Mars Counters & Build

Lifestealer 2,037 matches

−3.4%

WhyLifestealer wins the lane early against Mars because Feast continuously deals damage and heals based on Mars's high maximum health pool. Additionally, Rage grants Debuff Immunity and magic resistance, allowing Lifestealer to shrug off the stun threat from Spear of Mars and fight continuously without disruption.

Phantom Assassin 1,304 matches

−2.3%

WhyWhile the laning stage between them is roughly even, Phantom Assassin gains an edge in later fights by neutralizing Mars's primary defense. Her Fan of Knives deals percentage max health damage and applies Break, which directly disables the damage reduction from Bulwark. Once Mars is stripped of his passive protection, Phantom Assassin can quickly close the distance with Phantom Strike and eliminate him with Coup de Grace critical hits.

Nyx Assassin 739 matches

−2.0%

WhySpiked Carapace allows Nyx Assassin to easily negate damage and stun Mars when Mars commits large area-of-effect abilities like God's Rebuke or Arena Of Blood. Furthermore, upgrading Vendetta with Aghanim's Shard applies Break on attack, disabling Mars's Bulwark passive physical damage reduction.

Spectre 1,472 matches

−1.6%

WhySpectre wins the lane clearly and maintains her advantage throughout the game. Mars struggles to contain her inside Arena Of Blood because Spectre can phase through impassable terrain using Spectral Dagger or immediately escape with Reality, while Dispersion reflects Mars's burst damage back at him. Furthermore, Desolate's pure damage bypasses the physical attack reduction provided by Bulwark.

Slark 1,318 matches

+2.3%

WhyWhile the lane between them is roughly even, Mars gains the upper hand in mid-to-late game teamfights by trapping Slark inside Arena Of Blood, which blocks his movement and sets up Spear of Mars stuns. Bulwark passively reduces Slark's front and side physical damage, severely hindering his ability to freely build Essence Shift stacks. Additionally, God's Rebuke allows Mars to strike and knock Slark back with area-of-effect True Strike damage even when Slark obscures himself.

Drow Ranger 1,189 matches

+1.9%

WhyMars loses the lane heavily against Drow Ranger due to her ranged harass with Frost Arrows, but his advantage emerges later in teamfights. Arena Of Blood and Spear of Mars trap Drow within close quarters, shutting down her Marksmanship since it is disabled when an enemy is within 325 range. Additionally, the walls of Arena Of Blood block enemy attacks and Bulwark actively redirects her physical projectiles away from his allies.

Spirit Breaker 1,946 matches

+1.7%

WhyAlthough Mars loses the lane to Spirit Breaker, his advantage emerges in later teamfights where Arena Of Blood traps Spirit Breaker and completely restricts his movement. Additionally, Mars primarily uses area and skillshot spells like God's Rebuke and Spear of Mars that bypass Planar Pocket's unit-targeted redirection, while Bulwark helps reduce incoming physical damage from Greater Bash.

Hoodwink 1,606 matches

+1.7%

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.

Shadow Fiend 2,668 matches

+1.3%

WhyMars loses the lane heavily to Shadow Fiend's stacking Shadowraze harass, but his advantage arrives later in teamfights. Arena of Blood and Spear of Mars easily trap and control the fragile, immobile Shadow Fiend, while Bulwark significantly mitigates the physical damage from Necromastery and Feast of Souls attacks.