Carry guide

His twin blades and abrupt Blinks sell a relentless hunter who turns empty mana bars into panic.

582 HP219 manaLevel 1

Anti-MageDota 2 hero

Anti-Mage is a mobile carry who punishes mana-dependent enemies through patient farming.

AgilityMelee

#36of 127 heroes
by pick rate

Pick rate: 10.3%
Hero win rate: 49.7%

Our game-phase read Editorial · impact 1–5

Source & our read · Sep 12, 2026

OpenDota · retrieved Sep 12, 2026. 390,471 Anti-Mage picks and 194,152 wins in approximately 3,780,175 rank-classified public matches. Excludes Turbo and pro stats. This is a sample, not all players.

Pick rate = hero picks ÷ estimated matches; win rate = hero wins ÷ hero picks. Estimated matches = all hero picks ÷ 10, following OpenDota’s calculation. Tied pick counts share a rank. The API does not provide observation timestamps.

Our impact scores · 1 low, 5 high
Early · 3/5	The early lane is fragile, so prioritize last hits and preserve enough health to stay near creeps.
Mid · 4/5	Battle Fury lets him clear waves and camps while Blink keeps risky farm routes available.
Late · 5/5	Late fights reward patience: drain a key target, force reactions, then Mana Void clustered enemies.

The Dota2Freaks take Editorial

Why pick Anti-Mage?

Pick Anti-Mage when enemies rely on mana and your team can protect greedy farming time.

When to think twice

Avoid Anti-Mage when your lineup lacks lane protection against early disables and tower pressure.

The usual mistake

Do not Blink into every fight; arrive after dangerous disables are shown or reflected.

Our picks · Carry

Anti-Mage item builds

Choose for the game in front of you.

Standard

Use this steady farming route when your team can create space and opponents have valuable mana pools.

01Starting
Secure lane last hits without losing health.
02Lane
Empty inventory slotEmpty inventory slot
Finish basic sustain and mobility.
03First core
Empty inventory slotEmpty inventory slotEmpty inventory slot
Accelerate farming with cleave.
04Mid game
Empty inventory slot
Create illusions for pressure and dispels.
05Late game
Add a reliable lockdown threat.
06Luxury
Replace a utility slot with a decisive damage item.

Battle FuryCleave and regeneration let Anti-Mage farm waves and nearby camps quickly.

How to use these builds

These are our editorial build paths. Labels describe their purpose, not measured popularity or win rate. Click an item for its use. Each stage is an inventory snapshot: keep earlier items, use consumables, upgrade components, and replace small items as space runs out. Boots, defenses, and late slots can change with the draft.

More match and build examples: Dota 2 Pro Tracker. Item names and images: Valve.

The draft check

Friends & counters

Our picks, based on how the spells work together.

5 friends to play with

Crystal Maiden

Arcane Aura sustains allied mana, while Frostbite can hold a drained enemy in Anti-Mage's attack range.

Vengeful Spirit

Magic Missile starts a kill, and Nether Swap can reposition a target toward Anti-Mage.

Warlock

Fatal Bonds spreads damage during clustered fights, making a well-placed Mana Void more threatening.

Earthshaker

Earthshaker’s stuns hold a target in place while Anti-Mage attacks and burns mana.

Shadow Fiend

Shadow Fiend's armor reduction raises physical follow-up damage after Anti-Mage reaches a target.

5 counter picks to watch

Viper

Viper Strike disables passives, removing Mana Break and Counterspell's passive resistance while slowing attacks.

Axe

Berserker's Call forces Anti-Mage to attack a high-armor Axe, inviting Counter Helix damage and Culling Blade.

Pudge

Meat Hook can pull Anti-Mage from a safe position, and Dismember prevents Blink while it channels.

Slardar

Corrosive Haze supplies vision and armor reduction, making it hard for Anti-Mage to escape or survive physical attacks.

Earthshaker

Fissure’s stun delays Blink, and nearby Manta illusions provide additional targets for Echo Slam.

About these picks

These are useful ability interactions, not a statistical ranking or guaranteed matchups. Positioning, items, and cooldowns change the result. Hero links open a full guide when available, otherwise the directory.

Ability references from Valve: Crystal Maiden · Vengeful Spirit · Warlock · Earthshaker · Shadow Fiend · Viper · Axe · Pudge · Slardar · Earthshaker. Checked 2026-09-21.

The buttons

QWER · open for spell values

Mana BreakPassiveAttacks burn enemy mana and deal extra damage based on the mana burned.

Mana: —
Trigger cooldown: 0s
Flat mana burned per hit: 25 / 30 / 35 / 40

BlinkPoint targetTeleports a short distance to approach a target, cross terrain or escape.

