Tidehunter Counters & Build

Slark 2,808 matches

−3.1%

WhySlark establishes an early advantage by using Dark Pact to continually purge the debuffs from Gush and Anchor Smash, while also being able to pre-emptively dispel the stun from Ravage. Tidehunter's melee range and durability make him an easy target for Slark to freely build up high stacks of Essence Shift, steadily draining Tidehunter's attributes in prolonged trades.

Anti-Mage 1,679 matches

−2.8%

WhyAnti-Mage dominates the lane early because Mana Break continuously drains Tidehunter's small mana pool, preventing him from casting Anchor Smash or Gush while Persecutor slows him as his mana falls. Counterspell passively mitigates Tidehunter's magical damage from Gush and Ravage while providing the option to reflect targeted Gush casts. Once Tidehunter is drained of mana, Anti-Mage can easily burst him and damage nearby allies with Mana Void.

Juggernaut 3,534 matches

−2.7%

WhyJuggernaut wins the lane early because Blade Fury deals magic damage that bypasses Kraken Shell's physical damage block. Blade Fury's debuff immunity also allows Juggernaut to shrug off Gush, Anchor Smash's attack reduction, and Ravage in fights, while Omnislash provides invulnerability against Tidehunter's crowd control.

Lifestealer 3,192 matches

−1.9%

WhyLifestealer establishes an early advantage by using Feast to deal damage and sustain based on Tidehunter's high maximum health pool. Furthermore, Rage provides Debuff Immunity and magic resistance, allowing Lifestealer to shrug off Tidehunter's crowd control from Ravage and the attack damage reduction from Anchor Smash throughout the match.

Techies 1,584 matches

−1.8%

WhyTechies dominates the matchup starting early in lane because their high-range magical burst from Sticky Bomb and Blast Off! completely bypasses Tidehunter's Kraken Shell, which only blocks physical attack damage. In addition, Proximity Mines temporarily reduce Tidehunter's magic resistance to amplify that damage further, while Reactive Tazer provides bonus movement speed and disarms him if he attempts to trade with physical attacks.

Phantom Lancer 1,800 matches

+4.8%

WhyAlthough Tidehunter loses the lane to Phantom Lancer, he gains a major advantage in later teamfights. Kraken Shell passively mitigates the physical damage dealt by swarms of Juxtapose illusions, while Anchor Smash consistently reduces their attack damage and clears illusion waves with area-of-effect damage. Additionally, Ravage provides a massive area stun that reliably catches Phantom Lancer despite his Doppelganger confusion.

Vengeful Spirit 2,340 matches

+3.6%

WhyTidehunter clearly loses the lane to Vengeful Spirit's ranged harassment and armor reduction from Wave of Terror, but his advantage arrives in later teamfights. Blubber reliably provides a strong dispel to break Magic Missile stuns after taking burst damage, while Kraken Shell and Anchor Smash significantly reduce the physical damage boosted by Vengeance Aura. Furthermore, massive area control from Ravage and the leash from Dead in the Water overwhelm Vengeful Spirit's positioning in mid-to-late game engagements.

Wraith King 2,333 matches

+3.0%

WhyTidehunter loses the lane to Wraith King, but gains a massive advantage in later teamfights through his heavy physical damage mitigation and teamfight control. Anchor Smash directly neuters Wraith King's physical attack damage, Kraken Shell blocks incoming hits, and Blubber provides a strong dispel to shrug off Wraithfire Blast. Furthermore, Ravage and Dead in the Water offer prolonged crowd control to lock Wraith King down across his Reincarnation and Vampiric Spirit wraith forms.

Silencer 2,120 matches

+2.6%

WhyTidehunter loses the laning phase to Silencer's ranged harassment from Glaives of Wisdom and Arcane Curse, but his advantage emerges later in teamfights. Tidehunter's passive Blubber provides an automatic Strong Dispel once he takes enough player damage, shedding Global Silence, Last Word, and Arcane Curse debuffs. Cleansing these silences lets Tidehunter consistently turn fights around with Ravage and lock Silencer down using Dead in the Water.

Chaos Knight 672 matches

+2.4%

WhyTidehunter's kit naturally mitigates the burst potential of Chaos Knight and his Phantasm illusions. Kraken Shell's physical damage block combined with Anchor Smash's area attack damage reduction severely blunts Chaos Knight's physical onslaught, while Blubber can purge the stun from Chaos Bolt once Tidehunter takes sufficient damage.