Lycan is an amazing pusher who can take down towers and buildings very quickly. Should enemy heroes neglect him for too long, Lycan can push down even tier 2 towers within the first ten minutes of the game. His ability to call forth wolves allows him to kill creeps and push lanes even faster. However, you need not worry, as this article will list the Best Lycan Counters in Dota 2 to help you fight against him.
Most of Lycan’s abilities are centered around providing a stat boost to those around him. This gives all units under his control and allies in the vicinity greater damage and attack speed. Additionally, he can lower his enemies’ armor and attack damage which, can be quite advantageous in team fights.
One of the best things about Lycan is his ability to jungle well. His wolves allow him to tear down jungle creeps fast. This is also why he can take down Roshan by himself. He has a high attack damage output which combined with the mobility of Shapeshift, makes him a truly terrifying enemy.
As amazing as this hero is, he too has fallbacks. Early on in the game, Lycan requires a bit of support in the laning stage. Despite his Shapeshift ability, he has no way to protect himself and so relies on spell immunity to do so. The hero also has no disables and requires a lot of micro-management skills to properly utilize his pushing advantage.
Lycan
Banehallow is also known as the Lycan. He is a melee strength hero who utilizes his high physical damage and wolves to take down enemies. While he may not be as active in team fights, he can use them to his advantage to draw enemies to other lanes. Forcing them to defend towers that are under attack.
His first ability allows him to summon wolves. Two wolves spawn for a duration of 50 seconds. At the maximum level, these wolves have invisibility and cripple. Cripple has a proc chance of dealing DPS, move and attack speed slow on the enemy unit attacked. These wolves are highly valuable as they help Lycan attack enemy heroes and towers.
The second ability, Howl is a wide 2000 radius cast ability. It significantly lowers down the enemies’ armor and reduces their attack damage by up to 40%. This lasts up to 8 seconds and can put Lycan at an advantage against enemy heroes with high attack damage or armor.
Feral Impulse is a global cast that affects all units under Lycan’s control. Giving them a huge boost in HP regeneration and attack damage. This makes it easier for Lycan to command an army that can take down buildings quicker than any other hero in the game.
Lastly, Shapeshift is Lycan’s ultimate ability. It transforms him into a werewolf. Lycan gains a critical strike, high movement speed, increased night vision, additional health bonus, and increased chance of dealing critical damage. The form remains for a total of 28 seconds which is more than enough for Lycan to kill isolated supports and weak carry heroes. Making him an immediate threat for all enemy heroes.
Counters
Lycan can melt down towers, micro-manage his own army, and quickly end the game in his team’s favor. The only way to stop him from doing so is to play his counter heroes. This list will give you an insight into the Best Lycan Counters in Dota 2 to help you turn the tide in your favor.
Bristleback
Bristleback is a melee strength hero. His high armor and damage reduction abilities make it incredibly hard to kill him. His ability Quill Spray is an AoE that can damage or even kill all of Lycan’s summons within a few seconds. Stopping him from pushing down towers.
His Bristleback allows him to take on heavy attacks from Lycan without dying as he attacks him back. Instead, this triggers his Warpath, which only provides an advantage to Bristleback turning the situation against Lycan instead.
Enigma
Enigma is a powerful hero with an even more powerful ultimate ability that is capable of taking down an entire enemy team. Since Lycan will always be using his wolves to push down lanes, Enigma can cast Demonic Conversion on them. This instead converts them into Eidolons under Enigma’s control.
Without his wolves to help him push, Lycan loses a majority of his pushing capabilities. Also, Malefice stuns Lycan making it hard for him to engage or initiate a fight. Additionally, Midnight Pulse allows Enigma to create a safe area where Lycan would be at a disadvantage if he tried to initiate.
Lastly, Enigma’s Black Hole grabs hold of Lycan, sucking him into the Black Hole and dealing massive damage. Reducing his movement speed and restricting him from escaping. With no way to deal with this, he can be killed by Enigma’s allies.
Sven
Sven is a melee hero who has an AoE stun that can target Lycan and all of his summons at the same time. This ability coupled with his Great Cleave, allows Sven to kill all of Lycan’s wolves and summons easily. Stopping him from pushing down a lane and forcing him to retreat.
Warcry can be useful in increasing Sven and his allies’ armor against Lycan’s Howl. Allowing them to withstand his physical attacks more readily and help them fight back. Sven’s ultimate ability God’s Strength, can quickly kill Lycan if he is stunned or rooted, making him one of the Best Lycan Counters in Dota 2.
Axe
Axe is a powerful melee strength hero who baits his enemies into attacking him. The greater the number of enemies he baits, the more advantageous the fight turns out for him. Utilizing this benefit, Axe can bait Lycan and his wolves into attacking him by using Berseker’s Call.
Berserker’s Call can also work on Lycan when he is shapeshifted, keeping him in one place even if he has a Black King Bar.
The more Lycan and his wolves attack Axe, the greater the proc will be for Counter Helix. This can quickly kill all of Lycan’s summons and reduce his health to critical levels. At which point, Axe can finish him off with his ultimate. Lycan cannot escape using Shapeshift as it takes him 1 second to transform. During this time, Axe can easily kill him using Culling’s Blade.
Winter Wyvern
Winter Wyvern is an Intelligence support hero. This means that often, this hero will lane against Lycan and so can shut him down early on in the game. Following that, she can harass Lycan during the laning phase by using Splinter Blast to kill his summons while dealing heavy damage to him.
Cold’s Embrace heals allies against Lycan’s attacks, especially when he is shapeshifted. Often saving them from death and turning the tide against Lycan. Winter’s Curse can work against Lycan as all of his summons will begin attacking him instead. It also holds Lycan in one place which is dangerous for the hero.
Lycan gains maximum movement speed during Shapeshift, however, Arctic Burn can help Winter Escape as he can fly off. Making it very hard for Lycan to chase after her.
Earthshaker
Earthshaker is another great support hero who counters Lycan well. His abilities are mostly AoE stuns that can work against the high number of summons that Lycan may produce. He can use Fissure to take Lycan out of the fight and waste his Black King Bar or Shapeshift time duration.
Enchanted Totem stuns Lycan and all of his summonses in close combat, making it hard for him to continue attacking Earthshaker. Additionally, should Lycan be caught off guard with a high number of units, Earthshaker can kill him using Echo Slam. This threat alone can often have Lycan back off and not push towers unless Earthshaker is visible in another part of the map or dead.
Lycan is a very hard hero to deal with. By using the heroes in this list of Best Lycan Counters in Dota 2, you have a better chance of dealing with him. Saving you from countless lost matches and losing your MMR.
