Teamfights are the core part of Dota, as pretty much the whole game revolves around them. A successful teamfight is always credited to successful initiation. Initiating a teamfight may sound like an easy part of the game, but it is a skill that needs thorough practice. A bad initiation can cost your life and can have a grave impact on the trajectory of the game. Hence, it is important to have an initiator who can successfully begin the team fights for your team so you can follow up with further damage and disables. There are various initiators in the game, but not all are equally good.
To help you find the best initiators to enhance your gameplay, we have ranked the best 10 Heroes For initiating Fights. These heroes are very much relevant in the current meta, hence they help you dominate your games.
10. Centaur Warruner
The war chieftain, Centaur Warrunner, has seen many strong enemies in his war adventures, his forces have destroyed empires and defeated great warriors. Centaur is naturally a great counter to melee carries due to his ability to initiate with both his ultimate and the Blink Dagger. He can return some serious damage to him and it is further amplified with the Blade Mail. Even a highly farmed carry hero can not fight alone or target a farmed and fat Centaur. Alongside, Centaur can use ultimate to run away from a teamfight or initiate it, essentially disengaging and saving his allies as well as himself in teamfights.
Most heroes surely deal significant damage in the late game, but they merely poke the mighty and tanky Centaur, making him retaliate with higher damage back at them. Centaur is an effective offlane hero, as he remains powerful throughout the game. His power spikes allow him to both initiate the gank and survive through it with the help of his items. A late-game Centaur can easily catch low-mobility heroes off guard.
What makes Centaur a great initiator?
- Centaur is known to initiate fights with Blink Dagger, which he can further follow up with Hoof Stomp to stun multiple people at once.
- Naturally has high armor and HP, making him tanky right from the initial levels.
- He also builds items that amplify his tanky nature, making it easy for him to stand his ground in teamfights.
- Centaur can provide immense mobility, allowing them and their allies to engage or disengage from a fight.
- Centaur also has Return, the ability that discourages his foes from hitting him, as it returns a percentage of the damage they deal to him.
9. Phoenix
If you’re lacking an initiator in your ranked games, Phoenix can fit the bill quite easily. Not only is he known to deal high damage, but he can also heal his allies. Phoenix’s most important spell has to be the Fire Spirits, which not only does great damage to the hordes, it slows them and reduces their movement speed. The spirits can be prioritized and maxed first, this can prove to be useful in the late game. You also have minor mobility with Icarus Dive, which also deals damage to enemies nearby!
In the early game, Phoenix can use his abilities to harass and zone out enemies in the lane while also providing sustenance to his allies. Supernova is a game-changer in team fights, forcing enemies to focus their attention on destroying the egg instead of attacking Phoenix's allies. As the game progresses, Phoenix can transition into a powerful team fight presence, providing crucial slows, debuffs, and heals to turn the tide of battles. A skilled Phoenix player can use his abilities to create chaos on the battlefield and disrupt the enemy team's plans.
What makes Phoenix a great initiator?
- Phoenix's Icarus Dive ability allows him to both escape from dangerous situations while also initiating teamfights.
- Phoenix’s ultimate, Supernova, can turn the tide of team fights, making it an essential tool in team fights.
- Phoenix can harass enemies in the lane and support his carry with Fire Spirits, which reduces the enemy's attack speed and deals damage over time.
8. Batrider
Batrider is quite the favorite of most initiators and offlaners in the current meta, as he is picked to provide great early-game domination and control potential. His laning phase is quite impeccable due to the sheer amount of magical damage output that he provides, shoving the enemies out of the lane. If you aren’t careful enough, then you may be susceptible to heavy damage courtesy of the napalm stacks. Along with dominating the laning phase, Batrider is successful in dominating the late game if not contained.
To be a formidable offlane hero, Batrider often picks up the Black King Bar, allowing him to become immune to most enemy spells and crowd control effects, thus allowing him to dish out damage and control the battlefield without fear of being interrupted. Along with that, he often rushes a Blink Dagger to compliment his initiation capabilities, allowing him to Lasso enemy heroes with ease. These items, along with his natural magical damage-dealing capabilities, make Batrider a highly sought-after hero for mid-lane domination.
Why is Batrider a great initiator?
- Batrider's mobility is top-notch with his Blink Dagger, which allows him to quickly escape dangerous situations or initiate fights with ease.
- Batrider's early-game domination potential is impressive due to his high magical damage output that can force enemies out of the lane.
- His harassment abilities with Sticky Napalm make it easy for him to take down enemy heroes.
- He is one of the best initiators in the game, with his ultimate, Flaming Lasso, which can single out and pull enemy heroes toward his allies.
