/// COUNTER.GUIDE
← All counter guidesHow to counter high attack speed
Marksmen and other basic-attack heroes do most of their damage through attack speed. Some defense items slow it whenever they hit you.
The problem
The longer a high attack speed hero is allowed to attack you, the more damage they deal.
In our item data, three defense items lower the attacker's attack speed when they damage you: Black Ice Shield, Dominance Ice and Chastise Pauldron.
What does it
Numbers and effects below are the in-game text from our database, not typed in by hand.
Black Ice Shield
Defense item · 880g
Lowers the attacker's attack speed when its owner takes damage.
Arctic Cold. Taking damage will reduce the Attack Speed of the attacker to 90% of normal for 1s.
Dominance Ice
Defense item · 2010g
The same effect, and it also cuts the attacker's shield and HP regen effects.
Arctic Cold / Lifebane. Taking damage will reduce the Attack Speed of the attacker to 80% of normal for 1s. Taking damage will reduce the Shield and HP Regen effects of the attacker to 50% of normal for 1s.
Chastise Pauldron
Defense item · 2100g
Lowers the attacker's attack speed and their attack speed cap.
Chastise / Redemption. Chastise: Taking damage will reduce the Attack Speed and Attack Speed cap of the attack to 75% of normal for 2s. Redemption: When incoming damage reduces HP below 30%, recover 20% Max HP over the next 2s (60s cooldown).
How to use it
- These effects trigger when you are hit, so they belong on the hero in the front line, usually a tank or fighter, not on a backline mage.
- Chastise Pauldron also lowers the attack speed cap, which matters against heroes who stack attack speed from several sources.
- Staying out of range is the other answer: a hero that cannot reach you cannot be slowed, but also cannot hurt you.
What this does not know
- Only effects written in the item text are listed. Hero skills that slow attacks are not in this guide.