As the roster of Paragon continues to grow it’s important to understand how to counter specific Heroes. Drafting against any Hero is often key but being aware of each Heroes strengths and limitations and how to work against them. In the list below and the first of our series, we provide a list of tips and tricks we think you’ll find helpful for dealing with Paragon's Fighters.

Aurora

1. It's imperative that you don't underestimate Aurora. She can, at level 5, comfortably take on two players at once and win with ease, just by using Hoarfrost and her Ultimate ability. 

2. Bullying Aurora early game is often key to limiting her potential. Have your jungler constantly attack offlane ensures she's denied experience and will be slower to reach level 5. 

3. It's crucial that you ward everywhere against Aurora. You need to know where is at all times so you or your team aren't caught by her root or Ultimate. If your team aren't warding, you're going to find she'll sneak into a fight and clean up repeatedly. 

4. Aurora is often at her strongest when she arrives late to a team fight. She can then slide in, use her Ultimate and kill most of the stragglers. Warding reduces this risk (as above) but also constantly thinking: "Where the heck is Aurora?". If you can't see her, assume she is on her way. 

5. Purity Censor is an expensive counter to Aurora but it's a must-have card to deal with her Ultimate ability as it can completely negate it. Be sure to draft at least one Order Support Hero who has it. 

6. Taking Heroes who have reliable means of escape (such as Dekker, Steel, Rampage or Grux) often works well against Aurora as you can try to leave early before she engages you. 

7. It's also worth taking a very heavy stun composition to deal with her. If you can hit her with a single stun and have your team focus her, she can die in just a few hits. 

8. No one can chase Aurora if she has her abilities so there's little point in pursuing her. She's too fast and has too many disengages. 

9. Aurora will typically engage with Glacial Charge followed immediately by Hoarfrost. Her range on Glacial Charge is 1500 units - the longest in the game. Don't think because you're "far back" she can't reach you. When she does use Glacial Charge, run immediately left or right to avoid her Hoarfrost followup. 

10. If you're 1 on 1 against Aurora and she has her Ultimate (even 2 v 1), unless you've Purity Censor you're going to die. One Hoarfrost followed by an Ultimate and a few basic attacks can wreck just about anyone. At the very least, she'll deal 1500 damage. 

Crunch

1. Crunch will most often Off-lane or Jungle. His clear isn't great and he'll struggle to defend a tower. Be sure to bully him lane or invade early to harm his farm. 

2. Crunch relies massively on positioning and being able to get into a fight without neccesarily being noticed. Ward up as much as possible to follow his movements.

3. Foward Punch! is Crunch's main form of engage and while quick, its range isn't huge and can be avoided. Move left or right and anticipate his animation if you see him coming.

4. Blink is the biggest counter to Crunch, alongside Hunter's Guile as it'll allow you to escape before he begins to juggle you.  

5. When Crunch can use his Empowered attack, his body glows orange/red. It's best to back off during this or to hit him with crowd control so that it expires. 

6. Crunch can go toe-to-toe with most fighters and win thanks to his combination of damage, crowd control and speed. Even the likes of Khaimera and Rampage will struggle against him. It's often best to take him down as a ranger or attack him in pairs. 

7. Dekker, Narbash and The Fey all work amazingly well against Crunch thanks to their stuns and/or slows. 

8. Remember that if Crunch has his Ultimate available he can instantly re-use his last ability. This allows him to attack twice, before gaining his empowerment. Be conscious of the fact that if he's used two attacks against you, he's lining up - most often - for a knock-up. 

Feng Mao

1. Like any melee Hero Feng Mao will rely on using Travel Mode to engage rather than Reaping Dash. This then means he can use Reaping Dash once you’ve used your escape skill. Try to him him early in Travel Mode to force him to use it. That way, you still have your disengage should you need it/have one.

2. Feng Mao cannot move while using his Ultimate ability but he can turn. If you see him leap in the air, round around him quickly to make it difficult for him to aim.

3. Feng Mao’s shield only lasts for 2 seconds. If you see him use it, use this window of opportunity to position yourself better rather than use skills against him.

4. Feng Mao’s slow doesn’t last long and you can be sure, if he has it, that after it’s use and if you disengage he’ll try to use Reaping Dash to close the gap against you. During the slow, deal as much damage to him as you can. Only when it’s faded should you use your disengage.

5. Feng Mao has no pull, no guaranteed leap (unlike Khaimera) and an Ultimate ability that makes him immobile. Use this to your advantage when pushing towers or if you see him coming. He’s a 1 on 1 brawler - not so great in team fights.

