Tiny
Born from the heart of a mountain, Tiny lived among the stone roots until a fragment of the world's will awakened him. Now he wanders, growing ever larger as he gathers more stones to his form.
At a Glance
Core Principles
“The mountain does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. Be patient, then strike without warning.”
Master the Combo
Avalanche-Toss is your religion. Practice the timing, range, and positioning until it's muscle memory. A perfect combo kills, a failed combo feeds.
Toss is Versatility
Offense, defense, positioning, saving - Toss does it all. The same spell that kills enemies also saves allies. Think creatively about its applications.
Positioning is Everything
You're only as good as your positioning. Blink Dagger is not optional. Without proper initiation, you're a stone giant that never moves.
Mana Management
Your combo costs 210-240 mana. One rotation drains your early pool. Every wasted spell is a lost kill opportunity. Conserve, then explode.
Tree Throw Precision
It's not just siege damage - it's a true strike instant attack. Use it to finish low-health heroes, scout terrain, or apply modifiers.
Grow into Your Power
Each level of Grow transforms you. You become tankier, hit harder, and demand more respect. Time your aggression with your power spikes.
Hero Overview
Tiny is a hybrid initiator-carry who dominates the midgame with his explosive Avalanche-Toss combo. His insane burst damage can one-shot squishy supports, while his Tree Throw provides siege damage and farming capabilities. With each level of Grow, Tiny becomes increasingly durable and his damage output skyrockets.
Tiny's gameplay revolves around landing perfect Avalanche-Toss combos to burst down priority targets. His combo ignores status resistance and can be pre-cast on banished or teleporting enemies. Toss provides unique utility - saving allies, breaking channels, or isolating enemies. Tree Throw transforms Tiny into a ranged siege monster capable of demolishing buildings.
Pros
- Massive burst damage with Avalanche-Toss combo
- Toss provides unique utility and positioning control
- Excellent building damage with Tree Throw
- Scales extremely well with items and levels
- Long disable duration that ignores status resistance
- Can save allies from dangerous situations
Cons
- Highly mana dependent in early game
- Melee without mobility items
- Combo can be disrupted by silences
- Vulnerable to kiting without Blink Dagger
- Requires precise timing and positioning
- Toss can accidentally throw wrong target
Ability Analysis
Avalanche
Active - Point TargetBombards an area with rocks, stunning and damaging enemy units.
Notes: Constantly stuns in the AoE throughout its duration, making it excellent for pre-casting on predicted positions. Completely ignores status resistance, ensuring full disable duration. The rocks remain active, so enemies walking into the area after casting will still be stunned.
Toss
Active - Unit/Target AreaGrabs the nearest unit and throws them at a target unit or location. Deals damage to all enemies in the area around the landing point.
Notes: Fully disables the thrown unit (counts as a stun). Always grabs the unit closest to Tiny. Can target allies, enemies, or runes. Tossing a unit onto buildings damages them. Breaks channels on both tossed units and landing targets. Debuff immune targets cannot be thrown as the tossed unit.
Tree Grab
Active - No TargetTiny grabs a tree, gaining bonus attack range and splash damage. The tree can be thrown for additional damage.
Notes: Provides bonus attack range and splash damage that cleaves onto creeps when attacking buildings. Each attack consumes a charge. Throwing the tree deals instant attack damage to the primary target and area damage around it. Provides vision as the tree travels.
Grow
Passive - UltimateTiny gains massive size, weapon damage, armor bonus, and attack damage, but reduces attack speed.
Notes: Provides significant damage and durability increases per level. The armor bonus stacks with items. Attack speed penalty is offset by attack damage gains. Each level makes Tiny visually larger and more imposing.
Tree Throw
Active - Unit/Target AreaThrows the tree at a target, dealing damage and applying attack modifiers.
Notes: Applied as an instant attack with true strike, ignoring disarms. Applies attack modifiers (like Desolator) only to the primary target. Splash damage around the target is not classed as an instant attack. Can be used after Shadow Blade for backstab damage.
Craggy Exterior (Innate)
Passive - InnateWhen attacked, Tiny debuffs the attacker with damage reduction.
Notes: The damage reduction debuff can be dispelled. Applying break to Tiny prevents Craggy Exterior from debuffing attackers. Does not affect buildings.
Avalanche (Shard Upgrade)
Active - Point TargetAvalanche becomes a vector targeted ability, allowing directional control of the rock wave.
Notes: The Shard upgrade gives Avalanche vector targeting, allowing you to control the direction rocks travel. This increases effective range and allows for more precise area denial.
Grow (Aghanim's Scepter)
Passive - UltimateGrants Tree Volley ability and allows Tiny to throw units without a target.
Notes: Tree Volley is an active ability that throws multiple trees in a cone, dealing massive area damage. Also allows Toss to be cast without a target, automatically grabbing the nearest unit.
Developer's Notes
Developer Insights
Tiny is the master of burst combos and positional disruption. His Avalanche-Toss combo deals devastating magic damage and provides some of the longest disable durations in the game.
Key Insights:
- Avalanche stuns continuously in the AoE - pre-cast it on predicted positions
- Toss fully disables the thrown unit and can target allies or enemies
- Tree Throw applies as an instant attack with true strike, ignoring disarms
Tiny rewards precise timing and creative positioning. His ability to save allies or isolate enemies makes him both versatile and dangerous!
