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Bad against...[]

Anti-Mage icon
  • Mana Break icon Mana Break removes both a percentage and flat amount of your mana, preventing Bristleback from using abilities in the lane.
  • Blink (Anti-Mage) icon Blink Anti-Mage has very high mobility with this skill, and can easily escape from Bristleback since he has no way to prevent his blink. He can also use this offensively to get in front of Bristleback during fights.
Doom icon
  • Infernal Blade icon Infernal Blade deals scaling damage and is useful against high health targets such as Bristleback.
  • Doom ability icon Doom disables Bristleback's low cooldown abilities, preventing him from triggering Warpath. With his upgraded level 25 talent, it also breaks Bristleback's passive, rendering him more vulnerable.
Faceless Void icon
  • Time Dilation icon Time Dilation prevents Bristleback from spamming his low-cooldown abilities, greatly reducing his damage and effectiveness.
  • Chronosphere icon Chronosphere allows allies to reposition and hit Bristleback from the front, bypassing his defensive bonus from behind.
  • Bristleback has no way to prevent Void from using Time Walk icon Time Walk.
Grimstroke icon
  • Phantom's Embrace icon Phantom's Embrace silences Viscous Nasal Goo and Quill Spray.
  • Ink Swell icon Ink Swell stuns Bristleback and gets allies in position faster with increased movement speed to attack his front, countering his passive ability.
Hoodwink icon
  • Sharpshooter icon Sharpshooter deals massive damage to Bristleback and applies a high duration disable on his passive.
  • Bushwhack icon Bushwhack and Scurry icon Scurry can be used to easily kite Bristleback.
Legion Commander icon
  • Duel icon Duel makes Bristleback fight Legion Commander face to face, forcing him to take full damage.
  • Press the Attack icon Press the Attack dispels the slow from stacks of Viscous Nasal Goo.
Necrophos icon
Outworld Destroyer icon
  • Outworld Destroyer's high burst damage is not negated by Bristleback's passive. So, even if Bristleback turns his back on Outworld, he can decimate Bristleback quickly.
  • If Bristleback attempts to flee, or tries to close the gap, Outworld can banish him with Astral Imprisonment icon Astral Imprisonment, both reducing Bristlebacks much needed mana and allowing Outworld to move in front of him, forcing him to take the full damage from his spells. This will also allow Outworld to land a devasting Sanity's Eclipse, without it being reduced by Bristleback's passive.
Razor icon
  • Eye of the Storm icon Eye of the Storm melts Bristleback's armor, and makes him much less tanky.
  • Static Link icon Static Link can completely drain Bristleback's bonus damage from Warpath.
  • Storm Surge icon Storm Surge allows Razor to outdistance Bristleback, even with a few stacks of Viscous Nasal Goo on him. Also, if Razor has his Shard, it will deal full damage to Bristleback every time he uses Viscous Nasal Goo (as Bristleback will face him to cast it).
Silencer icon
  • Arcane Curse icon Arcane Curse stacks every time Bristleback uses an ability, forcing him to stop spamming his abilities, or take heavy health degeneration.
  • Glaives of Wisdom icon Glaives of Wisdom steals intelligence both permanently and temporarily, causing mana issues for Bristleback.
  • Last Word icon Last Word and Global Silence icon Global Silence stops Bristleback from using his abilities altogether.
Slardar icon
  • Guardian Sprint icon Guardian Sprint allows Slardar to outrun Bristleback, even when slowed by Viscous Nasal Goo.
  • Corrosive Haze icon Corrosive Haze's armor reduction makes Bristleback much less tanky.
Slark icon
  • Essence Shift icon Essence Shift allows Slark to hit Bristleback freely whether on the front or back, stealing attributes and make Bristleback much less tanky.
  • Pounce icon Pounce can be used to disengage and recover lost HP with his ultimate passive, and can return to fight in a short period while Bristleback is already injured and got some of his attributes stolen.
  • Dark Pact icon Dark Pact makes it near impossible to keep the Viscous Nasal Goo icon Viscous Nasal Goo debuff on Slark.
  • Slark builds Silver Edge icon Silver Edge in almost every game, an item that greatly counters Bristleback.
Timbersaw icon
  • Whirling Death icon Whirling Death deals damage while also reducing 13% of Bristleback's strength, making him less tanky.
  • Reactive Armor icon Reactive Armor can sustain through multiple Viscous Nasal Goo and Quill Spray stacks.
  • Timber Chain icon Timber Chain makes it hard for Bristleback to slow down Timbersaw even with Viscous Nasal Goo.
Viper icon
Weaver icon
  • Shukuchi icon Shukuchi gets Weaver in front of Bristleback, negating the protection from Bristleback ability icon Bristleback.
  • Weaver's mana break talent depletes Bristleback's mana pool, preventing him from spamming abilities.

