I’m surprised this hasn’t been debated more thoroughly. Spellbreakers not only offer too much power for their cost, their very design shuts down too many strategies that it makes the game less fun as a result. Let’s look at the stats versus cost for starters:
215 G/30 L/ 3 F
600 HP
250 Mana
28 sec build time
14 Average Attack Damage (Normal Type)
25 Attack Range
1.90 sec Attack Cooldown
3 Armor
300 Movement Speed
Compared to Footmen, you are paying 80 G/30 L/1 F extra for a pretty substantial upgrade in stats alone. Then you have to take their myriad of abilities into account, most of which come free
Spellsteal (Autocast, 75 Manacost, 70 Cast Range, 3 Sec cooldown)
Spell Immunity
Feedback (20 Mana burn per hit, 4 to heroes)
Control Magic (Variable Mana-cost, researched for 75 G/75 L)
Everything you see in bold is what makes Spellbreakers problematic. Spellsteal is relatively low manacost a meager 3 second cooldown that will hard-counter most spellcasters, especially Undead (more on that later). Feedback obliterates spellcasters who don’t cast any buffs/debuffs (such as Priests on Auto-heal), and even if your opponents lacks casters, their heroes are susceptible to focus-fire (even at 4 manaburn per hit, it adds up very quickly given the attack speed and attack range of Spellbreakers being considerably high).
Let’s do a rundown of each matchup to explore in greater detail why Spellbreakers limit gameplay:
HU vs. HU
Boy, is this mirror match derivative. Basically, if your opponent masses Spellbreakers at T2, you’d better be making Spellbreakers of your own, otherwise you’ll get run over. Mirror matches are extremely unforgiving, so if your army size is smaller because you tried rushing T3 for knights, that’s GG. So if not Spellbreakers, what do your options look like at T2?
Footmen get crushed (Defend is useless since Spellbreakers are Normal Attack Type despite being ranged) and so do Riflemen (deal pitiful damage b/c of Spellbreaker’s innantly high armor and will be outrunned and thus surrounded by them).
Sorcs are completely shut down and will cost you dearly if you were foolish enough to make them. Priests can still heal, but are susceptible to feedback.
Your only other option at T2 is to mass Dragonhawk Riders . . . I don’t think I need to explain why that’s an unpopular choice.
Realistically, most games are decided before T3, which is unfortunate. If you do somehow reach T3, Knights remain your only direct counter since Gryphon Riders can’t even attack Spellbreakers (you’re limited to targeting their heroes or doing hit & runs on their base).
HU vs. UD
Arguably the best example of why Spellbreakers limit gameplay. Extremely strong at T2, hard countering both Necros and Banshee (Unholy Frenzy, Cripple, Curse, and Anti-Magic Shell are a wash. Can’t Possess Spellbreakers since they’re magic-immune. Get destroyed by feedback. Raise Dead even countered by Control Magic if the HU don’t feel like using Priest Dispel).
UD need to rush T3, which makes them highly susceptible to a T2 Spellbreaker Rush with Priests, Sorcs and Riflement as backup (AM/MK typically as Heroes). UD will almost always go DK/Lich in this matchup because the nuke potential is UD’s greatest strengths . . . until they face Spellbreakers.
UD can’t counter SpellSteal with Dispel until T3 Destroyers, which can’t even attack Spellbreakers. So why even bother? Mass Crypt Fiends & Aboms and hope for the best . . . HU get to utilize their casters whereas UD don’t. Odds are stacked against UD because of this.
HU vs. Orc
Once again, a strong T2 choice. Spellbreakers may lose in a straight-up fight against Grunts, but that’s beside the point since you’ll have Heroes, Sorcs, Priests, and Riflemen to back them up. Steal bloodlust and spirit link (can’t benefit from spirit link but you’re still effectively dispelling it). Steal Far Seer’s Dire Wolves and Shadow Shaman’s Serpent Wards to add insult to injury. Steal all of Witch Doctor’s wards, perhaps most devastatingly the Stasis Trap. Immune to Chain Lightning, Hex, and Shockwave. You see the point. They’re a safe, strong T2 choice that can only truly backfire if Orcs mass Wyverns.
HU vs NE
Similar to Orcs, Spellbreakers don’t favour well in straight-up fights with tougher NE units such as Huntresses and Bears, but this is overshadowed by the threat of stealing powerful buffs such as Roar or Rejuvenation (essentially guaranteeing victory in a drawn-out engagement) while also reversing Faerie Fire and being immune to Cyclone. As with Gryphon Riders, Destroyers & Frost Wyrms, Chimeras cannot attack them because of their magic immunity. Why the hell should a T2 unit have blanket immunity against the majority of T3 flyers??
Overall, Spellbreakers just have too much going for them and seldom ever backfire when choosing to amass them so long as you scout properly and account for a tech switch to air units in appropriate matchups. Even if your opponent abstains from making spellcasters, Spellbreakers pose a significant threat to most Heroes because of their Feedback and Spell Immunity, with Control Magic being icing on the cake, so to speak. All of this for paying less than double the resources it takes to train a Footmen? That’s just ridiculous.