Who Is the Juggernaut in Dota 2?
No one knows how Yurnero the Juggernaut is. Hell, no one’s even seen his face, or if he even has one. Anything known about him is so shrouded in speculation that it’s best to call them rumors. Some say that he defied a corrupt lord and that his punishment was to be exiled from the lands of his home. This punishment saved his life because said homeland was then drowned under the waves. Thus, he is the sole survivor of his homeland to carry on the tradition. His swordplay is part-ritual and part-sword style, and as the last practitioner, he always tries to challenge and improve himself. Still, Juggernaut’s fighting as if he knows that his victory is assured, something that confuses his enemies. After all, what’s the point of fighting if his homeland’s gone? As to what type of hero he is, Yurnero is an agility melee offensive hero. He’s one of the more obvious carry heroes in the game as his abilities allow him to devastate enemies. From magic immune spins to Omnislash, he goes into battle recklessly to kill his opponents. Play Dota 2 on Steam today! Also See: Dota 2 – Luna Guide for Playing Like a Pro Carry
What Are the Skills of Juggernaut in Dota 2?
Blade Fury
Yurnero’s katana techniques are known far and wide and are feared by both warriors and sorcerers without question. Yurnero becomes a whirling dervish of blade and fury, turning himself into a bladestorm of destruction. This gives him magic immunity, while still inflicting hurt against enemies. When cast, Juggernaut deals 18/23/28/33 damage in 0.2-second intervals. The ability lasts for 5 seconds, so in total, he deals 450/575/700/825 total damage without Talents. With Talents, it goes to 1250/1375/1500/1625. All this damage is done before any type of damage reduction. Notes:
Can be upgraded by Aghanim’s Shard, increasing Juggernaut’s movement speed while using Blade Fury. In addition, it also does an instant attack on a random enemy once every second. Can’t be cast when Juggernaut is using Omnislash or Swiftslash. He has to stop both abilities before he can cast Blade Fury. Juggernaut has Spell Immunity and Basic Dispel when he’s using Blade Fury. With the sole exception of Omnislash and Swiftslash, Juggernaut can attack, use items, and cast abilities while in Blade Fury. Juggernaut cannot be affected by Ghost Scepter when using Blade Fury. Except buildings and wards, Juggernaut’s attacks when doing Blade Fury deal no damage. However, items with attack modifiers like Skull Basher will still apply their effects and damage when proc’d. Thus, it’s still a good idea to attack while using Blade Fury. However, effects like Lifesteal, Cleave, and Critical Strike will not have any effect. This is because they’re based on the actual damage that Juggernaut’s attacks deal. And since there’s no damage when using Blade Fury, those effects are useless.
Healing Ward
There are many rituals taught in Yurnero’s homeland. Among those rituals is a handy voodoo spell that tends to wounds. Yurnero summons a healing ward that heals all allied units near it. The healing is based on said units max HP. The ward lasts for 25 seconds and has a move speed of 325. The ward has a max health regeneration bonus of 2%/3%/4%/5% depending on the level. Notes:
Healing Ward automatically follows Juggernaut when cast. Healing Ward’s heal is provided as an aura and lingers for 2.5 seconds. In addition, multiple Healing Ward auras don’t stack. Doesn’t affect buildings, wards, invisible, and invulnerable units.
Blade Dance
The final remnants of Yurnero’s homeland. The bladework of his heritage is one that he ensures will be remembered. Every time Juggernaut attacks, there’s a chance for a critical strike. The proc chance increases per level by 20%/25%/30%/35% and it has 180% Critical Damage. Notes:
Yurnero’s damage with Blade Dance increases by an average of 16%/20%/24/28%. Proc chances of multiple critical rate sources stack. There’s a chance that two or more sources of Critical Strike will proc at the same time. If that’s the case, the higher Crit Multiplier takes priority.
Swiftslash
Swiftslash is Omnislash with a smaller cooldown and duration. This is unlocked through the use of Aghanim’s Scepter. Notes:
Doesn’t need Omnislash to be leveled to work. However, it does need it because it uses its values. If Omnislash isn’t leveled, Swiftslash will simply do nothing. Compared to Omnislash which has orange particles, Swiftslash has blue particles.
Omnislash
The fruits of years of practice and discipline, swordplay strengthened through countless repetitions. Juggernaut dashes towards an enemy and performs a flurry of sword slashes. He also transfers towards the nearest enemy unit to slash them as well at an increased attack rate. While doing Omnislash, Juggernaut is invulnerable. Notes:
Juggernaut’s Omnislash will search for enemies in a radius of 425. If there are no enemies around the enemy he’s currently attacking, he will continue to attack the current enemy until they’re dead. Omnislash will immediately end when there’s no enemy in the search radius. Omnislash gives an attack bonus of 30/40/50 and an attack speed bonus of 40. The ability lasts for 3/3.25/3.5 seconds. With talents, it’s 4/4.25/4.5 seconds. As stated, Omnislash cannot be cast when Juggernaut is using Blade Fury. Other than that, Juggernaut can still cast abilities and use items. Omnislash’s attack interval is Juggernaut’s current attack rate divided by 1.5. Omnislash does instant attacks on whoever Juggernaut is attacking. These attacks proc any attack modifiers that Juggernaut currently has.