Mana: 60 / 55 / 50 / 45
Cooldown: 10.5 / 9 / 7.5 / 6s
Blink range: 875 / 950 / 1025 / 1100

CounterspellNo targetPassively grants magic resistance. Activate before a targeted spell connects to block and reflect it.

Mana: 50
Cooldown: 15 / 11 / 7 / 3s
Passive magic resistance: 14 / 21 / 28 / 35%

Mana VoidUltimateDamages the target and nearby enemies based on the target’s missing mana, briefly stunning the primary target.

Mana: 100 / 150 / 200
Cooldown: 100 / 85 / 70s
Damage per missing mana: 1

Base stats & innate Level 1 · no items

Strength21+1.6 / lvl

Agility25+2.8 / lvl

Intelligence12+1.8 / lvl

Attack damage: 54–58
Armor: 6.2
Move speed: 315
Magic resist: 25%
Attack range: 150
Base attack time: 1.4s
Health regen: +3.6000001/s
Mana regen: +0.6/s

PersecutorInnate · passive

Attacks slow enemies whose mana is low. The slow becomes stronger as the target loses more mana.

DOTA2FREAKS GUIDE · REVIEWED Sep 21, 2026

Dota 2 Anti-Mage guide: carry builds, abilities and tips

Anti-Mage is a mobile carry who punishes mana-dependent enemies through patient farming.

What role does Anti-Mage play in Dota 2?

Anti-Mage is a melee Agility hero. Our recommended role is carry.

Anti-Mage is a carry who turns enemy mana into damage, slows, and a potential Mana Void finish. He prefers dispersed farm over early brawls. Decide whether a nearby fight offers a drained target; otherwise Blink to another wave and preserve your deathless farming rhythm.

How to play Anti-Mage in Dota 2

Anti-Mage laning and early decisions
Start with Quelling Blade, agility, and regeneration, then focus on secure last hits rather than forcing trades. Mana Break discourages spell-heavy opponents, but Anti-Mage remains fragile. If supports leave the lane, pull back toward your tower, keep Blink available, and spend health only for important creeps.
Anti-Mage positioning and teamfights
Enter fights after enemies reveal disables or commit toward another ally. Blink onto a mana-dependent backliner, attack until Persecutor slows them, then decide whether Mana Void can hit nearby enemies. Counterspell is strongest against a predictable targeted spell, not as a reflex after danger lands.
Dota 2 Anti-Mage item build decisions
Battle Fury is the default farming commitment because cleave clears waves and camps between Blinks. Manta Style adds split pressure and a basic dispel. Choose Abyssal Blade for a held target, Black King Bar against layered disables, or Monkey King Bar when evasion stops essential attacks.

Dota 2 Anti-Mage tips and ability interactions

D2F ADVICE

Anti-Mage: Burn mana before the finishing cast

Attack the intended Mana Void target first whenever it is safe. Missing mana determines the damage for the primary target and nearby enemies, so a few Mana Break hits can change a small pickoff into a dangerous clustered punishment.

Anti-Mage: Blink through a projectile window

Watch for an incoming projectile and Blink before it connects when an escape route is prepared. This can dodge the projectile, but careless Blink use leaves Anti-Mage vulnerable to the next disable and removes his safest farming exit.

Anti-Mage: Reflect the spell that starts the chain

Activate Counterspell before an expected targeted disable rather than after it arrives. A reflected opening spell can disrupt the enemy initiation, while the passive magic resistance is disabled by Break and cannot be relied on against such effects.

Dota 2 Anti-Mage ability mechanics

Key Anti-Mage mechanics · Valve snapshot Sep 21, 2026
Detail	What it means in your game
Mana Break	Attacks burn enemy mana and deal extra damage based on the mana burned.
Blink	Teleports a short distance to approach a target, cross terrain or escape.
Counterspell	Passively grants magic resistance. Activate before a targeted spell connects to block and reflect it.

Dota 2 Anti-Mage FAQ

Which role should Anti-Mage play in Dota 2?

Anti-Mage is primarily a carry. He needs farm because his mobility and Battle Fury let him collect dangerous waves, then he uses mana pressure and item scaling to threaten key enemy heroes.

Which items should Anti-Mage buy in Dota 2?

Battle Fury is the normal first core when space exists. Choose an earlier Diffusal Blade only when repeated skirmishes matter immediately and delaying large-scale farm will cost your team too much map control.

Is Anti-Mage suitable for Dota 2 beginners?

Keep Blink ready while farming exposed lanes. Push a wave quickly, check nearby enemies, and Blink into trees or toward allies before opponents arrive. Farming one extra creep is rarely worth losing your escape route.

How should you use Anti-Mage's ultimate in Dota 2?

Mana Void damages its main target and surrounding enemies according to mana missing from the primary target, then mini-stuns that target. Burn mana first, but do not cast merely because several enemies stand together if the primary target still has mana.

Next pick?