Grimstroke/Counters

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Bad against...

 * allows Anti-Mage to easily escape Soulbind.
 * reduces Grimstroke's magical nuke damage.
 * deals massive damage to Grimstroke because of his large mana pool.


 * negates most of the damage from Grimstroke's magical nukes.
 * can break Soul Bind if used correctly.


 * negates the effects of Soulbind and protects against Grimstroke's high magical damage.
 * 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.


 * dispels Ink Swell, allowing Razor to resume hitting his foes.


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


 * mitigates some of Grimstroke's magical damage output, and can hold a fleeing enemy with Ink Swell in place.
 * allows Rubick to claim Grimstroke's powerful abilities for his own, turning that power against him and his team.


 * instantly removes Phantom Embrace (even himself if he's aware and fast enough), 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 missile 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.


 * Reason

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 heroes escape from Stroke of Fate's slow, and can break Soulbind if the chained heroes are facing away from each other.
 * 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.


 * Ink Swell prevents Clinkz from attacking a target, denying him the kill and wasting his ganking window.
 * Phantom's Embrace prevents Clinkz from using to escape.


 * 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.
 * Ink Swell prevents Terrorblade from retaliating with his powerful damage, and face a powerful stun should he not retreat.
 * 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.


 * Ink Swell prevents team mates from harming an ally afflicted 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:, , ,

Works well with...

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


 * 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 stuns targets when Ursa initiates with.


 * 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:, ,

Items

 * disarms the enemies so they cannot attack Phantom's Embrace, lengthening the silence duration and could lead to successful nuke. Furthermore, Soulbind allows users to disarm two enemies at once.

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