Semi-daily hero tips. Day 97: Troll Warlord

DISCLAIMER

A lot of you probably know about the weekly hero discussion, but that often ends up in a meta discussion (whether or not the hero needs buffs, etc) or a meme war than actual tips to play, itemize and build the hero.

This is what I'd like to do. Please discuss any notes I made and possible improvements while also giving tips of your own if you have them.

The roles, skill builds and item builds, as well as a lot of the notes are my opinion on matters and should not be seen as a must do or don't. Also remember that almost every single build or role is situationally possible.

A lot of the tips on heroes were also mentioned in tsunami's amazing hero tips series he did over the last couple of years.

Troll Warlord

Notes:

• You always want to be in melee form after the laning phase except for that one last hit on a running hero, when hitting buildings or to cast your axes
• Troll has the lowest INT gain and starting INT in the game, so don't spam whirling axes
• Whirling axes no longer gives flying vision (6.84)
• Pay attention when you can help your team with battle trance on the other side of the map
• Versus: keep your eyes on the rosh pit
• Versus: Like ursa, troll loves single targets. Force staff, eul's and banishes are good counters
• Friends: CM (aura to help you spam whirling axes), Sven, Drow, Nature's prophet, Slark, Lycan, LS, LC, Medusa, Morph, SF, WK, Tiny, Jugger, BS (strong right click cores with no built in huge AS boost)
• Good versus: LS, Anti-Mage, Lycan, Sven, LC, Jugger, Ursa, Void (single target melee right clickers), Phoenix (ez egg kill), Huskar (you don't care about him jumping in your face or berserker's rage)
• Counters: Tiny (craggy, as troll, attack him from ranged form + high early game burst), Axe (spin), Bat (turn speed kiting, lasso), CM, WW, WR (multiple kiting skills), Tinker (blind, high burst), Lina (high burst), Slark (can purge off the bashes and blind while he burst down troll)

Role: mid, hard carry

Skill build: lvl 1 berserk, lvl 2 fervor --> max whirling axes --> fervor <-> berserker's

Item build:

• Phase, (drum/shadow blade), Morbid mask (--> Vlad's/MoM), BKB <-> (SnY, Diffusal, Manta Crystalys --> Daedalus, Satanic, MKB, EoS)
• P(hase)R(ing of Aquila)M(ask of Madness) viable

PREVIOUS HEROES

• Abaddon
• Alchemist
• Ancient Apparition
• Anti-Mage
• Arc Warden
• Axe
• Bane
• Batrider
• Beastmaster
• Bloodseeker
• Bounty Hunter
• Brewmaster
• Bristleback
• Broodmother
• Centaur Warrunner
• Chaos Knight
• Chen
• Clinkz
• Clockwerk
• Crystal Maiden
• Dark Seer
• Dazzle
• Death Prophet
• Disruptor
• Doom
• Dragon Knight
• Drow Ranger
• Earth Spirit
• Earthshaker
• Elder Titan
• Ember Spirit
• Enchantress
• Enigma
• Faceless Void
• Gyrocopter
• Huskar
• Invoker
• IO
• Jakiro
• Juggernaut
• Keeper of the Light
• Kunkka
• Legion Commander
• Leshrac
• Lich
• Lifestealer
• Lina
• Lion
• Lone Druid
• Luna
• Lycan
• Magnus
• Medusa
• Meepo
• Monkey King
• Morphling
• Naga Siren
• Nature's Prophet
• Necrophos
• Night Stalker
• Nyx Assassin
• Ogre Magi
• Omniknight
• Oracle
• Outworld Devourer
• Phantom Assassin
• Phantom Lancer
• Phoenix
• Puck
• Pudge
• Pugna
• Queen of Pain
• Razor
• Riki
• Rubick
• Sand King
• Shadow Demon
• Shadow Fiend
• Shadow Shaman
• Silencer
• Skywrath Mage
• Slardar
• Slark
• Sniper
• Spectre
• Spirit Breaker
• Storm Spirit
• Sven
• Techies
• Templar Assassin
• Terrorblade
• Tidehunter
• Timbersaw
• Tinker
• Tiny
• Treant Protector