Juggernaut
No one has ever seen the face hidden beneath the mask of Yurnero the Juggernaut. For defying a corrupt lord, he was exiled from the ancient Isle of Masks—a punishment that saved his life. The isle soon after vanished beneath the waves in a night of vengeful magic. He is the sole survivor of his land's long-practiced swordplay, a tradition of rituals and arts that he carries on as the last of his kind, forever challenging himself to become the ultimate master of the blade.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“The blade is an extension of the will. With unwavering focus and flawless execution, a single warrior can become a whirlwind that rewrites the fate of battle.”
Master the Spin
Blade Fury is your initiation, your dispel, and your psychological weapon. Master its timing—whether to spin to safety, to chase, or to dodge a critical spell—is the first step to mastering Juggernaut.
Execute the Omnislash
Omnislash is your signature move, a declaration of intent. Your goal is to create the perfect conditions for it. Control creep waves, use fog of war, and isolate vulnerable targets. Precision is key.
Sustain and Push
The Healing Ward is your unsung hero. It's a tool for relentless pushing and strategic scouting. Protect it, and it will protect your advantage. Never underestimate its power to win a war of attrition.
Know Your Immunities
Understand the difference between spell immunity (Blade Fury) and invulnerability (Omnislash). Learn what can still affect you and use this knowledge to bait and outplay enemy initiations.
Seize the Initiative
Juggernaut thrives on action. Don't wait for the fight to come to you. Once your ultimate is up, be proactive. A single kill can cascade into tower control, Roshan, and map dominance.
Adapt Your Build
A true master adapts. Facing heavy disables? Prioritize Black King Bar. Need more control? Build an Abyssal Blade. Your item build should be a direct response to the enemy's strategy.
Hero Overview
Juggernaut is a quintessential agility carry, renowned for his potent mix of physical and magical damage, built-in magic immunity, and powerful team-wide healing. He can assert his presence from the very start with Blade Fury, a whirlwind of blades that grants him immunity to spells, making him a slippery target in ganks and a dangerous aggressor in lane.
His gameplay revolves around farming key items to amplify his damage and then capitalizing on his ultimate, Omnislash. This ability turns him into an untargetable storm of steel, capable of deleting isolated heroes from the map. A well-placed Healing Ward can turn the tide of a lane or sustain a team through a difficult siege, while his critical strike passive ensures he scales into a formidable late-game physical powerhouse.
Pros
- Strong early-game presence with Blade Fury
- Built-in healing with Healing Ward
- High burst damage with Omnislash
- Free magic immunity from an ability
- Excellent scaling with critical strike
- Can use items and spells during Omnislash
Cons
- Reliant on Omnislash for mid-game kills
- Can be kited easily without items
- Healing Ward is fragile and easily destroyed
- Low mana pool can be problematic
- Vulnerable to disables that pierce spell immunity
Ability Analysis
Blade Fury
ActiveJuggernaut unleashes a whirlwind of blades, becoming magic immune and dealing damage over time to nearby enemy units.
Notes: Your primary survival and early-game aggression tool. Provides magic immunity, allowing you to dodge most stuns and even Teleport out under pressure. While spinning, you can still use items and apply on-hit effects from right-clicks, even though the attacks themselves won't deal damage.
Healing Ward
Summon UnitSummons a Healing Ward that restores a percentage of max health per second to all nearby allied units.
Notes: Your lifeline for laning and pushing. Use it to scout uphill or Roshan. It can be controlled to follow an ally (select ward, right-click ally). When playing against Juggernaut, this should be your primary target in fights—it's extremely fragile.
Blade Dance
PassiveGives Juggernaut's blade a 20%/25%/30%/35% chance to deal a critical strike.
Notes: The core of your physical damage output. This passive scales incredibly well with attack speed and damage items, making you a threat to heroes and structures alike in the late game. There are no active mechanics to master, only the understanding of its power.
