Dharma dominates Honor of Kings Season 12 with a 51.23% win rate and an extraordinary 84.78% pick+ban rate in competitive KMW matches. Despite a modest 0.42% pick rate in general play, this Fighter excels in Clash Lane and Jungle through devastating combos, exceptional mobility, and game-changing crowd control. This guide covers Dharma's meta positioning, optimal builds featuring Axe of Torment and Frostscar's Embrace, effective counters using Heino and Mi Yue, and critical draft decisions for Season 12 ranked play.
Season 12 Meta: Dharma's Dominance
Season 12 launched September 24, 2026. Dharma ranks C-tier in general assessments, yet this masks his true impact in coordinated play. The contrast between his 0.02% ban rate in casual matches and 84.78% pick+ban rate in KMW reveals a hero whose strength scales dramatically with coordination and execution.
He operates effectively in Clash Lane and Jungle, offering draft flexibility. His kit combines sustained damage (Enlightenment Mantra), burst potential (Truth Mantra), and consistent crowd control (Formlessness Mantra). This versatility makes Dharma a priority pick, forcing opponents to dedicate bans or risk facing a tempo-dictating hero.
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Statistical Overview
Dharma's 51.23% win rate shows solid performance across skill brackets—balanced without being oppressive. The 0.42% pick rate suggests players lack confidence in this mechanically demanding hero or face frequent bans. The 0.02% ban rate in general matchmaking shows casual players haven't recognized his competitive potential.
The 84.78% pick+ban rate in KMW tells the real story. Pro teams understand Dharma's capacity to snowball advantages, control objectives, and execute backline dives. This knowledge gap between casual and serious players creates climb opportunities.
Key Balance Changes
Dharma's Heart Meridian Mantra passive grants +30 physical defense and +30 magic defense per stack (max 3 stacks, 5 seconds), providing 90 total defensive stats when fully stacked. This passive deals 28 (+30% bonus physical attack) physical damage with a 30% slow for 2 seconds, enabling survivability and chase potential.
Formlessness Mantra (Skill 1) operates on a 3-second cooldown at level 1, scaling down to 1.5 seconds at max rank. This 0.5-second knock-up deals 150/180/210/240/270/300 (+100% bonus physical attack) physical damage. The Formless enhancement adds 15% of target's lost health damage every 10/9.6/9.2/8.8/8.4/8 seconds (max 2 charges). Low cooldowns enable constant pressure.
Why Dharma Became Must-Ban
Dharma's must-ban status stems from converging factors creating oppressive gameplay when piloted correctly. His mobility, damage, sustain, and crowd control dominate multiple game phases from early ganks through late-game fights.
Enhanced Mobility and Damage
Dharma's mobility comes from his skill kit. Formlessness Mantra's 1.5-second cooldown at max rank provides near-constant repositioning. Combined with animation canceling, Dharma weaves between targets while maintaining pressure.
Enlightenment Mantra (Skill 2) delivers 5 punches per second over 4 seconds (20 total). Each punch deals 65/78/91/104/117/130 physical damage with +50% damage against non-heroes and 0.35% of target's max health. This sustained DPS excels at clearing jungle while providing consistent team fight damage. It heals for 50/60/70/80/90/100 (+3.5% bonus health), creating sustain during extended skirmishes.
Early Game Ganking and Snowball
Dharma's early strength lies in executing ganks with minimal setup. The Formlessness Mantra knock-up (0.5 seconds) provides enough disruption for teammate follow-up. At level 4, Truth Mantra transforms him into a lethal threat.
Truth Mantra delivers 200/300/400 (+100% bonus physical attack) physical damage twice while stunning for 1 second. This 50/45/40-second cooldown ability enables the optimal combo: Skill 2 + Skill 1 + Ultimate + Auto Attack + Skill 2 + Skill 1. This eliminates squishy targets before they react, especially with damage-focused builds.
Early kills accelerate item progression, reaching power spikes faster. Snowball potential becomes dangerous when securing early eliminations, as scaling benefits tremendously from bonus physical attack amplifying Skill 1 and Ultimate damage.
Team Fight Impact
During fights, Dharma functions as a disruptive diver eliminating priority targets while absorbing resources. Heart Meridian Mantra provides 90 combined defensive stats when stacked, allowing survival during initial counterattacks while executing carries.
