The Heroes in Dota 2 - An Introductory Guide for Tiny

Introduction

There are over 120 heroes in Dota 2, and each of them has something unique to offer. Whether you're into melee carries or you prefer to play the support role, there will always be something that you can find. 

Having said that, today, we will take a look at one hero that can play in pretty much every single position. Tiny is one of the most versatile heroes in the game that can be put in any lane and still succeed. 

Let's take an in-depth look at the hero and see everything we need to know about him.

Basic information about Tiny

This hero is a strength melee support/carry that has the greatest base damage out of any hero in the game. At first, the hero looks like a minimal rock formation. However, once he skills up his ultimate, he becomes a lot bigger than most heroes in the game.

As we mentioned earlier, this is one of the most versatile heroes in Dota 2. Tiny is very popular among the casual games, but he definitely shines the most in the pro scene. In fact, nearly every single professional  Dota 2 team has some sort of a tactic that involves Tiny. This isn't much of a surprise because this hero has a stun, an ability that allows you to either save your team-mates or engage in fights, and he is also pretty tanky even without many items.

In other words, he has everything you can wish from a hero. With that said, here are his four abilities:

• Avalanche is a very strong AoE spell that is capable of doing a decent amount of damage while also adding mini-stuns on each attack. Unlike many other stuns that kind of fade off, later on, Avalance is actually very useful at every single stage of the game. However, it definitely excels during the mid-game, especially when Tiny is played as a core. The legendary Avalanche-Toss combination is capable of bringing down even the toughest heroes.
• Toss is another very interesting spell that is unique because no other hero has anything like it. This ability can be used either offensive or defensively, depending on the situation. Similar to avalanche, it also does a lot of damage that scales with Tinys ult. However, unlike it, it doesn't stun, but instead, it basically incapacitates the enemy for a couple of seconds while he is in the air.
  There are many scenarios where this spell can come in handy. Whether you have an Axe on your team that doesn't have a Blink Dagger or you just Blink and Toss someone to your team, this is definitely one of those abilities that can completely turn the balance of power during a teamfight.
• Tree Grab is another unique skill that has no equivalent in Dota 2. As the name suggests, it allows Tiny to basically grab a tree and then use it to attack his enemies with it. As a result, he receives bonus damage, range, and also cleave. In other words, he becomes very deadly, especially if the hero is being played as a core. Apart from hitting with it, Tiny can even throw this tree at a location, and once it lands, it will do a pretty significant amount of damage.
  Unfortunately, Tree Grab is not that useful for Tiny players that play supports.
• Grow is the ability that completely changes the game for Tiny. It gives him bonus armor and damage, but unfortunately, it also reduces the attack speed. This means that players have to compensate for the lack of attack speed by buying the proper items.
  Grow is one of the strongest passive ultimates in the game, especially later on. It allows Tiny to be very tanky against physical damage, even if he doesn't have any specific items that provide armor.

Counters and Items

The item choice for Tiny depends heavily if he is played as a core or as a support. Needless to say, the items will be completely different, even though there are a couple of them that are suitable for both styles of play. Without further ado, here is a list of some of the most popular items for this hero:

• Blink Dagger is an item that allows Tiny to be a lot more mobile during team fights. It's relatively inexpensive, which means that it can be purchased early on. What's more, this is pretty much the only way (apart from a Shadow Blade) that allows Tiny to cast his Avalanche-Toss combination freely. As we mentioned earlier, this is more than capable of killing every single hero during the mid-game.
• Assault Cuirass is another very popular choice for Tiny players. This item provides extra armor and attack speed, which are two of the most valuable stats for Tiny. Needless to say, this item is only suitable for a core tiny.
• Echo Sabre is a very common item that many Tiny players go for because it gives them that one extra attack, as well as mana regeneration. Even though it might not seem as much, the extra attack can make a night and day difference.

When it comes down to counters, there are not that many heroes that can stand their ground against Tiny. However, here are a couple of them that are pretty strong against the rock giant:

• Ursa - this hero is one of the biggest pains to deal with as Tiny. He does tons of damage and doesn't really care all that much about Tiny's armor.
• Timbersaw is another strong hero that can easily slice and dice Tiny. Even though he is very susceptible to damage, his skills that deal pure damage can quickly 100-0 every Tiny.