What Are the Talents of Juggernaut in Dota 2?
These are the talents that Juggernaut has available. As per usual, they unlock on five-level intervals starting from level 10.
How Do You Play as Juggernaut in Dota 2? (7.30b)
Juggernaut is still an absolute beast of a Carry even in 7.30b. His main role in the game is to get as fat as possible for the late game so that he can turn his enemies into mincemeat. This hasn’t changed throughout the various game patches.
General Play Style
Juggernaut is a pretty vulnerable hero when the game starts. In addition, he’s dependent on his team to help him get to a good point in his item build and levels for the future. Think of him—and generally, all carry heroes—as an investment. If you ensure that they live, they’ll be able to kick the enemy team’s ass. Do note that this also depends on the skill level of the player playing the hero, so it’s up in the air. In the late game, Juggernaut’s main objective is to deal as much damage as possible. This is helped by the fact that he deals absurd amounts of damage when he’s far enough into his own. With the correct item builds, he can destroy entire teams with the use of Blade Fury, Omnislash, and auto-attacks.
Suggested Skill Progression
Depending on the situation, Juggernaut can either go for Blade Fury to deal damage or Healing Ward for survivability. However, it’s usually recommended to get Healing Ward second as Blade Fury gives Spell Immunity when cast. This allows Juggernaut to whale on enemies with impunity in the early game so long as the chance arises. Other than that, it’s also a good idea to get Omnislash when it becomes available. This is because the ability gives Juggernaut a good way to kill enemies while saving Blade Fury for teleport escapes. Lastly, Blade Dance is maxed out last as the ability only affects the critical rate and not how much critical damage Juggernaut inflicts. Thus, it’s usually a good idea to get the skill at level 5 and then wait until level 13 to max it.
Suggested Talent Build
In terms of Talents, it’s usually recommended to get all of the talents that directly improve Juggernaut’s ability to kill enemies. This includes the increased attack speed, the Blade Fury radius, and the Omnislash +1 second duration talents. This allows Juggernaut to kill enemies more effectively and generally is better overall to his kit.
Suggested Items
Juggernaut in Dota 2 is primarily a Physical Damage carry. Thus, getting items that give him additional Physical damage is the way to go. These are the items that are great with Juggernaut on various parts of the game:
Early Game
Quelling Blade is a great early game item due to its increased damage against creeps. In addition to this, it’s also one of the items for Battlefury, one of Juggernaut’s best late-game items. This makes Quelling Blade a good early game addition to his inventory. Getting Boots of Speed is generally a good idea as it gives a decent speed boost. This allows Juggernaut to have an easier time chasing enemies or escaping. In addition, it’s also one of the items to get for Phase Boots or Power Treads. Wraith Band is a great way for Juggernaut to gain additional stats in the early game. This makes him tankier and allows him to deal more damage. Once he gets better items though, he can immediately sell Wraith Band for some extra gold. Magic Wand gives Juggernaut extra stats to help him kill his enemies in addition to giving him Burst HP and MP restoration. This is one of the best items to get in most heroes with low HP and MP pools overall, as it increases their survivability.
Midgame
Depending on the player, they might wish to get Phase Boots or Power Treads. However, Phase Boots is a better option for Juggernaut due to the added damage that it gives him. Power Treads is also good due to the additional stats that it gives to Juggernaut. Diffusal Blade is a great item for Juggernaut because it gives Manabreak, one of the best damage bonuses for him. The item also gives great stats for agility and intelligence, increasing his survivability and his killing ability. In addition, its active ability allows Juggernaut to slow down fleeing enemies, making it easier for him to kill them. Battlefury is hands down the best melee farming item. It’s especially good with Juggernaut as his in-built critical chance also deals it to the enemies affected by Battlefury’s cleave. Combined with other items that have damage procs, and you’ll have a wave clearer of a hero. This item gives Juggernaut cheap and easy access to lifesteal and some attack speed boost. In addition, the attack speed boost is also helpful for when Juggernaut uses Omnislash. Just make sure you activate it AFTER you’re doing Omnislash rather than before. Manta Style is an item that helps Juggernaut in pushing lanes and in getting out of tough situations. This is due to its ability to remove certain debuffs like silence and gives 2 illusions of Juggernaut.