6. If you have an escape skill that provides a speed boost you can use this to hard counter Feng Mao’s slow.  

7. Use Shadow Wards as much as humanly possible and ensure you place them deep in the jungle, not next to the Shadow Pool in your lane. You’ll then have plenty of warning when Feng Mao is travelling to you.

8. Feng Mao’s Reaping Dash has a short range by default (700 units in comparison to Grux’s 1200 Charge). He has to already be close to you for it to be a viable engage and if you’re a Hero with an escape (Gideon/Grux/Greystone) you can often escape him.

Greystone

1. Greystone should only ever engage by his normal run. This then ensures if he knocks you back that he’ll be able use Assault the Gates to leap at you. Save your defensive skill for as long as humanly possible.

2. Greystone will regularly fight harder than other Heroes because his Ultimate ability gives him a second life. If you see he has his Ultimate ability, try to use just basic attacks so when he does die, you can burst him down quickly.

3. Greystone like any fighter struggles against hard crowd control. Riktor, Dekker and Rampage are especially good at dealing with him.

4. Greystone’s skull on his back glows bright when his Ultimate ability is ready, look for this before you fight him 1 on 1. If he has it available, it’s often best to leave him alone if you’re by yourself.

5. When Greystone dies and if you have a Murdock on your team, have him drop a Static Trap at his landing location. When Greystone reforms he’ll be instantly slowed, allowing Murdock to use his Ultimate against him instantly.

6. Many Greystone players typically build lots of armor so they can tower dive with Black Buff. Cut this off and be sure the enemy never gets the Black Buff in the first place.

7. Greystone has long cooldowns on his skills and his leap (Assault the Gates). Once he’s used his leap, he has no ability to escape for at least 26 seconds unless he has blue buff. Force him to use his leap early.

Grux

1. Grux’s pull (Smash and Grab) is easier to avoid if you’re nearer to Grux. Its conal shape is wider at the tip and much thinner towards Grux’s body.

2. To avoid Smash and Grab, run left or right - not in straight line.

3. Grux and his skills are mana intensive. In prolonged fights, he will quickly run out unless he has taken mana cards (which not many Grux players do).

4. Grux will always use Smash and Grab > Double Pain to cut through multiple enemies. If you know he hasn’t used this combo yet in a team fight, don’t group together.

5. Charge has the furthest distance of any engage/disengage skill in the game. If he uses it to escape, you’ll rarely catch him.

6. Typically Grux is hard to evade once he’s near you. He’ll always run at you and if you try to escape he’ll interrupt you with his Ultimate before pulling you back. It’s best to Ward heavily and keep an eye for him coming. 

7. Grux’s attacks will bleed you if he uses his Ultimate or Double Pain. Be sure to disengage before you get too low otherwise you’ll bleed out and die.

8. Smash and Grab slams down QUICK. Be ready to move.

Kallari

1. Kallari has poor wave clear, whether in lane or in Jungle. It's best to bully her as early as possible to deny her farm. 

2. The majority of Kallari's damage comes from her basic attacks. If you can avoid her Crippling Dagger and her opening attack from stealth, she's a much easier target to deal with. 

3. Shadow Wards are a huge counter against Kallari as they reveal her in the Shadow Plane. Always ensure you and your team have them. 

4. Kallari relies massively on snowballing against the enemy team by picking off low health Heroes to gain card experience quickly. Always stay together as a group mid to late game and if you are low health, back away quickly or stay near your support. 

5. Having a Hero such as Muriel shuts Kallari down fairly easily. Muriel's shielding mitigates most, if not all of her spike potential from her Ultimate, Crippling Dagger and opening strike from Shadow Walk. 

6. Heroes such as Grim.exe, Khaimera and Gadget work exceptionally well against Kallari as they have abilities that can track her even when she begins to use Shadow Walk. 

7. When fighting against the enemy team, be sure to drop a Shadow Ward at your feet. This will cast a bubble over the location ensuring you can reveal Kallari when she begins to creep in. 

8. If you're low health and separated from your team, don't stand still. Kallari will instantly use her Ultimate against you and finish you off. 

9. Building on the above, don't think you're safe under a Tower or Inhibitor if you're low health. Kallari can comfortably finish you off and leap out, suffering very little damage in the process. 

10. Kallari will always use a double-jump to escape as a single leap doesn't provide the verticality she needs to traverse terrain or re-guide herself in the air. During this time you can still hit with basic attacks or send abilities in her direction.

11. You cannot outrun Kallari when she is using Shadow Plane as she gains movement speed. It's best to run backwards if you suspect she's behind you so you can (at the least) prepare for her attack. 

12. When Kallari is targetting players with her Ultimate, they're marked with crossed-swords over their head. Use this indicator to prepare for her arrival (it also has a clear audio cue). 

