In Dota 2, each hero boasts a distinctive ultimate ability that has the potential to drastically change the outcome of a match. These powerful moves are pivotal in determining a hero's role and effectiveness in different scenarios. In this analysis, we delve into the top ten game-changing ultimates, exploring their significance, the heroes associated with them, and strategic tips for both utilising and countering these abilities.
Black Hole - Enigma
Enigma is usually played as an off laner or jungler, focusing on farming essential items. His ultimate, Black Hole, is crucial for disabling multiple enemies during team fights.
Black Hole channels a vortex that pulls in and disables all nearby enemies, dealing damage over time.
Combos and Synergies:
Sand King's Epicenter
Amplifies damage within the Black Hole.
Gyrocopter's Call Down
Adds significant area damage to the mix.
Disruptor's Static Storm
Silences and damages enemies caught in the Black Hole.
Lina's Laguna Blade
Quickly finishes off key targets trapped in the Black Hole.
Leshrac's Pulse Nova
Consistently deals damage within the Black Hole.
Countermeasures:
Rubick
Can steal Black Hole and turn it against Enigma's team.
Silencer's Global Silence
Prevents Enigma from casting Black Hole.
BKB
Makes heroes immune to the disabling effect.
Abyssal Blade
Provides a stun to interrupt Enigma's channelling.
Force Staff
Helps allies escape the Black Hole's radius.
Chronosphere - Faceless Void
Faceless Void is a carry hero who primarily farms in the safe lane. His main objective is to build core items to maximize his damage output, then initiate fights with his ultimate to take down key enemies.
The Chronosphere creates a large, time-stopping dome, freezing all enemies and allies. Faceless Void can move and attack freely inside the dome.
Combos and Synergies:
Invoker's Cataclysm
Uses Sun Strikes on all enemies caught in the Chronosphere for massive damage.
Witch Doctor's Death Ward
Can channel his Death Ward outside the Chronosphere to damage trapped enemies.
Skywrath Mage's Mystic Flare
Deals immense magical damage to heroes in the Chronosphere.
Snapfire's Mortimer Kisses
Launches damaging projectiles into the dome.
Phoenix's Supernova
Provides a powerful follow-up, as enemies cannot attack the egg while frozen.
Countermeasures:
Linken's Sphere
Blocks the Chronosphere's initiation on critical targets.
Heroes like Puck
Can Phase Shift or Blink away to avoid being caught.
BKB (Black King Bar)
Provides magic immunity, allowing heroes to fight back or escape.
Disruptor's Static Storm
Silences Faceless Void, preventing him from casting Chronosphere.
Abyssal Blade: Can be used to stun Faceless Void before he casts Chronosphere.
Finger of Death - Lion
Lion is a support hero known for his powerful disables and high burst damage. His ultimate, Finger of Death, allows him to eliminate critical targets quickly.
Finger of Death is a single-target nuke that deals significant damage and can instantly kill squishy enemies.
Combos and Synergies:
Shadow Shaman's Shackles
Holds a target in place for Finger of Death.
Faceless Void's Chronosphere
Guarantees a safe target for Finger of Death.
Doom's Doom
Silences and turns off a target, making it easier to finish them off.
Earth Spirit's Geomagnetic Grip
Stuns and silences, setting up for Finger of Death.
Aghanim's Scepter
Allows Finger of Death to hit multiple targets.
Countermeasures:
BKB
Provides immunity to magical damage.
Pipe of Insight
Reduces incoming magic damage for the team.
Dazzle's Shallow Grave
Keeps allies alive through the burst.
Wraith King's Reincarnation
Revives after taking the lethal damage.
Heroes with high burst healing
Treant Protector's Living Armor can mitigate the damage.
Reverse Polarity - Magnus
Magnus is often seen in the off lane or mid lane roles, utilising his ultimate ability, Reverse Polarity, as a potent initiation tool. This ability draws all nearby enemies towards him, stunning them and setting them up for devastating damage.
Combos and Synergies:
Sven's God's Strength
Deals immense cleave damage to grouped enemies.
Earthshaker's Echo Slam
Capitalizes on clustered enemies for maximum impact.
Dark Seer's Vacuum
Ensures enemies are tightly grouped before Reverse Polarity.
Luna's Eclipse
Maximizes damage on stunned enemies.
Jakiro's Macropyre
Lays down a damaging path under the stunned enemies.
Countermeasures:
Oracle's False Promise
Saves allies from follow-up damage.
Ghost Scepter
Provides temporary physical immunity.
Outworld Devourer's Astral Imprisonment
Removes a key target from the fight.
Disruptor's Kinetic Field
Can trap Magnus, preventing him from initiating.
Heroes with mobility
eaver or Anti-Mage can avoid being caught by staying spread out.
Exorcism - Death Prophet
Death Prophet is a mid laner who excels in pushing and sustained team fights. Her ultimate, Exorcism, is vital to her ability to siege towers and win extended engagements.
Exorcism releases spirits that attack nearby enemies and structures, returning to heal Death Prophet based on the damage dealt.
Combos and Synergies:
Treant Protector's Overgrowth
Holds enemies in place while Exorcism spirits deal damage.
Tidehunter's Ravage
Ensures enemies are within range of Exorcism.
Faceless Void's Chronosphere
Keeps enemies immobilized within Exorcism's range.
Enigma's Black Hole
Holds enemies in place for maximum damage.
Winter Wyvern's Winter's Curse
Keeps enemies clumped together for Exorcism.
