Witch Doctor counter and synergy picks
Pick Witch Doctor with Wraith King to increase win-rate from 53.6% to 60.6% or against Monkey King to increase win-rate to 60.5% in Patch 7.39b.
Good with...
...based on stats [7.39b]
| Hero | Change in Win Rate ▼ |
|---|---|
7.0% | |
6.6% | |
4.9% | |
4.7% | |
4.6% | |
4.6% | |
4.3% | |
2.4% | |
2.4% | |
2.4% | |
2.3% | |
2.2% | |
2.2% | |
2.2% | |
2.2% |
...based on gameplay [7.39b]
Faceless Void’s Chronosphere creates the perfect zone for Witch Doctor to fully channel Death Ward from a safe distance. Witch Doctor can deal massive damage to frozen enemies with no risk of interruption. Maledict cast before or during the Chrono amplifies the burst even more, often guaranteeing kills.
Magnus's Reverse Polarity groups enemies tightly, ideal for Cask bounces, Maledict, and Death Ward. The brief stun from RP ensures Witch Doctor can set up his combo cleanly. Enemies caught in the AoE often can't escape the follow-up burst.
Black Hole holds enemies in place long enough for a full Death Ward and Maledict combo. Even tanky heroes melt to the physical and magical damage combo during Black Hole. Witch Doctor can stand at a distance and deliver uninterrupted channeling.
Vacuum into multiple enemies enables perfect Paralyzing Cask bounces and Maledict application. A well-timed Death Ward during grouped-up enemies can cause massive teamfight wins. Dark Seer’s Ion Shell also helps Witch Doctor survive early skirmishes.
Ravage provides a long AoE stun, giving Witch Doctor enough time to safely cast Maledict and channel Death Ward. Tidehunter’s frontline presence also draws attention away from Witch Doctor. This duo thrives in chaotic teamfights with layered AoE.
Disruptor's Kinetic Field + Static Storm traps multiple heroes in one spot. It silences enemies, preventing them from cancelling Death Ward while Witch Doctor unloads damage. This combo is particularly deadly against squishy or mobile backliners.
Overgrowth roots all enemies in place, giving Witch Doctor time to unleash Death Ward in peace. Treant’s Living Armor also helps keep Witch Doctor alive in ganks and skirmishes. Together, they offer excellent crowd control and sustain.
Clock’s Hookshot + Power Cogs traps enemies for a long duration. Witch Doctor can cast Maledict and Death Ward outside the cogs, safely dishing out damage. Clockwerk's constant aggression enables Witch Doctor’s high-damage follow-ups.
Slardar’s Slithereen Crush provides a reliable AoE stun for Death Ward setup. His Corrosive Haze reduces armor, amplifying the physical damage of Death Ward. They form a strong pickoff and teamfight duo, especially when ganking squishy cores.
Pudge’s Meat Hook and Dismember isolate targets, giving Witch Doctor time to land Maledict and Cask. A hooked target is often deleted instantly if Death Ward is used correctly.
Pudge tanks the front line while Witch Doctor deals the damage safely from behind.
...core items [7.39b]
A core Boots upgrade to have some much needed mana sustain as your impact is highly reliant on your current mana pool.
A core defensive item that lets you or a teammate become invisible and get out of trouble. Can also be cast on yourself while channeling Death Ward to become untargetable without detection.
A core item that provides offensive and defensive traits. It can either be used in alternative to Death Ward to deal damage or it can be used to dodge projectiles and buy you some time out of trouble.
A core item to massively increase your AoE damage output in teamfights through Death Ward. Can win you the teamfight on its own if the enemy team lets you channel your ultimate for its full duration.
A core item that offers debuff immunity and magic resistance during your Death Ward channel time.
A core item that maintains your kill threat on the map more often by reducing the cooldown of all your spells and items.
Good against...
...based on stats [7.39b]
| Hero | Change in Win Rate ▼ |
|---|---|
6.9% | |
6.5% | |
6.1% | |
5.5% | |
5.5% | |
4.9% | |
4.8% | |
3.9% | |
3.8% | |
3.7% | |
3.6% | |
3.1% | |
3.0% | |
2.8% | |
2.5% |
...based on gameplay [7.39b]
Witch Doctors Paralyzing Cask does additional damage to creeps.
Visage's Familiars will work as a tool to setup a perfect Paralyzing Cask on him and receive additional damage.
Beastmasters units will take additional damage from Paralyzing Cask as well as being a tool to set him up for a kill.
Maledict punishes him for initiating. Axe wants to take damage to taunt enemies, which synergizes badly when Maledict is ticking.
Lacks mobility and sustain against Death Ward. Witch Doctor can zone Viper with Cask and Maledict during laning phase.