The 1-second stun from Truth Mantra plus 0.5-second knock-up from Formlessness Mantra creates 1.5 seconds of hard crowd control—enough for teammates to layer abilities. The 30% slow from his passive restricts positioning, making escape difficult.
Dharma's presence forces defensive positioning, limiting aggressive engages. Teams must dedicate resources to peel or risk losing damage dealers, creating space for teammates.
Optimal Build Path
Proper itemization maximizes strengths while addressing vulnerabilities. The build balances damage, survivability, and utility throughout all phases.
Core Items
Start with Sunglow Striker and Meteor for efficient jungle clearing and early combat stats.
Boots of Resistance (710 gold): Magic defense and tenacity reduce crowd control duration—critical for dive-focused Fighters needing escape after executing targets.
Axe of Torment (2090 gold): First major power spike providing bonus physical attack, cooldown reduction, and damage-enhancing passive. Synergizes with skill-based damage for frequent combo rotations.
Frostscar's Embrace (2100 gold): Adds offensive and defensive value through physical attack, health, and unique slow complementing passive slow. Helps stick to targets while providing bulk.
Sky Dome (3370 gold): Game-changing shield effect allows survival during deep dives, creating aggressive play opportunities.
Final Build
Demonsbane (2090 gold): Armor penetration and physical attack ensure damage remains relevant against tanky opponents. Penetration becomes valuable late-game when enemies complete defensive cores.
Starbreaker (2100 gold): Critical strike chance and attack damage add another damage vector. Auto-attack damage between skill rotations benefits from crits during extended duels.
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Arcana Configuration
Recommended setup: 10 Mutation, 10 Concealment, 10 Eagle Eye. This provides physical attack, armor penetration, and attack speed—stats enhancing damage output and jungle clear efficiency.
Mutation increases physical attack, amplifying Formlessness Mantra and Truth Mantra scaling. Concealment adds armor penetration for effectiveness against defensive items. Eagle Eye provides attack speed and physical attack, improving clear speeds and auto-attack damage.
Counter-Pick Guide
Understanding counters provides strategic options when facing Dharma in draft or gameplay.
Hard Counters
Heino: Provides durability to survive burst combo while delivering sustained damage punishing extended fights. Crowd control and damage make him reliable when Dharma slips through bans.
Mi Yue: Counters through sustain, mobility, and split-push pressure. Ultimate provides invulnerability frames dodging Truth Mantra, while healing negates passive poke. Outscales Dharma in side lanes.
Yixing: Offers crowd control and team utility. Locks down Dharma during fights preventing combo execution, while providing peel for targeted teammates. Tankiness absorbs initial burst.
Additional Counters
Lu Bu: Duels Dharma effectively through true damage and sustain. Ultimate grants survivability against combo while dealing percentage-based damage effective regardless of defensive stats.
Biron: Superior team fight control disrupts engage patterns. Crowd control chains lock Dharma before reaching targets, while tankiness prevents quick eliminations.
Zhuangzi: Mobility-based counter kiting Dharma while providing utility. Slipperiness makes landing full combo difficult, while damage remains threatening.
Mozi, Zhang Fei, Athena: Tanky frontline absorbing damage while protecting carries. Excel at peeling Dharma off targets, forcing deep commits or disengages.
Sun Bin, Donghuang: Support-oriented disruption. Sun Bin's movement speed helps teammates escape engage, while Donghuang's suppression ultimate locks Dharma during critical moments.
Dolia, Guiguzi, Kui: Additional options worth considering. Dolia's crowd control and burst match threat level. Guiguzi offers stealth-based engage catching Dharma out of position. Kui provides tankiness and disruption.
Draft Phase Strategy
Understanding draft mechanics helps make informed decisions about banning Dharma versus other threats.
Draft Timing
Blue side receives 30 seconds for initial two bans, followed by 225-second four-ban phase. Red side gets 270-second four-ban phase, providing more time to analyze opponents and adjust strategy. Both sides have 20-second trade windows.
These constraints require efficient ban prioritization. Dharma's 84.78% pick+ban rate shows competitive teams consistently identify him as priority.
First Ban Priority
Dharma's ban priority depends on team composition, opponent tendencies, and available counters. Without hard counters like Heino or Mi Yue, banning becomes attractive. With strong counters secured early, allowing Dharma through creates counter-pick advantage.
