Axe is a formidable hero in the game Dota 2, known for his aggressive and relentless playstyle. His signature ability, Berserker’s Call, allows him to taunt multiple enemies, forcing them to attack him while he counters with his spinning attack, Counter Helix. This makes him particularly effective against heroes who rely on their attack damage to deal damage or disable enemies.
Strength heroes: Axe excels at going toe-to-toe with other strength heroes due to his high health pool and resistance to physical damage. Heroes such as Sven, Wraith King, or Dragon Knight may find themselves struggling against Axe’s taunts and powerful spins.
Melee carries: Axe’s Berserker’s Call can be devastating to melee carries who depend on their basic attacks, such as Juggernaut, Anti-Mage, or Phantom Assassin. By forcing them to attack him, Axe can easily negate their damage and turn the tide of the battle.
Squishy heroes: Axe’s Culling Blade, when used to finish off an enemy below a certain health threshold, instantly kills them. This makes him an excellent choice against squishy heroes with low health pools, like Crystal Maiden, Sniper, or Witch Doctor. Axe can quickly eliminate these heroes before they have a chance to escape or cast their abilities.
Illusion-based heroes: Axe’s abilities are particularly strong against heroes who rely on illusions, such as Phantom Lancer or Chaos Knight. His Counter Helix can quickly clear out illusions, while Berserker’s Call can group them together for area-of-effect damage.
Heroes with low mobility: Heroes who lack mobility or escape mechanisms can easily fall victim to Axe’s aggressive playstyle. Heroes like Zeus, Enigma, or Lich may struggle to avoid Axe’s taunts and take significant damage as a result.
In conclusion, Axe is a formidable hero against a wide range of heroes in the game Dota 2. His taunting abilities, high health pool, and powerful spins make him a force to be reckoned with, particularly against heroes who rely on attack damage, illusions, or lack mobility. Playing as Axe requires a strategic approach, capitalizing on his strengths and exploiting the weaknesses of the enemy heroes.
Heroes That Axe Is Effective Against
Axe is a formidable hero in Dota 2 who possesses incredible strength and excels at initiating fights. His abilities make him particularly effective against certain heroes, allowing him to dominate the battlefield and control team fights. Here are some heroes that Axe is highly effective against:
1. Squishy Intelligence Heroes
Axe’s main ability, Berserker’s Call, forces enemy heroes in the vicinity to attack him for a short duration. This ability is extremely effective against squishy intelligence heroes who heavily rely on their spellcasting abilities, as it prevents them from using those spells while they are forced to attack Axe. Heroes like Crystal Maiden, Skywrath Mage, and Lina are especially vulnerable to Axe’s Berserker’s Call.
2. Heroes Reliant on Mobility or Escape
Axe’s second ability, Battle Hunger, applies a damage-over-time debuff to an enemy hero and slows their movement speed. This ability is particularly effective against heroes who rely on their mobility or escape mechanisms, as it can prevent them from easily fleeing or engaging in fights. Heroes like Anti-Mage, Queen of Pain, and Weaver can find themselves in a difficult situation when facing Axe due to his Battle Hunger.
3. Illusion-Based Heroes
Axe’s third ability, Counter Helix, has a chance to activate and deal damage to nearby enemies whenever Axe is attacked. This makes Axe an excellent counter to heroes who rely on illusions, as Counter Helix can quickly deal damage to multiple illusions, helping to eliminate them swiftly. Heroes like Phantom Lancer, Naga Siren, and Chaos Knight can struggle against Axe due to his ability to cut through their illusions with Counter Helix.
In addition to these specific hero types, Axe is generally effective against heroes who heavily rely on physical attacks, as his passive ability, Counter Helix, can quickly deal damage to any nearby attackers. However, it is important to note that Axe’s effectiveness can also be influenced by factors such as item builds, team compositions, and player skill levels.
Strength heroes
Strength heroes are particularly vulnerable against Axe due to his strong physical damage output and his ability to disable them during team fights.
Axe’s abilities, such as his ultimate ability Culling Blade, deal damage based on the target’s missing health, making him a natural counter against tanky strength heroes with high health pools.
Some strength heroes that Axe is especially effective against include:
- Pudge: Axe’s Berserker’s Call can disable Pudge and prevent him from using his abilities effectively. Additionally, Pudge’s high health pool makes him a prime target for Axe’s Culling Blade.
- Centaur Warrunner: Axe’s ability to disable heroes with Berserker’s Call can prevent Centaur Warrunner from using his powerful initiation ability, Hoof Stomp. Axe can also burst down Centaur Warrunner with his high physical damage.
- Timbersaw: Axe’s physical damage combined with his disable can make it difficult for Timbersaw to survive in team fights. Additionally, Axe’s Culling Blade can quickly eliminate Timbersaw if he is low on health.
Overall, Axe’s combination of high damage, disable, and health-cutting ultimate ability make him a formidable opponent for strength heroes, allowing him to easily control team fights and take down his targets.
Melee heroes
Axe is particularly effective against melee heroes due to his abilities and strengths. His ability to initiate fights and deal high amounts of physical damage makes him a formidable opponent for many melee heroes.
Nature’s Prophet
Nature’s Prophet relies heavily on his mobility and ability to escape from dangerous situations. However, Axe’s ability to lock down and disable melee heroes makes him a strong counter to Nature’s Prophet. Axe’s Berserker’s Call taunts all nearby units, preventing Nature’s Prophet from teleporting away and escaping.
