The Anti Carry guide to Axe

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The Anti Carry guide to Axe

1.	Introduction
2.	Chapter Title
3.	How to itemize for the early - mid game:
4.	Late game items:
5.	Ultra late game:

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Introduction

This is an alpha version, 0.0.1.

Right now i don't have enough time to make it really pretty, but i do appreciate your opinions and suggestions in the form of comments!

More content will be added in the near future.

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Chapter Title

We all know the core items on Axe, we all know his early and mid game impact and damage potential. But did you know, that with the right items, axe can scale into the late game and turn most 6 slotted right clickers into easy pickoffs?

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How to itemize for the early - mid game:

1. The first item choice is self explanatory, tranquils. why? Because axe is a snowball hero like few others. Culling blade is huge in level 6 fights. You can cull most supports after a couple of spins. Once you get blink dagger, tranquils allow you to sustain roaming.

2. Axe needs his blink dagger, because call is by far his best skill (aside from culling blade). With call, axe can initiate in the middle of the enemy team and allow for allies to follow up with devastating results.
Once you got the dagger, start ganking and don't stop to farm jungle or lanes. Axe's mid-game revolves around winning every single lane for your team, by punishing enemies for their low hp pools.

Assuming you have ganked the **** out of the lanes, what's next? A vanguard? **** that ****! We are 15-20 minutes into the game and 20 damage block does exactly nothing. But why? because most nukes are maxed by now, carries got some damage items and because it doesn't scale in the late game.

If the game asks for it, you can get vanguard and immediately upgrade it into crimson guard. But usually you won't need to invest almost 4k gold into a mid game item that won't give you any late game scaling.

3. So, instead of getting a vanguard, get a sange. Why? Because vanguard gives you 250 hp and 20 to 40 damage block from right clicks. Sange will give you 16 strength (which is 300 hp). Overall, this gives you more tankyness against spells (which ignore damage block), maim chance and 16 damage.

4. The next 1800 gold will be spent on a talisman of evasion to make Heaven's Halberd. You will get +20 Strength, +25 Damage, +25% Evasion and Disarm (against that pesky ursa or pa).
And remember, 25% evasion really means that you have 25% more hp against right clicks, that will scale with all hp items that you get.
Still want to go for vanguard?

5. A special mention goes to Blademale. This item is HIGHLY situational on axe. Get it against tems that can't help but send MAGICAL DAMAGE your way (sand king, shaker, gyro, leshrac, veno, etc.). Honestly, i'd much rather skip this item. Much like vanguard, it doesn't really do much for you. A good team will avoid damaging you once your blademale is up and once they have 1-2 bkbs on their team, it will be completely useless.

TLDNR re-cap:

Early game items:
1. Tranquils.
2, Magic wand
3. Blonk.
4. Heaven's Halberd.

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Late game items:

Now, we're pushing minute 30 and the late game has arrived. By now, luxury damage items are coming axe's way. What is the next move?

Well, depending on how your game is going, you have 1 of 3 choices for your next item.

1. You are way ahead of the enemy team and you notice that enemies are getting away before they reach the cull threshold. You ignored my advice and have level 5 dagon?
Get aghs. Why? Because it gives you a higher cull threshold and lowers your cool-down. It gives you more hp, which is handy when dealing with the increase of incoming damage in this phase of the game. (You can laugh at the face of volvo for nerfing your favorite hero.)

2. You find yourself in a tough spot when initiating because you eat up every stun on the enemy team or you get kited around when initiating. They have OD, lion, nix, viper, veno or whoever can ruin a good 5 man call, dunk, dunk, dunk, dunk, dunk.
Get a black king bar. Why? Because this is a tryhard guide and most people rush hearts so they can eat even more stuns and nukes. I know you might think that it's better for you to tank their spells and disables, because your carry shouldn't. But this is a guide on how to carry with axe and how to maximize slot efficiency. Yes, if axe is far enough ahead, he will carry your game, because enemy carries will be so afraid of fighting him, that your carry will have enough space to farm for the late game.

3. The game is pretty balanced but you lack that extra something to ensure your survivability and make enemy carries farm seem even less significant.
Get shiva's guard. Why? Because axe is a thirsty beast. He needs mana and constantly moving around the map will leave his reserves drained. This item reduces enemy attack speed. they will need an extra hyperstone just to compensate for your teamfight presence. It also gives you an aoe nuke / slow, which is pefect for your blink / call combo.

Now, i'd recommend getting any of these 2 items before considering your late - ultra late item choices. Go ahead, take your time... But, here's something to think about:

4. Are you over-farmed? Is that enemy carry giving you a hard time with their high A.S. items?
Get eye of skadi. Why? Are you kidding me? This item is so good it should be core on most heroes. Few items are as cost effective or slot efficient as eye of skadi. It gives you 725 hp, 575 mana, 25 attack speed, 35% Move Speed Slow, 45 Attack Speed Slow.
If you also got shiva's guard, which gives you 45 attack speed slow aura, that means 90, bkb piercing, A.S. reduction.
Remember, all but 1 of Axe's skills don't care about BKB, adding skadi to your inventory is just broken!

TLDNR re-cap:

Mid to Late game items:
A. You're facing High Physical DPS:
1. Shiva's Guard.
2. Aghs.
B.They have High Magical DPS / a lot of disables:
1. BKB.
2. Aghs.
C. You want to rek some carrys:
1. Shiva's Guard.
2. Eye of Skadi.

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Ultra late game:

You are now probably pushing / threatening rax. Since you survived this long, it means that enemies have not yet rage quit before your axe and / or they've been putting up a decent fight.

This last item choice is purely situational and relies on how you are doing at that point. This last item should either cement your victory or bolster your weaknesses.
Consider how teamfights are going. Figure out what's holding you back the most. Or go willd if you're confident.

1. Is it nukes or disables, get a heart. Did you not buy that bkb yet?
2. Is it pushing power you need? Get some travels and start ratting.
3. Is your team getting right clicked down? Get a cuirass.
4. Do they have an mkb? No? Get butterfly. Why? Don't be a panzy and get butterfly.
5. You need more disables? get abyssal blade. Why? Because hex is for panzies.
6. You still need more disables? get hex. Why? Because we're tryhards and not panzies.