Tusk · Hard Support (pos. 5)
Tusk 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 Tusk aggressively. Aggressive support means harassing from level one, rotating early and turning every Snowball into a kill. Your spikes are level 6, when Walrus PUNCH! comes online, and your core items: Blink Dagger and then Force Staff. This patch, Tusk wins 47.9% of the 194,407 public matches we measured (C tier on our ladder).
Strengths
- Reliable stun: Snowball sets up kills and interrupts enemy channels.
- Keeps allies alive with Ice Shards.
- Heavy magical burst: Valve lists it as a Nuker.
Weaknesses
- No escape in the kit: without good positioning and vision, Tusk is easy to catch.
- Low base armor (1): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
- 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 — Vladmir's Offering and Desolator — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Tusk 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 — Vladmir's Offering and Desolator — to the front. Choose it when your lane went well and you can afford to be greedy. Built from what Tusk players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
236%158%- Safe laneMain58% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- OfflanePriority 236% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Vladmir's Offering+1 Armor, +0.75 Mana Regeneration.
- 2Desolator+55 Damage.
- 3Blink DaggerActive: Blink.
- 4Force Staff+10 Intelligence, +175 Health. Active: Force.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Tag Team›Snowball›Ice Shards
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ● | · | · | ● | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
 | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- 12% Chance Walrus PunchIce Shards slow by 50% and deal 110 DPS25
- -6s Snowball Cooldown+75% Walrus Punch Crit20
- +325 Health+120 Snowball Damage15
- +0.75s Walrus Punch Stun Duration+2s Tag Team Duration10
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.
236%158%- Safe laneMain58% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- OfflanePriority 236% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
Core items
- 1Blink Dagger
- 2Force Staff
Situational
Skill order
Max order:Tag Team›Snowball›Ice Shards
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | · | ● | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- 12% Chance Walrus PunchIce Shards slow by 50% and deal 110 DPS25
- -6s Snowball Cooldown+75% Walrus Punch Crit20
- +325 Health+120 Snowball Damage15
- +0.75s Walrus Punch Stun Duration+2s Tag Team Duration10
Abilities
- Ice Shards23 / 20 / 17 / 14s100 mpTusk compresses shards of ice into a ball of frozen energy that damages all enemies it comes in contact with. When the ball reaches its target destination the shards are released, creating a barrier that lasts for 4 seconds.
- Radius
- 200
- Shard damage
- 75·150·225·300
- Shard duration
- 4·5·6·7
- Shard depth
- 0
- Snowball21 / 19 / 17 / 15s75 mpTusk begins rolling into a snowball. Allies within a 325 radius can also be added to the snowball by right-clicking on them, even while the snowball is moving. Once launched, any enemies caught in the snowball's path will be stunned and take damage. Each allied Hero in the snowball will add to its damage and stun duration.
- Base damage
- 80·140·200·260
- Snowball speed
- 575·600·625·650
- Bonus damage per ally
- 40·65·90·115
- Stun duration
- 0.6·0.8·1·1.2
- Stun duration per ally
- 0.2
- Launch time
- 3
- Tag Team24 / 21 / 18 / 15s70 mpActivate to temporarily apply a negative debuff aura around you, causing enemies that are attacked under it to take bonus physical damage and reduced movement speed. Lasts 6 seconds.
- Bonus damage
- 25·50·75·100
- Movement slow
- 75%
- Slow duration
- 0.5
- Debuff duration
- 6
- Radius
- 350
Drinking Buddies14s80 mpTusk reaches out to tag an allied unit, pulling them closer. Once tagged, both Tusk and his tagged ally gain movement speed and armor.- Buff duration
- 6
- Bonus movement speed
- 25%
- Bonus armor
- 7
Walrus Kick12s100 mpKicks the closest enemy unit in the drawn direction, stunning, damaging, and slowing them. Also deals damage to all heroes within 250 radius of its landing area. Cooldown is reduced by 50% if kicking a creep.- Kick push distance
- 1200
- Move slow
- 40%
- Slow duration
- 2
- Damage
- 550
- Walrus PUNCH!16 / 13 / 10s75 mpTusk connects with his mighty Walrus Punch, a critical strike with bonus damage so powerful it launches its victim into the air.
- Bonus damage
- 60·90·120
- Critical damage
- 200%·250%·300%
- Air time
- 1
Launch SnowballLaunch the snowball toward the target.
Bitter ChillPassivePassively slows the attack speed of all enemy heroes within a 350 unit radius.- Attack slow
- 12
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:Tag Team›Snowball›Ice Shards
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | · | ● | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Strategy
1When to fight
Your spikes are level 6, when Walrus PUNCH! comes online, and your core items: Blink Dagger and then Force Staff. Aggressive support means harassing from level one, rotating early and turning every Snowball into a kill.
2Picking your targets
Stay behind your cores, use Snowball on whoever jumps on your carry and keep Ice Shards for the moment the enemy commits. 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. Early, your objectives are a safe lane for your carry, vision on the runes and stacked camps for when your carry has time to farm them.
4When to back off
Safe support means warding ahead of danger, staying out of the enemy's reach and saving spells to protect your cores. 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 Blink Dagger, look for the next fight instead of farming.
- Look for kills when Walrus PUNCH! is ready and the enemy's key ability is not.
- Use Snowball 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
- Templar Assassin57.8%win rate in the matchup
Tusk wins 57.8% of the 173 games measured against Templar Assassin this patch.
173 matches
- Lifestealer57.8%win rate in the matchup
Tusk wins 57.8% of the 128 games measured against Lifestealer this patch.
128 matches
- Medusa57.1%win rate in the matchup
Tusk wins 57.1% of the 105 games measured against Medusa this patch.
105 matches
- Void Spirit57.0%win rate in the matchup
Tusk wins 57.0% of the 251 games measured against Void Spirit this patch.
251 matches
- Pudge56.9%win rate in the matchup
Tusk wins 56.9% of the 197 games measured against Pudge this patch.
197 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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