Muerta is especially dangerous when enemies remain within her attack range during Pierce the Veil. She stops taking physical damage and shoots targets with magical attacks. But if you wait out her ultimate or prevent her from attacking freely, fighting becomes noticeably easier. We’ll explain which heroes to pick against Muerta, how to protect yourself from her damage, and how to play at different stages of the match.

Hero Characteristics

Dead Shot lets Muerta fire a ricocheting bullet and inflict fear. The Calling creates an area filled with spirits: they impede movement and inflict silence when they hit. Gunslinger grants additional attacks, speeding up farming and increasing her damage in fights. During Pierce the Veil, Muerta’s attacks deal magical damage, so high armor alone won’t protect you from them.

Muerta is strong when her allies keep enemies in place. She lacks mobility of her own: without items, it’s hard for her to quickly catch up with a retreating team or escape after a bad fight. She also depends on being able to attack continuously. Crowd control, magic resistance, and a timely retreat can waste most of her ultimate. Her ghost form does not make Muerta immune to spells.

Best Heroes Against Muerta

Muerta is usually considered a position 1 hero—a carry—although she is also picked as a support. Against the carry, protection from magical damage and the ability to wait out Pierce the Veil are especially important. Against the support, you need ways to reach her and avoid getting caught by the Dead Shot and The Calling combo.

Carry

  • Slark can escape targeted attacks with Shadow Dance and create distance with Pounce. During Muerta’s ultimate, he is better off preserving his health and returning to the fight later.
  • Wraith King forces Muerta to account for Reincarnation. If she uses Pierce the Veil on his first life, he’ll be able to continue fighting after resurrection against an ultimate that has already been spent.

Midlaner

  • Zeus deals magical damage from a distance and can attack Muerta with spells during Pierce the Veil. The key is to avoid her attacks and the silence from The Calling.
  • Lina can quickly deal a large amount of damage with spells before Muerta uses Black King Bar. Light Strike Array can also use up part of her ultimate’s duration by stunning her.

Offlaner

  • Axe holds Muerta in place with Berserker's Call, including while Black King Bar is active. Before she activates that item, Blade Mail can also return damage from her attacks. Axe himself needs enough health to survive the attack.
  • Centaur Warrunner helps the entire team retreat with Stampede when Muerta activates her ultimate. Hoof Stomp is useful for initiating an attack before she gets defensive items or after they wear off.

Support

  • Shadow Demon hides an ally with Disruption and takes away Muerta’s time to attack the chosen target. You need to assess the exit location in advance: if the entire enemy team is waiting nearby, one save won’t be enough.
  • Rubick lifts Muerta with Telekinesis and prevents her from attacking continuously while she has no protection against crowd control. Stolen Dead Shot and The Calling provide additional ways to hold her in place or cover allies’ retreat.

Hard Support

  • Oracle protects an ally from magical damage with Fate's Edict. Fortune's End can dispel the silence from The Calling, while False Promise gives them time to survive focus fire and receive healing.
  • Bane holds Muerta with Fiend's Grip even through Black King Bar. He needs to begin casting from a safe position so Muerta’s allies can’t interrupt the ultimate immediately.

What to Build Against Muerta

  • Black King Bar protects against Muerta’s crowd control and significantly reduces her magical damage. The item does not provide complete immunity to attacks during Pierce the Veil.
  • Glimmer Cape helps you survive magical damage and hide an ally from attacks if they haven’t been revealed. It’s useful for supports who need to save their team during Muerta’s ultimate.
  • Pipe of Insight gives the team protection from magical damage. It’s especially useful if Muerta’s allies also have a lot of offensive spells.
  • Force Staff helps you quickly get out of attack range and leave an unfavorable position inside The Calling.
  • Eul's Scepter of Divinity lets you lift yourself into the air, dispel silence, and wait out part of Pierce the Veil. If Muerta doesn’t have Black King Bar, you can lift her as well.
  • Blade Mail returns damage from attacks and forces Muerta to choose whether to keep attacking. Keep her Black King Bar in mind: while it’s active, returning magical damage won’t solve the problem.
  • Scythe of Vyse helps catch Muerta before she uses defensive abilities or after Black King Bar expires, and prevents her from starting to attack.

How to Play Against Muerta at Different Stages

Laning

Watch the direction of Dead Shot’s ricochet: creeps and trees can become a point from which the bullet is fired toward you. Don’t prolong trades inside The Calling, and keep a way to move away from the spirits. Muerta is easier to attack after she has used her abilities: she doesn’t have an innate jump. Pressure her together with your lane partner so she can’t simply shoot at one hero from a distance.

Midgame

Stop Muerta from freely clearing the jungle and large groups of neutral creeps. Before a fight, plan your retreat after Pierce the Veil: save Force Staff, a defensive ability, or a movement speed boost. If Muerta activates her ultimate and Black King Bar, don’t stay nearby without a good reason. Retreat, help an ally who has been caught, and return when her defenses have ended.

Late Game

Try to force Muerta to use her ultimate before your entire team gets into the fight. Supports should keep their distance from one another so a single combo doesn’t take away several of your saves at once. Check whether she has Refresher Orb: with it, Muerta can make another dangerous move. Once her key abilities and items have been spent, use crowd control and don’t let her regain a comfortable distance from which to attack.