Lycan is a hero who moves quickly across the map and attacks enemies alongside his wolves. His summoned units help apply pressure to lanes, while Shapeshift gives him the speed to chase and launch surprise attacks. In this article, we’ll look at Lycan’s strengths and weaknesses, choose counter picks for each role, list useful items, and explain how to stop his push at different stages of the game.
Hero Characteristics
Lycan is dangerous because he doesn’t wait for his team to group up for long: his wolves and empowered carry can show up under a tower early and take it down quickly. Howl helps his allies deal more damage, while Shapeshift lets Lycan and his team chase a target at high speed. If opponents don’t defend or change their positioning on the map, he quickly takes objectives and cuts off access to safe farm.
On the other hand, Lycan’s strength depends largely on his summoned units and his ability to force a fight quickly.
- Wolves can be killed with area-of-effect abilities.
- The hero himself can be held down with control and slows.
Lycan struggles when his team refuses to fight on his terms and takes objectives on the opposite side of the map. Don’t try to chase him alone during Shapeshift: it’s better to defend a structure or fall back to your allies.
Best Heroes Against Lycan
Lycan is most often picked in position 3, the offlane. The counter picks below are divided among five roles and can either clear the field of wolves or help you survive Lycan’s rapid approach.
Carry
- Phantom Lancer creates illusions and can make it hard for Lycan to choose a target. Doppelganger helps dodge an attack, while the numerous copies make it difficult for the wolves to focus on the hero himself.
- Sven deals area damage with Great Cleave and clears out wolves quickly. Storm Hammer can stop Lycan after Shapeshift if the team is ready to follow up with more control.
Mid
- Leshrac clears waves quickly and deals damage to groups of summoned units. He helps defend towers and forces Lycan to spend time attacking again instead of advancing across the map.
- Earthshaker can punish Lycan and his wolves with Echo Slam’s area damage. Fissure slows their advance and blocks paths. Don’t use your ultimate on a single wolf if the entire enemy team might be nearby.
Offlaner
- Underlord reduces the attack damage of enemies with Atrophy Aura and clears waves quickly. Pit of Malice limits Lycan’s and the wolves’ movement around a tower, helping the team buy time.
- Beastmaster uses his own summoned units and Primal Roar to stop Lycan. He can provide vision for the team and prevent the enemy from approaching a structure unimpeded.
Support
- Winter Wyvern slows the push and protects an ally from physical attacks with Cold Embrace. Winter’s Curse can turn Lycan’s wolves and allies against him if the team is grouped together.
- Jakiro clears waves with area abilities and slows enemies. Ice Path can hold Lycan under a tower, while Macropyre creates a dangerous zone that’s difficult for the team to cross.
Hard Support
- Treant Protector protects structures with Living Armor and slows Lycan’s advance. Overgrowth holds several targets at once, giving allies time to kill the wolves or retreat.
- Ogre Magi helps the team survive physical attacks and applies slows and stuns. Fireblast can be saved for Lycan when he approaches the supports.
What to Build Against Lycan
| Item | How It Helps Against Lycan |
|---|---|
| Crimson Guard | reduces physical damage from wolves and is useful when defending towers |
| Shiva’s Guard | slows Lycan and his summoned units, making it harder for them to switch targets quickly |
| Heaven’s Halberd | temporarily disarms Lycan or another physical damage carry if the target isn’t protected from the effect |
| Gleipnir | holds Lycan and his wolves in place so the team has time to deal damage |
| Black King Bar | lets a core withstand some control and avoid retreating as soon as Lycan begins his attack |
How to Play Against Lycan at Different Stages
Laning
In lane, don’t let the wolves attack your hero and creeps at the same time without being punished. Use area abilities and kill summoned units when it’s safe. Don’t spend all your resources on Lycan himself if his wolves are still pressuring the lane. Keep track of Shapeshift’s level and retreat early if the hero gets a chance to close the gap quickly.
Midgame
In the midgame, Lycan will look for a chance to quickly take down a tower or catch an isolated hero. Keep vision on the lanes, and don’t group up as a team to defend every objective if you can take a structure on the other side of the map. Before defending, make sure your team has area damage and control. Don’t chase Lycan alone when he uses Shapeshift to retreat.
Late Game
In the late game, assign roles when defending: who clears the wolves, who holds Lycan down, and who deals damage to the structure. Don’t give him a free path to your base while a fight is taking place elsewhere on the map. Save area abilities for when Lycan pushes forward with his summoned units. If his ultimate has ended, the team can catch him and turn the fight around.
