Unleashing Anubis Wrath: A Complete Guide to Its Terrifying In-Game Powers and Counters

Let me tell you about the first time I truly felt the cold grip of Anubis’s Wrath in a match. I was comfortably ahead, my resources were good, and then—out of nowhere—the screen darkened, those haunting spectral jackals materialized, and my health bar simply evaporated. It was over in seconds. That moment, equal parts terrifying and awe-inspiring, is what makes this ability one of the most discussed—and feared—powers in the current meta. Today, I want to break down exactly what makes Anubis’s Wrath so devastating, and more importantly, how you can survive it or even turn it against your opponent. Think of this as your survival guide to the sandstorm.

Now, the sheer visual and auditory design of the ability is a psychological weapon in itself. The screen tints a deep amber, the music dips into a dissonant chord, and the sound of howling winds and shifting sand fills your headphones. It’s meant to disorient you before the damage even kicks in. Mechanically, the ability summons three ethereal jackals that hunt down enemy players within a massive 15-meter radius over 4 seconds. Each jackal’s bite deals escalating damage, and if you’re caught by all three? Well, let’s just say it’s often a one-way ticket to the respawn screen for any non-tank character. I’ve clocked it at roughly 850 base damage at max level if all connects, not including the magical penetration buff Anubis gets during the cast. That’s enough to delete most carries from full health.

But here’s where it gets interesting, and where my own hard-learned lessons come in. Anubis’s Wrath isn’t an instant cast; it has a distinct wind-up animation where the character raises his staff. That’s your window. This is the single most critical counterplay moment. Any hard crowd control ability—a stun, a silence, or a knock-up—landed during this brief channel will cancel the entire ult. I can’t stress this enough. As a support main, I’ve made it my personal mission to save my team’s carry by holding my “Solar Flare” stun for exactly this moment. The timing is tight, maybe a 0.75-second window, but hitting it feels incredible. It completely defangs the god of the underworld and leaves him vulnerable for a crucial cooldown period.

Another layer to consider is positioning. The ability’s area of effect is large, but it’s not global. I’ve found that characters with quick dash or blink abilities can often escape the outer edges if they react instantly. The jackals have a slight travel time. I remember a particular ranked game where I was playing the nimble assassin, Kitsune. I saw the animation start, hit my “Phantom Dash” immediately, and just barely slipped out of the radius. I was left with a sliver of health, but I was alive. It taught me that pure spatial awareness and having an escape route planned are half the battle. Don’t cluster with your team if you suspect Anubis has his ultimate ready; you’re just making his job easier and presenting a juicier target.

There’s also a gear-based counter strategy that’s saved my skin more times than I can count. Items that provide a spell shield or magic damage immunity are worth their weight in gold. The “Amulet of Nullification” has a 90-second cooldown, but popping it right as you hear the howl will completely negate the first jackal’s hit, often breaking the damage chain enough for you to survive or escape. It’s a reactive play, and it requires good reflexes, but incorporating such an item into your build when facing an Anubis is a smart, proactive move. Personally, I think it’s a must-buy for any squishy mid-laner in this matchup.

All this talk about counters might make the ability sound weak, but that’s far from the truth. In the hands of a skilled player, Anubis’s Wrath is a game-winning play. The best Anubis players I’ve faced—and the style I try to emulate when I play him—use it not as an opener, but as a fight-ender. They wait. They let the team fight erupt, let key enemy crowd control abilities be spent, and then they slink into the flank or drop from the jungle. When everyone is already committed and their escapes are on cooldown, that’s when the wrath descends. It’s about patience and picking the perfect moment of maximum chaos. I’ve wiped entire teams with a single, well-placed cast because they were all bunched up fighting over an objective. The psychological impact alone can cause a team to panic and scatter, breaking their formation entirely.

It reminds me a bit of the technical polish in a game like The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. You have this beautiful, fluid system of conjuring echoes to solve puzzles and fight, and the game generally runs smoothly even when you’re throwing eight echoes onto the screen in rapid succession—a testament to some smart optimization. But, much like how Anubis’s Wrath has a specific, exploitable wind-up, even optimized games can have their moments of “slowdown.” In Echoes, I’ve read it’s tied to rendering the overworld map, a specific trigger point. Similarly, Anubis’s power has its own “rendering” phase: that channel time. The game, whether an adventure title or a competitive MOBA, gives you cues. The trick is learning to read them.

So, what’s the final verdict from someone who’s been on both the giving and receiving end of this sandstorm? Anubis’s Wrath is terrifyingly powerful, a true signature move that defines the character. It can feel unfair when you’re on the wrong end of it. But it’s not unbeatable. It demands respect, awareness, and specific counter-play. You have to respect the zone, save your interrupts, and itemize intelligently. When you successfully counter it, the feeling of triumph is massive. You’ve outplayed one of the most dramatic abilities in the game. And when you execute it perfectly as Anubis? There’s nothing quite like watching the enemy team melt away under the spectral jaws of the underworld. It’s a brutal, beautiful piece of game design that creates unforgettable moments—both of despair and of brilliant, clutch victory. Just remember: listen for the howl, watch for the raise of the staff, and never, ever stand still.