Chen is a support hero who controls neutral creeps and helps his team with global healing. His army puts early pressure on lanes, provides vision, and helps take down buildings quickly. In this article, we’ll look at Chen counters for each position, items to get against him, and ways to stop him at different stages of the game.
Hero Overview
With Holy Persuasion, Chen controls neutral creeps with various abilities. Penitence slows a target and amplifies allied attacks against it, while Hand of God heals his team across the map. Controlled units help Chen move quickly, attack towers, and create a numbers advantage.
The hero’s strength depends on his creeps and early tempo. AoE damage quickly wipes out his army, while pressuring Chen himself makes it harder for him to support his allies. If you stop the early push and deprive him of controlled units, he’ll have a harder time influencing the map.
Best Heroes Against Chen
Chen most often plays position 5—the hard support—and sometimes position 4—the support. His main strengths are controlled neutral creeps and global healing. AoE damage, fast pushing, and heroes who can reach Chen himself are useful against him.
Carry
- Medusa quickly clears groups of creeps with her attacks. Mana Shield helps her withstand the onslaught of Chen’s army.
- Sven deals damage to multiple units at once with Great Cleave and can quickly clear creeps from a lane.
Mid
- Death Prophet quickly pushes lanes and answers Chen’s early push. Her AoE abilities help clear controlled creeps.
- Leshrac deals AoE damage and quickly clears the lane of units. This makes it harder for Chen to use his army to pressure buildings.
Offlaner
- Underlord quickly clears waves and creeps with Firestorm. Pit of Malice helps stop Chen if he tries to initiate a fight.
- Dark Seer damages controlled units with Ion Shell and uses Surge to speed up allies so they can catch Chen or retreat.
Support
- Earthshaker can use the large number of Chen’s creeps to amplify Echo Slam. Fissure helps split up the army and block its path to allies.
- Jakiro clears units with AoE abilities and makes it harder for Chen to push down the lane.
Hard Support
- Keeper of the Light quickly clears lanes with AoE abilities and helps defend towers from an early assault.
- Winter Wyvern can stop enemies with Winter’s Curse and protect an ally from creep attacks with Cold Embrace.
What to Buy Against Chen
| Item | How It Helps Against Chen |
|---|---|
| Crimson Guard | reduces physical damage from attacks by Chen’s creeps and team |
| Shiva’s Guard | helps deal AoE damage and slows nearby enemies |
| Maelstrom and its upgrades | help clear controlled units faster |
| Radiance | deals damage to all nearby enemies and makes it harder for Chen’s creeps to attack a hero for long |
| Black King Bar | protects against many of Chen’s abilities and neutral creeps |
| Pipe of Insight | reduces magic damage dealt to its owner and nearby allies |
How to Play Against Chen at Different Stages
Laning
Kill Chen’s controlled creeps and don’t let them surround your hero. Pay attention to the abilities each unit has, and don’t stand next to an ally when they’re taking AoE damage. If Chen uses his creeps to apply pressure, use that time to counterattack.
Mid Game
Defend lanes together and don’t let Chen approach towers freely. It’s best to save AoE abilities for clearing his army. If you manage to find Chen himself without support, attack him quickly: without his creeps, it’s harder for him to escape and help his team.
Late Game
Even in the late game, Chen can still save his allies with Hand of God, so check whether his ultimate is ready before an important fight. Don’t spend all your damage on creeps if Chen or his carry is nearby. First eliminate the threat that’s hindering your team, then clear the remaining units.