Omnislash
Target UnitJuggernaut leaps towards a target enemy unit, and then slashes targets in the area for a duration. Juggernaut is invulnerable for the duration.
Notes: Your signature kill tool. Casts a basic dispel and makes you invulnerable. Use it on isolated targets for guaranteed kills. You can use items (like Abyssal Blade) and cast some spells during Omnislash. Only the first slash is blocked by Linken's Sphere.
Blade Fury (Shard Upgrade)
Passive UpgradeIncreases Blade Fury movement speed by 75. Attacks a random nearby enemy once per second, dealing 75% of Juggernaut's attack damage. Prioritizes heroes.
Notes: The Shard turns Blade Fury from a defensive/nuking spell into a potent offensive tool, allowing you to chase and deal significant physical damage while magic immune. It's a huge power spike for mid-game fighting and synergizes well with items that have on-hit effects.
Swiftslash (Aghanim's Scepter)
Target UnitPerforms a shorter, quicker Omnislash on a target. Can be cast during Blade Fury.
Notes: Aghanim's Scepter gives you a low-cooldown, mini-Omnislash. This dramatically increases your kill threat and mobility around fights. You can use it to initiate, finish a target, or dodge spells. You can chain it with your regular Omnislash for extended invulnerability and damage.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Juggernaut is a versatile carry whose power lies in timing and opportunity. He is a study in calculated aggression, rewarding players who can identify windows of vulnerability and strike with decisive precision.
Key Insights:
- Blade Fury is your 'get out of jail free' card. Use its magic immunity to dodge stuns or Teleport to safety.
- An isolated enemy is a dead enemy. Clear creep waves before using Omnislash for maximum single-target effect.
- Healing Ward provides immense pushing and sustaining power. Protect it; it's your most valuable asset in sieges.
Game Strategy
Early Game (Laning)
Timeframe: 0-12 minutes Objective: Secure farm and survive Key: Focus on last-hitting to rush your first core item (Battle Fury/Manta).; Use Healing Ward sparingly for sustain, placing it behind trees to protect it.; Use Blade Fury defensively to escape ganks or offensively to secure a kill on an overextended support.; Control creep equilibrium to stay safe near your tower. Items: Power Treads; Magic Wand; Components of Battle Fury or Manta Style Tips: Don't be afraid to use a TP scroll while spinning with Blade Fury to guarantee an escape.; Your kill potential at level 6 is high, but only if the enemy is alone. Communicate with your support to create an opportunity.
Mid Game (Rotations & Ganking)
Timeframe: 12-25 minutes Objective: Snowball with Omnislash kills and take objectives Key: This is your power spike. Once Omnislash is ready, actively look for pick-offs.; Push out a lane to force a reaction, then hide in the fog of war to find a lone hero.; A successful Omnislash kill should immediately transition into taking a tower or Roshan.; Use Healing Ward to sustain your team after fights, enabling you to push further. Items: Battle Fury or Manta Style (Completed); Blink Dagger or Aghanim's Scepter Tips: Always check the number of enemy units near your target before using Omnislash. Kill the creep wave first for a guaranteed solo kill.; Blade Fury can be used to safely clear dangerous creep waves under enemy towers.
Late Game (Positioning & Execution)
Timeframe: 25+ minutes Objective: Precise target elimination and surviving teamfights Key: Your role is to be a primary damage dealer, but your execution must be flawless.; Identify and initiate on the most critical enemy support or fragile core.; In teamfights, hold Blade Fury to dodge crucial enemy disables like Black Hole or Reverse Polarity.; Use Manta Style or BKB before or during fights to ensure you can deal your damage uninterrupted. Items: Black King Bar; Abyssal Blade; Butterfly/Satanic Tips: Positioning is everything. Wait for the initial chaos of a fight to unfold before committing with Omnislash on a key target.; A late-game Aghanim's Scepter and Refresher Orb can lead to devastating team wipes with multiple Swiftslash/Omnislash uses.
