There are over 120+ heroes in the roster of the MOBA Dota 2— including Dragon Knight. Of these heroes, there are assassins, magicians, brawlers, and beefy frontlines, among others. Dota 2 design philosophy highlights the beauty of heroes being somewhat incomplete. What it means is that teamplay is the essence of gameplay in Dota 2. Sure you can still accomplish as an individual, but the peak game experience comes from cooperation.
That being said, there are always exceptions to Dota’s core design now and then. When a hero reaches critical mass, they tend to fully compensate for their weakness. One of these heroes is Dragon Knight, a tanky strength hero. DK’s gameplay is consistent from minute zero, with a role in frontline and initiation. But the real problem is that his gameplay is “boring,” making him easy to pick up and learn. So where do we begin to learn Dragon Knight?
Understanding Dragon Knight
The first thing you need to understand is that DK is sustainable in HP regen. DK’s passive allows him to regenerate health faster than most heroes, on top of bonus armor. Another thing is his Breath Fire, which lowers attack damage by a percentage. His primary initiation lies in his Dragon Tail, which is an instant stun when not in Dragon Form. Then his Dragon Form allows him to siege towers and attack from distance.
His shard provides him with AoE damage over time that accelerates his farm. The Scepter adds the Black Dragon, giving him flying movement and bonus magic resistance. At full strength with items, Dragon Knight is a deadly force that can soak both damage types. Watch your back because Aghs DK could approach from anywhere angle. If you find yourself against this hero, the way to go about him is to prevent him from peaking.
How to Counter the Dragon
If the Dragon is on the enemy team, your first solution is magic damage. Before he can arrive at level 3 Dragon with Aghs, magic is his bane. But there is a lesser-known counter to him and that is the Break mechanic. This cool mechanic cancels out his regen and armor passive bonus, making him weak to physical damage. Pure damage is alright as well, but HP shredding abilities clap him even better as a strength hero.
But perhaps the most effective way to deal with him early is to run Spirit Vessel. Reducing his trademark regen makes him vulnerable to everything. DK is also easy to kite before Blink Dagger, or if he overextends. His mana is also his weakness due to his low base pool and intelligence gain. Don’t expect to fight him head-on alone, always take him down with another ally. And don’t allow him to take tower shots for free in Dragon Form, because they tend to disappear fast.
BKB is a must-buy on DK, and so are other expensive items. His other weakness is his reliance on these items for him to have an impact. By ruining his early game, you allow your team to create a wider gap for him to catch up. When you run against a Dragon Knight, don’t underestimate him just because he is boring. It is because of his simplicity that he can see contention in competitive Dota 2. Good luck, fellow Dragonslayers.
