
- Once Ogre Magi gets to level 2 he may also have Bloodlust, which makes him even harder to deal with in lane.
- Fireblast can be ridiculously strong later on in the game for controlling Mars.
- Spear of Mars, which is Mars' main source of damage in the early game, cannot guarantee kills early on Ogre Magi.
Items to buy on Ogre Magi
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Immense increased magic damage and reduced Cooldown
- Sange and Kaya - Reduced Cooldown on spells, and mana cost
- Scythe of Vyse - Disables Gyro and removes him from the fight
- Dagon - Immense magic burst damage, which can be upgradeable
- Glimmer Cape - Provides invisibility, can also be used on allies to escape or to initiate on Mars
- Octraine Core - Provides spell lifesteal and stats
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Ogre_Magi
9. 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 Mars?
- Nether Blast, Decrepify, and Life Drain deal high magical damage and bypass Bulwark.
- Nether Ward reduces the amount of abilities Mars can use during fights and forces Mars to be careful about the heavy mana cost of Arena Of Blood.
- Pugna is one of few heroes that can contest Mars' ability to push and defend towers early on.
Items to Buy as Pugna
- Aether Lens - Increased cast range
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from Mars and also applies a basic dispel
- Scythe of Vyse - Disables Mars and removes him from the fight
- Dagon - Immense magic burst damage, which can be upgradeable
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Pugna
8. Axe
Doing immense physical damage right off the bat is quite unheard of in the early stages of the game, but Axe is one noble exception! A few Counter Helix spins and boom you’re dead! It gets messy to communicate with your team as you have more units around you, the more damage the Axe Call does. No matter how farmed you are as a carry hero, all it takes is one Axe Blink Call to get you down to 0 HP in no time.
Why is Axe a great counter to Mars?
- Berserker's Call forces Mars to face in the direction chosen.
- Counter Helix is a much stronger lane trader than Spear of Mars.
Items to Buy on Axe
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Blademail - Reflects back Mars’ damage upon activation
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Reduced Cooldown on spells and AoE Battle Hunger
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
- Crimson Guard - Provides immense physical damage block, also affects the whole team
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Axe
7. Batrider
Batrider is quite the favorite of most initiators 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. 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 Mars?
- Sticky Napalm slows turn rate, making it difficult for Mars to control the direction he is facing to activate Bulwark.
- Flaming Lasso disables Mars while enemies re-position themselves behind Mars to avoid Bulwark.
Items to buy on Batrider
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Boots of Travel - Immense mobility and global TP potential
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape the fight
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Can Lasso two enemies instead of one
- Refresher’s Orb - Can refresh spells and items and use them again in quick succession to delete Mars from the fight
6. Faceless Void
Not all can master Faceless Void the way he has mastered manipulating time. His ultimate can quickly turn the game around for good or for worse! The hero requires immense practice and patience. Void is heavily picked in the high-ranked games, not all enemies can match his efficient and fast-paced farming skills. He works best if paired with heroes that supplement his Chronosphere ultimate ex. Kunkka, Invoker, Skywrath Mage. His mid-game potential is unmatched because all he needs to brawl is his ultimate and a few items!
What makes Faceless Void a great counter to Mars?
- Time Walk allows Faceless Void to escape or enter Arena Of Blood, and helps him recover from Mars' burst damage.
- Time Lock's magical damage ignores Bulwark.
- Chronosphere allows Faceless Void to reposition behind Mars, ignoring his Bulwark while he is helplessly frozen in time.
Items to buy on Faceless Void
- Mjolnir - Mjolnir - Exceptional for pushing lanes and farming quickly
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all of Mars’ magic damage spells, making you invulnerable in the fight
- Butterfly - Increased evasion, agility, and movement speed
- Eye of Skadi - Great for reducing Mars’ regen while also providing stats.
- Monkey King Bar - Increased physical damage, also provides true strike
- Satanic - Can quickly heal up on physical attacks upon activation, also provides basic dispel from the latter.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Faceless_Void
5. Lifestealer
The threatening Lifestealer is a deadly force to be reckoned with. His strength ruptures even the strongest of foes and leaves them crippled, and Tiny is no exception! Lifestealer is a carry hero, and he is quite good at carrying the team on his back! Due to the lifesteal, he can fare well in the laning phase and deal decent damage to his foes due to high armor. Lifestealer mainly relies on kills to get gold, making him a fight-oriented hero, as with the right items he can obliterate the enemy team and turn their ashes into dust.
Why is Lifestealer a great counter to Mars?
- Rage, acting as a pseudo- Black King Bar, completely negates Mars' initiation if used in time.
- Feast does damage and heals based on max health, perfect against high-health strength heroes like Mars.
- Infest allows Lifestealer to potentially save allies from Mars' initiation with a quick burst of extra health.
Items to Buy on Lifestealer
- Armlet of Mordiggian - Increased damage and HP, can toggle through Mars’ damage
- Desolator - Increased damage and armor corruption
- Skull Basher - Can bash Mars and prevent him from TP’ing, can later be upgraded into Abyssal Blade
- Sange and Yasha - Provides decent stats and physical damage
- Eye of Skadi - Great for reducing Mars’ regen while also providing stats.
