Counterpicks of Templar Assassin in Dota 2

Templar Assassin, also known as Lanaya – is a popular character in the game Dota 2, commonly employed by both novices and seasoned players to dominate the middle lane of the map.

The choice for Templar Assassin is usually attributed to her impressive arsenal of magical abilities and increased mobility.

Lanaya is a tough hero to master, inexperienced players often make mistakes when playing Templar Assassin.

It's exceedingly challenging to face Templar Assassin in a one-on-one scenario. With strategic character development, Lanaya can annihilate all opposition successively within a short span.

It is of paramount importance to select heroes as counterpicks to Templar Assassin – characters who possess the ability to halt her in her tracks.

Templar Assassin is a self-reliant hero who doesn't require backing up. Utilized as a "carry" role in the team, Lanaya is a rare sight, as the Assassin finds it challenging to face-off against multiple opponents at once. However, as a mid-laner, the Assassin has proven to be commendable - in duels, Templar Assassin can conquer almost any enemy.

The trickiness when battling the Templar is the Assassin's invisibility. You never know where the Assassin is launching the attack, Lanaya always has the upper hand regarding initiative.

Templar doesn't require elongated monster slaying to accumulate experience points and gold and is ready from the early game stages to hold the mid. Templar Assassin retreats to the forest for brief farming - to upgrade abilities and acquire artefacts to increase damage. Usually, Lanaya gathers equipment for boosting attack speed, stunning enemies, and enhancing health points.

The low health points pool and lack of basic regeneration are the only shortcomings of this character.

Lanaya is armed with four abilities, which the hero develops and improves:

• "Refraction"- Complete invulnerability to penetrating damage for a short time and an increase of attack speed;
• "Meld"- The hero completely freezes and becomes invisible, the first attack on the enemy guarantees to inflict critical damage;
• "Psi Blades"- The hero creates psi swords, which can be used to strike through opponents;
• "Psionic Trap"- Assassin sets traps that slow down the enemy, teleport Lanaya, and keep the hero invisible.

"Psi Blades" is a passive ability; it does not require activation. The hero rarely employs the passive effect and refrains from battles against two or more opponents. Lanaya's character development is focused on upgrading invisibility and refraction abilities.

Lanaya is an excellent scout. The character is adept at tracking enemies and setting up traps that enhance visibility and remove the fog of war.

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When mapping out the counter pick of a Templar Assassin, players must strategize to groom their heroes for a midlane encounter with Lanaya.

Experts suggest launching an assault on the top-midder in conjunction with a supporter – going solo against this character can be risky. Even popular midders like Lina, Pudge, and Zeus often lose their dual encounters to the Assassin.

In the Midlane

Midlane counter picking of Templar depends on the ability to lift the "REFRACTION" effect. Once the Assassin's ability is activated, she becomes invincible for a brief period, ample time to gain the upper hand against the enemy.

Removing the effect is straightforward – just use heroes with periodic damage: Sniper, Jakiro, Batrider, Viper, Ember Spirit, Phoenix, Dark Seer. The challenge is, those who successfully counter the Templar Assassin tend not to fare well in the midlane. Upon Lanaya's demise, a high-damage dealing stand-in may step up and regain control of the midline.

The optimal approach when playing against Templar is engaging in the midlane with a supporting partner.

In the Lane

Lanaya in the lane is a rarity. A laning Assassin can be easily lured into skirmishes and defeated through numerical superiority. Tackling Lanaya in the lane is best done using tanks – heroes with enhanced health reserves and augmented physical damage armor: Dragon Knight, Troll Warlord, Ogre Magi, and Bane. Illusion characters also demonstrate decent results against Templar Assassin, as Lanaya wastes her abilities on them in vain.

The passive ability "Psionic Blades" doesn't pose much threat in direct confrontations, the Assassin utilizes this skill against monsters. With the help of this effect, Templar Assassin swiftly clears the Forest, boosting her talents. In duels, her passive effect can be neutralized using the Silver Edge artifact or any other dispel.

Statistics establishing the best heroes for countering Templar Assassin in Dota 2 can be determined by the win-rate parameter (the ratio of victories to losses in duel fights). The characters who have demonstrated superior results against the Assassin include:

1. Viper, who drenches Templar in poison sludge, dispels effects, and obstructs the farm with his slowing ability.
2. Outworld Devourer instantly deprives the Assassin's mana points, blocking any active abilities.
3. Batrider loads up Templar with debuffs, debilitating mobility and reducing attack speed.
4. While Venomancer sports a negative win rate, he performs impressively in a support role.
5. Jakiro sears Templar with his "LIQUID FIRE" magic. Jakiro, the dragon, is skilled at hunting down the Assassin and causing farming setbacks.

Duelling against Templar offers slim chances of success for Jakiro, but he metes out substantial damage to the enemy's towers and can "push" mid. The success rate against Assassin is influenced by the meticulously curated artefact and a well-devised strategy. According to win rate stats, Templar tends to take the mid-fights in her favour 62% of the time. Team efforts in attacking the Assassin increase the chances of success.

Templar Assassin's edge is her ability to counter virtually any hero 1v1. Dota 2 characters that fall easy prey to the Assassin include Puck, Anti Mage, Zeus, Nyx Assassin, Shadow Fiend, Clockwerk, Rubick, Lycan, Skywrath Mage, Lina, Earthshaker, and Tinker. Lanaya can take on any hero.

With stun-inducing artifacts available, the character can paralyze adversaries and disengage from complex confrontations conveniently. 

The Assassin is often played by seasoned users skilled in team communication. In perilous scenarios, Lanaya swiftly receives her allies' backing. With vampirism effects, regeneration, and mana recovery, Templar Assassin remains invincible to all heroes, excluding her counter-picks.

Choosing the correct gear and artifacts is a key success factor when battling against the Templar Assassin. Here are the best artefacts recommended by experienced gamers:

• Urn of Shadows - This budget-friendly artefact adds extra penetrating damage with each attack, quickly chipping away at "REFRACTION";
• Radiance causes the Assassin to miss and reduces his attack speed;
• Scythe of Vyse turns the enemy into a harmlessly comedic creature for 3.5 seconds, which is ample time to take out Lanaya, considering her low hit point count.

Support heroes can assemble the Ghost Scepter in the magic shop – an artefact that provides temporary invulnerability to penetrating damage. This item won't overrun the enemy, but it grants the opportunity to retreat or buy time while waiting for backup from allies.

The Templar Assassin is a formidable adversary and a potent mid-laner. Battling against the Assassin is challenging - when Lanaya's abilities are properly developed, she's nearly invincible in dueling engagements. To secure victory against this character, allied assistance is highly recommended along with carefully chosen counter-picks when facing off against the Templar.