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Bad against...[]
- Ice Blast completely nullifies any healing, making Necrophos unable to stay in a teamfight to sustain his teammates (and himself) or deal gradual damage to the enemy, else he be faced with a quick death if focused on.
- Nether Ward causes Death Pulse to actually damage Necrophos rather than heal him. Meanwhile, Reaper Scythe's gigantic mana cost while Necrophos is near the Nether Ward can often instantly kill him.
- Nether Blast and Life Drain both make quick work of Necrophos's small healthpool, especially during Ghost Shroud. The latter also makes him an unappealing target for Reaper's Scythe, and can often force Necrophos to use it defensively as he has no other means of interrupting his channeling.
- Arcane Curse punishes Necrophos if tries to spam Death Pulse, increasing the duration of the slow and damage taken over time.
- Last Word heavily damages Necrophos and also silence him for a lenghty duration.
- Glaives of Wisdom will reduce temporarily Necrophos intelligence on each hit dealing hindering his ability to spam Death Pulse, also reducing his attack damage and mana pool; dealing increasing amounts of phisical and pure damage each time. Silencer will permanently steal Necrophos intelligence if Necrophos is killed by him or if he dies nears him.
- Global Silence turns Necrophos almost useless for a long time, allowing Silencer and his team to easily dispatch him, since Necrohpos heavily relies on his spells to survive.
- The huge physical damage taken from Vendetta will force Necrophos to use Ghost Shroud, which is good for a followup with Dagon and Ethereal Blade, both of which are common items on Nyx Assassin.
- Using Ghost Shroud also sets Necrophos up for a Mind Flare or Impale.
- Dazzle's Shadow Wave is a spammable healing ability that spreads around his entire team, slowing the death of his teammates as effectively as Necrophos spreads damage to them.
- If not immediately, Shallow Grave delays his ally from gradually dying to Necrophos's abilities, especially Reaper's Scythe.
- However, bear in mind that Dazzle's Poison Touch, Shadow Wave and Bad Juju all deal physical damage, and Dazzle has no abilities to help him deal magical damage at all, which can cause problems for Dazzle to kill Necrophos if he uses Ghost Shroud to protect himself.
- Laguna Blade's damage as well as damage from all of Lina's abilities will be greatly amplified during Ghost Shroud.
- Ghost Shroud can not protect and easy transpierce from Lucent Beam and Eclipse. Since Her's build Aghanim's Scepter, Ghost Shroud impossible protect and when Eclipse activated discharge Lucent Beam.
- Mana Drain depletes Nercophos's mana pool, preventing him from using his abilities.
- Finger of Death deals high magical damage, which becomes amplified by Ghost Shroud.
- Necrophos struggles at clearing away durable illusions or summons. Meepo can overwhelm Necrophos with his many duplicates, especially in the later stages of the game, and his Earthbind will prevent Necrophos from getting away, even if he casts Ghost Shroud.
- Meepo's high burst damage from Poof can make it difficult for to Necrophos to stay alive, and as Necrophos excels in extended fights, he will not be able to do as much damage as he intends to.
- During the laning stage, Oracle's Purifying Flames nullifies any damage that Heartstopper Aura might inflict.
- Fate's Edict and False Promise can protect an ally from Reaper's Scythe.
- Oracle can dispel Ghost Shroud with Fortune's End.
- Outworld Destroyer is not exceptionally dangerous to Necrohpos because of his Ghost Shroud, but his Astral Imprisonment can save his allies from Necrophos's Reaper's Scythe, though only if he uses it at the right time, If an Outworld Destroyer is nearby, Necrophos should not use Reaper's Scythe unless he has banished himself, or has banished two heroes within 15 seconds
- Diffusal Blade is a core item on Phantom Lancer. And when combined with his numerous illusions, it allows him to rapidly deplete Necrophos's mana, rendering Necrophos incapable of doing anything.