4. Underlord
The almighty and resilient Underlord is relatively a new hero but he is highly notorious for being a tanky and a beefy boi. His high base HP and armor have made him a worthy hero on this list. His impressive skill set is just the cherry on top, allowing his allies to escape and trapping his foes in the Pit of Malice. It’s quite a treat to see a farmed and fat Underlord take no damage from the equally farmed enemy carry!
Why is Underlord such a great counter to Mars?
- Firestorm and Pit of Malice are very disruptive in team fights, completely matching Mars especially since it can all be cast inside Arena Of Blood and also does percentage-based magical damage, negating Bulwark.
- Dark Rift can save any allies of Underlord trapped in Arena Of Blood.
- Atrophy Aura allows Underlord to lane against Mars quite well since he does not have the best base damage during the early game.
Items to buy on Underlord
- Blademail - Reflects back Mars’ damage upon activation
- Lotus Orb - Reflects targetted spells hence can also be used to prevent spells
- Shiva’s Guard - Can effortlessly push lanes and provides increased armor which is essential against Mars
- Pipe of Insight - Provides immense magic damage block on activation, and affects the whole team.
- Crimson Guard - Provides immense physical damage block, also affects the whole team
- Rod of Atos - Allows him to lock Mars down and prevents him from using any spells
3. Lina
You should never play with fire, you’ll end up losing! Lina smokes her enemies with her insane magical burst damage, there is no way you recover from this arson. Lina can be called a beginner-friendly hero but only the most experienced players can understand her true potential. She can rip through Death Prophet effortlessly, with both her abilities and physical damage output. Her AoE spells can easily demolish squishy support heroes. High movement speed allows her to rotate through lanes quickly.
Why is Lina a great counter to Mars?
- Dragon Slave deals reliable magic damage during the laning phase against Mars.
- Lina's Eul's Scepter of Divinity and Light Strike Array combo can interrupt Mars from being disruptive for a decent amount of time and leave him vulnerable for follow-up stuns.
- Laguna Blade deals massive magical damage and pure damage with Aghanim's Scepter.
Items to buy on Lina
- Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility which can be used to escape or set up on DP
- Monkey King Bar - Increased physical damage, also provides true strike
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Laguna Blade pierces spell immunity, and can quickly mow down the squishy DP with a few physical hits and then with the ultimate
- Scythe of Vyse - Disables DP and removes her from the fight
- Eul's Scepter - Provides a basic dispel, can be used to dodge Silence or to set up on her with LSA
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all the magical spells of DP
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Lina
2. Tusk
Tusk is known to be a heavy hitter right from the laning phase. His icy disables and chilling moves paralyze Drow and eliminate all her chances of escape. Tusk can hunt her down with his Snowball, which can also be used to save allies by clicking on them, making them get inside the ball! All it takes is one Smoke of Deceit to gank the enemy mid, which can be done quite easily with Snowball and Tag team!
Why is Tusk a great counter to Mars?
- Snowball can protect Tusk and his teammates from a Spear of Mars stun after an Arena of Blood, and with proper targeting, even bring them out of the Arena. This is especially noticeable in the earlier stages of the game before allies buy Black King Bar and rely on this less.
- During the late game, Tusk can purchase a Blink Dagger to save allies that are caught before Black King Bars can be used by Blinking in and Snowballing out.
- Tag Team is a constant threat to Mars in-lane, as even with early Bulwark points it deals so much damage and slow that Mars is forced to back off from the lane and play defensively every time the spell is used.
Items to buy on Tusk
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating
- Desolator - Increased damage and armor corruption
- Drums of Endurance - Provides increased movement and attack speed to Tusk and his allies on the activation
- Force Staff - Another great tool to close gaps or escape from Drow
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard - Scepter provides Walrus Kick which allows him to kick Drow away during teamfights, even if she has BKB on!
- Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility which can be used to escape or set up on Drow
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Tusk
1. Pangolier
The dashing Pangolier is a relatively new hero to the game but players quickly recognized it as one of the most fun heroes in recent times. There are a lot of factors for this, one of them includes the Rolling Thunder ultimate and the extremely high physical AoE damage dealt by him in team fights. Pangolier is a great hero to play if you want to have a fun time crushing your opponents.
Why is Pangolier a great counter to Mars?
- Swashbuckle is an auto attack and therefore ignores Mars' Bulwark.
- Shield Crash upgraded with Aghanim is an auto attack and therefore ignores Mars' Bulwark.
- Rolling Thunder makes him immune to magic, making Pangolier able to roll in and out from Mars' Arena Of Blood.
Items to buy on Pangolier
- Eul's Scepter - Provides a basic dispel, and can be used to dodge Mars’ magic damage
- Skull Basher - Can bash Mars and prevent him from TP’ing, can later be upgraded into Abyssal Blade
- Glepnir - Can root enemies and deal damage to them over time
- Aghanim’s Shard - Decreased CD on spells
- Monkey King Bar - Increased physical damage, also provides true strike
- Diffusal Blade - Slows down Mars and burns his mana
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Pangolier
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