Late Game
Black King Bar is another good item for Juggernaut, though not as essential due to Blade Fury. However, there might come a time when you’ll need it for situations like Blade Fury on cooldown. At least with BKB, you can deal as much damage as you like while being immune to spells. Abyssal Blade is great for Juggernaut because it has great lockdown capabilities with its stuns. It also has a decent health regen aspect that can help in survivability. Butterfly gives a great amount of agility, damage, and evasion for Juggernaut. This allows him to stay in the fight while dealing as much damage as possible. However, do note that heroes with Monkey King Bar can strike through Butterfly’s evasion. So it’s a situational item that falls off if the enemy uses MKB. Aghanim’s Scepter is more of a luxury item than anything, but Swiftslash is a great addition due to its versatility. It allows Juggernaut an easy way to close into enemies while not spending Omnislash.
Situational
Monkey King Bar is a great pick when there are heroes that have high evasion chances like Phantom Assassin. That, or the enemy carry bought Butterfly. In that case, Juggernaut should counter with Monkey King Bar as it has True Strike, which pierces through Evasion. Blink Dagger can be used as an initiation tool as it gets Juggernaut close to using Omnislash. It can also be used as an escape item, giving Juggernaut the chance to escape sticky situations. Sange and Yasha is a good item to get on Juggernaut due to the stats that it gives him. It gives him movement speed to close in on enemies, great damage, good strength and agility stats, and attack speed. Eye of Skadi gives a great addition to Juggernaut’s attributes while slowing down enemies for him to chase down and kill. Mjollnir is a great pick for Juggernaut because it gives him enormous amounts of attack speed. In addition, the chain lightning attack proc is incredibly damaging and frequent, adding to its damage output. Nullifier is a great way to dispel effects that prevent Juggernaut from using Omnislash on enemies. It also has a pretty hefty attack boost, additional armor, and some HP regeneration.
When Do You Pick Juggernaut in Dota 2?
Players usually pick Juggernaut when the enemy team has other squishy heroes in their lineup. His biggest strength is his ability to shrug off debuffs using Blade Fury and continue attacking using Omnislash. However, do make sure to keep an eye out for Juggernaut’s various cooldowns as they tend to be pretty long. In addition to this, his stat lines are pretty low, with his strength and intelligence stats tanking quite a bit when he levels. This means it’s important to supplement these stats somewhat through the use of items.
Heroes Countered by Juggernaut in Dota 2
Enchantress
Juggernaut’s Blade Fury helps him kill Enchantress. It has Spell Immunity, which means he’s not affected by her Enchant ability and can help in dispelling her slow.
Nyx Assassin
Except for Vendetta, Juggernaut can escape all of Nyx Assassin’s abilities while dealing with his damage. Vendetta, however, can be used to escape Omnislash, so there’s that.
Invoker
Invoker’s abilities can be ignored by a Juggernaut using Blade Fury. Cold Snap mini stun when damaged? Negated. Deafening Blast knockback? Not in this century. Chaos Meteor’s damage? What damage? However, he can still be hit by the Tornado/Sunstrike combo, but Juggernaut can dodge the tornado easily if he’s fast enough.
Templar Assassin
Blade Fury can evaporate TA’s Refraction stacks almost instantly. In addition, Psi Blades cannot hit Juggernaut’s Healing Ward, and with her short range, it’s almost impossible to destroy if well placed.
Zeus
Zeus’ abilities don’t have Spell Immunity pierce, which means they can’t damage Juggernaut when he’s using Blade Fury. His attack range is also a detriment when destroying his Healing Ward, and Arc Lighting is useless when it’s active. Lastly, Zeus’ squishy hide can be taken down easily by Juggernaut, period.
Counters vs Juggernaut in Dota 2
Axe
Axe’s Berserker’s Call straight up goes through Juggernaut’s Blade Fury. This leaves him vulnerable for Axe to pick off when he has the chance with Counter Helix. In addition to this, Axe with Blade Mail and Blink Dagger is an incredibly dangerous threat against Juggernaut.
Chaos Knight
Chaos Knight can easily kill Juggernaut if Blade Fury is on cooldown with his combo, Chaos Bolt + Reality Rift. In addition, Reality Rift creates illusions of Chaos Knight, which can tank Juggernaut’s Omnislash.
Bane
Bane has an ability called Fiend’s Grip that pierces through Spell Immunity. This makes Blade Fury useless against Bane and leaves him vulnerable for his teammates to kill.
Ursa
Ursa’s Fury Swipes can pierce right through Blade Fury, which allows Ursa to harass Juggernaut. In addition, his Enrage has ridiculous damage reduction, which tanks the effectiveness of Blade Fury and Omnislash against him.
Legion Commander
Legion Commander’s Duel ability goes right through Juggernaut’s Blade Fury Spell Immunity. This allows Legion Commander’s teammates to catch up with her, and prevent Juggernaut from using his abilities.
Any Hero with Escape Abilities (Riki, Storm Spirit, Puck, Ember Spirit, Slark)
Heroes that have any sort of escape ability can walk out of Juggernaut’s Blade Fury and Omnislash. Without an enemy nearby, Omnislash will end prematurely, allowing them to pick off a vulnerable Juggernaut in a game of Dota 2.
