Dota 2 Magnus guide
Author: Hawk Live LLC
Last updated:
Magnus is a melee hero in Dota 2 with the ability to initiate, disable, nuke and escape. He has high base attack damage and a versatile skill set that makes him good at controlling the battlefield, changing the course of action using his powerful abilities.
Magnus Skills
Shockwave
Ability Type: Target Point
Affects: Enemies
Damage Type: Magical
Description: Magnus sends a wave of force in a straight line, dealing damage to enemies in its path.
Cast Animation: 0.3 + 0.84
Cast Range: 1000
Wave Distance: 1150
Damage: 90/160/230/300
Cooldown: 10/9/8/7
Mana Cost: 90/100/110/120
Skewer
Ability Type: Point Target
Affects: Enemies
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Magnus rushes forward, impaling enemies on his horn and dragging them along. Deals damage and slows enemies at the end of the dash.
Cast Animation: 0.3 + 0
Range: 900
Damage: 70/140/210/280
Slow Duration: 2.5
Cooldown: 25/22/19/16
Mana Cost: 80/90/100/110
Empower
Ability Type: Target Unit
Affects: Allies
Description: Magnus grants himself or an allied hero increased attack damage and a cleave effect, significantly boosting their damage output in fights.
Cast Animation: 0.3 + 0.5
Bonus Damage: 12%/24%/36%/48%
Cleave Damage: 20%/40%/60%/80%
Duration: 38
Cooldown: 12
Mana Cost: 40/50/60/70
Reverse Polarity
Ability Type: No Target
Affects: Enemies
Damage Type: Magical
Description: Magnus slams the ground, stunning and pulling enemies in front of him into a tight cluster, dealing damage.
Cast Animation: 0.3 + 0.3
Radius: 410
Stun Duration: 2.75/3.25/3.75
Damage: 50/125/200
Cooldown: 120/110/100
Mana Cost: 200/250/300
Skill Build for Magnus
Level | Skill |
|---|---|
1 | Empower |
2 | Skewer |
3 | Empower |
4 | Shockwave |
5 | Empower |
6 | Reverse Polarity |
7 | Empower |
8 | Shockwave |
9 | Shockwave |
10 | Talent |
11 | Shockwave |
12 | Reverse Polarity |
13 | Skewer |
14 | Skewer |
15 | Talent |
16 | Skewer |
17 | Talent |
18 | Reverse Polarity |
20 | Talent |
25 | Talent |
Talents
Level | Talent Option 1 | Talent Option 2 |
|---|---|---|
10 | +0.5s Shockwave Slow Duration | +10s Empower Duration |
15 | -7s Skewer Cooldown | +6 All Stats per hero hit with Reverse Polarity |
20 | +375 Skewer Range | +125 Shockwave Damage |
25 | +1s Reverse Polarity Stun Duration | +10% Empower Damage/Cleave |
Item Build for Magnus
Phase | Items |
|---|---|
Starting Items | Tango, Healing Salve, Iron Branch, Quelling Blade |
Early Game | Arcane Boots, Magic Wand, Bottle |
Mid Game | Blink Dagger, Echo Sabre |
Late Game | Aghanim's Scepter, Refresher Orb, Shiva's Guard, Heart of Tarrasque, Aghanim's Shard, Black King Bar |
Magnus's Counter Picks
Magnus is a powerful hero, but some heroes can counter his abilities effectively. Knowing these matchups can help in drafting and gameplay.
Best Against:
Phantom Assassin: Magnus's Empower allows allies to cleave through Phantom Assassin's evasive capabilities.
Lifestealer: Lifestealer struggles against Magnus's ability to reposition him with Skewer and disable him with Reverse Polarity.
Chaos Knight: Magnus's Empower and Shockwave can clear Chaos Knight's illusions quickly.
Counters:
Ancient Apparition: Ice Blast prevents Magnus from healing with items or abilities, making him more vulnerable in fights.
Ursa: Ursa's high burst damage can quickly eliminate Magnus before he has a chance to use his abilities.
Outworld Destroyer: Astral Imprisonment disrupts Magnus's initiation and reduces his mana, hindering his effectiveness in fights.
Conclusion
Magnus is a very dynamic and significant hero in Dota 2, able to change the outcome of battles with his eminent initiation and control powers. When players learn how to build around him as a hero, they get maximum effect out of him during game play. Keep track of updates so that you can be on top of your games playing Magnus knowing his strong points and weaknesses.
