Necrophos thrives in fights where his enemies' health gradually dwindles while his own is replenished. Trying to hit him for a long time without reducing his healing often comes to nothing, and he finishes off weakened heroes with his scythe. Let's go over Necrophos counters for every role, items to counter his survivability, and ways to keep him from dragging out the fight.

Hero's strengths and weaknesses

Death Pulse damages enemies and heals allies at the same time. Heartstopper Aura gradually drains the health of nearby enemies. Ghost Shroud protects Necrophos from physical attacks and helps him recover more effectively, but increases the magic damage he takes. Reaper's Scythe is especially dangerous to targets that have already lost a lot of health.

Necrophos is comfortable standing in the middle of a fight and weathering several waves of damage. However, he has no built-in jump, and surviving is much harder without his spells. Preventing healing takes away his biggest advantage, silence keeps him from casting Ghost Shroud in time, and a burst of magic damage can punish him for entering ghost form. Saving allies matters, too: a failed scythe greatly reduces the hero's impact in that particular fight.

Best heroes against Necrophos

Necrophos is usually picked in position 2—as a midlaner—or position 3—as an offlaner. Preventing health restoration, dealing magic damage, and abilities that help you survive Reaper's Scythe are all useful against him.

Carry

  • Muerta deals magic damage during Pierce the Veil and can hit Necrophos through Ghost Shroud. He won't be able to simply wait out her shots in ghost form.
  • Wraith King doesn't lose all his impact after dying to Reaper's Scythe if Reincarnation is available. He forces Necrophos to choose between using his ultimate on Wraith King's first life or looking for another target.

Midlaner

  • Leshrac deals a lot of magic damage with Pulse Nova and Split Earth. Against this kind of damage, Ghost Shroud can become an additional problem for Necrophos himself.
  • Lina can quickly burst down Necrophos with her spells before he gets defensive items. Light Strike Array gives her time to keep attacking, while Laguna Blade helps finish the target off before his next heal.

Offlaner

  • Doom prevents healing and the use of abilities with Doom. Under this effect, Necrophos won't be able to endlessly restore his health while being focused.
  • Night Stalker finds Necrophos and prevents him from casting spells with Crippling Fear. It's important to start with silence instead of letting the enemy activate Ghost Shroud and prepare a response first.

Support

  • Skywrath Mage keeps Necrophos at bay and applies Ancient Seal. With an ally's control, Mystic Flare can quickly deal damage before he gets defensive items.
  • Shadow Demon dispels Ghost Shroud with Demonic Purge. Disruption can hide an ally when Reaper's Scythe is about to take effect, as long as you cast the ability in time.

Hard support

  • Ancient Apparition blocks health restoration with Ice Blast. After it hits, the team can focus damage on Necrophos without worrying about him instantly healing back to full.
  • Oracle helps an ally survive the scythe with Fate's Edict or False Promise. Fortune's End can also dispel Ghost Shroud from the enemy and leave him vulnerable to physical attacks.

What to build against Necrophos

  • Spirit Vessel reduces healing and health restoration. Use it while accounting for any dispel Necrophos has available, or the effect will disappear quickly.
  • Nullifier dispels Ghost Shroud and prevents him from maintaining this protection for its duration. It's especially useful on a carry that deals most of its damage with attacks.
  • Shiva's Guard reduces the health restoration of nearby enemies. It suits a hero who can stay close to Necrophos during a fight.
  • Eye of Skadi reduces healing with attacks and helps keep the slow Necrophos within the carry's attack range.
  • Glimmer Cape helps protect an ally from the magic damage of Reaper's Scythe. It's important to use the item before the damage is dealt.
  • Wind Waker can lift an ally into the air and avoid scythe damage if used correctly. This is an expensive save option for the late game.
  • Linken's Sphere blocks the targeted cast of Reaper's Scythe. Keep in mind that enemies can use abilities and items to break the block beforehand.

How to play against Necrophos at different stages

Laning

Don't trade health without a plan: Necrophos can recover while last-hitting creeps. Try to deny him last hits and deal damage together with your lane partner. Once he reaches level six, don't stay nearby with low health. It's better to spend time healing than to give up a kill to his scythe.

Midgame

Decide who will buy Spirit Vessel and who will save the target of Reaper's Scythe. Start the attack with control or healing prevention instead of gradually using up all your spells. If you can't kill Necrophos quickly, keep your distance and attack his allies. Standing as a team right next to his aura without achieving anything is a bad trade.

Late game

Before a fight, check how Necrophos dispels negative effects and protects himself from physical attacks. Don't use up all your healing-reduction options before he gets his defensive items. Supports need to stay within range to save an ally, but outside the range of the enemy's initial control. Once his scythe has been used, you can play more aggressively if Necrophos can't cast it again with Refresher Orb.