Consider team comfort against Dharma. Even with theoretical counters, execution matters—if teammates struggle mechanically, banning removes risk. Psychological impact of facing skilled Dharma disrupts coordination, making bans worthwhile.
Blue vs Red Side
Blue side's first pick influences decisions. Allowing Dharma through lets them secure him immediately, preventing red side access. Strategic decision: ban to deny both teams, or leave available for first-picking.
Red side faces different calculations. Without first pick, they must ban Dharma or prepare counters. Extended ban time (270 vs 225 seconds) allows observing blue side's selections before finalizing bans, potentially saving Dharma ban if blue reveals non-synergistic composition.
Mastering Skill Mechanics
Understanding skill interactions enables effective play as Dharma and informed counterplay.
Skill Priority
Prioritize Skill 2 (Enlightenment Mantra) over Skill 1 (Formlessness Mantra). Enlightenment provides superior jungle clear, sustained fight damage, and crucial healing. Increased damage per rank and improved healing make it most impactful early.
Level Skill 1 secondary for reduced cooldown and increased damage. Cooldown reduction from 3 to 1.5 seconds dramatically improves mobility and damage during extended fights. Take Ultimate at levels 4, 8, 12.
Optimal Combo
Standard combo: Skill 2 + Skill 1 + Ultimate + Auto Attack + Skill 2 + Skill 1. This maximizes damage while weaving crowd control optimally.
Begin with Skill 2 activating Enlightenment, building Heart Meridian stacks while dealing initial damage. Follow with Skill 1 to knock up, interrupting response. Activate Ultimate during knock-up guaranteeing stun, then auto attack while waiting for Skill 2 cooldown. Reactivate Skill 2 for damage and healing, finish with Skill 1 to secure elimination or maintain control.
This requires practice for smooth execution. Animation canceling reduces total combo duration, giving opponents less reaction time.
Power Spikes
Dharma spikes at levels 4, 8, 12 when unlocking/upgrading Truth Mantra. Level 4 is first major spike, transforming him into legitimate kill threat. 200 base damage (400 total) with 100% bonus physical attack scaling provides substantial burst.
Item spikes occur completing Axe of Torment and Frostscar's Embrace. These provide offensive stats threatening squishies while adding defensive value enabling aggressive plays. Sky Dome completion marks another spike, as shield allows surviving counterattacks during deep dives.
Playing Against Dharma
When Dharma slips through bans, understanding how to minimize impact becomes essential.
Jungle Tracking and Vision
Dharma's early ganking makes jungle tracking critical. Place wards at likely gank paths—river entrances and jungle exits near lanes. Observing which buff he starts reveals likely pathing, predicting first gank.
Communicate Dharma's position through pings and map awareness. When he shows one lane, opposite lanes can play aggressively knowing they're temporarily safe. This information advantage helps avoid deaths while punishing teammates when he's visible elsewhere.
Positioning
Maintain safe positioning relative to frontline when Dharma is missing or nearby. He excels at punishing isolated overextenders, so staying near teammates who can peel provides protection. Avoid face-checking brushes or unwarded areas.
During fights, position behind frontline until Dharma commits abilities. Once he uses Truth Mantra and Formlessness on another target, threat decreases due to cooldowns. This creates windows for aggressive engagement.
Exploiting Cooldowns
Dharma's power concentrates in ability rotations—when skills are on cooldown, threat drops. Truth Mantra's 50/45/40-second cooldown creates extended windows lacking primary burst. Tracking ultimate usage allows aggressive engagement during vulnerability.
If Dharma uses Enlightenment to clear camps or waves, he loses primary damage and healing for 10/9.6/9.2/8.8/8.4/8 seconds. Engaging during this window forces reduced effectiveness or retreat.
Team Coordination
Coordinate crowd control chains locking Dharma when he commits dives. Layering stuns, knock-ups, slows prevents combo execution or escape. Designate a teammate for peeling, ensuring someone tracks his position during fights.
Focus fire when he overextends, even if temporarily ignoring other targets. Heart Meridian makes him deceptively tanky, but concentrated damage eliminates him before escape. Removing Dharma early significantly reduces enemy threat.
Common Misconceptions
Myth: Falls Off Late Game
Many believe Dharma becomes less effective late, but his 51.23% win rate across all game lengths suggests otherwise. While some assassins scale more dramatically, Dharma maintains relevance through crowd control, sustained damage, and carry-zoning ability.
