Dota 2: Tiny Guide for New and Returning Players

With Dota 2 having update after update, it’s usually a good idea to keep watch on how its various heroes stack up to the current game. This time, we’re going to take a look at Tiny. Here is our Dota 2 – Tiny guide for new and returning players.

Who Is Tiny in Dota 2?

To begin this Dota 2 – Tiny guide, we need to take a look at the hero.

Tiny used to be a chunk of stone until he came to life due to some otherworldly power. Tiny himself doesn’t know how he came to exist, and it’s something he speculates on every day. He’s a Stone Giant, yes, that’s his species. But what exactly was he before he was a Stone Giant? Was he a fragment of Garthos? A splinter from a Golem? All the while, he journeys the world, seeking the origin of his existence. Along the way, he gathers more stones, increasing his size and his weight. Evermore does he grow until he towers over everyone.

As for what type of hero Tiny is, he is a Strength hero that has incredible amounts of HP and damage. This makes him a powerful ganker and hero killer with enough investment and time. He does, however, start as an incredibly vulnerable, if dangerous hero at earlier levels. This is because of his low MP and lack of early armor.

Download Dota 2 from Steam to play as Tiny today!

Also Read: Dota 2 – Luna Guide

What Are the Skills of Tiny in Dota 2?

One of the most important aspects to discuss in this guide is the skills of Tiny in Dota 2:

Avalanche

Tiny straight-up turns an area into a rocky wasteland with this ability. He bombards the area with as many rocks as possible, dealing continuous damage and stuns all the way. In addition, enemies that were tossed using his second skill will get more damage.

Tiny’s Avalanche has five instances where it deals damage and stun. In total, Avalanche will stun enemies for 1.4 seconds, and depending on level, will damage for 15/30/45/60 without talents or toss debuff. With toss debuff, this would be 37.5/75/112.5/150 per instance. With both talents and toss debuff, this would be 387.5/575/762.5/950 damage per instance.

Notes:

• Avalanche has two Talents that directly improve it. The first is increased damage at level 15, and the second is -8s of cooldown reduction on level 25.

Toss

Tiny grabs the unit nearest to him, friend or foe, and then hurls them towards a target, dealing damage. If it’s an enemy, they’ll get an additional 30% damage, which can combo with Avalanche. This can be pretty hilarious when the tossed enemy is one of the enemy heroes. This is because the sheer amount of damage at maxed levels that Toss and Avalanche have is devastating.

Notes:

• The unit being tossed is disabled.
• Buildings can’t be tossed or targeted. They will, however, receive damage from the landing damage radius.
• The 30% additional damage only applies to the tossed unit. This damage multiplier also stacks with the Avalanche skill, which leads to some disgusting damage numbers.
• The damage modifier that Toss has isn’t shown in the game’s HUD.
• Toss has two Talents that directly improve it. The first is that players no longer have to target an enemy to use the ability at level 20. The second is getting three Toss charges at level 25.

Tree Grab

Tiny grabs a tree to whack his enemies with. This tree lasts for five attacks and gives a disgusting 25%-unit damage bonus. In addition to this, Tiny also deals 90%/120%/150%/180% damage bonus to buildings and 40%/60%/80%/100% attack damage in an area in front of him.

Notes:

• Tree Grab’s buff lasts Tiny attacks five times, he tosses the tree, or if he dies.
• Tree Grab’s cooldown only starts when Tiny loses the tree.
• Tiny’s range increases when he uses Tree Grab to 350.
• If Rubick steals this spell, he turns into a melee unit. This also affects his illusions.
• The area damage that Tiny inflicts with Tree Grab works like Cleave.
• Tree Grab can be improved with Aghanim’s Shard which removes the charges. This allows Tiny to whack enemies with his tree as much as he likes.
• Tiny’s tree can’t be dispelled in any way other than death.

Tree Throw

When Tiny gets a Tree using Tree Grab, he immediately gets this ability. This allows him to throw the tree he’s holding to a unit, dealing massive damage. In addition to said damage, the tree also has a splash radius, which can be devastating to enemy creeps at higher levels.

