Pangolier is especially dangerous in a narrow passage, where he can crash into heroes several times in a row with Rolling Thunder. Even after losing his lane, one well-timed ultimate can turn a fight around. Let’s look at which heroes can limit his movement, what to buy against his control, and how to avoid choosing a battlefield that suits him.

Hero Overview

Swashbuckle helps Pangolier reposition and deal a series of attacks, while Shield Crash deals area damage and grants a protective barrier. During Rolling Thunder, the hero curls into a ball, becomes immune to regular debuffs, and stuns enemies on impact. Bouncing off obstacles lets him quickly line up another hit.

Pangolier’s strengths are his mobility and ability to disrupt the positioning of the entire team. His weaknesses are his dependence on abilities and the awkward movement control during his ultimate. In open areas, enemies can spread out more easily, while control that pierces debuff immunity can waste a significant portion of Rolling Thunder.

Best Heroes Against Pangolier

Pangolier is usually picked in position 2 as a midlaner or position 3 as an offlaner. Against him, strong laners, ways to punish his movement, and control that works during Rolling Thunder will come in handy.

Carry

  • Bloodseeker punishes Pangolier for moving with Rupture. Continuing to roll under this effect is dangerous, while stopping sharply reduces the value of his ultimate.
  • Faceless Void keeps Pangolier trapped in Chronosphere, including during Rolling Thunder. Time Walk helps him recover some recent damage if Void gets the chance to use the ability.

Midlaner

  • Huskar pressures the lane with Burning Spear and prevents Pangolier from safely restoring health between trades. Huskar benefits from not letting his opponent get free last hits on creeps.
  • Queen of Pain keeps her distance with Blink and can move out of Rolling Thunder’s path. She can also pressure him with spells in lane without putting herself in the way of every Swashbuckle.

Offlaner

  • Beastmaster stops Pangolier with Primal Roar even during Rolling Thunder. After the stun, it’s easier for the team to spread out or focus their damage on the stationary target.
  • Primal Beast can grab Pangolier with Pulverize during his ultimate. This gives you a way to disrupt his run through your back line, as long as Beast himself hasn’t been controlled first.

Support

  • Grimstroke limits Pangolier’s movement with Soulbind when he is bound to another hero. The ultimate helps prevent him from rolling freely between targets.
  • Clockwerk changes Pangolier’s route with Power Cogs. Hookshot lets him interfere with Pangolier’s initiation, but be careful not to trap your allies in a spot that makes it easy for Pangolier to collide with them again.

Hard Support

  • Bane holds Pangolier with Fiend's Grip during Rolling Thunder. Bane needs to use his ultimate from a safe position so the enemy supports can’t interrupt him immediately.
  • Winter Wyvern can stop Pangolier with Winter's Curse. This lets you wait out part of Rolling Thunder, but you need to choose other targets for your damage correctly while the curse is active.

What to Buy Against Pangolier

  • Eul's Scepter of Divinity lets you lift yourself into the air and wait out another pass of Rolling Thunder.
  • Wind Waker lets you save an ally in the same way and reposition them while they’re lifted.
  • Force Staff helps you get out of the ball’s path. Choose a direction first so you don’t push the target straight into the next collision.
  • Black King Bar protects you from Rolling Thunder’s regular stuns while it is active. You still need to account for the physical damage from Pangolier’s abilities.
  • Orchid Malevolence is useful for attacking before Rolling Thunder. Once the ultimate has started, don’t assume it has been disabled just because you tried to apply regular silence.
  • Scythe of Vyse lets you catch Pangolier before he activates his protection and let your team continue its attack.
  • Abyssal Blade helps stop him during Rolling Thunder, when regular control is ineffective.

How to Play Against Pangolier at Different Stages

Laning

Don’t stand in a straight line with the creep wave and an ally if Pangolier can hit everyone with Swashbuckle. After he uses his dash, it’s harder for him to escape an attack. Keep Shield Crash’s barrier in mind: don’t dump all your damage into the shield if you can wait a little and trade again later.

Mid Game

Try to take fights in an open area. Near a wall, in a narrow passage, or by the entrance to Roshan’s pit, it’s easier for Pangolier to land repeated stuns. If your team can’t stop Rolling Thunder, spread out and use save abilities to run down its duration. It’s often better to rejoin the fight after the ultimate ends than to use all your abilities right away.

Late Game

Save a hero with control that pierces debuff immunity for after the first collision. Before starting an attack, check whether Pangolier can quickly close the distance with Blink Dagger. Even with few items, he is dangerous against a tightly grouped team. If his ultimate has already been used, use the window to pressure buildings or start the next fight.