Countermeasures:
Heroes with high burst damage
Lion or Lina can quickly eliminate Death Prophet.
Silences
Prevent her from activating Exorcism, such as Silencer's Last Word.
Disables
Stuns or Hexes can interrupt her ultimate.
Burst damage items
Items like Ethereal Blade can quickly take her down.
Heroes with disengage abilities
Weaver or Puck can kite and avoid her spirits.
Primal Roar - Beastmaster
Beastmaster is an off laner known for his intense initiation and vision control. Primal Roar is essential for locking down key targets and disrupting team fights.
Primal Roar sends out a shockwave, stunning the primary target and knocking back others in its path.
Combos and Synergies:
Bane's Fiend's Grip
Provides additional control over the stunned target.
Hoodwink's Sharpshooter
Delivers significant follow-up damage.
Skywrath Mage's Mystic Flare
Provides burst magical damage to the stunned target.
Mirana's Sacred Arrow
Follows up the stun with another long-duration stun.
Juggernaut's Omnislash
Ensures Juggernaut can focus on the stunned target.
Countermeasures:
Linken's Sphere
Can block Primal Roar.
Heroes with mobility
Anti-Mage or Queen of Pain can avoid getting caught.
Force Staff
Provides an escape for allies from the roar's path.
Aeon Disk
Ensures the target survives the initial burst.
Heroes with saves
Oracle or Dazzle can keep the targeted ally alive.
Ravage - Tidehunter
Tidehunter is a tanky off laner. His ultimate, Ravage, is a powerful initiation tool that can turn the tide of team fights.
Ravage sends tentacles that stun and damage all nearby enemies.
Combos and Synergies:
Witch Doctor's Death Ward
Can freely channel his ultimate on stunned enemies.
Medusa's Stone Gaze
Keeps enemies in place after Ravage.
Phoenix's Supernova
Ensures enemies can't attack the egg while stunned.
Disruptor's Static Storm
Follows up with a silencing field.
Invoker's Chaos Meteor
Deals significant follow-up damage.
Countermeasures:
BKB (Black King Bar)
Negates the stun effect.
Heroes with high mobility
Storm Spirit or Ember Spirit can avoid the initial cast.
Lotus Orb
Reflects Ravage to Tidehunter.
Nyx Assassin's Spiked Carapace
Stuns Tidehunter when Ravage hits.
Silences
Prevent Tidehunter from casting Ravage.
Guardian Angel - Omniknight
Omniknight is a support or an off laner focused on protecting his team. Guardian Angel can make his team nearly invincible during crucial moments.
Guardian Angel grants all nearby allies massive physical damage immunity for a short duration.
Combos and Synergies:
Dazzle's Shallow Grave
Further prolongs ally survivability.
Juggernaut's Omnislash
Provides physical immunity while slashing through enemies.
Legion Commander's Duel
Guarantees a win by making her immune to physical attacks.
Oracle's False Promise
Keeps an ally alive while Guardian Angel is active.
Luna's Eclipse
Maximizes damage output while being immune to physical attacks.
Countermeasures:
Diffusal Blade
Can purge Guardian Angel.
Magic damage heroes
Leshrac or Zeus can ignore the physical immunity.
Silencer's Global Silence
Prevents Omniknight from casting Guardian Angel.
Nullifier
Dispels the effect of Guardian Angel.
Ancient Apparition's Ice Blast
Prevents healing from Guardian Angel.
Song of the Siren - Naga Siren
Naga Siren is versatile and played as a carry or support. Her ultimate, Song of the Siren, is excellent for initiating or disengaging from fights.
Song of the Siren puts all nearby enemies to sleep, allowing Naga Siren and her team to reposition or set up combos.
Combos and Synergies:
Disruptor's Static Storm
Combine with Song to ensure enemies can't cast spells.
Kunkka's Ghost Ship
This guarantees the ship will hit while enemies are asleep.
Enigma's Black Hole
Set up a perfect Black Hole while enemies are asleep.
Earthshaker's Echo Slam
Hit sleeping enemies with maximum effect.
Invoker's Sun Strike
Precisely hit multiple sleeping enemies.
Countermeasures:
BKB
Can prevent sleep.
Heroes with high mobility
Ember Spirit or Storm Spirit can escape before Song is cast.
Silences
Prevent Naga Siren from casting her ultimate.
Aeon Disk
Ensures survival through the setup phase.
Heroes with long-range disables
Keep her from using Song effectively.
Supernova - Phoenix
Phoenix is a support with high team-fight potential. Supernova can turn the tide of battles if the enemy fails to destroy it in time.
Supernova transforms Phoenix into a burning sun, stunning and damaging enemies if it completes without being destroyed.
Combos and Synergies:
Earthshaker's Echo Slam
Ensures enemies are immobilized while Supernova explodes.
Faceless Void's Chronosphere
Protects Supernova from being attacked.
Tidehunter's Ravage
Keeps enemies stunned, allowing Supernova to complete.
Magnus's Reverse Polarity
Groups enemies together for maximum effect.
Winter Wyvern's Winter's Curse
Forces enemies to attack each other instead of the egg.
Countermeasures:
High attack speed heroes
Troll Warlord or Sniper can destroy Supernova quickly.
Silences and stuns
Can prevent Phoenix from using Supernova.
BKB
Allows heroes to ignore the damage and attack the egg.
Aeon Disk
Ensures survival during the stun.
Heroes with burst damage
Quickly destroy Phoenix before it can use Supernova.