7. Clockwerk
Clockwerk, the mechanical genius is quite a rare sight in the current meta, but he is often seen picked against various enemies as he can easily disrupt enemy onslaught due to his initiating skills. He is played in the offlane or as roaming support, as early rotations can cause great damage to potent and vulnerable heroes. With his ultimate, Hookshot, Clock can easily stun him and trap him even if the former has Black King Bar, he is a thorn in the backside of enemies with the Hookshot into Cogs combo.
The scout potential with Rocket Flare can help track enemy locations and potentially remove them from teamfights. Most enemies can lane well and deny farm to Clockwerk in the laning phase but Clock as we know relies more on levels as opposed to farm to have an impact in the game. Items just amplify his impact in the late game. Clockwerk is a fun addition to your hero pool as having an initiator on your team is always a great addition.
Why is Clockwerk a great initiator?
- Hookshot allows Clockwerk to initiate on enemies and stun them for a significant duration.
- Power Cogs greatly limits enemy positioning, potentially wasting the duration of Black King Bar in a team fight if Clockwerk gets to use Hookshot.
- Battery Assault makes it hard for enemies to fight Clockwerk inside his Power Cogs.
- Clockwerk's Blade Mail forces the enemy carry to avoid attacking while inside Power Cogs, effectively rendering him useless for a few seconds.
6. Enigma
The mystery of this being lies within the abyss, often known to bend and manipulate time. Enigma is a deadly initiator that is banned in every other game. He possesses different tools which help him farm faster and more efficiently while also allowing him to split push with the help of his Eidolons. He is known for his threatening ultimate, the Black Hole. Enigma ranks on this list due to his ability to both teamfight and farm simultaneously. Enigma is an essential hero in the current patch due to his reliable ultimate and quick farming capabilities.
It's evident that Enigma is a hero that you see picked often in 7.33, but his impact is visible only when he is fighting heroes who are countered by him. Heroes vulnerable to magical damage due to low magic resistance are often the most prioritized by Enigma. He takes advantage of this and quickly disrupts such puny enemies whenever he can. Laning can go either way but Enigma can prevail on top if he has the level advantage, allowing him to shove secure the late game with his abilities.
What Makes Enigma a great initiator?
- Enigma is known to purchase Blink Dagger which he can use to initiate his fights and follow up with Black Hole which disables and damages multiple heroes all at once.
- Enigma has excellent base movement speed and intelligence.
- Amplifies his teamfight potential whenever he acquires his Blink Dagger.
- The farm can be accelerated with high levels of Demonic Conversion, leading to stronger Eidolons!
5. Spirit Breaker
Ferocious and roaming heroes, like Spirit Breaker, pose a significant threat to squishy counterparts due to their lack of armor and HP. Surviving the relentless assault of Spirit Breaker can be extremely challenging, as the impact feels akin to being struck by a powerful force. Beyond the raw damage output, Spirit Breaker's global presence with abilities like Charge of Darkness forces heroes to remain cautious, limiting their farming locations to secure areas on the map. Unlike some heroes on this list, Spirit Breaker has an innate ability which helps him initiate, while the others have to rely on items.
While some heroes may opt to purchase Black King Bar for spell immunity, it proves ineffective against Spirit Breaker's bashes and Nether Strike, which can bypass such defenses. Although Spirit Breaker may face difficulties in the late game as other heroes catch up in terms of farm, his primary role revolves around ganking high-priority targets or providing vision for allies to initiate ganks. This constant disruption and interference can greatly hinder heroes from playing to their full potential and negatively impact their overall game performance.
Why is Spirit Breaker a great initiator?
- Charge of Darkness enables Spirit Breaker to initate on vulnerable heroes in the early game, disrupting their ability to accumulate important resources.
- The combination of Nether Strike and Charge of Darkness can effectively interrupt a hero's attempt to unleash a powerful ultimate.
- Spirit Breaker proves to be a formidable foe, possessing multiple tools such as Bash, Charge, and Nether Strike that can significantly dismantle an enemy hero.
- When Spirit Breaker charges onto a target, he can easily use Dust of Appearance to ensure visibility on them even while they are stunned.
4. Mars
Mars, the first son of heaven, is somewhat of the rage in the current meta. His impressive damage-dealing spells and initiating skills rank him very high on this list. Mars is an exceptional offlaner if you want someone to tank out all the damage and lead the charge for your team, and a great wave clear hero as well. He synergizes well with most heroes, making him a flexible pick in every game, and can withstand hordes with his flexible and reliable item build. He is also extremely durable due to his Bulwark, making him stand his ground in teamfights.
Mars is often picked in the offlane, due to his high reliability, allowing him to opt for multiple different builds according to the heroes he is facing, a luxury that not all heroes get to have. He is also an exceptional crowd control hero, courtesy of his ultimate, which prevents people from entering the Arena or dealing damage from outside of it. This way he can shield himself and his allies from enemy onslaught or corner certain enemy heroes and beat them down within no time under its duration,
What makes Mars a great initiator?
