The Heroes in Dota 2 - An Introductory Guide for Anti-Mage

Introduction

Dota 2 has many heroes that are capable of carrying their teams to victory. Some of them only work in certain circumstances, whereas others are always ready to shine. 

It definitely will be showcased at Kyiv Dota 2 Major during June 2-13, where the best teams in the world will compete for the champion title, prize pool and the place at The International.

Having said that, today, we will take a look at one hero that's been popular since the days of DotA. If he gets picked when it's the right time for it, he can easily carry his team on his own with little to no effort. The name of this hero is Anti-Mage.

Let's take a look at his spells, most active items, as well as the heroes that he is scared of.

Facts about Anti-Mage

Often referred to as one of the strongest late-game carries, Anti-Mage is genuinely an amazing hero in Dota 2. Magina (this was his name in DotA) is an agility melee hero that's exclusively played as a safelane carry. Although you can sometimes see him in mid, that tends to happen very rarely.

As the name of the hero suggests, he is robust against mages, which means every single intelligence hero in the game. Apart from being very elusive, Anti-Mage is one of the best heroes when it comes down to split pushing. He can quickly force the entire enemy team to chase him, especially if he is very "fat." Speaking of that, Magina is also one of the fastest farming heroes in the game. As soon as you buy the proper items, this hero can easily reach around 1000 Gold per minute, which makes him nearly as efficient as Alchemist.

Let's take a look at his different spells:

• Mana Break - this is the spell that pretty much defines the hero. It's a passive ability that allows Anti-Mage to burn mana from the enemies which each attack. As you probably guessed, this is extremely useful in late-game, especially when he has a lot of attack speed. Mana Break works very well with illusions as well, which is why nearly every Anti-Mage player likes to buy Manta-Style. 
• Blink - If Mana Break defines the hero, this spell is what makes him extremely popular. Although it doesn't do any damage, if Magina gets the Blink talents, he is capable of going through the entire map in Dota 2 in a matter of seconds. In other words, it makes ganking him very, very hard, especially if he has a couple of items.
  To make matters worse, it also doesn't cost that much mana, which makes it easily spammable. 
• Counterspell - this is yet another spell that can make the life of any caster a living hell. Not only does it provide a massive spell damage reduction, but it also reflects a spell that's targeting Anti-Mage. In other words, it makes killing the already super elusive hero even harder.  The only downside with this spell is that it's actually a bit tricky to use as it might require some practice. However, once you get used to it, it will allow you to make some very aggressive moves on the map.
• Mana Void - last, but definitely not least, we have AM's ultimate -  Mana Void. This ultimate is capable of doing insane amounts of damage, but it all depends on who is the target. It usually does wonders against a hero with a lot of mana. However, if the target is a hero such as Centaur Warruner, for example, it might not do much.
  The only thing to remember about this ult is that it needs to be used when the target has low mana. That's why it is a good idea to hit him multiple times first so that you can burn away his mana.

Items and Counters

Now that you have a general idea of what is the hero like, let's take a look at some of the most popular items:

• Battlefury - although some players don't like it, this is THE item for Anti-Mage. It enables him to farm at the speed of light, which makes it a must for every AM player. In fact, there are even people who rush to get this item without even buying anything before that.
• Manta Style - this is another must for every AM player. Not only does it provide movement speed and stats, but this item is also capable of increases his Mana Void damage a lot. That's due to the fact that Magina's illusions also benefit from his passive skill.
• Black King Bar - this is more of a situational item, but it can be beneficial sometimes, especially when there are a lot of spells that can keep AM in place.
• Butterfly - the most classic carry item in Dota 2. It gives movement speed, attack speed, evasion, and damage, everything that a carry player needs.
• Abyssal Blade - one of the strongest items during late game, this is a trendy choice for AM players. It gives them HP and also the potential to grab solo kills way easier, something that's not really common for AMs.

Although he is one of the most reliable carries in Dota 2, certain heroes can make his life very hard:

• Legion Commander - this is without a doubt the AM's most significant counter in Dota 2. Once she gets a good start, she can quickly kill AM in her Duel, which makes it impossible for him to "do his thing." Many players love to counter pick Magina with this hero.
• Juggernaut - much like AM, Jugg is also a very powerful carry.  Although he isn't really a counter to him, he is capable of doing some severe damage, which should always be taken into account. What's more, if he manages to catch Magina without a blink, one Omnislash will be enough to get the kill.