13. Building health and basic attack armor is never a bad thing versus Kallari. It'll provide some much needed survivability against her, especially when she has used her abilities.

14. Most Kallari's build maximum damage. This makes her incredibly squishy to point where she can die in just a few hits from basic attacks. Don't be afraid to play aggressively against her once she reveals herself. 

15. Shutting down Kallari is often a team effort. If you're a support Hero, be sure to save your crowd control for her if she's harrassing your rangers. If you're a "tank" (i.e Riktor, Rampage or Steel) be prepared to peel. 

Khaimera

1. Use Shadow Wards on your lane. Khaimera's ability to kill is specifically determined by a players inability to know if he or isn't arriving in their lane. If you place your Shadow Ward far out in the jungle, you'll have plenty of time to escape when you are alerted to his travel.

2. Khaimera's Ambush has a tiny cooldown and there's little you can do about it. The key to surviving is not over-extending. 

3. If you use your disengage (unless you're Sparrow) you can be sure that Khaimera will use Ambush > Cull > Unleash. At this point if you're a squishy Hero, you're going to die.

4. If a Khaimera is about to use Cull on you, attempt to move behind him or far to his side. This will cause you to be Displaced, rather than take burst damage (Cull only deals its burst damage to the target in front of Khaimera).

5. Realize that Khaimera and his ganking potential reduces dramatically as the game progresses. As players begin to group up his opportunities for ganking are significantly reduced.

6. Khaimera's regeneration is actually poor and it takes a significant amount of time to gain any amount of meaningful regeneration. It's his armor that's providing his sustain. Take armor piercing to counter his defences.

7. Drafting effectively is key to fighting Khaimera. Grim, Steel, Rampage, Sevarog, Muriel, Dekker, Fey, Gideon and Grux all do well against him. Whether it's through sustain, roots, knockbacks, pulls or shielding.

9. Adapt your cards against him. If you're an ADC it's often worth taking a Tempered Plate if against a Khaimera so you can withstand his early burst from Unleash and Cull. It's also worth, early game, taking Blink to evade him easily until you reach the late game grouping phase.

10. Ensure you limit his ganking potential by counter-jungling. Heavy use of Shadow Wards combined with having your Jungler hunt him down early game heavily limits his potential to get up and running with card experience. By the time he does, you should have - in theory - taken enemy towers and squashed his potential to gank.

11. Be aware that Khaimera relies heavily on Unleash to deal damage and stack his health regeneration. Most Khaimera's only build some Kinetic and instead focus heavily on raw damage. If you can bait his Unleash, it runs out after a few seconds, resulting in Khaimera relying solely on a relatively slow basic attack.

12. Don't solo roam if you have taken the enemies Tier 1 Towers. This will leave you open to being ganked as your Shadow Wards cannot cover such a length of lane. Be sure you pair up as much as humanly possible.

13. Remember he has no escapes. Once he has committed a fight, he's either going to win or going to die. Have your team focus him first. If you can't see him in a team fight, you can be sure he'll be waiting in the wings somewhere. Be ready.

Kwang

1. If you see Kwang running without his sword, that means he has it planted somewhere and can (most likely) teleport back to it. 

2. When chasing Kwang if he has planted his sword, he'll often run off in one direction before using his Ultimate to teleport back to it. Have someone wait by the sword. 

3. It's best not to run in a straight line versus Kwang as it makes it for him to land his Judgement of the Heavens on you, which will tether you to the ground. 

4. Kwang's burst is amazing when he uses his Ultimate (Fury of the Heavens) and his RMB (Light of the Heavens). If you're tethered, it's most likely you're going to take huge damage. 

5. Early game Kwang is very mana intensive. Try to bully him in off-lane so he's forced to use abilities to clear waves quickly. It'll ensure he has to back. 

6. Muriel is excellent against Kwang as she can shield anyone tethered by him, to mitigate any incoming ability damage.

7. Outside of his tether, Kwang has no other form of crowd control or escape. Use this to your advantage in escaping from him, or punishing him when his sword has been cast. 

8. Like many fighters, Kwang is very vulnerable to stuns and slows. Have at least one support Hero on your team to deal with him. 

9. Kwang's Ultimate also slows on arrival - have your team back away from the tethered target if they can so they aren't affected by its debuff or damage. You're all then free to pounce on Kwang. 

Riktor

1. Riktor is really mana intensive early game. It's best to try to force him to use his mana so that he has to consume potions and return to his Core. 

2. Riktor's range on his Riplash is shorter by default than it is when he has upgraded. By mid to late game, be conscious of the fact he can likely pull you from further away. 

3. Riktor has relatively long animations when he activates his abilities. You or your team should use this time to punish him, while he's unable to move. 

