Hero Selection

The initial minute of every game is critical for this kind of strategy.Ideally, you will want to wait to select your hero until around the 60second mark, or until the other team has selected most of their heroes.This will leave you with at least 30 seconds to buy your starting itemsand get to a lane, which is more than enough for the average player.For -random games, consider a repick if you find yourself facing 2 ormore of your “counter” heroes, or your team is too skewed in onedirection or another. This guide is to help you know which hero online gold toselect, and what item build to begin working toward by that 60 secondmark.

I understand that some people hate the idea of"counter-picking" but the fact of the matter is, it is a part of DotAand if you choose to ignore it you will often find yourself at adisadvantage. To limit the impact of this kind of strategy being usedagainst you, you can simply play -ar or -rd games, or wait even longerto select your hero.

Without further ado, here is my currentalphabetical list of heroes and their significant counters. While thereare thousands of possible counter combinations of heroes and items,they all vary in effectiveness and I will attempt to capture only thebest. Please feel free to add your own suggestions after you’ve read the note at the bottom of the guide.