Notes:

• Using Tree Throw doesn’t use any mana, and the tree that Tiny is holding will immediately be consumed. The ability then returns to Tree Grab right after.
• The thrown tree will immediately hone in on the targeted unit. However, players can also target the ground. In that case, the tree will travel up to 1,200 units before it vanishes.
• The thrown tree will immediately proc whatever attack damage modifiers Tiny has. This applies to both the target and the splash damage around said target.

Tree Volley

This ability needs Aghanim’s Scepter before it can be used and can be considered to be Tiny’s real ultimate. He throws as many trees as possible around him towards an AoE. The flung trees damage enemies based on Tiny’s damage. In addition, the ability deals Tiny’s attack damage plus a bonus to enemies in that area with each tree thrown.

Notes:

• This ability triggers items like Daedalus, which means players have a chance to see crit numbers as high as 3000 damage for every tree thrown.

Grow

Tiny’s ultimate where he gains additional bulk and mass. This increases his damage and his armor. However, his attack speed suffers as he gains size. Each level in Grow will noticeably change Tiny’s looks. It makes him bigger, his voice gets deeper, and he’s overall more dangerous.

The damage bonus that the ability gives is added into Tiny’s base attack damage value directly. Because of this, the additional attack also benefits from percentage-based damage bonuses provided by some items. This also means that all of Tiny’s illusions will get the additional attack as well.

What Are the Talents of Tiny in Dota 2?

Of course, Tiny in Dota 2 also has access to Talents that can be unlocked on prerequisite levels. These are the Talents available to Tiny:

Tips & Tricks: How to Play as Tiny in Dota 2?

Now that we know a bit about Tiny, let’s talk about how to play him in Dota 2 specifically the current patch (7.30b).

General Play Style

Tiny has two very distinct playstyles that can overlap with each other depending on the situation. He can either be a Ganker or a Carry hero, and he’s very effective with either. His Toss and Avalanche combo can and will kill weak heroes in the early game if they don’t have support. It gets even worse if he’s a Ganking Tiny, as he’ll be a menace to all lanes if done correctly.

On the other hand, he’s also incredibly vulnerable to disables, so heroes with skills that can lock him down are great against him. However, when he gets going, and his skills are leveled and with items, he’s an incredibly tough opponent.

Suggested Skill Progression

Tiny’s skill progression depends on the player’s role and playstyle, though both are viable on any occasion. However, they all lead to the end of killing enemy heroes as quickly as possible, though at different stages in the game.

If you’re going for a Ganking Build, it’s usually recommended to get a level of tree grab first. This is so that you can farm for gold to get a few essential items like Blink Dagger. After that, your main priority is to max out Avalanche and Toss to deal as much magic damage as possible. You also won’t take any levels of Grow until level 11 as your main priority is Toss and Avalanche.

In the case of a Carry Build, Tree Grab is taken first due to the damage scaling. Having this allows Tiny to straight-up tenderize enemy heroes in a few hits. Combine that with Toss and a level 1 Avalanche for the stun, and you tend to have guaranteed kills. Usually, a Carry build is combined with items like Echo Sabre and Hyperstone to offset Grow’s attack speed decrease.

Suggested Talent Build

There’s a clear path in what Talents players should get when using Tiny that depends on what build they’re using. If going for a Ganking Build, players usually prioritize getting additional Avalanche damage and Toss no longer needing a target. This allows them to straight-up kill enemy heroes even on higher levels and gives great kill opportunities to his team. The level 10 talents are up to the player’s decision on which one to pick as both impact the build in different ways.

In the case of a Carry Build, it’s usually recommended to take the increased Tree Grab Damage bonus. This is due to the player prioritizing Tree Grab, and this Talent increases its damage tremendously.

When Tiny reaches level 25, it’s usually a tossup between a reduced Avalanche cooldown or 3 Toss charges. It’s usually recommended to take the latter, as this has incredible damage potential over the Avalanche cooldown reduction.

Suggested Items

These are the items that are usually a good idea to get when playing Tiny. We’ll start on the Early Game, then move our way until the Late Game.

Early Game

Magic Wand

Tiny suffers from an incredibly low Mana Pool. Thus, a good way to mitigate this is through the use of the Magic Wand item. With this item, any time someone casts a spell, a charge will be stored to a maximum of 20. When used, it restores 15 HP and MP per charge, and when fully charged, restores 300 HP and MP. This is enough to allow Tiny to do another Toss/Avalanche combo or to get enough HP to get away safely.

