Bad against...[]
- Battery Assault interrupts Earthshaker's long cast animations, preventing him from using any abilities apart from Echo Slam.
- Power Cogs often separate the battlefield so that both enemies and allies are unlikely to cluster.
- Rocket Flare allows Clockwerk to scout Earthshaker before a fight starts and potentially cancel his Blink Dagger.
- Hookshot enables Clockwerk to catch Earthshaker before he gets a chance to initiate a fight.
- Death Prophet's Crypt Swarm and Spirit Siphon can repetively damage Earthshaker, preventing him from using Blink Dagger.
- Silence can be used to silence Earthshaker after he blinks in with Blink Dagger, preventing him from executing his combo.
- Spirits from Exorcism are completely invulnerable and cannot interact with anything at all, which will greatly weaken damage from Echo Slam. This can put Earthshaker in a serious disadvantage against Death Prophet.
- Thunder Strike can be used to cancel Earthshaker's Blink Dagger.
- Glimpse brings Earthshaker back after he jumps on Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Enchant Totem.
- Static Storm if used on a fight can prevent Earthshaker from executing his combo after blinking in with Blink Dagger.
- Geomagnetic Grip can be used to silence Earthshaker after he blinks in, preventing him from executing his combo.
- Magnetize does damage over time and thus disables Earthshaker's Blink Dagger for a long time.
- Both Ice Path and Macropyre are the good setup against Earthshaker after he jumps in with Blink Dagger, and stay out of Echo Slam initiation radius.
- Jakiro's damage over time abilities can potentially disable Earthshaker's Blink Dagger.
- Rage prevents Earthshaker from damaging and stunning Lifestealer.
- Feast is very effective against Earthshaker, because of him being a strength hero, allowing Lifestealer to heavily harass and kill him.
- Open Wounds prevents Earthshaker from escaping after he initiated.
- Infest gives Lifestealer an easy way to escape should he get caught out by Earthshaker. And against carry Earthshaker, Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Infest can be used to disarm Earthshaker and attack him from within, rendering him unable to attack with Enchant Totem.
- Luna's Lucent Beams and Eclipse will prevent Earthshaker from initiating or re-initiating.
- Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Eclipse can be used to counter-initiate against Earthshaker after he uses Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Enchant Totem.
- Skilled Luna can buy either {I|Gleipnir}} to prevent Earthshaker from using Blink Dagger, Silver Edge and Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Enchant Totem to either escape or counter-initiate. Luna can also buy Dust of Appearance to reveal Earthshaker whenever he tries to use Silver Edge.
- Frequent healing from Death Pulse and Mekansm/ Guardian Greaves or Pipe of Insight makes it difficult for Earthshaker to execute his combo with Echo Slam.
- Necrophos usually buys Radiance to improve their burning aura damage from Heartstopper Aura will usually disable Earthshaker's Blink Dagger prior to a teamfight, preventing him from initiating or re-initiating.
- Reaper's Scythe allows to kill Earthshaker while he blinks in, preventing him from executing his combo (although Earthshaker is rarely a primary target).
- Outworld Destroyer's pure and magical damage is particularly effective against Earthshaker.
- Astral Imprisonment catches Earthshaker while he blinks in, preventing him from executing his combo.
- Earthshaker has mana troubles, and Outworld Destroyer's abilities can press this by stealing intelligence comes from Arcane Orb, therefore depleting his mana pool and mana regeneration.
- Sanity's Eclipse deals high damage to Earthshaker, due to his low intelligence and mana pool.
- Phase Shift allows Puck to dodge all of Earthshaker's abilites.
- Waning Rift disables Earthshaker's stuns, leaving him and his team vulnerable.
- Dream Coil takes a stun from Earthshaker if he tries to escape from Blink Dagger or Enchant Totem upgraded from Aghanim's Scepter.
- Static Link drains the damage bonus from Enchant Totem, until he purchase Aghanim's Scepter or Force Staff to break it.
- Storm Surge with Razor's high mobility items can easily avoid all of Earthshaker abilities.
- Plasma Field & Eye of the Storm prevents Earthshaker escaping from Blink Dagger.
- Arcane Bolt allows Skywrath Mage to harass Earthshaker out of lane.
- Ancient Seal is an instant silence that can be pre-cast onto Earthshaker to disrupt his combo, before he uses Blink Dagger to initiate.
- Mystic Flare will nuke Earthshaker down while he stands in place during his long cast animations.
- Shrapnel can be used to disable Earthshaker's Blink Dagger from long range.
- Take Aim allows Sniper to harass Earthshaker in lane, and stay out of Echo Slam initiation radius.
- Spectral Dagger can be used to traverse past Fissure.
- Haunt will usually disable Earthshaker's Blink Dagger prior to a teamfight, preventing him from initiating.
- On the other hand, Haunt will amplify damage done from Echo Slam. Use this to your advantage.