- Mars initiates the teamfight with his Blink Dagger and further follows it up with Arena which traps enemies inside and deals damage if they try to get out.
- Bulwark makes it hard for his enemies to attack him, as he takes less damage if attacked from the front
- Mars naturally has high HP and armor, he also builds high armor items which amplify his durability.
- His Arena doesn’t allow him to get any damage dealt to him if it comes from outside of it.
3. Axe
Axe is the go-to initiator if you are facing melee carry heroes. He is known to be an exceptional laner against squishy and melee heroes as his Counter Helix does a great job of culling them down in no time. Most opponents find it hard to lane against Axe as they are constantly harassed and shoved off the lane with both Battle Hunger and Counter Helix. Axe is heavily relevant through the late game as he has high armor and HP, and does not falter easily. He can always jungle to acquire his Blink if he somehow has a difficult laning phase.
It takes nothing but one Blink Call for a decently farmed carry hero to succumb to the damage of Axe. Most carry heroes simply can’t do much to Axe when he obtains items like Black King Bar and Blademail, rendering their game quite useless. As the warmonger is tanky, his enemies have no choice but to ignore him in teamfights, while also making sure they aren’t sticking together due to the threat of Call. The game can essentially be decided with just one Blink Call, a combination that keeps this hero as relevant as ever.
Why is Axe a great initiator?
- Blink Dagger and Axe’s Call abilities have been powerful ways of initiating a teamfight, which can cause chaos if followed up by teammates.
- Axe has incredibly high armor and HP right from the laning phase, making him the tanky initiator and frontliner in fights
- Axe can both farm and be dominant in the lane if he has a decent laning partner. Synergy goes a long if you want to excel with Axe.
- Axe also can farm quickly with his Counter Helix, allowing him to acquire items quickly and dunk on his enemy team!
- He is powerful right from the laning phase if he manages to get enough farm or net a few kills on his laning counterparts
2. Tidehunter
The mighty and resilient Tidehunter does exceptionally well in the offlane, primarily against squishy melee heroes as he can simply lower their armor and deal high damage while significantly reducing the damage he takes in return. He deals little to no damage to the former due to Anchor Smash his naturally high Base Armor along with his mighty Kraken Shell which drastically reduces any damage he takes. Tide can simply blink into Ravage and have his team follow up on the enemies, he can also build items like Solar Crest, or Lotus Orb to reduce the amount of damage he takes. He is the most sought offlaner due to his tank potential and ability to initate fights smoothly.
Most players have no choice but to ignore this mighty melon man during teamfights as they can not deal damage to him due to Kraken Shell even with the help of their teammates. Tide can simply negate all the damage and tank through the team fight, shielding his cores. Most carry heroes have no way to turn the tides against the Tidehunter in the late game due to his immense armor, his offlane impact and lane damage are too hard to be ignored right from the early game.
Why is Tidehunter a great initiator?
- Ravage is an exceptional ultimate that stuns all enemies close to Tidehunter, and Blink Dagger provides him with the much-needed mobility to initate a fight.
- In the early game, carry heroes cannot penetrate Kraken Shell and will do almost no damage to Tidehunter even with Medallion of Courage or Solar Crest.
- Anchor Smash's bonus damage has the potential to kill creeps quite effortlessly while reducing the physical damage that enemies deal.
- Tidehunter does not rely heavily on the farm and can rotate lanes to hunt enemies quite early on in the game, as soon as his Ravage is available.
1. Magnus
The strength of the hoof and horns has bestowed Magnus with a great ton of power. Magnus can be picked in the offlane due to his abilities that can decimate multiple heroes at once He can compete and quite effortlessly out-farm his enemy carry with Empower. In the later stages of the game, Magnus is more spell and level reliant as opposed to farm, as all it takes is one Blink Dagger to ruin the enemy’s tempo. A successful blink into Reverse Polarity followed up by his team can guarantee the game victory.
Magnus has various crowd control abilities which essentially allow him to snatch his enemies away from their team and bring them to his allies for feasting! His ultimate is undoubtedly the core reason behind his massive pick and win rate. Magnus is also a reliable offlaner, as he can essentially buff his allies with Empower, helping them fast faster. It is obvious that mastering Magus requires some practice, but it all pays well seeing a satisfying 5-man RP.
Why is Magnus a great initiator?
- All Magnus needs is a Blink Dagger in the early game as his Reverse Polarity stuns multiple enemies together which makes it easy for his teammates to follow up with increased damage.
- Immense crowd-control and damage potential with all his spells and items
- Great laner as he has high armor as well as high HP, allowing him to sustain through fights and early game skirmishes
- He does not fall off in the late game, as his abilities only get better in the later stages
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