Regardless of skill or experience, Pudge is the most famous and picked hero in Dota 2. His map presence can be deadly if utilized properly, the current meta is extremely Pudge favored with all the buffs which are endowed to him. He is nothing but a beast in this dominant meta.
To help you pick the right heroes against Pudge, we bring you the best 10 Pudge Counters which are extremely powerful. These heroes make him look squishy and nothing but a glorified ranged creep!
10. Abbadon
The Lord of Avernus, Abbadon is destined to doom all his foes and shield his allies from the ungodly forces. Abbadon is a great support hero, though underrated, his spells can be extremely useful in making sure his allies are safe and protected. Pudge can’t fare well in the laning phase against him because of his extremely high movement speed and slow with his passive. Pudge also can’t dismember any target surrounding Abbadon due to his Aphotic Shield, making him extremely useless.
Why is Abbadon a great counter to Pudge?
- Abaddon can activate Borrowed Time to dispel Dismember; breaking the disable and potentially allowing Abaddon to escape.
- Aphotic Shield can be cast on an ally to dispel the stun of Dismember, which can make kills difficult to secure, given that Dismember is Pudge's only reliable disable.
- Pudge lacks mobility without a Blink Dagger, causing him to be easily chased with Curse of Avernus.
Items to buy against Pudge
- Holy Locket
- Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard
- Wraith Pact
- Lotus Orb
- Blade Mail
9. Bounty Hunter
Gondar, the Bounty Hunter is loved by all the pos 4 and 3 mains. He deals lethal damage, tracks Pudge’s movements, and escapes effortlessly with his Shadow Walk. Bounty Hunter is known to be an annoying hero right from the laning phase, as not only does he steal his gold, he also does pure damage with his spells. Along with dealing damage, he can be played in the support position as well, itemizing the support way is also possible for him. In short, he is quite the flexible of the bunch against Pudge.
Why is Bounty Hunter a great counter to Pudge?
- Invisibility offers him the potential to sneak up on Pudge or escape
- Track can easily keep vision on Pudge, making it very hard for him to hook Bounty Hunter or his teammates from the fog of war.
- Shuriken Toss cancels Dismember from great range.
Items to buy against Pudge
- Bloodthorn
- Manta Style
- Skull Basher
- Desolator
- Black King Bar
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Bounty_Hunter
8. Mirana
Mirana is a ranged agility hero who is considered to be a flexible pick, meaning it can be played in pretty much all roles. She proves to be a great pick against heroes with low armor and magic resistance, exceptionally well against Pudge. Picking Mirana with other heroes that can stun can lead to an immense lockdown potential. Along with this, she can also use her ultimate offensively or defensively, which provides a great layer of protection to her allies as well.
Why is Mirana a great hero against Pudge?
- If Meat Hook is used before Leap, Mirana may be able to escape Pudge's grasp by leaping to safety.
- The invisibility from Moonlight Shadow gives a degree of mobility, which can make Mirana or her teammates difficult targets to hook.
- Sacred Arrow can be used to cancel Dismember from long distances.
Items to buy against Pudge
- Spirit Vessel
- Lotus Orb
- Force Staff
- Eul’s Scepter
- Mekansm
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Mirana
7. Bristleback
Bristleback has quite literally been a thorn in the side for every other hero in the game in the recent meta, and Pudge is no exception. He takes no damage while dealing quite a ton of damage and neutralizing him! Often considered to be an obnoxious laner, he is hated with passion by millions of dota players all over the world! He is quite the fun hero to play since all he does is spam his spells, which he can do effortlessly as he is backed by his insanely high armor.
Why is Bristleback a great counter to Pudge?
- Low CD on spells
- Pudge is particularly susceptible to Bristleback's Viscous Nasal Goo and Quill Spray due to his naturally low armor and poor agility gain.
- Bristleback, in combination with his strength gain, high health, common itemization for magic resistance, and damage reduction from Bristleback makes him a poor target for Pudge.
Items to buy against Pudge
- Ethereal Shroud
- Kaya and Sange
- Octraine Core
- Blademail
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Bristleback
6. Weaver
Weaver is the only unfixed bug in the game! Threading through the needle of time, Weaver arrives to devastate Pudge with his massive time-bending abilities. Weaver is a great ranged hero as he can also escape the clutches of Pudge with Time Lapse if he is hooked, hence faring well in the laning phase. Shukuchi is a lifesaver and can be used to harass as well. The Swarm and Germinnate deal a great amount of damage and are helpful in neutralizing him. Weaver can be quite unkillable in the late game as he acquires farm and gets tanky.
Why is Weaver a great counter to Pudge?
- The Swarm beetles are difficult for Pudge to remove, due to his low base attack time and poor agility. Additionally, it can be used to can scout out Pudge's location.
- Should an ally get snagged by Meat Hook, Weaver can use Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Time Lapse on them to send them back to where they were before hooked, even if Pudge has already started to Dismember them.