Tips & Strategies
Blade Fury Mastery
- You can activate Blade Fury while using a Town Portal Scroll; the channel won't break.
- Right-click attacks during Blade Fury don't damage heroes but do apply on-hit effects (e.g., Orb of Venom, Desolator) and can proc items (e.g., Maelstrom, Basher).
- Use a follow command (M + left-click) on a target during Blade Fury to stay on them more easily.
- Blade Fury applies a strong dispel on Juggernaut when it ends, removing most stuns and debuffs.
Omnislash Execution
- During Omnislash, you can cast spells (except Blade Fury) and use items (except TPs and Blink Dagger). This allows you to use Abyssal Blade or Scythe of Vyse on another target mid-ultimate.
- Casting Omnislash applies a basic dispel, which can remove slows or silences just before you leap.
- To maximize damage on a single hero, ensure there are no other units (creeps, illusions) nearby for the slashes to bounce to.
- Omnislash damage is physical and works through disarms.
Advanced Techniques
- Healing Ward provides ground vision; use it to scout Roshan, check high ground, or de-ward cliffs without risking yourself.
- To make the Healing Ward follow an ally, select the ward and right-click the allied hero.
- You can cast Blade Fury during the brief banishment of Manta Style's activation to dodge ground-targeted spells like Fissure.
- Damage block from items like Vanguard or Crimson Guard significantly reduces Omnislash damage, as each slash is a separate instance of damage.
Item Guide
Starting Items
Standard carry starting items to build into Wraith Band and provide sustain for last-hitting.
Tango, Faerie Fire, Slippers of Agility, Circlet
Core Items
Blink Dagger is crucial for positioning and initiating with Omnislash. BKB is often necessary for late-game teamfights. Aghanim's Scepter (Swiftslash) makes you a relentless killer.
Blink Dagger, Black King Bar, Aghanim's Scepter
Situational
Counter Guide
Good With
Juggernaut thrives with heroes who can enable his Omnislash or amplify his damage. Crystal Maiden's Frostbite and Shadow Shaman's Shackles provide long-duration roots that hold a target in place, preventing them from escaping and isolating them for a perfect Omnislash. Magnus's Reverse Polarity groups enemies together, creating a perfect scenario for a multi-hero Blade Fury. Dark Seer can use Ion Shell on Juggernaut, adding significant magical damage during Blade Fury, and Surge to help him stick to targets. Heroes with strong auras like Vengeful Spirit or Beastmaster also increase his physical damage output, making his critical strikes even more deadly.
Bad Against
Juggernaut struggles against heroes who can control him through his magic immunity or kite him effectively. Bane's Fiend's Grip and Beastmaster's Primal Roar are BKB-piercing stuns that can lock him down even during Blade Fury. Highly mobile heroes like Storm Spirit and Void Spirit can easily dodge Omnislash and stay out of his reach. Ghost Scepter and Ethereal Blade are common item counters that make a target immune to Omnislash and his physical attacks. Heroes with strong physical burst like Phantom Assassin or Ursa can kill Juggernaut quickly if he can't get his Blade Fury off in time, and PA's evasion is a natural counter to his right-clicks.
Good Against
Juggernaut excels at punishing immobile heroes and those reliant on magic damage. Sniper, Drow Ranger, and Crystal Maiden lack escape mechanisms and are easy targets for an Omnislash initiation. Heroes that rely on channeled ultimates, like Witch Doctor (Death Ward) or Enigma (Black Hole), can be interrupted by Blade Fury if Juggernaut is not caught initially. Summons and illusion-based heroes like Nature's Prophet or Phantom Lancer can inadvertently fuel Omnislash, allowing it to bounce multiple times and deal massive area damage, although the primary target may change. His Blade Fury makes him a nightmare for intelligence heroes who rely purely on magical spells to deal damage or disable.