- Her Psionic Traps will usually disable Earthshaker's Blink Dagger prior to a teamfight, preventing him from initiating.
- Refraction blocks all of Earthshaker's abilities.
- Venomancer's slows and magical damage-over-time works well against Earthshaker's which completes lack of mobility.
- Plague Wards are useful for slowing and kitting down Earthshaker, revealing him from initiating and re-initiating and putting his Blink Dagger on cooldown if Venomancer has vision over Earthshaker.
- Poison Attack and Viper Strike allowing to kite and slow Earthshaker significally, putting Blink Dagger on cooldown and preventing him from initiating or re-initiating.
- Nethertoxin breaks Aftershock. The silence from Level 25 talent also prevents Earthshaker from initiating or re-initiating.
- Thundergod's Wrath will often disable Earthshaker's Blink Dagger before a fight starts.
Others[]
- Heroes with invisibility and high mobility can jump on and focus down Earthshaker before he has a chance to initiate: Clinkz, Slark, Storm Spirit
- Invoker's E.M.P. is extremely effective against Earthshaker due to his low natural mana.
- Warlock often stays back and counter-initiates by dropping his Chaotic Offering on Earthshaker and his allies.
- Silencer's Global Silence and Doom's Doom makes Earthshaker temporarily useless.
- Earthshaker must be careful not to use Blink Dagger or Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Enchant Totem to blink into Riki's Smoke Screen or Night Stalker's Crippling Fear, as these field effects will instantly silence Earthshaker and prevent him from initiating.
Items[]
- Pipe of Insight and Black King Bar significantly reduce Earthshaker's magical damage output.
- Radiance prevents Earthshaker from using Blink Dagger.
- Eul's Scepter of Divinity can waste Earthshaker's initiations with Blink Dagger and Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Enchant Totem, and to dodge all of his abilities.
- Rod of Atos and it's upgrade Gleipnir are one of Earthshaker's worst enemies. As they will prevent him from using Blink Dagger, Silver Edge and Aghanim's Scepter upgraded Enchant Totem.
- Scythe of Vyse prevents Earthshaker from using both, abilities and items.
- Diffusal Blade will wear down Earthshaker's low mana pool.
- Silver Edge can break Aftershock.
- Dust of Appearance can expose Earthshaker if he uses Silver Edge to escape.
Good against...[]
- Echo Slam's damage potential increases phenomenally due to Broodmother's hordes of spiderlings and spiderites.
- Long ranged Fissures can hit Broodmother if she runs into the treeline at the edges of the map.
- Echo Slam's damage potential increases due to Chaos Knight's Phantasm illusions.
- Fissure does a great job at interrupting Black Hole immediately, especially with Blink Dagger and Aether Lens.
- Echo Slam's damage potential increases due to the eidolons created by Demonic Conversion.
- Earthshaker's AoE stuns can save ally against Duel, forcing Legion Commander to spend Aghanim's Scepter or Black King Bar.
- Each of Meepo's clones count as real heroes, meaning that an Echo Slam hitting them will deal catastrophic damage to Meepo and his team.
- Eathshaker's AoE stuns can interrupt Meepo's Poof cast animation.
- Mirror Image's illusions increase Echo Slam's damage.
- Treants increase Echo Slam's damage.
- Earthshaker's AoE stuns can hit Nature's Prophet through Sprout, without having direct line of sight, in order to interrupt Teleportation.
- Phantom Lancer's many illusions increase Echo Slam's damage.
- Fissure interrupts Spirit Breaker during Charge of Darkness.
Others[]
- Heroes with channeled abilities can be interrupted by a long-range Fissure: Crystal Maiden, Witch Doctor, Bane, Pugna, Pudge.
- Earthshaker's many stuns can lock down slippery heroes like Slark in his Shadow Dance and Weaver in his Shukuchi.
Works well with...[]
- Vacuum sets Earthshaker up for an easy Echo Slam.
- A group of stunned enemies are ripe targets for Dark Seer's Wall of Replica.
- Combining Vacuum and Fissure can position and re-position the enemy team to set up for strong AoE abilities.
- Surge can be an early game alternative to a Blink Dagger.
- Black Hole sets Earthshaker up for an easy Echo Slam.
- Earthshaker's initiation can give ample time and space for Enigma to line up a good Black Hole.
- Reverse Polarity sets Earthshaker up for an easy Echo Slam.
- Song of the Siren sets Earthshaker up for an easy Echo Slam.
- Dream Coil sets Earthshaker up for an easy Echo Slam.
- Burrowstrike sets Earthshaker up for an easy Echo Slam.
- Sand King can travel underneath Fissure with Burrowstrike.
- Caustic Finale pairs well with Enchant Totem for mana-effective lanepushing.
Others[]
- Lich and Gyrocopter's large AoE abilities can quickly clean up an enemy team after Earthshaker's initiation.