Drafting: Heroes that act as generic counter-picks

There are a few heroes that counter a lot of different heroes.  When you're stuck against a lineup that might demolish you in some specific way, consider some of these:

Solo Split Pushers:

These heroes allow you to give ground instead of team-fighting, knowing that your split-pusher is going to force them to break off or lose ground of their own.  Note:  as of patch 6.82b, split-pushing is a lot more dangerous, as the enemy team can get a lot more gold/XP from a single pick-off.

• Tinker
• Nature's Prophet
• Lycan
• Weaver (somewhat less so)
• Phantom Lancer (once he gets going)
• Ember Spirit (with Boots of Travel, especially)

Teamfight Counters & Counter-Initiators

These heroes basically make team-fighting a lot more difficult for the opponent, with a single hero pick:

• Centaur Warrunner (Stampede to retreat / avoid team-fight, or counter-initiate)
• Silencer (obvious; Global Silence)
• Earthshaker (Fissure makes good long-range interrupt or wall).
• Pugna (Nether Ward)
• Dark Seer (Wall of Replica)
• Rubick (steals your good team-fight ultimates)
• Shadow Demon (protects the focus target)
• Naga Siren (Song of the Siren stops the team-fight)
• Honourable Mention:  Keeper of the Light (spams Illuminate over the teamfighting area)

Global Anti-Push

These heroes allow you to remain with your comrades, but still anti-push from across the map.

• Ancient Apparition (Ice Blast)
• Clockwerk (Flare)
• Gyrocopter (with Agh's upgrade)
• Visage (send Familiars)
• Nature's Prophet (Nature's Wrath, Teleport)
• Keeper of the Light (Recall allows someone to push out the wave, and then be back for the teamfight)

Anti-Burst

If the enemy team has a lot of burst, and is likely going to try and focus down one hero as the fight begins, consider some of these counters:

• Shadow Demon:  Disruption
• Vengeful Spirit: Nether Swap
• Dazzle:  Shallow Grave
• Omniknight:  Repel, Guardian Angel
• Outworld Devourer:  Astral Prison
• Abaddon: Mist Coil, Shield

... or you can just pick tankier heroes.

Anti-Carry Heroes

• Razor - counters non-illusion carries by stealing their damage
• Elder Titan - counters Agility heroes by eliminating armor from agility gain and base armor
• Lifestealer - counters beefy Strength carries by doing dmg proportional to health.
• Shadow Demon - creates illusions of hard-hitting carry
• Dark Seer - Wall of Replica creates illusions of hard-hitting carry

Anti-Pickoff Supports

Sometimes you need tankier supports with an escape or stun so they can run away.  Here are some examples.  I'm not including the typical "healing" supports (Abaddon, Dazzle, Omni, etc).

• Windrunner (Windrun)
• Shadow Demon (Disruption, Purge)
• Disruptor (Glimpse)
• Witch Doctor (Cask, Heal)
• Jakiro (tough, and Ice Path helps)
• Bane (tanky, Nightmare)
• Rubick (Telekinesis + Fade Bolt both deter aggression)
• Sand King (Sandstorm + Burrowstrike to escape)
• Tidehunter (he's just really damn tough, and Anchor Smash reduces enemy right-click)
• Earthshaker (tough, and can wall off the pursuit)
• Io/Wisp (Tether and run)
• Wraith King (after L6)
• Phoenix (Dive away)
• Earth Spirit (boulder away)
• Tusk (Snowball away)

Flash Farming Carries

Sometimes your lineup severely lacks push or "quick recovery by farming".  These are carry heroes that can farm absurdly fast, farm stacked ancients, or push lanes super-quickly, with their base abilities (i.e. they don't require additional items):

• Gyrocopter (Flak Cannon)
• Shadow Fiend (Razes)
• Luna (Glaives)
• Alchemist (Chemical Rage)
• Dragon Knight (Dragon Form - Red Dragon or above)
• Meepo (Clones)
• Kunkka (Tidebringer)
• Tinker (March of the Machines - no longer affects ancients)
• Medusa (Split Shot)