Updated on September 29, 4:22 p.m. (GMT+8): Updated relevancy based on recent Dota 2 patches.
Marci, the breakout star from DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, packs a punch beneath her adorable facade.
In Dota 2, she’s a terrifying initiator that can seemingly Rebound from screens away to Dispose her enemies into bad positions. Sidekick, while initially underwhelming, becomes a solid damage and lifesteal boost later in the game. And Unleash showcases her full potential, letting her dole out a flurry of punches to any in her path.
But even the strongest of anime heroines can be beaten. Here are the five best Marci counters across a variety of positions and roles.
The five best Marci counters
- Troll Warlord
- Pangolier
- Dark Willow
- Winter Wyvern
- Earthshaker
Troll Warlord
Most heroes can’t outlast Marci. But then, most heroes aren’t Troll Warlord.
Jah’rakal is the man literally too angry to die, and he’s one of the best counters to Marci. Melee Whirling Axes gives Marci a heavy miss chance whenever she plans to attack him, and its ranged form gives him chasing power to hunt down the heroine.
Even when Marci gets a Black King Bar, Troll’s ultimate Battle Trance means he’s one of the few heroes that can tank Marci’s outburst. With the included lifesteal, Troll might even find himself at full health against Marci — who will be in trouble once her Unleash runs out.
Pangolier
Marci likes her targets to stand still. Pangolier, generally, refuses to do so.
It’s really difficult to lock a Pangolier down. Marci’s initiation is telegraphed, since it requires her (usually) to Rebound off an ally, then use Dispose. Pangolier can escape easily with Swashbuckle, or use an instant Roll Up, using spell immunity to completely nullify Marci’s initiations.
Furthermore, Pangolier’s Rolling Thunder is a good way to disrupt Marci’s preferred fighting style. Causing chaos around the battlefield in a spell immune ball is the opposite of standing still, and Marci will have to wait and watch, or catch Pangolier asleep.
Dark Willow
Dark Willow is one of the few supports that are generally resistant to direct right-click damage, thanks to Shadow Realm. Plus, her plethora of lockdown skills in Bramble Maze and Cursed Crown can help deter Marci, who wants to be in the thick of things, forcing the brawler to only commit when she has a Black King Bar.
Both of Willow’s ultimates counter Marci in different ways. Bedlam is good against heroes who want to get up close and personal — and combining this with Shadow Realm also gives Mireska an opportunity to deal a ton of damage to Marci before she even gets to hit anything.
Terrorize forces Marci away from the field of battle. If used after she uses Rebound or Unleash, Willow can take away precious mobility and seconds of her ultimate that Marci will much rather spend punching away.
Winter Wyvern
Winter Wyvern’s long-range nature makes it difficult for Marci to find support. Splinter Blast and Arctic Burn can affect Marci from outside of her initiation range, letting Auroth safely cast spells from the backline.
Cold Embrace is a perfect counter to Marci’s shenanigans, rendering a few bouts of Unleash useless.
Since Marci generally wants to have allies around her to use Rebound and Sidekick, Winter’s Curse turnaround potential skyrockets. Generally, Marci’s engagement will see several of her allies follow up — a perfect opportunity to counter with Wyvern’s ultimate.
Earthshaker
Earthshaker is still the king of lockdown. Since he mostly stays hidden, it can be difficult for Marci to find him lurking. Like Wyvern, once Marci initiates, Raigor can instantly counter with Echo Slam or Fissure, preventing Marci and her team from doling out damage.
Even if Earthshaker gets caught, he’s a relatively resilient support that just might be able to survive one or two rounds of Marci’s barrage. His new Aghanim’s Shard grants him a way to free path through his Fissure, giving him a way out even when trapped.
READ MORE: How to counter Medusa in Dota 2
