Grimstroke/Counters

Bad against...

 * can potentially out-heal the damage over time from Ink Swell and Phantom's Embrace.
 * can break Soul Bind if used correctly.


 * dispels the stun from Ink Swell, and greatly reduces Soulbind's duration.
 * can turn the tables on enemies trying to get close to stun with Ink Swell.


 * helps Phoenix escape the slow from Stroke of Fate's and Soulbind.
 * protects Phoenix from spell damage during Soulbind.


 * 's passive invisibility destroys Phantom's Embrace even when Riki is silenced.
 * prevents Grimstroke from shielding himself with Ink Swell.


 * allows Rubick to claim Grimstroke's powerful abilities for his own, all of which are valuable.
 * increases the efficacy of stolen abilities.


 * instantly removes Phantom Embrace, and can potentially save allies affected by Soulbind.
 * dispels Ink Swell.


 * punishes Grimstroke for spamming Stroke of Fate.
 * takes Grimstroke out of team fights entirely.


 * Sniper's position in the far back line makes him unlikely to be hit by any of Grimstroke's abilities during teamfights.
 * Sniper is relatively unaffected by the silence from Phantom's Embrace.
 * Sniper's long range and fast projectile speed allows him quickly to destroy any Phantoms attacking his allies.


 * breaks one ally out of Soulbind, and can be used to redistribute the shared damage to Vengeful Spirit herself.

Others

 * Heroes with powerful spammable abilities will prove problematic for Grimstroke as Ink Swell does not protect him from them:, , ,
 * Heroes with mobility spells can quickly escape from Stroke of Fate or break out of Soulbind:, , ,

Items

 * blocks all of Grimstroke's magical damage, protects against spells transferred by Soulbind, and causes Phantom's Embrace to end upon activation.
 * reflects Phantom's Embrace and Soulbind back to Grimstroke.
 * helps allies break free from Soulbind.
 * and its components greatly reduce Grimstroke's magical nuke damage.

Good against...

 * Stroke of Fate can deal heavy damage to Broodmother and her spiders, and with enough spiders it can kill her instantly.
 * Phantom's Embrace provides vision on Broodmother when she's fleeing into the trees.


 * Phantom's Embrace can silence Crystal Maiden and disrupt 's channeling. Her slow movement speed and fragile nature will also make her an easy target for Stroke of Fate and Ink Swell.


 * Soulbind can target both Io and its ed ally, allowing Grimstroke and his team to target both with single target spells. Should Io try to, Phantom's Embrace can stop its channel to prevent escape.


 * amplifies damage taken from all of Grimstroke's abilities. Necrophos is particularly vulnerable to Ink Swell and Phantom's Embrace while in Ghost Shroud.
 * works against Necrophos in lane by keeping his creeps alive and add damage to Stroke of Fate.


 * Stroke of Fate's damage increases the more units are hit by it, making it effective against Phantom Lancer's army of illusions.
 * Phantom's Embrace and Ink Swell's stun can prevent Phantom Lancer from escaping with if properly timed.
 * If he has already used Doppelganger, Soulbind can tie Phantom Lancer to one of his own illusions to keep him in place, or to ensure a kill if Grimstroke's team is unsure which one is the real hero.


 * Terrorblade's lack of escape mechanisms makes it hard for him to escape both Ink Swell and Stroke of Fate.
 * Phantom's Embrace's silence will also prevent him from casting to save himself.


 * Timbersaw relies heavily on his abilities so Phantom's Embrace's silence makes it more difficult for him.
 * Timbersaw cannot use or attack the phantom during Phantom's Embrace, forcing him to take full damage and refreshes Phantom's Embrace's cooldown.


 * Phantom's Embrace and Soulbind prevent Weaver from using or  to escape.
 * Ink Swell discourages Weaver from moving through and damaging allies with.

Others

 * Heroes with powerful channeling abilities are easily interrupted by Phantom's Embrace:, , , ,.
 * Heroes who rely heavily on melee attacks and lack early spell immunity are easily blocked and interrupted by Ink Swell:, ,.
 * Hard-hitters who relies mostly on raw stats or good passive and therefore make a perfect target for :, , , ,
 * Heroes who are reliant on illusions or summons:, ,.

Works well with...

 * can silence and mute two heroes linked by Soulbind.


 * Enemies linked by Soulbind can be disabled together with or, allowing Bane to effectively simultaneously disable two heroes with most spells for a long duration.
 * heals Bane for double the amount when used on enemies linked with Soulbind.
 * cripples two enemies when linked with Soulbind.


 * can be cast on two heroes which is very deadly.


 * upgraded with can bounce and mini-stun enemies linked by Soulbind (doubly so if both enemies are ed).


 * slows enemy attacks so they takes longer to destroy Phantom's Embrace, increasing the silence duration.
 * provides a root for Grimstroke to land Stroke of Fate, and with Soulbind, roots two enemies at once. The disarm also prevents enemies from attacking Phantom's Embrace.


 * Soulbind slows and keeps two heroes close together, allowing to spawn two projectiles and bounce repeatedly.


 * deals heavy damage to two enemies when they're linked with Soulbind.
 * stuns both enemies linked with Soulbind if Lion targets an enemy hero instead of the ground.
 * hexes two enemies when they're linked by Soulbind.


 * deals heavy damage to two enemies when they're linked with Soulbind.


 * may nuke and kill two enemy heroes when used with Soulbind.


 * 's movement speed slow may help Grimstroke land Stroke of Fate.
 * slows enemy attacks so they take longer time to destroy Phantom's Embrace, increasing the silence duration and chance to complete the nuke.
 * Enemies may have to choose between attacking or Phantom's Embrace.
 * Soulbind limits the enemies' movements so Phoenix can land its area abilities.


 * Enemies linked by Soulbind are easier targets for, and both enemies are affected by and.
 * Grimstroke's slows keep enemies within range of.
 * amplifies the damage of Grimstroke's magical nukes, and can be used to protect the latched phantom from Phantom's Embrace, guaranteeing the full duration of its silence and damage.
 * can also be used defensively, before or after Ink Swell, to further protect an ally against attacks.


 * Ink Swell's move speed bonus makes it easier for Slark to land, and its damage/stun helps Slark quickly kill his target.
 * Slark's makes it much easier to land Ink Swell.


 * stuns twice as much when used on an enemy linked with Soulbind.
 * 's high damage can quickly take out two enemies linked with Soulbind.

Others

 * Heroes with strong single-target abilities will amplify their effect with Soulbind:, , , , ,
 * Heroes with invisibility can help Grimstroke land Ink Swell's stun:, ,
 * Heroes with movement speed boost can help Grimstroke land Ink Swell's stun:, ,
 * Heroes with movement speed slow can help Grimstroke land Ink Swell's stun:, ,
 * Heroes with area abilities can keep dealing damage to enemies immobilized by Soulbind:, , , ,
 * Heroes with abilities that demand the enemies to focus their attacks can distract them from destroying Phantom's Embrace:, ,
 * Heroes that are generally offensive in nature, since Grimstroke tends to work well with highly aggressive gameplay.

Items

 * applies disarm on the enemies so they cannot attack Phantom's Embrace. Soulbind also allows users to disarm two enemies at once.
 * 's burst magical damage doubles with Soulbind.
 * helps heroes land Ink Swell's stun.

List of heroes that counter Grimstroke, and list of heroes that work well with Grimstroke.

Grimstroke/Combinações Grimstroke/Противостоящие