Boots of Speed

Getting Boots of Speed is incredibly important as it leads to other items in the Boots category. This includes favorites like the Power Treads and the Arcane Boots.

Bottle

The Empty Bottle is a great item to get for Tiny due to its nature as either a Roamer or a Carry. With this item, Tiny can effectively control the various Runes in the game. This is due to the Bottle’s capability to store Runes inside it for two minutes. This is great for Tiny as it gives him incredible versatility and kill potential, especially if he gets the Arcane or Double Damage Runes.

Bracer

Tiny is a pretty fragile hero in the early to midgame. Thus, it’s usually a good idea to give him good strength stats so that he can survive. The Bracer item helps in that regard as it gives decent strength stats and pads out his attributes while also being a cheap buy.

Midgame

Blink Dagger

No matter the hero, Blink Dagger can be an absolute godsend. The fact that you can move a distance away from your current location instantly is a boon no matter what. Want to escape from an enemy gank? Or surprise an unaware enemy? Perhaps get to a team fight quickly? Use Blink Dagger. It’s especially great for Tiny as it enables him tremendously, allowing him to be incredibly active in the game.

Power Treads

As per usual, Power Treads is a go-to item for many carry/roamer heroes. Mostly because of the stats that it gives them. In Tiny’s case, it also helps a bit to pad out his MP problem as switching to the Intelligence version increases his MP regeneration.

Echo Sabre

Echo Sabre is an incredibly great buy for Tiny due to its double attack ability. This ability helps Tiny because he gets reduced attack speed every time he levels his ultimate. With this, Tiny’s damage output skyrockets to ridiculous levels in the midgame. When combined with Blink Dagger, well, say goodbye to the enemy hero’s HP. We hardly knew them.

Hyperstone

Hyperstone is a sort of cheaper alternative to Echo Sabre. The item also allows players to choose between getting Assault Cuirass or Moon Shard. Both items are incredibly good in giving Tiny increased attack speed on the late game, and Assault Cuirass gives a good aura effect and extra armor. More on those two items later though.

Arcane Boots

Arcane Boots is a good alternative to Power Treads due to two reasons: the MP increase, and the Mana Restoration ability. This item allows Tiny to cast the Toss/Avalanche combo multiple times and is great for a ganker playstyle.

Late Game

Assault Cuirass

Assault Cuirass gives Tiny incredible amounts of Armor and attack speed, which boosts his capabilities in battle. Combine this with some of the other items on this list and he’ll be an absolute menace. Echo Sabre in particular combined with Daedalus can shred low HP heroes in seconds.

Black King Bar

Black King Bar is another essential item because it grants Magic Immunity. This ensures Tiny won’t be stunned, or be crowd controlled for a few seconds, allowing him to cast his abilities before getting out. Do note that BKB’s Magic Immunity duration slowly declines after each use to a minimum of six seconds.

Daedalus

Next on the list is Daedalus, and this is one that the Carry Tiny’s usually get due to the sheer amount of damage it can output. Tiny already has a pretty bonkers damage output. But Daedalus combined with Tree Grab and Echo Sabre? Well, you’ll see enemies straight up vanish from the game with this combo.

Moon Shard

This item gives Tiny an incredibly massive 140 attack speed, which is incredibly dangerous to enemies. Tiny already hits pretty hard, after all—but combine that with hitting very fast and, well, you can already see the picture. However, players can also consume this item, giving Tiny a permanent 60 attack speed increase and giving him better Night Vision.

Aghanim’s Scepter/Shard/Blessing

Aghanim’s Scepter and Aghanim’s Shard are incredible game-changers when purchased by Tiny. Both give Tiny a good time and a bad time against his enemies. For example, Aghanim’s Scepter gives Tiny Tree Volley, which hurts, a lot.

Meanwhile, Aghanim’s Shard allows Tiny to whack people with the Grab Tree ability as many times as he wants.

Situational

Heart of Tarrasque

Heart of Tarrasque is an incredible damage and HP boost for Tiny. However, it’s usually not a good idea to get it because it strays from the more essential items that players can get. It’s usually taken as a luxury item, or if you have a good gold lead.