4. Riktor will raise his right arm behind his head when he's about to use his pull - watch out for it. 

5. To make it difficult for Riktor to pull you, try to be unpredictable. Moving in a straight line or left and right makes life easy for him to hook you in. Be random with your movements. 

6. Riktor will typically run up to a large group of enemy players to hit several of them with his Ultimate. Watch out for him doing this and hit him with a stun early. 

7. Dekker and Muriel are good support counters to Riktor because Dekker can stun him and Muriel can mitigate most of his Ultimate.

8. Taking Blink is a good thing against Riktor as even if he silences you as you can still teleport away after being pulled. 

9. Most Riktor players build damage, especially early game. Use this to your advantage to kill him quickly in a team fight (he's fairly squishy). 

Serath

1. Serath is considered a "carry" similar to Murdock or Sparrow. If she gains high amounts of card experience her basic attack damage can be enormous - deny her farm early. 

2. Serath will typically jungle to ensure she can acquire as much card experience early. It's best to ward her jungle as often as possible, as well as your own, to keep track of her movements. 

3. Most Serath players pursue maximum damage and survive purely through positioning and late game life steal. If you can keep Serath away from players so she can't life steal, she'll die incredibly quickly. 

4. Serath can slow you if she gets close. This can immediately make life difficult as if you do use your escape ability (should you have one) she'll then leap onto you with Ascend. The best you can hope for is for an ally to peel for you, to make it to a tower or to avoid her landing on Ascend. 

5. Serath's Ultimate, Heresy, applies Weakness to enemies around her when it activates. At maximum level this can reduce the damage you deal by 25% and increase the damage she deals against you by the same amount. It's imperative you avoid her initial debuff by keeping her away from yourself or your high value team mates.

6. Heaven's Fury provides Serath with brief damage and crowd control immunity. It only lasts a fraction of a second so try to bait her into using it before stunning her. 

7. Most skilled Serath players will rarely die because they'll ensure they use Ascend to escape. Unless you can stun her before she does, there's little you can do (unless you've Aurora or Murdock nearby, both of which can follow her / snipe her, respectively).

8. A composition that has crowd control, area denial or mobility works best against Serath. If she can't reach targets, or is held back from attacking, she's useless. 

9. Late game, don't leave Serath unattended. She can comfortably solo Orb Prime in a matter of seconds, especially when dealing 650 damage per basic attack. Ward the OP!

10. Aurora, Steel, Rampage, Murdock, Dekker, Narbash, Lt. Belica, Riktor and The Fey all work well against Serath. 

Sevarog

1. Sevarog relies massively on his root in order to faciliate kills. Its range is long but its radius is small. Don't run in a straight line when escaping him as he'll easily land his root. 

2. Sevarog has a very short range (melee) and will often use Phantom Rush to reach you. Be aware that the ability can pass through players so even if you think your front line can protect you, it can't. Have your escape abilities ready. 

3. Siphon deals high, instant damage but Sevarog pretty much has to be next to you for it to land. Take Heroes that can poke him from afar or knock him back. 

4. If you get knocked back by Sevarog's Ultimate the best defence is to use Blink. 

5. Should Sevarog choose to engage with Phantom Rush, he'll be unable to easily escape for a short period of time. Use this to your advantage. 

6. Dekker and Narbash are good versus Sevarog as they can slow him and stun him. Both are effective at ensuring Sevarog can't reach your high value allies. 

7. As Sevarog gains Soul Stacks he grows in size - although this help him gain damage and health, it also makes him really easy to target.

8. Heroes who can poke Sevarog before he reaches you (and your team) are very strong against him. Howitzer, Gideon and Gadget all have amazing poke. 

1. Steel will always tend to open any team fight with his Ultimate, which casts near instantly. It's best not to bunch together. 

2. If you're caught by Steel's Ultimate, he'll always use Bull Rush afterwards to knock you even further back. There's really nothing you can do about this - the key is avoiding his Ultimate in the first place. 

3. The window of opportunity for avoiding Shield Slam is tiny; it's an incredibly fast ability. It's best to fan out and keep Steel at range. 

4. As is often the case, Blink is an amazing survival tool against Steel, especially to quickly avoid his Ultimate. 

5. Don't waste your abilities against Steel when he's using Bulwark. It reduces incoming damage (as long as it's not AOE) but up to 90%. 

6. Steel is difficult to kill because when he wants to escape, he can use Shield Slam and Bull Rush to create huge gaps between him and his attackers. It's best to stun-lock him before he can use either. 

7. Steel is great at defending his team when he uses his Force Shield. There's no real way to play around this, so back off a little when it's live (especially if attacking a tower) as he'll likely follow up with Shield Slam. 

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Have a tip? Let me know and I'll add it to the list!