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Dota 2 tusk.png
Ymir the Tusk
Base stats and attributes
Strength 22 + 2.3
Agility 23 + 2.1
Intelligence 18 + 1.7
Base damage 27-31
Move speed 305
Armor 3.22
Statistics
Level 1 16 25
Hit Points 568 1190 1997
Mana 234 543 1024
Damage 49-53 81-85 124-128
Armor 3 7 13
Sight Range 1800/800
Attack Range 128
Missile Speed N/A

"They call me the Terror from the Barrier. They call me the Snowball from Cobalt. But you may call me Tusk!"

Tusk, known as Tuskarr in DotA, is a melee strength hero that is usually played as a ganker and an initiator. He has great abilities to catch up to his targets and deny their escape. His Ice Shards damages enemies and can also block their route to safety. His Snowball lets him and his allies barrel straight into his targets, stunning them and setting up his allies for a devastating initiation spell. His Frozen Sigil creates a lasting slow that he can move around in the midst of battle, slowing down fleeing enemies and crippling their damage output. Finally, his signature Walrus Punch inflicts a critical hit as well as slowing a single enemy, becoming even stronger if they're below half health. Able to make strong entrances in teamfights and pursuit wounded foes relentlessly, Tusk is not a hero to be trifled with.

Abilities[edit]

Ice Shards[edit]

Dota 2 tusk ice shards.png
  • Ability: Target Point
  • Affects: Enemy Units
  • Damage Type: Magical
  • Radius: 200
  • Shard Damage: 70 / 140 / 210 / 280
  • Shard Duration: 5
  • Mana Cost: 120
  • Cooldown: 18 / 16 / 14 / 12

Ice Shards make you launch a ball of ice in the targeted direction that damages any enemy it passes through. Once it hits an enemy hero or travels far enough, the ball splits into 5 shards, generating an impassable barrier for a short while. It is a great chasing spell, as the barrier it creates will block all directions other than the opposite of the direction of the ball, which forces enemies to move back, letting you catch up to them and potentially finish them off. Note that the barrier is also impassable to allies, so be careful not to accidentally block a teammate from the targeted enemy.

Snowball[edit]

Dota 2 tusk snowball.png
  • Ability: Target Unit
  • Affects: Enemy Units
  • Damage Type: Magical
  • Radius: 200
  • Radius Grow: 40
  • Damage: 40 / 80 / 120 / 160
  • Duration: 3
  • Range: 1250
  • Mana Cost: 75
  • Cooldown: 21

Snowball makes you roll into a ball of snow, carrying allies in your path, straight into the targeted unit. You and your teammates are invulnerable while in the snowball, and enemies in your path will take damage and be stunned, with the main target taking additional damage and getting stunned longer. The snowball will break if you hit your target or after three seconds. It is good for chasing down fleeing enemies while bringing along some allies to help finish them off. You can also use it to initiate a teamfight, by snowballing into an enemy hero while carrying another good initiator with you.

Frozen Sigil[edit]

Dota 2 tusk frozen sigil.png
  • Ability: No Target
  • Radius: 600
  • Duration: 30
  • Movement Slow: 10% / 15% / 20% / 25%
  • Attack Slow: 30% / 40% / 50% / 60%
  • Mana Cost: 75
  • Cooldown: 50

Frozen Sigil summons a sigil that will slow nearby enemies. The sigil will follow you by default, though you can command it to move in a certain direction. The slow is quite significant, enough to seriously hinder enemies and dramatically lower the damage output of carries. Its duration and ability to move freely also makes it more effective than a conventional slowing spell. Note that it can be destroyed and grants a fairly large amount of gold to the hero that destroys it, so it is a good idea to place it in a position so that enemies will have some difficulty reaching it, or simply have your teammates help you distract them.

Frozen Sigil
Health 220 / 240 / 260 / 280
Move Speed 310
Sight Range 400
Bounty 90 / 100 / 110 / 120

Walrus PUNCH![edit]

Dota 2 tusk walrus PUNCH.png
  • Ability: No Target
  • Buff Duration: 10
  • Crit Multiplier: 300%
  • Threshold Crit Multiplier: 400%
  • HP Threshold: 50%
  • Air Time: 1
  • Slow Duration: 2 / 3 / 4
  • Mana Cost: 50 / 75 / 100
  • Cooldown: 30 / 24 / 18

Walrus PUNCH! powers up your next attack, causing it to do critical damage, knock your target into the air and slow them when they land. The damage is increased if the attacked unit has less than half health. It is a relatively spammable ultimate, and is great for doing quick bursts of damage, especially since it scales with your normal physical damage. The slow lets you squeeze in a few more attacks after punching. It is even more effective on wounded targets, as the damage amplification on a hero with less than half health is equivalent to Phantom Assassin's Coup de Grace, and can often finish off an opponent.

Skill and Item Builds[edit]

Suggested Skill Build[edit]

Suggested Item Build[edit]

Starting items[edit]

Early-game items[edit]

Core items[edit]

Luxury/Situational items[edit]

Strategy[edit]

Gameplay[edit]

Laning/Early-game[edit]

Mid-game/Teamfights[edit]

Late-game[edit]

Synergies[edit]

Skill synergies[edit]

Hero synergies[edit]

Countering Tusk[edit]