- It can be difficult to single out the true Phantom Lancer among his army, giving Necrophos a hard time with aiming his ultimate.
- Even if his illusions are defeated, Phantom Lancer can simply create more of them at his disposal with almost no issues.
- If Rubick steals Reaper's Scythe, he can turn the powerful ultimate back against Necrophos's team. Even his other spells are useful in Rubick's hands, giving him a sustain or a weak initiation/protection tool.
- Disruption can save an ally from a fatal Reaper's Scythe.
- Demonic Purge can remove Ghost Shroud, making Necrophos vulnerable to physical damage and preventing him from regenerating health.
- Ursa can do damage very fast with his Overpower and Fury Swipes abilities, Necrohops will have taken large amounts of damage before he can use Ghost Shroud, And if Ursa has Skull Basher, Ursa will quickly demolish Necrophos before he can do anything to retaliate.
- Skilled and smart Ursa can bait Necrophos into using Reaper's Scythe on him, and with his Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Enrage that can negate 80% of the damage, Ursa will often survive and waste Reaper's Scythe.
- Viper does large amounts of magic damage over time, meaning that if a Necrophos uses Ghost Shroud, Viper's abilities will greatly reduce Necrophos survivability, and may actually kill him.
- By the same token, Viper can use his Viper Strike on Necrophos if he attempts to heal himself with Ghost Shroud, and depending on any other effects Necrophos may have from him, (IE: Poison Attack, Corrosive Skin), Viper can often kill Necrophos while he is in his Ghost Shroud.
- Viper's Corrosive Skin helps him take reduced damage from all of Nercophos spells that deal magical damage, which is Necrophos's only source of damage.
- Using Reaper's Scythe against Wraith King is a bad idea for Necrophos as his Reincarnation can waste it. And when upgraded with Aghanim's Scepter it can delay the deaths of allies.
- Techies is biggest nuke in dota. Necrophos depends on his Ghost Shroud to escape physical damage but takes extra magical damage. Techies can delete necrophos during ghost shroud with his immense magical damage.
Others[]
- Heroes who possess abilities that can save targets from being killed by Reaper's Scythe: Abaddon, Bane, Outworld Destroyer, Shadow Demon, Omniknight, etc.
- Any disable, silence or mana burn is a good way to nullify Necrophos, as he is slow and has little offensive presence or self defense without his spells.
- Illusions make it difficult for Necrophos to target his Reaper's Scythe correctly, thus giving illusion heroes like Chaos Knight or Naga Siren an edge against Necrophos.
- Enemies that possess high defenses through magic resistance, damage reduction, or high regeneration will make it difficult to whittle their health down to get to Reaper's Scythe's threshold. Such heroes include Bristleback (although only from behind), Spectre, Ursa, and Dragon Knight.
- Silences are a problem to Necrophos as he mainly relies on his abilities to survive: Gust, Doom, Global Silence, Smoke Screen, Blood Rite.
Items[]
- Spirit Vessel prevents Necrophos from getting too much health from his abilities.
- Shiva's Guard provides an aura that reduces all heals and regen.
- Nullifier renders Ghost Shroud completely ineffective during its duration.
- Revenant's Brooch lets attackers deal magical damage, and to attack ethereal units, which can Necrophos's Ghost Shroud, his only defense ability against him and make him weak even against heroes he naturally counters.
- Glimmer Cape can be used to greatly reduce the damage from Reaper's Scythe. Since Necrophos tends to use Reaper's Scythe when his target is just below at half health, the extra magical resistance is usually enough to survive.
- Eul's Scepter of Divinity dispels the Ghost Shroud form and provides extra control while its upgrade Wind Waker can also be used on an ally during the stun of Reaper's Scythe to save them, Wind Waker also allows allies to move when casted on them.
- Eye of Skadi hinders Necrophos's already poor mobility and greatly reduces his regeneration.