Game Strategy
Early Game
Timeframe: 0-15 minutes Objective: Secure farm and reach level 6 for power spike Key: Use Avalanche to secure last hits and harass; Conserve mana for kill opportunities; Stack neutral camps for later farming; Coordinate with support for Avalanche-Toss kills Items: Power Treads (Priority #1 for attack speed); Blink Dagger components; Bottle if mid lane Tips: Avalanche-Toss combo deals ~500 damage at level 2, enough to kill most heroes; Toss can be used defensively to throw enemies away from you; Tree Grab helps with last hitting under tower; Look for opportunities to Toss enemies into your tower
Mid Game
Timeframe: 15-30 minutes Objective: Dominate teamfights with Blink combo Key: Blink-initiate with Avalanche-Toss on priority targets; Push towers with Tree Throw siege damage; Farm neutrals between fights using Tree Throw cleave; Use Toss to save allies from dangerous situations Items: Blink Dagger (Core initiation tool); Echo Sabre (Synergy with Grow); Shadow Blade (Escape and combo) Tips: Pre-cast Avalanche where you think enemies will be (banish, TP); Toss has instant cast animation - use it to counter Blink initiators; Tree Throw provides vision when thrown; You can Toss allies out of Chronosphere and Kinetic Field
Late Game
Timeframe: 30+ minutes Objective: Serve as tanky initiator or damage dealer Key: Initiate with Blink-Avalanche-Toss on key targets; Use Tree Volley for massive AoE damage with Aghanim's; Serve as frontline tank with Grow armor bonus; Protect carries by tossing enemies away Items: Aghanim's Scepter (Tree Volley); Assault Cuirass (Team utility); Black King Bar (Survivability) Tips: Consider Aghanim's Scepter for Tree Volley teamfight damage; Position carefully - you're a priority target; Use Toss defensively to peel for your carry; Tree Throw can break Smoke if it damages enemies
Tips & Strategies
Avalanche Mechanics
- Avalanche is constantly stunning in the AoE - pre-cast it on predicted positions like banished enemies or TP spots.
- Avalanche completely ignores status resistance, ensuring full disable duration.
- The rocks remain active, so enemies walking into the AoE after casting will still be stunned.
Toss Mastery
- Toss fully disables the thrown unit - stagger it after Avalanche ends to maximize disable time.
- Always grabs the unit closest to Tiny - be mindful of positioning.
- You can Toss units without vision, but not invisible units.
- Targeting Toss on an enemy pops Linken's Sphere, but you can still grab them and toss elsewhere.
- Use Toss to break channels on enemies and save allies from danger.
Tree Throw Techniques
- Tree Throw damage is an instant attack with true strike that ignores disarms.
- Apply attack modifiers like Desolator only to the primary target, not splash damage.
- Activate Shadow Blade after throwing a tree to get backstab damage on the primary target.
- Throwing a tree provides vision as it travels - use it for scouting.
- You can't directly target couriers, but splash damage near them can kill the donkey.
Advanced Tricks
- Bait Blink initiators by mashing Toss on nearby targets - you'll toss them before they can react.
- Toss enemies to runes to secure them for your team.
- Store Echo Sabre's max attack speed hit by canceling the attack before it lands.
- Let your right clicks finish - Tiny's changing attack speed makes animation canceling difficult.
Item Guide
Starting Items
Basic sustenance and stats to survive the laning phase and build into early game items.
Tango, Iron Branch, Circlet
Core Items
Power Treads provide much-needed attack speed and stats. Blink Dagger enables initiation. Shadow Blade adds escape and combo potential with Tree Throw. Echo Sabre synergizes perfectly with Grow's attack damage.
Power Treads, Blink Dagger, Shadow Blade, Echo Sabre
Situational Items
BKB when facing heavy disable, Aghanim's for Tree Volley power spike, Assault Cuirass for armor and team utility, Sange and Yasha for movement speed and status resistance.
Black King Bar, Aghanim's Scepter, Assault Cuirass, Sange and Yasha
Counter Guide
Good With
Tiny excels with heroes who can amplify his burst combo or provide sustain. Io provides healing, movement speed, and relocation combos. Crystal Maiden offers mana regeneration and lockdown to set up Tiny's combo. Magnus can empower Tiny for massive physical damage and use Reverse Polarity for guaranteed combos. Pugna can decrepitify tossed enemies for bonus magic damage. Chen and Enchantress can control creeps for Tiny to toss, adding consistent combo setup. Dazzle provides saves and armor reduction. The key is heroes who solve Tiny's mana issues or provide setup for his combo.
Bad Against
Tiny struggles against illusion heroes and high mobility cores. Phantom Lancer, Chaos Knight, and Terrorblade overwhelm Tiny with illusions that tank his combo and deal consistent damage. Meepo can spread out and avoid the full combo while netting Tiny. Anti-Mage burns Tiny's limited mana pool. Nyx Assassin provides mana burn and long disables. Phantom Assassin with evasion prevents Tiny's instant attack from landing. Viper and Venomancer kite Tiny effectively. Heroes that can disjoint Toss (like Puck) or have high magic resistance (like Huskar) also counter Tiny's burst pattern.
Good Against
Tiny dominates immobile heroes and magic-weak supports. Sniper and Drow Ranger are extremely vulnerable to Blink-Avalanche-Toss combos. Crystal Maiden, Witch Doctor, and Pugna lack escape mechanisms and die instantly to Tiny's burst. Zeus and other squishy casters cannot survive the combo. Shadow Shaman and Enigma are interrupted mid-channel by Toss. Tiny excels against heroes who must stand still to be effective. A single combo can eliminate enemy supports before fights begin, creating massive advantages. Buildings also fall quickly to Tree Throw siege damage.