WhyMars loses the lane to Hoodwink's ranged harass and control, but takes over in later teamfights. Acorn Shot's planted trees provide Mars with convenient targets to pin enemies using Spear of Mars, while Arena Of Blood cuts off Hoodwink's escape routes. Furthermore, God's Rebuke possesses True Strike, allowing Mars to bypass the boosted evasion Hoodwink gains from Scurry.
Hoodwink Counters & Build
Hoodwink is countered by Mars, Meepo and Omniknight, and performs best against Bristleback, Ursa and Tidehunter — patch 7.41e, legend–ancient.
Countered by
5These heroes beat Hoodwink more often than their general strength explains.
WhyMeepo can easily lock down Hoodwink by using Earthbind, which roots her and reveals her through Decoy's invisibility while neutralizing the mobility of Scurry. Once trapped, Hoodwink is exceptionally vulnerable to being overwhelmed and quickly bursted down by multiple Meepo clones chaining Poof and Ransack attacks.
WhyOmniknight clearly loses the lane to Hoodwink's ranged harass and catch, but his advantage emerges later in the game. Repel's Debuff Immunity and magic resistance likely neutralize Hoodwink's Bushwhack setup and Sharpshooter burst, while Guardian Angel shields his team from Acorn Shot's physical damage.
WhySand King loses the lane heavily to Hoodwink, but his advantage takes over in later teamfights. Hoodwink's primary tools struggle against Sand Storm, as neither Bushwhack nor Acorn Shot bounces can hit invisible units. Furthermore, Sand King can bypass Scurry's mobility by locking her down with Burrowstrike into massive area-of-effect damage from Epicenter and Stinger.
WhyThe lane is roughly even, but Warlock gains an advantage in teamfights where his abilities counter Hoodwink's positioning and mechanics. Chaotic Offering destroys trees in its area of effect upon impact, which can free allies caught by Bushwhack and strip away trees needed for Mistwoods Wayfarer. Furthermore, Fatal Bonds and Upheaval's heavy area slow severely punish Hoodwink's positioning and low durability in grouped engagements.
Strong against
3Hoodwink outperforms against these.
WhyHoodwink establishes an early advantage in lane by repeatedly kiting the melee Bristleback with Acorn Shot and Bushwhack. Later on, Sharpshooter applies Break to disable Bristleback's rear and side damage reduction while preventing him from gaining new Warpath stacks, leaving him vulnerable to heavy damage. Scurry also grants phased movement and tree-walking, making it easy for Hoodwink to stay out of Quill Spray range.
WhyAlthough the lane is roughly even, Hoodwink excels at controlling Ursa outside of the laning phase by using Bushwhack and Acorn Shot to kite his melee advances. Scurry's tree-walking and Mistwoods Wayfarer's attack redirection prevent Ursa from easily building Overpower attacks on her. Additionally, Sharpshooter inflicts Break from long range, preventing Ursa from stacking Fury Swipes during engagements.
WhyHoodwink establishes an early advantage by leveraging her ranged attacks and Acorn Shot to safely harass the melee Tidehunter out of lane. Later in the game, Sharpshooter applies heavy spell damage and break to undermine Tidehunter's innate durability, while Hunter's Boomerang further amplifies magical damage against him. Hoodwink also relies on Scurry's tree-walking and phased mobility to stay spaced away from Anchor Smash and kite him effectively.
Best allies
5Pairs that win more together than apart.
Popular build
legend–ancientThe eight most-bought items, in the order they are usually finished. Chosen by purchase frequency rather than win rate — an item's win rate reflects how the game was going, not what the item did. The minute is the median completion time: what to aim for.
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Infused Raindrops 9min 8,060 builds -
Rod of Atos 22min 27,633 builds -
Aether Lens 24min 11,497 builds -
Glimmer Cape 25min 14,782 builds -
Force Staff 26min 14,545 builds -
Eul's Scepter of Divinity 27min 10,391 builds -
Blink Dagger 27min 4,952 builds -
Gleipnir 32min 15,454 builds
Patch 7.41e · legend–ancient · updated 2026-08-24. Figures are shrunk toward the expected result by sample size, so a large number on thin data is deliberately damped rather than shown raw.