- Lotus Orb reflects Reaper's Scythe back to Necrophos. Most of the time his Reaper's Scythe will not kill him back as he'd be casting it mostly at full health, but it does mean Necrophos will be stunned through spell immunity for 1.5 seconds, preventing him from possibly following up his ultimate with more of his own damage.
- Linken's Sphere makes it impossible to cast Reaper's Scythe on a target if there are no other abilities that can waste it.
- Black King Bar ignores the damage from any of Necrophos's abilities, especially Reaper's Scythe.
- Orchid Malevolence and Bloodthorn prevents Necrophos from spamming Death Pulse, preventing him from healing back and/or retaliating, and Ghost Shroud to defend himself.
- Scythe of Vyse is a stronger counter than the above mentioned items, preventing not only his abilities from being cast, but also his items that could either heal him further, dispel the debuffs, or help him escape.
- Silver Edge disables Heartstopper Aura, which reduces his presence in fights. But remember that already existing stacks of Heartstopper Aura still provide bonus health and mana regeneration.
- Dagon can deal massive damage to Necrophos massive damage if he tries to use Ghost Shroud to defend himself, and when combined with Ethereal Blade Necrophos get mostly killed in only few seconds.
- Diffusal Blade can be activated to slow down Necrophos, while allowing the user's attacks to burn Necrophos's mana.
Good against...[]
- Frequent healing from Death Pulse makes it difficult for Axe to finish off targets with Culling Blade.
- Reaper's Scythe negates Axe's tankiness, and can kill him quickly after initiation if Axe's health is low enough.
- Heartstopper Aura can be very effective against Axe due to Axe's high strength gain.
- However, bear in mind that Berserker's Call can prevent Necrophos from using his Ghost Shroud to defend his fragile self from physical damages. And Heartstopper Aura can unintentionally help Axe to trigger his Counter Helix more frequently while also hurting Necrophos with Blade Mail during activation.
- Nonetheless Heartstopper Aura is not considered as a normal attack, thus it will not trigger Counter Helix, so anyone who wrote the statement above should be awarded with MVP and considered a TI champion purely for the innovation of new mechanics.
- Heartstopper Aura deals percentage-based damage flagged as HP removal, so it is not reduced by Bristleback, nor does it trigger passive Quill Sprays.
- Reaper's Scythe is very effective against Bristleback not only due to its percentage-based damage, but rather because it first stuns and then deals its damage, allowing Necrophos to position in front of Bristleback in time.
- Huskar is often at low health, making him easy prey for Reaper's Scythe.
- Ghost Shroud prevents Huskar from stacking Burning Spear, and if Heartstopper Aura stacks are active, can regenerate health lost to existing stacks.
- Phoenix constantly depletes its own health due to the health costs of its abilities. Unlike heroes that have a similar mechanic, Phoenix does not benefit from low health, nor does it really have a countermeasure for it. As such, Phoenix is a very vulnerable target for Necrophos to prey on, especially when caught off guard before it can cast Supernova.
- No matter how high Pudge builds up strength with his Flesh Heap, all it needs is for him to fall below a certain percentage of health for him to fall to Reaper's Scythe. Considering his constant self-damage with Rot, being around Heartstopper Aura will prove risky for an overconfident Pudge.
- His Heartstopper Aura deals the same gradual damage over time no matter how high Sven builds his strength or health pool up, and should he fall down to a certain percentage, his high health will no longer matter if Necrophos manages to land his Reaper's Scythe, killing him instantly. But it is best if Necrophos can either catch him off guard before he can possibly use his Black King Bar (which is an item Sven players commonly purchase), or bait him out of it.
- Ghost Shroud prevents Sven from hitting Necrophos, and if he doesn't have his Storm Hammer available, it could make him completely immune to Sven and allow Necrophos to easily kite him around.
- No matter how Tidehunter builds tanky items such as ( Guardian Greaves, Crimson Guard or Pipe of Insight), all it needs is for him to fall below a certain percentage of health for him to fall to Reaper's Scythe.
