Necrophos Counters & Build

Muerta 3,375 matches

−3.9%

WhyNecrophos relies on Ghost Shroud for defense, but it actually makes him vulnerable to Muerta. Her Supernatural ability allows her to attack ethereal targets directly, converting her attack damage to magical damage that is further amplified by Ghost Shroud's increased magic damage taken.

Drow Ranger 5,166 matches

−3.4%

WhyDrow Ranger gains an early advantage by winning the lane against Necrophos, using Frost Arrows to kite him and prevent him from closing inside the 325 range required to disable Marksmanship. Additionally, Gust provides a long-range silence and knockback that interrupts Necrophos from casting Death Pulse or Reaper's Scythe, while Aghanim's Frost Arrows apply Hypothermia stacks that directly reduce his crucial Sadist regeneration.

Ancient Apparition 2,377 matches

−3.1%

WhyAlthough Ancient Apparition clearly loses the lane to Necrophos, his advantage arrives later in the game once Ice Blast is available. Ice Blast completely shuts down Necrophos's survivability by preventing all healing and regeneration from Death Pulse and Sadist, neutralizing the amplified restoration of Ghost Shroud. Furthermore, Ghost Shroud increases the magic damage Necrophos takes, making him extremely vulnerable to Ice Vortex and Ancient Apparition's heavy magic burst and shatter threshold.

Skywrath Mage 3,913 matches

−3.1%

WhySkywrath Mage slightly loses the laning stage against Necrophos, but his advantage emerges later in the game. Ancient Seal silences Necrophos and reduces his magic resistance, while Necrophos's Ghost Shroud amplifies incoming magic damage, making him exceptionally vulnerable to Skywrath Mage's heavy burst from Arcane Bolt and Mystic Flare.

Medusa 1,179 matches

−3.1%

WhyMedusa loses the lane to Necrophos slightly, but takes over later in the game because Mana Shield absorbs 98% of incoming damage before her health pool drops, largely neutralizing the missing-health burst of Reaper's Scythe. Furthermore, targeting Medusa with single-target spells triggers Cold Blooded to counter with a Mystic Snake that stones Necrophos for one second. Mystic Snake also restores Medusa's mana pool while exploiting the increased magic damage Necrophos suffers during Ghost Shroud.

Phantom Lancer 3,921 matches

+4.0%

WhyNecrophos secures an early advantage by winning the lane against Phantom Lancer and maintains control with consistent area damage. Death Pulse and Heartstopper Aura continually damage and whittle down Phantom Lancer and his Juxtapose illusions, while clearing illusions feeds Necrophos stacking sustain through Sadist. Furthermore, Ghost Shroud prevents Phantom Lancer's physical attacks from landing while slowing him down, leaving him vulnerable to execution with Reaper's Scythe.

Tiny 2,432 matches

+3.1%

WhyNecrophos wins the lane heavily against Tiny, establishing an early advantage that carries throughout the match. Ghost Shroud neutralizes Tiny's physical burst from Tree Grab and Grow by preventing incoming attacks, while Heartstopper Aura continuously drains Tiny's large health pool based on a percentage of his max health. Once weakened, Tiny is easily finished off by Reaper's Scythe scaling on his missing life.

Spectre 5,046 matches

+2.7%

WhyNecrophos establishes an early advantage by winning the lane clearly, constantly whittling down Spectre's health pool with Heartstopper Aura while sustaining with Death Pulse and Sadist. When Spectre engages with attacks, Necrophos can use Ghost Shroud to become immune to her physical strikes while amplifying his own healing. Finally, Reaper's Scythe provides a lethal execute against Spectre's high health pool by stunning her and dealing damage scaling with her missing life.

Wraith King 5,508 matches

+2.6%

WhyNecrophos establishes an advantage early by winning the lane, using Heartstopper Aura to constantly wear down Wraith King's large health pool while sustaining with Death Pulse and Sadist. In combat, Ghost Shroud protects Necrophos entirely from Wraith King's physical attacks and Mortal Strike while slowing his approach. Once Wraith King's health drops low, Reaper's Scythe provides a lethal execute that easily triggers or follows up on Reincarnation.

Lifestealer 6,478 matches

+2.3%

WhyNecrophos builds a heavy advantage early in the lane against the melee Lifestealer, using Ghost Shroud to completely prevent incoming physical attacks and shut down Lifestealer's Feast sustain. Additionally, Heartstopper Aura passively drains a percentage of the high maximum health that Lifestealer accumulates from Feast, making him easy to execute with Reaper's Scythe once his life gets low.