Terrorblade · Carry (pos. 1)
Terrorblade Aggressive Guide
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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.
Overview
This guide is about playing Terrorblade aggressively. Aggression as a carry means fighting the moment you hit a spike — right after Manta Style — while the enemy cores are still farming theirs. Your spikes are level 6, when Sunder comes online, and your core items: Manta Style and then Aghanim's Shard. This patch, Terrorblade wins 46.7% of the 165,475 public matches we measured (D tier on our ladder).
Strengths
- Reliable fear: Terror Wave sets up kills.
- Heavy magical burst: Valve lists it as a Nuker.
- Scales into a late-game threat as the items come in.
- Takes towers quickly: Valve lists it as a Pusher.
Weaknesses
- No escape in the kit: without good positioning and vision, Terrorblade is easy to catch.
- Melee: has to walk up to its target, which makes the lane harder against ranged heroes.
- Every death while playing aggressively hands the tempo back to the enemy.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Damage buildOffensiveRecommendedMoves the popular items that add damage — Butterfly and Falcon Blade — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Terrorblade players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Against magic damageDefensiveSituationalFor games where the enemy kills with spells: keep your first two core items and add magic resistance or spell immunity.
Builds
Damage build
When to use it
Moves the popular items that add damage — Butterfly and Falcon Blade — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Terrorblade players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
195%- Safe laneMain95% of matchesSafe lane as the farming core (pos. 1).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Butterfly+30 Agility, +35% Evasion, +20% Base Attack Speed Percentage.
- 2Falcon Blade+200 Health, +1.8 Mana Regeneration, +14 Damage.
- 3Orchid Malevolence+35 Attack Speed, +20 Damage, +2.5 Mana Regeneration. Active: Soul Burn.
- 4Shadow Blade+25 Damage, +35 Attack Speed. Active: Shadow Walk.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Conjure Image›Metamorphosis›Reflection
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · |
 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● |
Talents by level
- +30s Metamorphosis Duration-30s Sunder Cooldown25
- +8s Conjure Image Duration+10 All Attributes20
- -10s Metamorphosis Cooldown-25% Sunder Minimum HP Swap15
- +1s Reflection Duration-2s Conjure Image Cooldown10
Against magic damage
When to use it
For games where the enemy kills with spells: keep your first two core items and add magic resistance or spell immunity.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
195%- Safe laneMain95% of matchesSafe lane as the farming core (pos. 1).
Core items
- 1Manta Style
- 2Aghanim's Shard
Situational
Skill order
Max order:Conjure Image›Metamorphosis›Reflection
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● |
Talents by level
- +30s Metamorphosis Duration-30s Sunder Cooldown25
- +8s Conjure Image Duration+10 All Attributes20
- -10s Metamorphosis Cooldown-25% Sunder Minimum HP Swap15
- +1s Reflection Duration-2s Conjure Image Cooldown10
Abilities
- Reflection23 / 20 / 17 / 14s60 / 65 / 70 / 75 mpTerrorblade brings forth an invulnerable dark reflection of all enemy heroes in a target area. Affected enemy heroes have movement and attack speeds slowed and attacked by their reflection.
- Reflection duration
- 5
- Reflection damage
- 30%·45%·60%·75%
- Movement slow
- 15%·20%·25%·30%
- Attack speed slow
- 15·20·25·30
- Radius
- 400
- Conjure Image16s50 / 60 / 70 / 80 mpCreates an illusion of Terrorblade that deals damage.
- Illusion duration
- 34
- Illusion damage
- 25%·30%·35%·40%
- Illusion damage taken
- 250%
- Metamorphosis145 / 140 / 135 / 130s100 mpTerrorblade transforms into a powerful demon with a ranged attack. Any of Terrorblade's illusions that are within 1200 range will also be transformed by Metamorphosis.
- Duration
- 35·40·45·50
- Transformation time
- 0.35
- Base attack time
- 1.5
- Attack range
- 450·500·550·600
- Bonus damage
- 20·40·60·80
- Illusion aura radius
- 1200
Demon Zeal45sCosts part of Terrorblade's current HP to cast, providing Terrorblade and nearby illusions bonus movement, HP Regen and attack speed. Does not affect Reflection illusions. Can't be cast while in Metamorphosis and Metamorphosis will remove Demon Zeal.- Bonus attack speed
- 100
- Bonus movement speed
- 60
- Duration
- 25
- Bonus health regen
- 20
- Current health cost
- 20%
Terror Wave90s75 mpCauses a wave to travel outwards in all directions forcing enemy heroes to become Feared upon impact and dealing damage, and grants Terrorblade Metamorphosis for a short time.- Fear duration
- 2
- Radius
- 1600
- Damage
- 200
- Metamorphosis duration
- 15
- Sunder110 / 75 / 40s100 / 75 / 50 mpSevers the life from both Terrorblade and a target hero, exchanging a percentage of both units' current health. Some health points must remain.
- Minimum hp swap
- 35%·30%·25%
Dark UnityPassiveNearby Illusions created by Terrorblade have bonus attack damage.- Radius
- 1200
- Damage bonus
- 60%
Most played skill order
The most played order in the last 100 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.
Max order:Conjure Image›Metamorphosis›Reflection
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● |
Strategy
1When to fight
Your spikes are level 6, when Sunder comes online, and your core items: Manta Style and then Aghanim's Shard. Aggression as a carry means fighting the moment you hit a spike — right after Manta Style — while the enemy cores are still farming theirs.
2Picking your targets
Walk in after the enemy has used their key disables and hit whatever you can reach safely: your survival is the fight. The best target is the one your team can reach and kill before the enemy answers, not always the most valuable one.
3Snowballing a lead
After a won fight, take towers and Roshan before anything else: that's what turns kills into a lead the enemy can't erase. Your early goals are simple: a clean lane, your first core item on time and, if the lane is won, the enemy offlane tower.
4When to back off
Playing safe means farming behind your team's vision, never showing first on the map and letting someone else take the first contact. If your key abilities are on cooldown or the enemy is missing from the map, the aggressive play is to wait.
Tips
- Fight on your spikes: right after Manta Style, look for the next fight instead of farming.
- Look for kills when Sunder is ready and the enemy's key ability is not.
- Use Terror Wave to start the fight, then commit your damage.
- Track the enemy's key cooldowns and attack right after they use them.
- Turn every kill into towers and Roshan: a kill without an objective is a wasted lead.
- Push your lane before you roam so the aggression doesn't cost you resources.
Matchups
Strong against
- Pangolier57.3%win rate in the matchup
Terrorblade wins 57.3% of the 150 games measured against Pangolier this patch.
150 matches
- Dragon Knight56.0%win rate in the matchup
Terrorblade wins 56.0% of the 125 games measured against Dragon Knight this patch.
125 matches
- Slardar55.0%win rate in the matchup
Terrorblade wins 55.0% of the 231 games measured against Slardar this patch.
231 matches
- Queen of Pain55.0%win rate in the matchup
Terrorblade wins 55.0% of the 111 games measured against Queen of Pain this patch.
111 matches
- Tusk54.4%win rate in the matchup
Terrorblade wins 54.4% of the 195 games measured against Tusk this patch.
195 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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