Late-game Dharma with six items possesses enough damage threatening squishies while having sufficient defense surviving counterattacks. Crowd control remains valuable regardless of length, providing utility when damage becomes less overwhelming.
Myth: Tank Items Shut Down Dharma
Defensive items help survive burst but don't neutralize him. Enlightenment deals 0.35% of target's max health per punch, meaning tankier targets take more total damage from percentage-based component. Additionally, crowd control and disruption provide value independent of damage.
Balance defensive items with offensive stats, maintaining enough damage threatening teammates while gaining survivability. Pure tank builds survive Dharma but lack damage punishing aggression or threatening backline.
Myth: Only Strong in High Elo
Dharma's 0.42% pick rate across ranks suggests underutilization in lower elos, but doesn't mean ineffectiveness. Mechanical execution creates skill barriers, but even average play succeeds when opponents don't understand counters.
The knowledge gap between competitive (84.78% pick+ban) and general matchmaking (0.02% ban) indicates most players haven't recognized strength. This creates opportunities for players investing practice time, as lower rank opponents rarely ban him and lack experience against him.
Expert Tips for Ranked
Adapting Hero Pool
Incorporate at least one Dharma counter for draft flexibility. Heino, Mi Yue, or Yixing offer strong matchups while remaining viable when Dharma isn't present. This ensures you're never forced into uncomfortable matchups.
Practice heroes synergizing with Dharma if planning to play him. Supports with crowd control, tanks engaging while Dharma flanks, and mages with burst following initiation create powerful combinations.
Draft Communication
Communicate Dharma ban intentions during prep. If banning, inform teammates so they don't waste time on strategies assuming availability. If leaving available for counter-picking or first-picking, ensure teammates understand and possess appropriate options.
Discuss role assignments early when Dharma is available. He functions in Clash Lane and Jungle, so clarifying role prevents confusion. This helps teammates select complementary heroes.
Leveraging Bans
Use bans strategically removing not just Dharma but heroes countering your strategy. Planning dive-heavy composition? Ban heroes with strong peel. Playing protect-carry? Ban assassins and divers threatening backline.
Consider psychological bans against opponents specializing in specific heroes. If an enemy is known for exceptional Dharma play, banning removes comfort pick regardless of meta strength, forcing less familiar heroes.
When to Prioritize Dharma Ban
Prioritize when composition lacks hard counters and teammates express discomfort. Psychological impact of facing feared heroes often outweighs theoretical counter advantages.
Save bans for other threats when possessing strong counters secured early. This gains counter-pick advantage while addressing heroes your team genuinely cannot handle.
FAQ
Why is Dharma banned so much in S12 competitive?
Dharma commands 84.78% pick+ban in KMW due to exceptional early ganking, game-changing crowd control (Truth Mantra's 1-second stun), and snowball capacity. Pro teams recognize his tempo-dictating ability while maintaining threat throughout all phases.
What's Dharma's actual win rate in S12?
51.23% across all ranks, indicating balanced performance rewarding execution without being oppressive. His 0.42% pick rate suggests underutilization relative to competitive strength, creating mastery opportunities.
Which heroes counter Dharma most effectively?
Heino, Mi Yue, and Yixing are hardest counters through durability, sustain, crowd control, and damage neutralizing his strengths. Additional counters: Lu Bu, Biron, Zhuangzi, Mozi, Zhang Fei, Athena, Sun Bin, Donghuang.
Should I ban Dharma every ranked game?
Ban when lacking hard counters and teammates express discomfort, or facing opponents known for strong Dharma play. With reliable counters like Heino or Mi Yue secured early, leaving available creates counter-pick opportunities while using bans for other threats.
How do I play against Dharma if not banned?
Maintain safe positioning near peeling teammates, track jungle pathing through vision, exploit cooldown windows after ability commits. Focus fire when overextending, layer crowd control preventing combo execution, avoid isolated positions enabling ambushes.
What makes Dharma's combo so effective?
Optimal combo (Skill 2 + Skill 1 + Ultimate + Auto + Skill 2 + Skill 1) delivers devastating burst with 1.5 seconds hard crowd control (0.5-second knock-up + 1-second stun). Combined with Heart Meridian granting 90 defensive stats and 30% slow, he eliminates targets while surviving counterattacks.
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