Tusk starts fights with Snowball, blocks paths with Ice Shards, and saves allies. Let’s look at which heroes break Tusk’s initiation, how to stop him from reaching a vulnerable target, and how to survive Walrus PUNCH!.

Hero Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths: Tusk excels at early rotations and short fights. Snowball grants its passengers invulnerability, Ice Shards alters the terrain, and Tag Team empowers the team’s frequent attacks.

Weaknesses: The hero has to get close and has few ways to retreat after committing. Dispel, long-range control, and protection for the chosen target can turn an aggressive Snowball into a mistake.

Best Heroes Against Tusk

Tusk usually plays position four, and less often position three or two. Counterpicks should stop him after Snowball and prevent him from isolating a single target.

Carry

  • Lifestealer Rage protects against disables, while his durability lets him survive the initial burst of physical damage.
  • Juggernaut Blade Fury makes him hard to stop, while Healing Ward sustains the team after an initiation.

Mid

  • Puck Dodges Snowball and Walrus PUNCH!, while Dream Coil keeps Tusk in place after he commits.
  • Viper Constant slows prevent him from escaping, while Corrosive Skin reduces magic damage.

Offlaner

  • Underlord Pit of Malice catches Tusk and anyone who comes out of Snowball, while Firestorm controls the area.
  • Centaur Warrunner Survives the burst and responds with an AoE stun; Stampede saves allies.

Support

  • Rubick Telekinesis catches Tusk after Snowball, and stolen Ice Shards or Snowball are very useful.
  • Clockwerk Power Cogs disrupt the approach, while Battery Assault prevents him from continuing his combo.

Hard Support

  • Oracle False Promise saves a target from burst damage, while Fortune's End dispels some effects.
  • Abaddon Aphotic Shield protects and dispels disables, while Borrowed Time makes Abaddon a poor target.

What to Buy Against Tusk

  • Force Staff Helps you escape Ice Shards and reposition.
  • Ghost Scepter Protects against Walrus PUNCH! and physical attacks.
  • Lotus Orb Reflects targeted abilities and provides armor.
  • Black King Bar Protects against most disables.
  • Aeon Disk Prevents a support from being killed quickly.
  • Eul's Scepter of Divinity Keeps Tusk in place after he exits Snowball.

How to Play Against Tusk at Different Stages

Laning

Don’t stand right next to your lane partner when Tusk has Tag Team, and watch the angle of Ice Shards. If Snowball starts from a distance, move toward your allied tower and prepare control for the point where it ends. Use pulls to force your opponent to choose between experience and a safe position. If the lane is pushing toward the enemy, don’t stand idle by their tower: take a rune, refresh vision, or help a nearby lane.

Midgame

Tusk wants to create a numbers advantage with quick rotations. Don’t move around alone, and place vision on runes. After an aggressive Snowball, immediately surround the landing spot.

Before entering a dangerous part of the map, agree on who will initiate and who will hold onto counter-initiation. Don’t spend both defensive tools on the first effect—one should be saved for the follow-up of the combo. After a successful trade, take vision and the nearest objective immediately; otherwise, the won fight won’t change the map. After securing territory, don’t split up to farm nearby camps all at once. One hero should push a safe wave while the others cover them from the fog and are ready to punish the opponent for trying to reclaim vision.

Late Game

Protect your backline from an instant physical hit, and don’t use all your saves before Tusk shows up. If he saves an ally with Snowball, don’t bunch up around the ball—prepare control for when they come out.

The late game requires patience: get information first, then use your high-cost abilities. After an unsuccessful attack, don’t chase blindly: restore vision, wait for cooldowns, and only then move on Roshan or buildings. Leave one hero on a safe lane so the opponent doesn’t get a free push to your base. If the enemy has buybacks, decide in advance whether you’ll continue fighting after the first death. Chasing all the way to the enemy base without waves or vision can easily turn a won fight into a lost Roshan.