Others[]
- Carries are a prime target for his ultimate, as if timed properly, they will be killed before they can even have a noticeable effect in a teamfight, and be forced to stay out of the game longer due to the extended respawn time. Such heroes must be careful when engaging a team with Necrophos, as if they are too careless or lack proper protection, their reckless plays can be quickly and severely punished.
- Heroes that commonly purchase Armlet of Mordiggian will be unable to use it effectively under the effects of a maxed out Heartstopper Aura.
- Heroes that have high health but little to no magic resistance are easy prey for Necrophos, as no matter how high they build their health up, Reaper's Scythe will kill them outright as long as they fall under a certain threshold, and Heartstopper Aura will deal the same amount of damage regardless, decaying their health the longer they stay within range. As such, Strength heroes like Chaos Knight, Centaur Warrunner or Magnus are good targets for his ultimate.
- Heroes that have escape abilities (such as Queen of Pain, Storm Spirit or Timbersaw) can be either nullified by Reaper's Scythe or a complimentary item for Necrophos (like Rod of Atos or Scythe of Vyse). If Necrophos is quick enough and enters range, they can quickly, if not instantly, die if they are not quick enough.
- Heroes that have small health pools and little to no escape mechanisms are even easier prey for Necrophos. Ghost Shroud's slow will allow him to catch him with them, and get nuked down with his abilities, even preventing retaliation due to Reaper's Scythe's stun. Such heroes include Crystal Maiden, Witch Doctor, Warlock or Shadow Fiend.
- Heroes who rely on physical damage are easily negated by Ghost Shroud: Phantom Assassin, Wraith King, Juggernaut.
Works well with...[]
- The sustain and strong dispel from Abaddon helps keep Necrophos alive longer in fights, allowing a huge damage swing from healing, damage, and massive health removal from Heartstopper Aura.
- Axe's initiation allows him to both catch and severely damage multiple enemies at once. Counter Helix's pure damage quickly removes a chunk of health from nearby enemies, making Necrophos' presence more potent.
- Both of their ultimates are instant kills when fallen below a certain threshold of health. If the enemy team is not careful, they could be very easily wiped from the field without retaliation.
- Earthshaker's initiation allows him to both catch and severely damage multiple enemies at once, from Echo Slam removes a chunk of health from nearby enemies, making Necrophos' presence more potent.
- A Duel will be very swiftly ended by Necrophos' nukes. If it ends during Reaper's Scythe, the Dueled enemy will also face an extended respawn time, making these two a formidable pair in a teamfight.
- Combined with Ghost Shroud, Fate's Edict renders Necrophos immune to physical damage and attacks, and immune to magical damage, at the sole cost of being (doubly) disarmed. Furthermore, while Ghost Shroud can be dispelled by an opponent's ability or item, Fate's Edict cannot since it is considered a debuff.
- Purifying Flames helps Necrophos sustain in fights, and the healing is further amplified by Ghost Shroud.
- False Promise can save Necrophos. If it can buy him enough time to use Reaper's Scythe and a couple of other spells or a wand usage, odds are Necrophos will heal back to full HP after the Promise.
- Decrepify increases the damage Reaper's Scythe does, allowing Necrophos to kill enemies even quicker.
- His great teamfight abilities like Nether Blast and Nether Ward help damage multiple units all at once, making Necrophos' presence even deadlier.
Others[]
- Any hero with great nuking power will work well with Necrophos. Such heroes include Lina, Lion, Shadow Fiend, and Zeus.
- Heroes with high damage in a large area of effect will help make Necrophos a deadly foe for the enemy team, as they would all be more vulnerable to his Heartstopper Aura or be possible targets for his ultimate. Heroes like Phoenix, Enigma, Jakiro, even Radiance wielders like Spectre or Alchemist will aid him greatly in a teamfight.