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

Tidehunter is a melee strength hero. He is most often used as an offlaner. The combination of his abilities makes him the strongest initiator with high survivability.

A good choice against Tidehunter will be heroes that:

• Have abilities that applies break or gives the owner immunity to effects.
• Can deal large amounts of magic damage, or burn mana.
• Have abilities that deal damage as a percentage of max health.

Some of the best heroes against Tidehunter:

• Lifestealer - his first ability is extremely useful against Tidehunter, both on lane to dispel the debuff from Anchor Smash and on play to escape Ravage. And Feast will allow you to quickly deal with Tidehunter, due to its large strength boost.
• Grimstroke is good against Tidehunter, mainly due to Phantom's Embrace, which is one of the few abilities he can't dispel with Blubber. Also, Ink Swell with Aghanim's Shard will allow you to dispel Ravage's stun.
• Timbersaw - Pipe of Insight, which is often purchased on Tidehunter, won't save him from Timbersaw's proc since all of his abilities do pure damage. In addition, Whirling Death reduces some of the victim's main attribute, which will allow you to kill Tidehunter even faster.

Other good choices against Tidehunter are Outworld Destroyer, Abaddon, Juggernaut, Anti-Mage, Lion, Leshrac, Ursa, Slark, Razor, Huskar, Hoodwink, Viper, Shadow Shaman, Pugna, Necrophos, Undying, Phoenix, Doom, Winter Wyvern, and Ancient Apparition.

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

• Silver Edge - Disables Blubber and Kraken Shell. If you have Silver Edge, or other sources of attrition, Scythe Of Vyse, Skull Basher, Abyssal Blade, Orchid Malevolence and Bloodthorn will also be useful for additional Tidehunter control.
• Black King Bar - saves from Ravage and debuffs from other Tidehunter abilities.
• Force Staff/Blink Dagger - will allow you to get away from Ravage (the farther you are from Tidehunter while using this ability, the easier it is).
• Linken's Sphere/Wind Waker/Hurricane Pike - against Dead in the Water.
• Aeon Disk - useful on supports, will allow you to survive an attack.

How to counter Tidehunter:

Early game:

Tidehunter is not particularly dangerous on lane and can only cause problems for melee heroes. However, the Leviathan's relative harmlessness early on is offset by its incredible survivability and ability to farm quickly. Nevertheless, it's important to delay his key items as much as possible. Block neutral spawn points and remember that manapool is Tidehunter's weakness: without the ability to spam Anchor Smash, he won't be able to farm.

Mid-game:

With the acquisition of Blink Dagger and Aghanim's Shard, Tidehunter will become extremely useful to his team, being able to set up kills and unleash fights, or counter-initiate. Don't stay alone in dangerous areas, even on mobile heroes, as you'll be helpless under Dead in the Water, and keep a good position so you don't get hit by Ravage. Tidehunter's ultimates recharge is a great opportunity to initiate the battle.

Late Game:

Playing around Ravage's cooldown is also important, especially if Tidehunter has heroes in his team that can deal a lot of damage with his ultimate, such as Invoker with Aghanim's Scepter. Plan your attack against "Melonhead" carefully: make sure you have a solid position and be ready to escape Ravage by using Black King Bar, for example. Trying to kill Tidehunter first is often not the best idea, but if he did a big mistake and far away from his team, you'll need Silver Edge or abilities that applies break to deal with him quickly.

Overall strategy

To successfully counter Tidehunter, maintain your positioning and avoid getting caught in his initiation. Pick heroes with magic and percentage-based damage, strong control, and those who can disable his passive ability. Apply extra pressure on Tidehunter early in the game and enjoy your victory.