How Nullifier Actually Works: Explained in 17 Minutes

We thought we'd continue our series explaining how items work by going over Nullifier: the best offensive dispel item in the game. We break down every item that it counters and show just how many hero abilities it counteracts too! Pretty impressive, huh?

Shout out to ‪@zzadrianzz‬ who popularised this style of DOTA 2 content. If you see this, we hope you understand we're replicating your titling to help the algorithm get these videos out to our shared audiences who want to understand the game better. It's all love from our end!

You can find our full playlist of DOTA videos from various creators that explain how items and mechanics of DOTA actually work from Adrian and other creators like ‪@ZQuixotix‬ ‪@PainDota‬ and ‪@BalloonDota‬.    • How DOTA 2 Actually Works  

Timestamps:
00:00 - How Nullifier Actually Works
02:34 - Strongest Items that Nullifier directly counters
04:27 - Other Items Nullifier counters (Not Recommended for just these items)
05:56 - Updated Interaction with BKB and Disjoints/Reflections
06:51 - How Nullifier Counters Hero Abilities
09:05 - Heroes which Nullifier gives Strong Counterplay against
13:27 - Heroes which Nullifier Hard Counters - these heroes alone justify a Nullifier purchase

Items:
Aeon Disk: Immediately removes protective barrier
Glimmer Cape: Barrier and Invisibility purged
Ghost Scepter / Ethereal Blade: Ethereal state purgeable
Euls / Wind Waker: Immediately returns hero to the ground if cast by an enemy. Nullifier does not stop allies from putting enemies in a Cyclone since it is a debuff. Thank you to users mikawesseling320 and shortcircuited5069 for the correction
Force Staff: Only pushes 100 units. Hurricane Pike works the same if ally-cast, but interacts normally if cast on enemy.
Crimson Guard: Removes physical barrier. Cannot dispel magic barrier from Pipe of Insight
Disperser: Allied movement speed boost purgeable
Mjollnir: Static Charge active purgeable
Pavise / Solar Crest: Purges Barrier and additional buffs
Drums of Endurance / Boots of Bearing: Active speed boost purgeable
Swift Blink: Movement Speed and Agility bonus buff purgeable
Mask of Madness: Purges Beserk active and puts item on cooldown. Removes the silence and armor penalty too.
Urn of Shadows / Spirit Vessel: Purges healing and consumes the charge.

Strength:
Earthshaker - Enchant Totem (purges bonus damage, doesn’t disable jump through Scepter)
Elder Titan - Astral Spirit bonus purged
Legion Commander - Press The Attack & Overwhelming Odds purged
Ogre Magi - Bloodlust purgeable
Omniknight - Repel not purged due to Debuff Immunity, Guardian Angel is though. (Repel is only dispelled by Shadow Demon's ult Demonic Purge since it pierces Debuff Immunity - credit to A H for the catch on that one)
Primal Beast - Onslaught purged after short distance
Slardar - Guardian Sprint purged
Spirit Breaker - Bulldoze purged
Sven - Warcry purged
Treant Protector - Living Armor purged

Agility:
Anti-Mage - Counter Spell can be purged but Nullifier can be reflected
Bloodseeker - Bloodrage purgeable, Barrier from Scepter also purgeable (credit to cynicsoul6451)
Clinkz - Strafe purgeable
Ember Spirit - Flame Guard purged
Gyrocopter - Rocket Barrage purged
Hoodwink - Scurry purged
Monkey King - Bonus damage and lifesteal buff through Jingu Mastery after hitting an enemy 3 times is purgeable, robbing him of the benefits.
Phantom Assassin - Phantom Strike buff purgeable
Phantom Lancer - Phantom Rush purgeable
Sniper - Take Aim purgeable
Ursa - Overpower purgeable

Intelligence:
Grimstoke - causes Ink Swell to instantly pop, ministunning if cast after Nullifier applies, or stunning for its current duration if Nullifier is applied after Ink Swell was
Leshrac - Nihilism (Scepter) is purgeable
Lich - Frost Shield purgeable
Nature’s Prophet - Purges buff from Teleportation
Necrophos - Purges Ghost Shroud
Oracle - Purges Fate’s Edict and the healing of Purifying Flames
Pugna - Purges Decrepify
Storm Spirit - Purges his Overload procs
Tinker - Defense Matrix purgeable
Warlock - Shadow Word cast on ally can be purged

Universal:
Abaddon - Aphotic Shield purgeable
Brewmaster - Purges his Cinder Brew buff, robbing him of bonus multipliers to Drunken Brawler variants
Clockwerk - Jetpack (Shard) purgeable
Dark Seer - Ion Shell and Surge both purgeable
Invoker - Alacrity purgeable
Magnus - Overpower purgeable
Mirana - Purges the bonus movement and attack speed, but doesn’t stop the Leap
Pangolier - Purges barrier from Shield Crash
Snapfitr - Lil' Shredder buff purgeable (credit to lull9075)
Techies - Instantly detonates Reactive Tazer, similar to Grimstroke’s Ink Swell
Timbersaw - will purge the barrier building up from Timbersaw Scepter
Vengeful Spirit - Purges the barrier from Nether Swap
Visage - Purges Grave Chill buff
Void Spirit - Barrier from Resonant Pulse purgeable
Windranger - Windrun purged