Others[]

Items[]

  • Magic Stick icon Magic Stick gains many charges due to Bristleback's constant usage of Quill Spray, giving its holder an advantage in lane.
  • Silver Edge icon Silver Edge disables Bristleback's passives, taking away both his tankiness as well as his damage output.
  • Solar Crest icon Solar Crest reduces Bristleback's armor greatly, allowing teammates to beat him down quickly.
  • Assault Cuirass icon Assault Cuirass's armor aura reduces Quill Spray's area damage significantly.
  • Town Portal Scroll icon Town Portal Scroll provides an easy means of escape from Bristleback, as he has no disables.
  • Spirit Vessel icon Spirit Vessel reduces health regen and wears Bristleback down with percentage-based damage.
  • Diffusal Blade icon Diffusal Blade burns Bristleback's mana, which lessens his ability to spam Quill Spray.
  • Ghost Scepter icon Ghost Scepter and its upgrade Ethereal Blade icon Ethereal Blade provide protection against Quill Spray, and Bristleback's only means of dealing damage are through Quill Spray and basic attacks. In addition, he doesn't like purchasing dispelling items like Nullifier icon Nullifier and Manta Style icon Manta Style.

Good against...[]

Broodmother icon
  • Quill Spray destroys spiderlings, and hits Broodmother even when she's regenerating in her webs. This makes Bristleback one of her hardest counters in lane.
Chaos Knight icon
  • Quill Spray quickly destroys Chaos Knight's Phantasm icon Phantasms.
Huskar icon
  • The damage from Burning Spear icon Burning Spear can be reduced by turning away from Huskar.
  • Bristleback can bait Huskar into using Life Break icon Life Break on him, then turn around and receive very little damage.
Jakiro icon
  • Macropyre icon Macropyre's frequent damage ticks causes Bristleback to activate repeatedly, resulting in free damage as long as Bristleback faces away from Jakiro.
Lycan icon
  • Lycan's wolves deal little damage to Bristleback, and are easily killed by Quill Spray, even when they're invisible.
  • Lycan's lack of burst damage makes it very hard for him to kill Bristleback, especially when his back is turned.
Meepo icon
  • Quill Spray usually hits Meepo's clones, although Bristleback cannot turn his back when rooted with Earthbind icon Earthbind.
Phantom Lancer icon
  • Bristleback's tankiness and damage reduction from the rear makes him very hard for Phantom Lancer to chase and finish off, due to his lack of burst damage.
  • Quill Spray quickly destroys Phantom Lancer's illusions.
  • Bristleback's passive costs no mana, meaning that it will continue to trigger even if Phantom Lancer drains Bristleback's mana with Diffusal Blade icon Diffusal Blade.
Pudge icon
  • Bristleback is one of the hardest heroes to gank with a Meat Hook icon Meat Hook and Dismember icon Dismember combo, and attempts to do so sometimes backfire on Pudge.
Riki icon
  • Quill Spray will hit Riki even when he is invisible.
  • Cloak and Dagger icon Cloak and Dagger's bonus backstab damage is rendered irrelevant against Bristleback.
  • Smoke Screen icon Smoke Screen does not stop Bristleback's passive from activating.
  • Due to Bristleback's natural tankiness, he is an ideal Gem of True Sight icon Gem of True Sight carrier, directly countering Riki's invisibility.
Rubick icon
  • Bristleback's abilities are nearly useless for Rubick to Spell Steal icon Spell Steal, as he does not gain the bonuses from Warpath.
Sand King icon
  • Quill Spray will hit Sand King inside Sand Storm icon Sand Storm, damaging him and putting Sand King's Blink Dagger icon Blink Dagger on cooldown, preventing him from escaping.
  • Epicenter icon Epicenter's numerous damage ticks will trigger Bristleback's passive repeatedly during teamfights.
Windranger icon
  • Combo Quill Spray and items Blade Mail icon Blade Mail can easily trigger from Focus Fire damage.

Others[]

  • Heroes with damage-over-time abilities easily allow Bristleback to turn his back in order to proc Bristleback ability icon Bristleback continuously and to massively reduce to damage dealt to him: Arc Warden minimap icon Arc Warden, Venomancer minimap icon Venomancer, Luna minimap icon Luna.

Works well with...[]

Crystal Maiden icon
  • Arcane Aura icon Arcane Aura helps Bristleback use Quill Spray more often during the laning stage, allowing him to harass and last hit better.
  • Viscous Nasal Goo works well with Crystal Maiden's slowing abilities, keeping enemies in range of Quill Spray and Freezing Field icon Freezing Field.
Dazzle icon
  • The extra time from Shallow Grave icon Shallow Grave allows Bristleback to get off a few more Quill Sprays due to its low cooldown, and potentially change the outcome of a fight.
  • Bad Juju icon Bad Juju's armor reduction improves Quill Spray's damage output.
Drow Ranger icon
Keeper of the Light icon
  • Chakra Magic icon Chakra Magic's cooldown reduction allows Bristleback to Quill Spray twice in a row.
Skywrath Mage icon
  • Concussive Shot icon Concussive Shot's slow stacks well with Viscous Nasal Goo, keeping targets in range of Quill Spray, as well as making it harder for them to move out of Mystic Flare icon Mystic Flare.
Venomancer icon
  • Venomancer's numerous movement speed slows stack well with Viscous Nasal Goo.


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