Kez is a mobile melee hero who switches between two stances and gains different sets of abilities. He can quickly dive into a fight, deal a lot of damage, and keep fighting thanks to health regeneration. In this article, we’ll look at Kez’s strengths and weaknesses, which heroes to pick in each role, which items work against him, and how to counter him at every stage of the match.

Hero Overview

Switching weapons allows Kez to use his katana and sai abilities. His mobility lets him choose the right moment to attack and quickly switch targets. His katana-stance abilities help him deal damage and keep an enemy in place, while Raptor Dance can restore health and make Kez immune to some effects while it is active. That’s why it’s important not to let him drag out a fight if your team isn’t ready to follow up yet.

Kez is dangerous when he picks his own target and initiates the fight. If you disable him before he uses Raptor Dance, or interrupt his ultimate, he loses a significant amount of survivability. Kez is very dependent on tempo: early kills give him room to apply pressure, while a drawn-out game without an advantage can limit his impact. Coordinate your disables and don’t let him hunt isolated heroes with impunity.

Best Heroes Against Kez

Kez is most often picked as a carry, or position 1, or in the mid lane. The counters below are divided across the five roles. When choosing a hero, consider whether your team has enough disables to interrupt Raptor Dance and a way to survive his initial damage.

Carry

  • Faceless Void can catch Kez in Chronosphere, giving allies time to deal damage before he can use Raptor Dance. Time Walk helps avoid a counterattack. Don’t use your ultimate while Kez can escape or his allies can disrupt the fight.
  • Ursa is strong against Kez in close combat and quickly builds up damage with attacks. Enrage helps him withstand some disables and counterattack damage, while Earthshock lets him chase his target. It’s best to engage after Kez has spent his mobility abilities.

Mid

  • Queen of Pain dodges attacks with Blink and deals damage without letting Kez force a trade. She can chase him after a failed initiation, but should avoid close combat if Kez has all his abilities ready.
  • Huskar pressures Kez in lane and forces him to spend resources on recovery. Life Break helps him quickly initiate a fight, while Inner Fire knocks the enemy back and can interrupt an ability. Huskar should avoid entering a fight at critically low health without team support.

Offlane

  • Beastmaster stops Kez with Primal Roar, including when he expects to survive the disable thanks to a defensive item. Axes help the team deal damage from a distance. Watch your positioning: Kez may try to take out Beastmaster first.
  • Primal Beast can charge into a fight and hold a target with Pulverize. If Kez uses Raptor Dance, having a disable ready helps interrupt it and prevent him from restoring health.

Support

  • Shadow Demon saves an ally from an attack with Disruption and gives the team a chance to wait out the dangerous moment. Demonic Purge slows Kez, and its upgraded version can help counter his passive effects.
  • Vengeful Spirit changes Kez’s position with Nether Swap and can pull him away from the target he is attacking. Wave of Terror reduces armor, while her stun helps the team catch him after he has used his mobility.

Hard Support

  • Winter Wyvern protects an ally from physical attacks with Cold Embrace and can stop Kez with Winter’s Curse. Save your defensive ability for when Kez has already closed in on his target.
  • Oracle supports an ally with False Promise and helps them survive focus fire. Fate’s Edict reduces incoming magical damage, while Fortune’s End can dispel negative effects and set up a counterattack.

What to Buy Against Kez

  • Heaven’s Halberd temporarily prevents Kez from attacking if he isn’t protected from the effect.
  • Ghost Scepter helps you survive physical damage when Kez tries to quickly take out a support.
  • Force Staff lets you push an ally away from Kez or get yourself out of a dangerous area.
  • Scythe of Vyse provides reliable disable and helps interrupt abilities before Kez activates his defenses.
  • Glimmer Cape helps hide an ally and survive the initial damage if Kez hasn’t acquired detection yet.

How to Play Against Kez at Different Stages

Laning

In lane, don’t give Kez a favorable trade while his mobility abilities are ready. Watch for stance switches, and don’t chase him under his tower after a brief skirmish. If Kez uses an ability to attack, use that window to keep him away from the creeps or regain control of the lane. Supports should stay near the ally Kez could attack quickly.

Mid Game

Kez is especially dangerous in the mid game when he can surprise isolated heroes. Place vision and stay close to allies before farming a dangerous lane. Don’t use all your stuns before Kez uses Raptor Dance: if he starts his ultimate, try to interrupt it or move out of its area of effect. After Kez’s failed initiation, immediately counterattack while his abilities are on cooldown.

Late Game

In the late game, don’t let Kez pick a target without your team responding. Spread your disables across multiple heroes so that one effect isn’t your only way to stop him. Save defensive items for the ally Kez jumps on first. If he uses Raptor Dance, don’t attack him indiscriminately while the defensive effect is active; wait for it to end, then continue the fight.