Dota 2 Monkey King Guide – Counters, Items, Tips and More

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Dota 2 Monkey King Guide – Counters, Items, Tips and More

This Dota 2 Monkey King guide is about to reveal everything that makes this hero so special.

Since the Dota 2 Monkey King release date, this hero has become one of the most popular picks in the game. Professional and PUB players have always used him because he is a solid pick in every meta. MK is highly versatile and deadly, so let’s learn more about him and everything that makes him the preferred option for so many players.

Before starting this Monkey King Dota 2 guide, it’s worth knowing the hero starts the game with 5.8 armor, 300 MS, and between 52-56 damage. Even though this is a melee Agility hero, he actually has 300 range, making him highly efficient against melee heroes. 

Monkey King is usually the team’s carry, but the hero can be played as a midder and support, depending on the meta. Let’s learn more about him.

Abilities

Choosing your preferred Dota 2 Monkey King Build is incredibly important because it will determine how well you’re doing. With that said, let’s learn more about the hero’s abilities before that.

  • Boundless Strike – This ability deals 225% damage on all targets it hits and stuns them for 1.3s.
  • Tree Dance and Primal Spring – When used, Monkey King can jump on a tree. Once there, he can channel this ability and jump on the ground, dealing up to 350 damage and slowing down enemies by 80%.
  • Jingu Mastery – This passive ability allows the hero to activate 160 bonus damage and 80% lifesteal for 4 attacks after hitting an enemy hero 4 items. Once the ability is active, MK can use his Boundless Strike to benefit from the extra lifesteal and damage.
  • Mischief – The Dota 2 Monkey King mischief is an ability that allows the hero to deceive opponents by changing the hero’s shape. There is a 0.2s damage immune duration.
  • Wukong’s Command – This ultimate allows the hero to get 24 bonus armor and create a circle with MK’s clones. This lasts for 13s, during which enemies inside it are attacked by each clone. This circle lasts for 13s, but it will disappear if Monkey King leaves it.

Players who want to get a Shard for MK will be able to leap to the end of their staff after using Boundless Strike and will also apply Primal Spring, where MK lands with 50% power of the max challenging duration. This can work really well when chasing a target or when you want to escape. People who decide to get an Aghanim’s Scepter will be able to spawn monkey soldiers near MK regularly that will attack their targets and gain Jingu Mastery charges independently.

Talents

Monkey King fights off enemies while covered in leaves

After looking at the Monkey King Dota 2 skills, it’s time to reveal the hero’s talents.

  • Level 10 – +0.3s stun duration to Boundless Strike or Invulnerability duration is +0.2s
  • Level 15 – 110 additional damage to Jingu Mastery or +450 Tree Dance Cast Range
  • Level 20 – Boundless Strike -7s cooldown or Primal Spring has no cooldown
  • Level 25 – One More Wukong’s Command ring or -1 Jingu Mastery Required Hits

Dota 2 Monkey King Guide – Tips

After the Monkey King Dota 2 release date was announced, people started coming up with all sorts of ideas about the hero. As mentioned, he can fit in a lot of roles, but most teams and players will use him as a carry or support. Monkey King’s ability to farm pretty fast and his extreme mobility make him a very dangerous opponent to play against.

The first and most important thing to remember before checking the Money King Dota 2 pro tracker is that the hero is powerful in the early game. He can bully almost everyone, so you need to use this to your advantage and prevent the opponents from last hitting. 

Speaking of his damage, Monkey King players can use their passive and Boundless Strike smart and get back to full HP when they’re low on it. Players usually achieve that by playing super aggressively so they can get the Jingu Mastery proc. Once that happens, landing a Boundless Strike on multiple opponents will almost always bring them back to full HP.

Other than that, MK is like most other carries in the game. His ultimate is very strong, and it has to be used wisely because the enemy team will not want to fight into it. Therefore, a good MK ult can change the course of any team fight.

Monkey King Dota 2 Guide – Pros and Cons

 

Having the Dota 2 Monkey King Arcana increases this hero’s popularity, but this doesn’t mean he hasn’t got some drawbacks. Let’s go over all of them.

Pros:

  • He deals a lot of damage
  • Can dodge certain abilities
  • Has one of the best team-fight ultimates in the game
  • Extremely annoying and strong early on
  • He can be relatively hard to kill

Cons:

  • Playing over-aggressively can be fatal
  • There are a few big counters

Dota 2 Monkey King Guide – Items

Once you’re done choosing your preferred Dota 2 Money King skins, the second thing to focus on is the best items for the hero.

Early game

Aside from the classic HP regen, MK players usually start the game with a Quelling Blade. That said, supports will get Orb of Venom because it is solid when chasing someone.

Early game

mk

In most cases, players go for Phase Boots and a Blight Stone and can also get a Magic Wand, depending on how well the game’s going.

Mid game

The best mid game items will depend on your Monkey King Dota 2 build. Usually, players rush Desolator/Butterfly and an Echo Sabre, but we’ve also seen things like a Shadow Balde. Supports will usually go for Eul’s.

Late game

For the late game, Monkey King can go for Black King Bar, Monkey King Bar, Abyssal Blade, Eye of Skadi, Assault Cuirass, and so on. MK can work well with pretty much all items, so it really depends on his opponents.

Monkey King Dota 2 counter

Even though the hero is pretty strong, there is a Dota 2 Monkey King counter people need to be aware of:

  • Axe – The deadly combo with Blink and Call from Axe + a Blademail will almost always result in a kill, so MK players need to be careful.
  • Ursa – Ursa is among the few heroes capable of trading hits with MK and winning the matchup.
  • Batrider – Batrider has a lot of disables and he can kite MK pretty well, making him one of the best for the laning stage.

Conclusion

Overall, Monkey King is an amazing hero, which explains why he’s been one of the best heroes to play with. Whether you decide to be a support or carry, the hero can do wonders. Just make sure to avoid some of the counters because they can be hard to deal with.

Dota 2 Monkey King Guide – Counters, Items, Tips and More
Zlosterr
Zlosterr has been a fan of esports for many years and mainly focuses on Dota 2. He has more than five years of experience writing Dota 2 content for numerous platforms. Besides being a passionate fan of the game, he's also played for various amateur teams.