Tusk counterpicks: who to choose against this hero in Dota 2

Tusk is a melee strength hero. He is most often used in a support role. Thanks to a combination of his abilities, he can initiate battles or save allies.

A good choice against Tusk will be heroes that:

• Have escape abilities
• With high mobility
• Effectively counter-initiate

Some of the best heroes against Tusk:

• Slark is strong against Tusk on lane because of Essence Shift. He can also catch Tusk or escape Ice Shards with Pounce, and Dark Pact dispels Snowball's stun.
• Tidehunter - Due to its high durability and survivability, Tidehunter is not afraid of losing position from a Tusk attack and can counter-initiate with Ravage if Tusk attacks an ally. In addition, Dead in the Water (from Aghanim's Shard) is a good control against Tusk, as he can't use Snowball under the effect of this ability.
• Winter Wyvern - also strong on lane against Tusk thanks to Arctic Burn. Cold Embrace is a good save against Tusk's attack, and Winter's Curse will allow you to turn the battle around.

Other good choices against Tusk are Puck, Faceless Void, Anti-Mage, Lifestealer, Vengeful Spirit, Mirana, Dark Willow, Underlord, Void Spirit, Storm Spirit, Ember Spirit, Abaddon, Axe, Wraith King, Undying, Dawnbreaker, Spectre, Medusa, Night Stalker, Phoenix, Clockwerk, Outworld Destroyer and Timbersaw.

In addition to heroes, the following items will be effective against Tusk:

• Force Staff/Hurricane Pike/Wind Waker - against Ice Shards.
• Ghost/Ethereal Blade/Heaven's Halberd - against Walrus Punch.
• Linken's Sphere/Lotus Orb/Black King Bar/Eul's Scepter of Divinity/Blink Dagger - against Snowball (Linken's Sphere and Lotus Orb will also save from Walrus Kick).
• Aeon Disk - useful on supports, will allow you to survive an attack.
• Scythe Of Vyse/Skull Basher/Abyssal Blade/Orchid Malevolence/Bloodthorn - to control Tusk.

How to counter Tusk:

Early Game:

Tusk is quite dangerous on lane, as he can set up kills from the first minutes. Keep an eye on your resources and try not to get hit by his abilities. At the early levels, Tusk's ability cooldown is quite long and he may have mana problems, which you can take advantage of.

Mid-game:

Tusk will continue to look for opportunities to earn easy kills for his team. Don't stay alone in dangerous areas and ensure you have a good vision on the map. Try to catch Tusk in a mistake and if you manage to neutralize him, start playing aggressively.

Late Game:

In late, Tusk is useful mainly because of Aghanim's Scepter, which will allow him to initiate extremely favorable battles by breaking the position of the most vulnerable enemy. It is better to initiate the fight against Tusk first, but at the same time be ready to save your allies from his attack. Remember that Snowball will allow Tusk to not only attack but also save teammates, so be careful when using skills that interrupt this ability (such as Chain Frost Lich).

Overall strategy

When playing against Tusk, it’s important to keep an eye on his mana early on so he can’t use his abilities effectively. In the late game, focus on positioning to minimize his impact. Try to prevent him from using Snowball successfully and avoid being controlled by Walrus Punch or his other attacks. Coordinate with your team to neutralize his initiative and, whenever possible, control his ability to save teammates with Snowball.