Sange and Yasha

Sange and Yasha is another great item to get for Tiny. However, its two-component items, Sange and Yasha, need Ogre Axe and Blade of Alacrity respectively. These items are also needed for Aghanim’s Scepter, so only get Sange and Yasha if you’re not going to be using Tree Toss.

Phase Boots

Phase Boots is an item for those that want to play as aggressively as possible. It gives decent movement speed and has a damage buff to boot. However, it’s usually a better idea to have Arcane Boots because of the increased mana pool and mana restoration.

Soul Ring

Soul Ring is an item that can be used as an alternative to the Empty Bottle. It gives a good amount of MP back for a pittance of Tiny’s HP. However, you can’t control the Bounty and Power runes without Empty Bottle. Thus, it’s usually a better idea to get that item.

When Do You Pick Tiny?

Tiny is a roamer or a carry-type hero and you should play him as such. Most of his killing ability lies on his Avalanche and Toss abilities if you’re going for a roaming build. Meanwhile, he’s also a force to be reckoned with in the lane as a carry thanks to Tree Grab. With enough items and good play, Tiny can shred his opponents with ease.

Heroes Countered by Tiny

First, we have to talk about the good matchups for Tiny in Dota 2.

Broodmother

Broodmother is one of the heroes that Tiny can counter effectively. This is because Broodmother’s strength is on her brood of spiders that she spawns using her skill. Take that out, and she’s pretty vulnerable. A combo of Avalanche, Toss, and a few Tree Grab cleaves can decimate her brood and her HP.

Meepo

Meepo, on the other hand, is a hero that Tiny counters due to his abilities, though it’s not as effective as him countering Broodmother. The hero has several clones that he can use to overwhelm enemies with thanks to his ultimate. Combine that with his Poof ability—he and his clones can be anywhere and everywhere. However, if Tiny can single out a clone, he can use the Toss/Avalanche combo to prevent it from escaping. And when they can’t escape, they can be killed pretty quickly as they only have access to some of Meepo’s inventory.

Naga Siren

Next on the list is Naga Siren, and you can probably see a bit of a trend. For one, Naga Siren’s main shtick is her illusions. However, Tiny in Dota 2 can easily clear through illusions and low HP heroes with a simple burst of Avalanche/Toss.

Lich

Next is Lich, who’s on this list due to his low HP. Any hero with low HP can be on this list because Tiny can and will burst them to death with his Avalanche/Toss combo. Lich’s only recourse is the fact that Frost Armor can slow down Tiny’s attack speed a bit. Even then it’s not enough, as Tiny will still shred an unprepared Lich player.

Slark

Slark is also here due to his low HP, making him vulnerable to the Avalanche/Toss combo. He can escape with Shadow Dance, but it’s not something you use to escape. Rather, you’d like to keep attacking your enemies when using it.

Juggernaut

Note that Juggernaut is a special exception to heroes vulnerable to Tiny because of his Blade Spin ability. This allows Juggernaut to escape the Avalanche/Toss combo. But he’s still a low HP hero, which makes him vulnerable to high bursts of damage, which Tiny can deal out.

Counters vs Tiny

Lastly, we need to look at heroes that can give Tiny a hard time when you are playing Dota 2.

Lion

Lion’s abilities can hamper Tiny by an incredible margin. Mana Drain reduces Tiny’s minuscule MP to nonexistent levels, while Hex silences and turns him into a pig. This makes Tiny incredibly vulnerable, and this vulnerability can get him killed.

Necrophos

Necrophos is next, and this is mostly because his abilities can turn Tiny’s HP against him. Reaper’s Scythe and Heartstopper Aura work better against high HP heroes, of which Tiny is a part.

Lifestealer

Lifestealer is a hero that’s almost made to counter Tiny in Dota 2. He has Rage which protects from the Toss/Avalanche combo, and Feast will straight up turn Tiny’s HP into sashimi. All in all, an incredibly dangerous hero for Tiny to tackle.

Viper

Viper’s abilities reduce Tiny’s attack and movement speed in a game of Dota 2. This hampers Tiny immensely, as he relies on his attack speed and maneuverability to do a lot in the game. His Corrosive Skin also helps in blunting most of Tiny’s burst damage.