The Heroes in Dota 2 - An Introductory Guide for Juggernaut

Introduction

Dota 2 has many instantly recognizable signature heroes. Some of them have been popular for ages, whereas others got into the spotlight just a couple of years ago. One of them is Yurnero, the Juggernaut. Often referred to as one of the most reliable carries in Dota 2, Juggernaut is one of the most loved heroes in the game and also one of the few ones that has an Arcana. 

Whether you like how he looks or his amazing skills, there is something about the hero that makes him appealing. Let's take a look and see everything you need to know about the Samurai of Dota 2.

Basic stats for Juggernaut

Jugg's DotA name is Yurnero, which is why you can often see people calling him with it. He is an agility melee carry that's capable of doing devastating damage to his enemies, especially if he gets a good start. Apart from looking cool, Juggernaut is powerful at every single stage of the game. Unlike many other carries, Juggernaut is capable of doing significant damage even in the first couple of minutes. In fact, his primary ability is the one that does the most damage on level 1. Speaking of abilities, here are they:

• Blade Fury - this is undeniably Juggernaut's most recognizable skill. When used, he begins to spin in a circle and does damage to every unit near him. However, apart from a very efficient way to score kills early on, this spell is also precious because it grants spell immunity to most spells.  In other words, you can use it and run away freely, without worrying too much about the magic damage.
• What's more, you can even use items while in it. This means that you can just use it and then press your teleport scroll to get a free TP. Of course, there are many other items that you can use while in Blade Fury such as Diffiusal, Manta, and more.
• Healing Ward - very powerful ability that heals everyone from Juggernaut's team with a specific percentage of their health. This skill is useful at every stage of the game, especially when it comes down to pushing. The only downside is that it provides a decent gold bounty if the enemy kills it, and it dies with just one attack. This means that you need to protect your Healing ward if you want to make the most of it.
• Blade Dance - this is Juggernaut's only passive skill, which allows him to do a critical strike (180% of his damage). As you probably guess, this ability becomes very strong during the later stages of the game because it scales well with all items. However, that doesn't mean it is terrible early on. Many people tend to prioritize this instead of Blade Fury, especially if they plan on getting items such as Diffisual Blade and Eye of Skadi.
• Omnislash - one of the coolest and also most game-breaking ultimates in Dota 2. This spell can single-handedly change the balance of power during a team fight. However, similar to many other spells in Dota 2, there are a couple of essential things you need to know about it. First, you have only to use it when there are no creeps nearby. If you don't follow this rule, you will end up wasting your ultimate, which is definitely not advisable.
  Similar to Blade Fury, Omnislash also allows the usage of items. This makes it a lot more dangerous, especially if you have many strong, active items.

Items, Positions, and Counters

In 90% of the cases, you will find Yurnero playing as a safelane carry. He is perfect for this position because of the high damage output and scaling. However, it is possible to see him playing in the mid lane too, especially against certain match-ups. That said, we believe that he excels the most when he is playing as a carry.

In terms of the item choice, there are two popular builds - with and without a Battlefury:

• Battlefury - this is one of the most popular items on every single melee carry, and Juggernaut is no exception. It gives him damage, mana regen, and, most importantly - a fast method of farming. However, the downside is that it gives nearly no stats, which is why this item is always purchased as early as possible.
• Diffiusal Blade - a trendy choice on Juggernauts who don't want to go for the Battlefury build. This item is relatively inexpensive, which makes it purchasable early on. Once he gets it, Yurnero can quickly slow his enemies and kill them in just a couple of seconds.
• Manta Style is a powerful pushing item, especially for heroes such as Juggernaut. His illusions are powerful in most cases and also benefit from Balde Dance, which is very important.
• Eye of Skadi - a very powerful item that gives Juggernaut tons of survivability, as well as the option to slow his enemies. Usually, this item is purchased with the "Diffusal Blade" build.

As for counters, there are not that many heroes that are capable of countering Yurnero. Here are a couple of names that can make his game hard though:

• Outworld Devourer - this hero can hide himself or his enemies for a couple of seconds, which can be a life-saver against jugg's abilities. On top of that, he deals insane damage to every hero that doesn't have intelligence as his main stats, which means he can literally one-shot Juggernaut, especially later on.
• Slark - this pesky Nightcrawler is also a huge pain to deal with because he can always hide with his ult and thus, ruin Omnislash.