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

Phoenix - іs a ranged strength hero, most often acting as a support or offlaner. He is able to deal impressive AoE damage and effectively support his team in combat.

A good choice against Phoenix will be heroes that:

• Can dispel negative effects
• Can quickly destroy Supernova
• Can quickly shorten range, catch and kill Phoenix.

Some of the best heroes against Phoenix:

• Ursa - thanks to Overpower, can easily deal with Phoenix in ultimates and can be unafraid of Fire Spirits and dispel negative effects with Enrage.
• Lifestealer - Can destroy Supernova while ignoring Phoenix's debuffs thanks to Rage. Phoenix is also a former increment hero and has a significant boost to this attribute, which is nice for Lifestealer due to Feast.
• Oracle - Fortune's End will allow to dispell debuffs from Phoenix, and Fate's Edict will save from huge magic damage.

Other good choices against Phoenix are Snapfire, Troll Warlord, Juggernaut, Weaver, Marci, Jakiro, Sniper, Lina, Legion Commander, Huskar, Timbersaw, Morphling, Skywrath Mage, Mirana, Omniknight, Alchemist, Abaddon, and Slark.

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

• Black King Bar/Pipe of Insight/Mage Slayer/Glimmer Cape - against huge magic damage.
• Eul's Scepter of Divinity/Wind Waker/Force Staff/Hurricane Pike is a good save against Phoenix.
• Manta Style/Lotus Orb/Disperser/Satanic - dispels debuffs.
• Nullifier - Helps against “save” items that are often acquired on Phoenix, such as Glimmer Cape, Aeon Disk, Eul's Scepter of Divinity, and Force Staff.
• Scythe Of Vyse/Skull Basher/Abyssal Blade/Orchid Malevolence/Bloodthorn - to control Phoenix.

How to counter Phoenix:

Early game:

Phoenix is extremely strong on lane mainly due to Fire Spirits, which will allow him to effectively trade resources and prevent enemy from farming creeps. Phoenix's vulnerability lies in the long cooldown of his abilities: if he has spent Icarus Dive and Fire Spirits this is a great opportunity to try to kill him or chase him off the lane.

Mid-game:

Phoenix is difficult to make a kill alone and will rely on allies to help him in combat. If he has heroes on his team that will allow him to use Supernova effectively (like Chronosphere Faceless Void or Reverse Polarity Magnus) it is important to keep a good position. If not, Phoenix will be extremely vulnerable during the ultimates, and when he uses them it's important to focus on quickly destroying the “egg”. Even without Supernova, Phoenix is a priority kill target due to the large amount of debuffs and the ability to heal allies with Sun Ray.

Late Game:

Phoenix will no longer be as effective in late, and his gameplay is unlikely to change as much as your countering him. However, it is also important to acquire items that will help you deal with Phoenix faster. In addition, it is worth noting that Phoenix is good at pushing lanes and can destroy buildings by using Meteor Hammer from a long distance during Icarus Dive without fear of being catched. Therefore, keep an eye on the position of creeps on the lanes and do not leave buildings unprotected.

Overall strategy

Against Phoenix, heroes with high attack speed that can quickly destroy his ultimate, as well as highly mobile heroes who can close the gap or escape Supernova’s explosion, are especially effective. It is crucial to have tools for dispelling negative effects and magic resistance, as Phoenix applies many debuffs and deals massive magic damage. His weakness lies in his long ability cooldowns, so pay attention to timing. In the late game, his impact diminishes, making prolonged matches work in your favor.