Lane matchup planner
Plan the first ten minutes: what to buy, how to skill, when to trade and when to back off.
Our recommendation Lane difficulty, item swaps and skill order come from our own ratings and laning notes, not from match data. How this works
Lane
Your hero
Anti-Mage
Anti-MageLane ally (optional)
Crystal Maiden
Crystal MaidenEnemy laners (2/2)
Axe
Lion
AxeLionLane difficulty
Anti-Mage · position 1 · Safe lane
Very hard8.4/10
1 = free farm, 10 = survive at all costs
- • Axe is a strong laner (+1.5)
- • Axe counters you (+1.5)
- • Lion counters you (+1.5)
- • Crystal Maiden helps your lane (−0.9)
Starting items
585 / 600 gold
Tango — Standard start
Quelling Blade — Standard start
Healing Salve — Extra sustain for a very hard lane
Iron Branch — Standard start
Slippers of Agility — Standard startHealing Salve — Standard startLaning items
Bought before your first core item
Power Treads — Standard early item
Magic Wand — Standard early item
Wraith Band — Standard early item
Infused Raindrops — Blocks Lion nukes
Bracer — Cheap HP to survive the laneSkill order
Hard lane: Blink (W) is maxed earlier for safety
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Q Mana Break | Q | Q | Q | Q | ||||||||||||||
 W Blink | W | W | W | W | ||||||||||||||
 E Counterspell | E | E | E | E | ||||||||||||||
 R Mana Void | R | R | R | |||||||||||||||
| T Talent | ★ | ★ |
Harass patterns
- • Mana Break autos on mana-reliant laners; trade only when they waste spells.
Kill combos
- • Blink in → Mana Break autos → Mana Void once they are low on mana.
- • Crystal Maiden's Frostbite → your Blink in
Defensive timings
When to respect the enemy
- • Blink across trees to dodge ganks; Counterspell reflects targeted nukes.
- • Respect Axe at Blink Dagger: Initiate every fight.
- • Respect Axe at Blade Mail: Call + Blade Mail punishes focus.
- • Respect Axe at Lvl 6: Culling Blade executes.
- • Respect Lion at Lvl 6: Finger + chain stuns kill anything.
- • Respect Lion at Blink Dagger: Instant pickoffs from fog.
- • Respect Lion at Aether Lens: Safer cast range.
Power spikes
Battle Fury (~14 min)Farming speed jumps — stack and clear.
Manta StyleStarts split-pushing two lanes at once.
Abyssal BladeCan catch and kill supports through BKB.
~13 minBattle Fury completes
Recommended support pairings
Best lane partners for this matchup
- • Listed synergy with Anti-Mage
- • Good into Axe / Lion
- • Protects you from ganks
- • Listed synergy with Anti-Mage
- • Listed synergy with Anti-Mage
- • Good into Axe / Lion