HeroesCounters

DotaLeak › Heroes › Slark › How to counter

Slark

How to counter Slark in Dota 2

Best counters to Slark: Clockwerk, Leshrac, Doom. Through BKB: Essence Shift.

A plan vs Slark 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 →

Best counters to Slark

win rate vs this hero in public matches
Clockwerk 65.8%38 gamesLeshrac 64.8%54 gamesDoom 62.5%32 gamesJuggernaut 59.5%37 gamesSpirit Breaker 58.3%72 gamesSnapfire 58.3%72 gamesTreant Protector 58.1%62 gamesPhoenix 57.4%47 games

Worst picks vs Slark

Muerta 31.1%45 gamesSniper 34.3%35 gamesSand King 36.7%30 gamesCrystal Maiden 37.5%32 gamesBeastmaster 38.0%50 gamesWarlock 38.5%91 gamesGyrocopter 40.6%32 gamesEarth Spirit 40.9%44 games

Slark spells: BKB and dispel

what BKB blocks and what can be dispelled
Dark PactBlocked by BKBInstant EffectMagicalCD 9 / 8 / 7 / 6

After a short delay, Slark sacrifices some of his life blood, purging most negative debuffs and dealing damage to enemy units around him and to himself. Slark only takes 30% of the damage. DISPEL TYPE: Strong Dispel

PounceBlocked by BKBCannot be DispelledMagicalCD 24 / 20 / 16 / 12

Slark leaps forward, leashing and applying Essence Shift stacks to the first hero he connects. That unit can only move a limited distance away from Slark's landing position.

Saltwater ShivBlocked by BKBBasic DispelPhysicalCD 14 / 12 / 10 / 8

Slark slices the target with his salty shiv, stealing a portion of the target's movement speed, Health Regen and Health Restoration. These effects stack independently.

Depth ShroudPassive / BuffInstant EffectCD 75

Creates a cloud at the target location. All allies inside the radius are hidden and affected by Shadow Dance.

Essence ShiftPierces BKBCannot be DispelledCD —

Slark steals the life essence of enemy heroes with his attacks, draining 1 of each of their attributes and converting them to bonus 3 Agility. If Slark kills an affected enemy hero, he permanently steals 1 Agility.

Shadow DancePassive / BuffCannot be DispelledCD 50 / 40 / 30

When not visible to the enemy team, Slark passively gains bonus movement speed and health regeneration. If Slark is damaged by a neutral unit, the passive movement and health regeneration bonuses are lost for 2 seconds. When activated, Slark hides himself in a cloud of shadows, becoming immune to detection. Attacking, casting spells, and using items will not reveal Slark, but enemies can see the

Items against Slark

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

Open in the plan →

What Slark builds

popular purchases by stage
Early game
Boots of SpeedPower TreadsBlade of AlacritySoul RingBracer
Mid game
Diffusal BladeAghanim's ScepterConsecrated WrapsMage SlayerBlink Dagger
Late game
DisperserBlack King BarEye of SkadiAghanim's ScepterSkull Basher

When Slark is strongest

Laning (0–12m)
2/5
Mid Game (12–28m)
4/5
Late Game (28m+)
5/5
A plan vs Slark 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 Slark?

By public match stats, Clockwerk, Leshrac, Doom do best against Slark.

Do Slark's spells pierce BKB?

Through BKB: Essence Shift. BKB blocks the rest.

Which heroes struggle against Slark?

Muerta, Sniper, Sand King struggle the most against Slark.

Which of Slark's effects can be dispelled?

Dispellable: Saltwater Shiv.

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

Lost the game?Paste a match ID — we show who threw and why: deaths, lanes, items, map replay.