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

Kez is a agility hero of melee combat. The main feature of the character is that he has two sets of abilities between which he can switch by changing weapons.

A good choice against Kez will be heroes that:

• Have a large amount of control, including ignoring immunity to effects
• Can greatly hinder Kez early on
• Have high mobility

Some of the best heroes against Kez:

• Axe — Like any other melee hero, Kez suffers greatly from Axe, both on lane and on game. Berserker's Call interrupts the cast of Raptor Dance and in combination with Blade Mail is extremely frustrating for Kez. Moreover, additional attacks under Falcon Rush and the use of Echo Slash trigger Counter Helix.
• Faceless Void — His ultimate are good control against Kez. Time Lock ignores immunity to effects and applying Time Walk with Aghanim's Scepter Void is guaranteed to knock down Raptor Dance. Time Dilation is also strong, as all of Kez's abilities are active. Using Switch Discipline also triggering debuff.
• Bane — Also has excellent control in the form of Nightmare and Fiend's Grip. Enfeeble will also be very effective against Kez, reducing his damage by 70%, since half of Kez's abilities rely on his physical damage.

Other good choices against Kez are Beastmaster, Primal Beast, Legion Commander, Oracle, Shadow Demon, Spirit Breaker, Slark, Bristleback, Clockwerk, Mars, Winter Wyvern, Magnus, and Tidehunter.

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

• Guardian Greaves/Shiva's Guard/Crimson Guard/Assault Cuirass/Butterfly/Heaven's Halberd — against physical damage.
• Eul's Scepter of Divinity/Wind Waker/Lotus Orb/Linken's Sphere/Manta Style - against Talon Toss (Eul's Scepter of Divinity, Wind Waker and Linken's Sphere will also save from Grappling Claw).
• Blade Mail — Kez can deal a lot of damage, but is unable to absorb it himself due to his low health.
• Dust of Appearance/Sentry Ward/Gem of True Sight — against Raven`s Veil.
• Scythe Of Vyse/Skull Basher/Abyssal Blade/Orchid Malevolence/Bloodthorn — to control Kez.

How to counter Kez:

Start of the game:

Kez is pretty strong on lane because of the combination of Falcon Rush and Talon Toss. If you have abilities for control, or dispel buff Falcon Rush, don't waste them unnecessarily and be ready for Kez to attack. If you don't, keep an eye on your resources so you don't die from Kez's procast. Kez may also have mana problems early on, which you can take advantage of.

Mid-game:

Kez will be trying to get to key items and will never miss an opportunity to score an easy kill with Raven`s Veil. Ensure you have a good vision on the map and don't stay alone in dangerous areas.

Late Stage:

Kez isn't as strong in late-game, as his abilities aren't strong enough to overwhelm hard-carry. However, in the late stage, he can focus on killing more vulnerable heroes quickly, and deal with the enemy team's core heroes with the help of his allies, having a quantitative advantage. Therefore, it is important to keep a good position in the battle and if Kez is a key threat to you, kill him first.

Overall strategy

Kez is dangerous due to his high mobility, burst damage, and ability to switch combat styles quickly. However, he is vulnerable to control effects and sudden burst damage. His aggression relies on early and mid-game dominance, so dragging the match into the late game weakens his impact. Disables and silence limit his mobility, while high armor and evasion reduce his damage output. In fights, keeping a distance and preventing him from reaching key targets is crucial.