Items to buy against Pudge
- Maelstorm
- Desolator
- Black King Bar
- Daedalus
- Monkey King Bar
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Weaver
5. Necrophos
Necrophos has plagued his enemies, corrupting their immunity with his rancid spells, even Pudge falls victim to him. He is one of the most hated heroes in the current patch by Pudge fans. Necrophos is a very annoying laner, thanks to his passive. His abilities provide him with immense healing while dealing damage to Pudge and even eliminating him from the game for a long duration. He can ensure Pudge isn’t seen on the battlefield for a long time with his ultimate, which drives lots of players to rage quit!
Why is Necrophos known as a great counter to Pudge?
- Heartstopper Aura is effective against high-health heroes, and Pudge is no exception. Coupled with his self-damage from Rot, being around Necrophos could prove risky for Pudge.
- Regardless of how much health Pudge gains through Flesh Heap, Reaper's Scythe will often kill Pudge should his health fall below 40%, making Necrophos an ideal counter versus Pudge.
Items to buy against Pudge
- Radiance
- Guardian Greaves
- Eternal Shroud
- Lotus Orb
- Aghanim’s Scepter
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Necrophos
4. Doom
Doom is back in the meta! This demon has sent countless of his enemies to the realm of hell, this also includes Pudge. His abilities ensure nothing but pain and agony to him, his fearful presence wins him wars, he is the almighty Doom! He is known to farm the jungle effortlessly right from level one but can also lane effortlessly against Pudge. His high base armor provides him sustain while fighting or laning against him. While he can jungle and offlane, Doom can also be played as roaming support, ganking and catching his enemies by surprise!
What makes Doom a great counter to Pudge?
- Doom disables the toggling of Rot and, if cast at the right time, may leave Pudge with a potentially lethal health drain.
- Doom's naturally high health, strength gain, and damage output make him a poor target for Pudge.
- The damage of Doom's Infernal Blade scales with the target's maximum health, which is particularly effective against Pudge due to his naturally high health and further health granted by stacks of Flesh Heap.
Items to buy against Pudge
- Shadow Blade
- Blink Dagger
- Shiva’s Guard
- Black King Bar
- Refresher’s Orb
3. Slardar
Hailing from the deep seas in the menacing Slardar. His looks are quite enough to scare his foes away, his crushing spells and damage pierce through Pudge’s armor. Slardar is quite underestimated in the current patch, due to a few minor buffs but he is the right fit against Pudge as he has reliable stuns and his mechanics aren’t complicated either. He can escape with Sprint, initiate with Slithereen Crush, and even track Pudge with Corrosive Haze, giving vision of his whereabouts and reducing armor under the track effect.
What makes Slardar a great counter to Pudge?
- Corrosive Haze reveals Pudge's location, making it hard for him to use Meat Hook from the fog of war on Slardar's teammates or Slardar himself.
- Slithereen Crush interrupts Pudge while he is using Dismember.
- Guardian Sprint allows Slardar to avoid Meat Hook.
Items to buy against Pudge
- Blink Dagger
- Shadow Blade
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Black King Bar
- Aghanim’s Shard
- Assault Cuirass
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Slardar
2. Nyx Assassin
Hated passionately by his opponents due to his first pick potential. Nyx Assassin is known to be one of the most annoying heroes in the game against Pudge, regardless of the patch, he is the most relevant counters in the game. Especially a core Pudge, Nyx can do wonders with his powerful toolkit. One Spiked Carapace is enough to lock him down or cancel Dismember, and the best part is that it does not break invisibility from your ultimate. Pudge considers him to be a nightmare to play against.
Why is Nyx Assassin a great counter to Pudge?
- Mana Burn drains Pudge's little mana which may render Meat Hook and Dismember unusably.
- Impale and Spiked Carapace can be used to cancel Dismember easily, and can even do so when Pudge uses it on Nyx Assassin if timed correctly.
Items to buy against Pudge
- Blink Dagger
- Force Staff
- Aghanim’s Scepter
- Lotus Orb
- Spirit Vessel
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Nyx_Assassin
1. Timbersaw
Other than hating trees for a living, Timbersaw loves hating on melee strength heroes like Pudge, something that he is himself! Apart from this, he is quite a dominating force against him, his immense damage can not be negated very early into the game. Timber can triumph undoubtedly if he is put in a laning matchup against Pudge or most strength and melee heroes, the strength disparity damage is just intense and the nuke damage is why he is considered to be one of the best counters to Pudge.
Why is Timbersaw a great counter to Pudge?
- The percentage-based primary-attribute reduction effect of Whirling Death can be devastating for Pudge due to his high strength gain through Flesh Heap.
- Reactive Armor's health regeneration and the common itemization for magic resistance and durability make Timbersaw a poor target for Pudge.
- Timber Chain's high mobility makes it difficult for Pudge to hook or deal much Rot damage to Timbersaw.
Items to buy against Pudge
- Eul’s Scepter
- Pipe of Insight
- Crimson Guard
- Blade Mail
- Lotus Orb
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Timbersaw
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