Dazzle counters ⇒ How to counter Dazzle in Dota 2

Dazzle counters, Dazzle, one of Dota 2’s most iconic support heroes, is a master of healing, protection, and sustain in fights. His potent abilities like Shadow Wave, Shallow Grave, and Poison Touch enable him to control the battlefield and save allies from lethal damage multiple times in a game. However, understanding Dazzle’s strengths and weaknesses is crucial if you aim to neutralize his influence effectively. By leveraging specific heroes, items, and strategies, you can successfully counter Dazzle and turn the tides of battle in your favor. This comprehensive guide will provide insights into how to counter Dazzle in Dota 2, ensuring your success against him in both lanes and team fights.

Source : Rizpol

Understanding Dazzle – Strengths and Weaknesses

Dazzle’s toolkit makes him a formidable support hero, especially in matches where team coordination is vital. However, he is not without vulnerabilities. Here’s a brief breakdown of his strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

Healing and Sustain: Dazzle’s Shadow Wave delivers area-of-effect (AoE) healing to allies while simultaneously damaging nearby enemies.
Survivability: Shallow Grave makes allies literally unkillable for a few seconds, often turning lost fights into victories.
Harassment Potential: Poison Touch slows and harasses enemies, helping Dazzle secure favorable lanes.
Armor Manipulation: His ultimate, Weave, reduces enemy armor over time, amplifying physical damage dealt by allies.

Weaknesses

Fragility: As a support hero, Dazzle is naturally squishy and lacks mobility, making him an easy target in the backlines.
Reliant on Casts: Dazzle depends heavily on proper ability usage. Silences and disables can render him almost useless in fights.
Awkward Positioning: To maximize the impact of his spells, Dazzle needs to stay close to allies, which exposes him to danger.

Hero Counters – Best Picks Against Dazzle

Choosing the right heroes can make countering Dazzle significantly easier. These are the best picks categorized into hard counters and soft counters that can effectively neutralize Dazzle’s impact:

Hard Counters

Axe: With Culling Blade, Axe can instantly kill heroes who are under the protection of Shallow Grave if their health drops below the threshold. His high initiation potential also makes Dazzle an early target in fights.
Razor: Razor’s consistent damage output, thanks to Plasma Field and Eye of the Storm, can effectively zone Dazzle and make him a liability in team fights.
Tidehunter: The massive AoE crowd control from Ravage locks Dazzle and his entire team in place, preventing him from saving allies or repositioning.
Ancient Apparition: AA’s Ice Blast applies an anti-healing mechanic that completely nullifies Dazzle’s healing capabilities from Shadow Wave and Shallow Grave.

Soft Counters

Silencer: Global Silence can completely shut down Dazzle during crucial moments in a fight, rendering him unable to cast his life-saving spells.
Lion: With strong disables like Earth Spike and a devastating nuke in Finger of Death, Lion can eliminate Dazzle before he becomes a problem.
Vengeful Spirit: Vengeful Spirit’s Swap ability can disrupt Dazzle’s positioning, pulling him into your team for an easy kill.
Puck: Puck’s high mobility and silencing tools with Waning Rift can keep Dazzle locked down and ineffective during skirmishes.

Item Counters – Gear to Neutralize Dazzle

Certain items can diminish Dazzle’s effectiveness significantly. Here’s a list of useful items to consider when countering him:

Orchid Malevolence

This item silences Dazzle, stopping him from using his healing and protective abilities. It’s a must-pick for heroes who thrive on disabling enemy supports.

Eul’s Scepter of Divinity

Eul’s Scepter can be used to cyclone a hero protected by Shallow Grave, effectively neutralizing the temporary immunity and wasting the spell.

Black King Bar (BKB)

BKB grants spell immunity, making it harder for Dazzle to target you with abilities during crucial moments in team fights.

Spirit Vessel

Spirit Vessel applies healing reduction on an enemy target, severely cutting down Dazzle’s ability to sustain his allies or himself.

Silver Edge

The break effect provided by Silver Edge prevents passive armor bonuses granted by abilities or items, amplifying physical damage against Dazzle and his teammates.

Laning Against Dazzle – Early Game Strategies

Harassment is Key

To prevent Dazzle from dominating the lane, pick harassment-heavy heroes that can sustain themselves while keeping him on edge. Heroes like Razor, Viper, or even Skywrath Mage can force Dazzle into a defensive posture.

Zone Him Out

Keep Dazzle far from the creep wave to deny him valuable experience and resources.
Apply pressure on the carry he’s supporting to dissipate the effectiveness of his heals.

Ward Placement

Dazzle thrives when he has vision to position himself correctly. Effective warding can counteract this and leave him more vulnerable to ganks.

Team Fight Tactics – How to Counter Dazzle Late Game

Prioritize Dazzle

During team fights, assign one or two heroes to focus on taking down Dazzle. This ensures that he cannot cast Shallow Grave or Weave to save his teammates.

Lock Him Down

Use silences or stuns, such as those from Lion or Silencer, to control Dazzle during critical moments.
Abilities like Tidehunter’s Ravage or Axe’s Berserker’s Call should be used to disable Dazzle’s entire team along with him.

Counter Shallow Grave

Dazzle’s Shallow Grave is most potent when fights drag out. Killing targets who are Shallow-Graved faster using high-damage abilities like Culling Blade or Finger of Death can minimize its impact.

How-To – Counter Dazzle with Step-by-Step Instructions

Draft Wisely: Pick heroes like Axe, Razor, or Ancient Apparition that are hard counters to Dazzle.
Itemize Smartly: Build items like Orchid Malevolence, Spirit Vessel, and Eul’s Scepter to shut him down.
Focus Him First: In team fights, aim to eliminate Dazzle before he can save teammates with Shallow Grave.
Silence and Disable: Use silence-focused heroes like Silencer or Puck to prevent his spellcasting.
Pressure During Laning: Harass and zone Dazzle out during the laning phase to limit his effectiveness later.

FAQs About Dazzle Counters

What heroes are the best hard counters to Dazzle?

Heroes like Axe, Ancient Apparition, Razor, and Tidehunter are strong options to counter Dazzle effectively.

Which items are most effective against Dazzle?

Items like Orchid Malevolence, Eul’s Scepter, Black King Bar, Spirit Vessel, and Silver Edge work well to counter Dazzle’s healing and protective abilities.