Tusk Counters & Build

Underlord 2,346 matches

−4.5%

WhyTusk relies on grouping allies inside Snowball to initiate and burst targets down with physical damage, which plays directly into Underlord's area denial. Underlord can place Pit of Malice and Firestorm at the Snowball's impact point to root and burn Tusk and his clustered team, while Atrophy Aura significantly blunts the physical burst damage of Tusk's attacks and Walrus PUNCH!.

Winter Wyvern 1,190 matches

−2.8%

WhyWinter Wyvern takes an early lead in the lane and counters Tusk's core kit throughout the match. Arctic Burn grants unobstructed movement to completely ignore Ice Shards while burning Tusk down from range, and Cold Embrace entirely blocks the physical burst from Walrus PUNCH!. Furthermore, Snowball groups Tusk and his teammates together, perfectly setting up devastating Winter's Curse and Splinter Blast counter-initiations.

Techies 1,362 matches

−1.8%

WhyThe lane between them is roughly even, but Techies gains the advantage in teamfights where Tusk relies on close-range initiation. When Tusk dives in with Snowball, Techies can counter-initiate on the clustered targets using Blast Off! for a heavy AoE stun and magic damage burst. Additionally, Reactive Tazer provides bonus movement speed to escape and disarms Tusk upon being attacked, severely disrupting his ability to land attacks and follow up on Walrus PUNCH!.

Timbersaw 909 matches

−1.6%

WhyWhile Timbersaw clearly loses the lane to Tusk's early physical burst and lockdown, he likely scales better into later teamfights against him. As Tusk is a Strength hero who must commit to close range, Timbersaw can strip his primary attribute with Whirling Death to severely reduce his maximum health, while Reactive Armor blunts incoming physical attacks and Chakram punishes grouped enemies exiting Snowball.

Legion Commander 1,948 matches

+2.1%

WhyTusk severely hinders Legion Commander in teamfights by using Bitter Chill to passively reduce her attack speed by up to 80 in melee range, stifling her Duel winning potential. Additionally, Snowball can save targeted allies by pulling them inside, while Ice Shards, Walrus Kick, and Walrus PUNCH! provide heavy crowd control to stall and disrupt her initiation.

Juggernaut 2,233 matches

+1.7%

WhyAlthough Tusk slightly loses the lane to Juggernaut, his advantage emerges later in the game during teamfights. Snowball allows Tusk to gather nearby allies and completely waste the duration of Omnislash and Swiftslash. Furthermore, Bitter Chill heavily reduces Juggernaut's attack speed in close-quarters combat, while Ice Shards and Walrus Kick disrupt his positioning.

Tidehunter 1,192 matches

+1.6%

WhyTusk establishes an early advantage by winning the lane, using Ice Shards to trap the low-mobility Tidehunter while Bitter Chill reduces his attack speed in trades. Later, Snowball allows Tusk and his allies to bypass or dodge Tidehunter's initiation like Ravage, while Walrus Kick and Walrus PUNCH! provide powerful displacement and physical burst to disrupt him.

Skywrath Mage 1,688 matches

+1.4%

WhyTusk can use Snowball to protect targeted allies from Skywrath Mage's Mystic Flare damage by pulling them inside and rolling away. Furthermore, Tusk's gap-closing initiation with Snowball, Ice Shards barrier, and heavy physical burst from Walrus PUNCH! easily isolate and eliminate the fragile, immobile Skywrath Mage.

Phantom Assassin 1,454 matches

+1.2%

WhyTusk wins the lane and builds an early advantage against Phantom Assassin thanks to his heavy crowd control and burst. Walrus PUNCH! inherently possesses True Strike, allowing him to bypass her Immaterial evasion entirely for guaranteed critical damage and lockdown. In close quarters, Tusk's Bitter Chill severely mitigates Phantom Assassin's damage output by passively reducing her attack speed by up to 80.