Huge HP pool makes Maledict very effective. He’s vulnerable during Hoof Stomp windup and is relatively immobile.
Maledict and Death Ward punish grouped Meepos. Cask bounces between clones very effectively.
Paralyzing Cask interrupts Static Link channeling. He also has no hard disable to cancel Death Ward easily.
Very tanky, but Maledict hurts him badly during Tombstone fights. He lacks ways to cancel your Death Ward.
Has no disable to stop Death Ward, and Maledict can burst heroes even through Guardian Angel since it's magical
Long duration Maledict is good versus his big HP pool. Dragon knight fronts line for his team death ward is effective once dragon knights uses his stun.
Bad against...
...based on stats [7.39b]
| Hero | Change in Win Rate ▲ |
|---|---|
-13.2% | |
-11.3% | |
-10.3% | |
-10.3% | |
-9.8% | |
-9.8% | |
-9.8% | |
-9.6% | |
-9.2% | |
-9.1% | |
-8.8% | |
-8.5% | |
-7.6% | |
-7.4% | |
-7.3% |
...based on gameplay [7.39b]
Puck can easily dodge your Paralyzing cask and Maledict as well as Silence you during Death Ward.
Templar's Reflection uses instances to negate damage and all of Witch Doctors spells are instance damage. Witch Doctor also has low armor which Templar Assassin can reduce even further with Meld.
Anti-Mage can easily deflect your predictable Paralyzing Cask and set you up for a kill, in addition he can blink away from trouble or blink in pre-emptively with Counter Spell.
Her Mana Shield makes her hard to kill with Death Ward or Maledict. She also outlasts long fights where Witch Doctor is most dangerous.
Constant mobility and spell immunity during Rolling Thunder make it hard for Witch Doctor to channel Death Ward or land Cask and Maledict effectively.
– When she activates Pierce the Veil, she becomes immune to physical damage, completely negating Death Ward. She can also burst Witch Doctor quickly.
Chronosphere completely disables Witch Doctor, often catching him before he can cast Death Ward. Void also excels at bursting supports.
Can sneak up and silence Witch Doctor with Smoke Screen and Tricks of the Trade, preventing spellcasting. Hard to detect pre-dust/gem.
Can shift strength to survive Maledict and Death Ward. Once he gets his core items, he can burst Witch Doctor in seconds.
Blink + Burrowstrike cancels Death Ward easily. His Sandstorm forces Witch Doctor to buy detection. SK's magic damage bursts him fast.
Death Ward and Maledict deal little due to his Bristleback passive and high tankiness. He excels in drawn-out fights.He can use blade mail to kill witch doctor during death ward channeling .
Nearly impossible to hit with Paralyzing Cask or Maledict due to Phase Shift and high mobility. Puck can silence and burst you easily.
...counter items [7.39b]
Gives you movement speed to close the gap on Witch Doctor and get away from allies when targeted by Paralyzing Cask. Also lets you run out of the Death Ward attack range.
Gives you movement speed to close the gap on Witch Doctor and get away from allies when targeted by Paralyzing Cask. Also lets you run out of the Death Ward attack range.
Lets you absorb a massive instance of damage from Paralyzing Cask and Maledict.
Gives you magic resistance to significantly reduce the damage taken from Witch Doctor's spells except for Death Ward.
Gives you HP sustain to stay in the lane and not get zoned by Witch Doctor's high damage from spells and right clicks.
Lets you return Paralyzing Cask back onto Witch Doctor and possibly interrupt Death Ward from the stun.
Gives you and your team magic resistance and barrier to significantly reduce the damage taken from Witch Doctor's spells except for Death Ward.
Gives you magic resistance to significantly reduce the damage taken from Witch Doctor's spells except for Death Ward.
Gives you debuff immunity and magic resistance to avoid the Paralyzing Cask stun as well as reduce the damage taken from Witch Doctor's spells except for Death Ward.
Gives you magic resistance and barrier to significantly reduce the damage taken from Witch Doctor's spells except for Death Ward as well as save yourself or an ally from Death Ward attacks.
Gives you a repositioning tool to close the gap on Witch Doctor as well as push yourself or an ally out of the Death Ward attack range.
Lets you protect yourself against Death Ward attacks in Ethereal form.
Allows you to cancel witch doctor death ward channel if your hero lacks stuns,can be used to save yourself, upgrade to wind waker to save allies.
Bad with...
...based on stats [7.39b]
| Hero | Change in Win Rate ▲ |
|---|---|
-6.6% | |
-5.9% | |
-5.9% | |
-5.4% | |
-5.1% | |
-4.8% | |
-4.8% | |
-4.7% | |
-4.7% | |
-4.6% | |
-4.5% | |
-4.5% | |
-4.2% | |
-4.0% | |
-3.5% |
