Chen counterpicks: who to choose against this hero in Dota 2

Chen is a classic support and a melee intelligence hero. The character is one of the most difficult in the game, but in skillful hands is able to give out an incredible amount of impact.

The character himself is not dangerous, as he has neither survivability or damage. The main strength of the character lies in his ability to summon neutral creeps that give useful auras and active skills. The rest of the hero's abilities strengthen and heal allies, as well as summoned units.

A good choice against Chen will be heroes that:

• Quickly kill controlled units
• Easily shorten range and can quickly kill Chen himself.
• Reduce healing and health regeneration

Some of the best heroes against Chen:

• Enchantress: Her Enchant ability allows her to summon neutral creatures, plus a creep resummoned by Enchantress will be stronger than a Chen creep, since Enchant's boost stacks with Summon Convert and Holy Persuasion.
• Earthshaker: Chen, who is constantly surrounded by an army of units and always stays close to his team, is the most desirable target for Echo Slam.
• Venomancer: Already from level 10, the talent for Poison Sting to reduce 15% health regeneration will prevent Chen from effectively supporting his team in battle. The Poison Sting debuff comes from both Venomancer's own attacks and Plague Ward's attacks. In addition, Venomancer's massive amount of slowing will allow him to easily control Chen and his units.
• Necrophos: It has good AoE damage and can kill creeps under Chen's control. And with the talent at level 20 will also reduce all regeneration and healing from Chen by 25% in the range of Heartstopper Aura.
• Sven: Easily kills all Chen units with Great Cleave, and with Blink Dagger or Aghanim's Scepter can quickly shorten the range and kill Chen himself.

Also good choices against Chen are Batrider, Magnus, Doom, Alchemist Bristleback, Axe, Legion Commander and Magnus, these characters can quickly deal with Chen's creeps and also easily kill the hero himself.

In addition to heroes, the following items will be effective against Chen:

• Spirit Vessel/Crella's Crozier/Eye of Skadi - reduces healing.
• Helm of the Dominator / Helm of the Overlord - allows you to take control of one of Chen's creeps, which allows you to relieve his pressure and slow down the push.
• Assault Cuirass - reduces enemy armor by 5 and makes Chen and his units more vulnerable, while allies are more resistant and prevent them from being killed with Penitence.
• Crimson Guard - An item against physical damage from Chen's creeps and the heroes he normally attacks with Penitence.

How to counter Chen

Beginning of the game:

Chen's advantage at the beginning of the game is the ability to summon a neutral creep and get a boost on the lane, as well as high attack damage since the hero is universal. But the character has low armor and health, which makes him vulnerable to attacks and magic damage, which can be taken advantage of at the laning stage. You should also try to prevent Chen from getting the necessary neutral creep by blocking the spawn spots or killing the creep with abilities such as Doom's Devour or Pudge's Meat Hook.

Mid-game:

In mid-game, Chen will try to actively push and engage in team battles. Items that reduce healing, as well as the Helm of the Dominator or Helm of the Overlord — which can resummon creeps and slow the push — will help prevent this.

Late Stage:

In leit-game, Chen gives a big advantage to his team in combat due to the huge amount of healing and useful auras. Therefore, the best solution is to try to kill Chen and his units before the team battle starts or control him in combat by stun or silence.

Overall Strategy

Against Chen, it’s crucial to limit his impact by controlling his summoned creeps, as they are essential to his playstyle. Use AoE abilities to clear them quickly and force fights before he amasses a strong army. Deny him free map movement to reduce his ability to support his team effectively.