Necrophos
Wherever Necrophos goes, enemies wither as allies thrive. Restoring health to his friends and harming enemies with each death pulse, once his very presence has eaten away at an enemy, he summons the reaper to lengthen their stay in the afterlife.
- Win rate
- 51%
- Pick rate
- 13.8%
- Armor / MS
- 4 / 280
- Range
- 500
Abilities
Mechanics notes (1)
- • Death Pulse can't be disjointed.
Mechanics notes (2)
- • Damage won't disable items like Blink Dagger.
- • Does not affect ancient creeps.
Mechanics notes (1)
- • Does not trigger spell reflect.
Mechanics notes (2)
- • Break disables the gaining of new stacks.
- • Break does not disable the bonuses from existing stacks.
Mechanics notes (1)
- • Damage is dealt at the end of the stun.
Our ratings
Aghanim's upgrades
Aghanim's Sceptermedium priority
Aghanim's Shardhigh priorityTips & counterplay
Playing as Necrophos
Laning: Death Pulse spam for last hits and harass; heals you and allies.
Kill combo: Death Pulse x2 → Reaper's Scythe at low HP.
Staying alive: Ghost Shroud vs physical damage; Pulse heals.
From real games (OpenDota)- • Most games are in the mid lane (43.2%, 49% win rate).
- • Best results come from the safe lane (55.1% over 646 games).
- • Radiance: usually done by 15 min; finishing it by 12 min wins 72.9%.
- • Aghanim's Shard: usually done by 20 min; finishing it by 20 min wins 58.4%.
- • Boots of Travel: usually done by 20 min; finishing it by 8 min wins 84%.
- • Strongest early: 50.4% in short games vs 44.8% after 60 min. Close games out.
Playing against Necrophos
Healing / lifesteal Cut their healing with Spirit Vessel, Eye of Skadi or Shiva's Guard, and burst them instead of trading slowly.
Magic burst Black King Bar, Pipe of Insight, Glimmer Cape and Infused Raindrops blunt the burst. Don't stand clumped.
Huge health pool Percentage damage and anti-heal (Spirit Vessel, Eye of Skadi) beat a big health pool.
- • Respect Necrophos at Lvl 6: Reaper's executes; teamfights tilt in your favour.
- • Respect Necrophos at Radiance / Holy Locket: Durability and farm.
- • Respect Necrophos at Shiva's + Heart: Unkillable frontline.
Items that counter it
Heroes that beat it
Talents
Best items
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Power spikes
Best skill build
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q Death Pulse | Q | Q | Q | Q | ||||||||||||||
| W Ghost Shroud | W | W | W | W | ||||||||||||||
| E Heartstopper Aura | E | E | E | E | ||||||||||||||
| R Reaper's Scythe | R | R | R | |||||||||||||||
| T Talent | ★ | ★ |
Counters
Countered by
Synergies
Best lane partners
Toughest lane opponents
Anti-Mage−21
Juggernaut−16
Lion−14
Tidehunter−13
Storm Spirit−12Live stats OpenDota · 2026-10-14
Public match stats
- Win rate (all ranks)
- 51%
- Win rate (Divine+)
- 49.8%
- Pick rate
- 13.8% of matches
- Sample
- 569,610 picks
- Pro
- 37 picks · 51.4% WR · 44.9% ban
Lane presence
Win rate by rank
Win rate by game length
Item timings
| Item | Games | Usual | Win % | Best timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radiance | 2,048 | 15′ | 53.1% | ≤12′ · 72.9% |
| Aghanim's Shard | 2,030 | 20′ | 53.5% | ≤20′ · 58.4% |
 Boots of Travel | 1,772 | 20′ | 56.9% | ≤8′ · 84% |
| Heart of Tarrasque | 457 | 30′ | 73.3% | ≤25′ · 78.7% |
| Black King Bar | 369 | 30′ | 54.7% | ≤20′ · 85% |
 Manta Style | 345 | 25′ | 62% | ≤20′ · 71.4% |
| Shiva's Guard | 252 | 30′ | 73.4% | ≤25′ · 80.7% |
 Eul's Scepter of Divinity | 225 | 25′ | 59.6% | ≤25′ · 58.6% |
 Lotus Orb | 222 | 30′ | 50% | ≤25′ · 52.3% |
| Aghanim's Scepter | 95 | 30′ | 67.4% | ≤30′ · 73.9% |
What players actually buy
Best real matchups
Witch Doctor48 games64.6%
Bristleback61 games60.7%
Axe124 games54%
Mars73 games53.4%
Sniper51 games52.9%Worst real matchups
Tidehunter102 games42.2%
Invoker76 games44.7%Recent pro & league games
| League | Result | K / D / A | Length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1win Streamers League #3 | Loss | 7 / 4 / 17 | 37′ | 2026-10-13 |
| DreamLeague Season 30 Qualifiers | Loss | 12 / 1 / 7 | 32′ | 2026-10-13 |
| DreamLeague Season 30 Qualifiers | Loss | 10 / 1 / 14 | 40′ | 2026-10-13 |
| DreamLeague Season 30 Qualifiers | Loss | 21 / 1 / 8 | 38′ | 2026-10-13 |
| 1win Streamers League #3 | Win | 1 / 6 / 1 | 24′ | 2026-10-13 |
| DreamLeague Season 30 Qualifiers | Win | 18 / 1 / 11 | 41′ | 2026-10-13 |
| DreamLeague Season 30 Qualifiers | Win | 9 / 6 / 3 | 36′ | 2026-10-13 |
| DreamLeague Season 30 Qualifiers | Loss | 7 / 3 / 4 | 37′ | 2026-10-13 |
Lore
In a time of great plague, an obscure monk of dark inclinations, one Rotund'jere, found himself promoted to the rank of Cardinal by the swift death of all his superiors. While others of the order went out to succor the ill, the newly ordained cardinal secluded himself within the Cathedral of Rumusque, busily scheming to acquire the property of dying nobles, promising them spiritual rewards if they signed over their terrestrial domains. As the plague receded to a few stubborn pockets, his behavior came to the attention of the greater order, which found him guilty of heresy and sentenced him to serve in the plague ward, ensorcelled with spells that would ensure him a slow and lingering illness. But they had not counted on his natural immunity. Rotund'jere caught the pox, but instead of dying, found it feeding his power, transforming him into a veritable plague-mage, a Pope of Pestilence. Proclaiming himself Necrophos, he travels the world, spreading plague wherever he goes, and growing in terrible power with every village his pestilential presence obliterates.