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. Venomancer
The most toxic hero in Dota! Venomancer is quite hated because of how well his abilities can synergize with literally any other hero, especially against heroes who despise the DoT damage, which also includes Templar Assassin. He is known for dealing immense magical damage and DPS to her. 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 good 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 can be re-apply again and again with Plague Ward..
Items to Buy against Templar Assassin
- Spirit Vessel
- Heaven’s Halberd
- Force Staff
- Eul’s Scepter
- Veil of Discord
- Scythe of Vyse
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Venomancer
9. Leshrac
It’s quite advantageous to pick a ranged hero if you’re facing melee heroes…. You know TA. 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 Leshrac?
- Immense farming and wave clear potential
- High AoE magical damage output
- Pulse Nova can easily burn Templar Assassin's Refraction charges quickly, and can also hit her with her Meld.
Items to Buy against Templar Assassin
- Aghanim’s Shard
- Bloodstone
- Eul’s Scepter
- Kaya and Sange
- Black King Bar
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Leshrac
8. Windranger
Behold the ranger of the gusts and the wild winds! Windranger is one of the few heroes who can be a tough counter to Templar Assassin. 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 against TA 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 Windrun.
- Templar Assassin's high damage can also be easily evaded thanks to Windrun's 100% evasion.
Items to Buy against Templar Assassin
- Monkey King Bar
- Maelstorm
- Black King Bar
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard
- Daedalus
7. 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 which is effective against Templar Assassin. His laning phase is quite impeccable due to the sheer amount of magical damage output that he provides, shoving her out of the lane. If she isn’t careful enough, then she 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?
- Low CD on spells, effectively spamming and slowing her.
- Batrider's abilities are designed to deal damage over time, burning through Templar Assassin's layers extremely quickly.
- Flaming Lasso pierces Black King Bar and renders Templar Assassin helpless unless there are allies helping her.
Items to buy against Templar Assassin
- Blink Dagger
- Black King Bar
- Boots of Travel
- Force Staff
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Refresher’s Orb
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Batrider
6. Pheonix
What makes Phoenix a great counter to TA?
- Sun Ray and Fire Spirits interrupt TA’s farm and deal immense damage
- Icarus Dive allows Phoenix to shrug off the slow from her trap and make an easy escape from her ambush.
- Sun Ray has a quick damage tick and will burn through her Refraction in no time.
Items to buy against Templar Assassin
- Spirit Vessel
- Heaven’s Halberd
- Aeon’s Disk
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Veil of Discord
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Phoenix
5. Dragon Knight
Davion, the Dragon Knight is a classic tank hero, his high strength and high HP nature fit 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. TA stands no chance against him unless she is six-slotted and way ahead.
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 against TA
- Blink Dagger
- Shadow Blade
- Assault Cuirass
- Heaven’s Halberd
- Black King Bar
4. Viper
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
- Nethertoxin is a big threat to Templar Assassin due to her low range in the laning phase.
- Viper Strike and Poison Attack slow TA’s movement speed so she cannot get out from Nethertoxin.
Items to Buy on Viper
- Kaya and Sange
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Dragon Lance
- Blade Mail
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Viper
3. Pugna
The skeletal figure comes alive after he drains TA’s life and turns her 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 TA along with that she faces constant harassment and gets 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 or Decrepify.
Why is Pugna a great counter to Templar Assassin?
- All of Pugna's Spells are magical, hence the damage can be devastating to Templar
- Pugna's Decrepify can render Templar Assassin's physical attacks useless.
- Pugna can also cast Life Drain on Templar Assassin, burning her Refraction instances.
Items to Buy against Templar Assassin
- Aether Lens
- Aeon Disk
- Scythe of Vyse
- Glimmer Cape
- Dagon
- Blink Dagger
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Pugna
2. Huskar
This ferocious hunter leaves no stone unturned. His crazy damage potential is unmatched by Templar Assassin. He makes her weaker with his fire. Huskar is a very aggressive hero, which fares well against melee heroes, or short-ranged heroes like Templar. His annoying nature makes people rage quit! Though a slow farmer, he relies more on kills to acquire gold, hence ganking other lanes as soon as possible. Huskar is known to initiate, hence he builds items that allow him to start and sustain team fights.
Why is Huskar a great hero against Templar Assassin?
- Huskar's burn damage from Burning Spear is incredibly strong against Templar Assassin as it completely cancels out her Refraction from the burning over time
- High base attack speed which is amplified his passive
- Threat to squishy heroes like her
Items to buy against Templar Assassin
- Armlet of Mordiggian
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Overwhelming Blink
- Black King Bar
- Heaven’s Halberd
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Huskar
1. Razor
The electrifying rage of Razor is quite unmatched in the new meta. Templar Assassin does not fare well versus this beast, this is due to her short range in the laning phase. Having high movement speed and AoE damage ensures that TA does not escape alive! Razor can also out farm her, 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 Templar Assassin right from the early game.
Why is Razor a great counter to Templar Assassin?
- 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 against Templar Assassin
- Assault Cuirass
- Refresher’s Orb
- Shiva's Guard
- Aghanim’s Shard
- Heaven’s Halberd
- Blademail
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Razor
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