Anti-Mage
Anti-Mage is known for his high mobility and ability to blink in and out of fights. However, Axe’s Counter Helix ability can deal a significant amount of damage to Anti-Mage during his ultimate ability, Mana Void. This makes Axe a strong counter to Anti-Mage and can potentially shut down his ability to burst down enemy heroes.
In conclusion, Axe is a formidable opponent for many melee heroes. His ability to initiate fights, deal high amounts of physical damage, and disable enemies makes him a strong choice against melee heroes such as Nature’s Prophet and Anti-Mage.
Low-armored heroes
Axe is particularly effective against heroes with low armor, as his abilities deal a significant amount of physical damage. Low-armored heroes have lower natural resistance to physical attacks, making them susceptible to Axe’s attacks and abilities.
Some examples of low-armored heroes that Axe is good against include:
Rubick
Rubick is a low-armored intelligence hero who relies on his spellcasting abilities. Axe’s ability to quickly close the gap and deal physical damage makes him a formidable opponent for Rubick.
Crystal Maiden
Crystal Maiden is a low-armored intelligence hero who is often played as a support. Axe’s high physical damage output can quickly take down Crystal Maiden, preventing her from casting her spells and supporting her teammates effectively.
It is crucial to note that while Axe is effective against low-armored heroes, he may still struggle against heroes with strong magic-related abilities or high mobility. Additionally, the effectiveness of Axe’s abilities may vary depending on the specific game situation and the coordination of the enemy team.
Heroes without escape mechanisms
Axe is particularly effective against heroes who lack escape mechanisms. These are heroes who have no mobility abilities or spells to get away from Axe’s onslaught. Without a means of escape, these heroes are forced to stand their ground and fight, which plays perfectly into Axe’s strengths.
Axe’s ability to disable and deal heavy damage in close quarters makes him a nightmare for these heroes. Without the ability to quickly retreat, they are left vulnerable to Axe’s Berserker’s Call, which forces them to attack Axe for a short duration, while also providing him with bonus armor, making him even more durable.
Heroes like Crystal Maiden, Sniper, or Drow Ranger, who rely on their positioning and range to deal damage, can easily be caught off guard by Axe’s Blink Dagger initiation followed by a Berserker’s Call. Without any escape mechanism, they are left at the mercy of Axe’s spinning counter-helix, which can quickly decimate their health pool.
Furthermore, heroes without escape mechanisms often lack the durability to withstand Axe’s relentless assaults. With his ultimate ability, Culling Blade, Axe can quickly dispatch low health heroes, making it extremely risky for these heroes to engage in a fight against Axe.
In conclusion, heroes without escape mechanisms are at a significant disadvantage when facing Axe. They are easily caught and disabled by his numerous crowd control abilities, and their lack of mobility makes them prime targets for Axe’s initiation and high damage output.
Heroes that rely on illusions
Axe is particularly effective against heroes that rely on illusions, as his abilities and playstyle are designed to deal with them effectively. Illusion-based heroes often rely on overwhelming their opponents with a large number of copies of themselves, making it difficult for enemies to determine which one is the real hero.
However, Axe’s abilities cut through illusions with ease. Heroes like Phantom Lancer, Chaos Knight, and Naga Siren, who heavily rely on their illusions, find themselves at a severe disadvantage when facing Axe.
Axe’s Culling Blade ability is especially potent against illusion-based heroes. It instantly kills any unit below a certain health threshold, making short work of illusions and preventing their creators from overwhelming the battlefield. Additionally, his Counter Helix ability deals damage in an AoE around Axe, making it effective at clearing out illusions in close proximity.
Furthermore, Axe’s Berserker’s Call ability is an effective tool for controlling illusion-based heroes. It forces nearby enemies to attack Axe, preventing them from hiding behind their illusions or retreating. This, combined with his high durability and damage output, allows Axe to quickly dispatch illusion-based heroes before they can mount a strong offense.
In summary, Axe is a strong counter to heroes that heavily rely on illusions. His abilities are specifically designed to cut through illusions, making him a formidable opponent for heroes like Phantom Lancer, Chaos Knight, and Naga Siren. If you find yourself facing illusion-based heroes, picking Axe can often turn the tide in your favor.
Heroes with low mobility
As Axe, one of the tankiest heroes in the game, you excel at taking down heroes with low mobility. These heroes lack the ability to quickly reposition themselves or escape from engagements, making them easy targets for your aggressive playstyle and high burst damage.
Juggernaut
Juggernaut relies on his Blade Fury ability to deal damage and to escape from dangerous situations. However, since Blade Fury only grants him magic immunity, he can still be affected by your abilities, such as Berserker’s Call and Counter Helix. Use your Crowd Control and burst damage to quickly eliminate a Juggernaut before he has a chance to Blade Fury and escape.
Sniper
Sniper is a ranged hero that excels at dealing damage from a distance, but he lacks mobility and survivability. He relies on positioning and his range advantage to stay safe, but Axe can easily close the gap with Blink Dagger and initiate on him. Once you catch Sniper in Berserker’s Call, his low mobility will make it hard for him to escape, and with the help of your team, you can quickly eliminate him.
