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Lion

How to counter Lion in Dota 2

Best counters to Lion: Enigma, Treant Protector, Chen. None of the spells pierce BKB.

A plan vs Lion for your hero and rolePick your hero and position — the coach lays out laning, mid and late game, how to play around each spell and when to buy counter items.
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Best counters to Lion

win rate vs this hero in public matches

Worst picks vs Lion

Lion spells: BKB and dispel

what BKB blocks and what can be dispelled
Earth SpikeBlocked by BKBStrong Dispel OnlyMagicalCD 14 / 13 / 12 / 11

Rock spikes burst from the earth along a straight path. Enemy units are hurled into the air, then are stunned and take damage when they fall.

HexBlocked by BKBStrong Dispel OnlyCD 24 / 20 / 16 / 12

Transforms an enemy unit into a harmless beast, with all special abilities disabled.

Mana DrainBlocked by BKBInterrupt with Stun / SilenceCD 15 / 12 / 9 / 6

CHANNELED - Channels magical energy, taking mana and slowing enemies over time. If the enemy has no mana remaining, the slow is increased by 15%. Can target allies to give them mana and movement speed at a 50% rate.

To Hell and BackPassive / BuffCannot be DispelledCD —

Lion gains 20% debuff duration after killing or assisting in a Hero kill while that Hero is dead. Lion gains 20% spell amplification for 90s after respawning or resurrecting or until he gets a kill or assist.

Finger of DeathBlocked by BKBInstant EffectMagicalCD 110 / 70 / 30

Rips at an enemy unit, trying to turn it inside-out, dealing massive damage to the target. After using Finger of Death, Lion's hand becomes empowered, allowing him to use a cleaving melee attack with 250 range with bonus movement speed. Finger of Death gains permanent bonus damage for it and the fist for each enemy Hero it or the fist kills. The melee attack may be disabled by setting the abil

Items against Lion

6 counter items with buy timings and conditions: when to buy and which of Lion’s spells each one shuts down. Tailored to your hero and role.

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What Lion builds

popular purchases by stage
Early game
Boots of SpeedTranquil BootsPower TreadsBracerNull Talisman
Mid game
Blink DaggerForce StaffGhost ScepterPower TreadsShadow Blade
Late game
Force StaffGlimmer CapeAether LensAeon DiskBlink Dagger

When Lion is strongest

Laning (0–12m)
5/5
Mid Game (12–28m)
3/5
Late Game (28m+)
2/5
A plan vs Lion for your hero and rolePick your hero and position — the coach lays out laning, mid and late game, how to play around each spell and when to buy counter items.
Build my plan →

FAQ

Who counters Lion?

By public match stats, Enigma, Treant Protector, Chen do best against Lion.

Do Lion's spells pierce BKB?

No — none of Lion's spells pierce BKB.

Which heroes struggle against Lion?

Spectre, Grimstroke, Sven struggle the most against Lion.

Which of Lion's effects can be dispelled?

Dispellable: Earth Spike, Hex.

Lion: win rate by rank, builds and common mistakes →

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