Hello, Librarian Husky here! I usually don’t play mid, and to be honest, I almost picked IO for the safe lane. I thought it would be fun to try something different. In the end, I decided to go with Timber mid, and so here I am, stepping out of my comfort zone.

Early game strategy and itemization

I last picked Timber in this game, and my item choices were pretty straightforward. I’m going for Kai to help with farming and plan to transition into Eternal Shroud because the enemy team has mostly magic damage. Though they have some physical damage from Earthshaker, Luna, as the carry, leans toward magical in the early and mid-game.

First blood and laning against Earthshaker

We secured first blood on Tusk, which gave us an early experience advantage. I’m laning against Earthshaker, which isn’t a particularly tough matchup. My plan is to push the wave a bit and prevent him from getting easy denies, although it’s challenging since Earthshaker is quite strong in that aspect.

Mid lane strategy against Earthshaker

If I’m not going to secure the last hit on a creep, I might as well let Earthshaker have it, as trying to contest means risking taking hits from his abilities. It’s been a while since I faced Earthshaker mid, and his playstyle feels different now. I’ve been using my Quelling Blade on trees to regain mana, which feels a bit strange but is actually quite useful.

Maintaining aggro and farming

I’m not trying to fight Earthshaker for every creep, so I’m pushing the wave under his tower to create some space. I skipped buying a Bracer because it didn’t feel necessary in this chill lane. My focus is on grabbing water runes and avoiding unnecessary contests for CS.

Managing creeps and small advantages

At one point, I got lucky with creep aggro, causing Earthshaker to miss his flag bearer. It’s a small advantage, but I’ll take it. I’ll keep chopping down trees to regain mana and continue to harass him, even if I can’t stop him from denying some creeps like the flag bearer.

Applying pressure in the mid lane

I could have prevented Earthshaker from denying the flag bearer by saving my Q, but I missed the opportunity. Right now, I’m putting pressure on him, although killing him is unlikely. In mid, unless you have a significantly favorable matchup, it’s difficult to secure kills because of the constant regeneration from water runes.

Support rotations and laning tactics

Both of my supports are rotating mid, so I’m applying more pressure on Earthshaker while they take control of the water runes. I’m trying to keep the wave static on my hill to make laning easier, even though Earthshaker has a level advantage. It’s all about positioning the wave in a favorable spot to trade more efficiently.

Regeneration and strategic play

I used both of my bottle charges to keep the lane under control and to keep the wave on high ground. I missed a few last hits, but overall, the lane is pretty passive right now. Both of us hit level six at about the same time, and this kind of balanced, passive laning is exactly what I expected for this matchup.

Managing Mid Lane and Mana

This lane isn’t supposed to be anything crazy, but missing both last hits felt unfortunate. With Omni showing up and being low on mana, I found myself in an awkward situation where I had to back off. I wanted to push the wave, but I had to be careful of Earthshaker’s Echo Slam, so I decided to pick up the Bounty Rune instead and heal up. Considering the amount of magic damage I’m taking, getting Raindrops might be a good idea.

Ancient Stacking Strategy

After clearing this wave, I plan to stack the Ancients. It feels like it’s worth more than immediately farming the wave. With a big window on the stack, especially when it’s just 1x, it’s easy to time it. I’m also keeping an eye on the top lane, though my single point in Timber Chain makes TPing a bit awkward. Despite this, I managed to make the stack.

Farming and Neutral Items

Once I shove out the wave, I’ll probably farm the large camp to get a neutral item, which will help maximize my nuking potential. That last play felt a bit off, and though I cringed at my mistake, I got lucky enough to survive. I need to reflect on what went wrong and adjust accordingly in future engagements.

Strategic Decision-Making and Damage Calculation

I probably should have stuck to him and used my Q again, considering Chain deals significantly less damage at this point. My Q is almost double the damage, especially since I’m 3-2 in skill points. That was a mistake, but I managed to recover. My Lina is jungling hard, so I’ll go top to sap the wave since it’s too big to leave alone. Centaur is also up there, so a support rotation could potentially net us a kill.

Rotating and Wave Management

I teleported top to clear the wave and take the flag bearer, hoping Lina can rotate towards mid. I should have farmed both camps simultaneously, but Batrider is in the area, though he’s only level four, so I feel relatively safe. Omni is dragging the wave, but I’m fine with that since I can flash farm and gain more resources.

Farming Efficiency and Objective Control

I’m thinking about gating to bottom for a potential kill, but my team already took the bottom tower, so it’s not necessary. At this point, I’m farming efficiently and don’t feel pressured to make any risky plays. I’m focused on getting a neutral item, which should come soon from these camps with multiple creeps.

Farming and Patience in the Late Game

I don’t think the enemy team feels pressured right now. We’ll stack ancients, farm them, and then stack the small camp as well. Sometimes being patient is key; if you wait, opportunities will present themselves. There’s no need to force plays, especially since my Lina isn’t having the best game. I’ll keep pushing top to maximize farm because Timber really comes online later in the game.

Itemization and Team Coordination

I’m considering buying Pipe since it’s a really good item for this game. My TP is available, and I’m going to stack Ancients while keeping an eye on the map. My Primal Beast is having a great game, which is awesome. I’ll farm these camps and then head back to base to pick up a cloak, sell my Quelling Blade, and continue itemizing for team fights.

Maximizing Efficiency and Rune Control

After farming, I’ll teleport mid to try and secure the regeneration rune. I bought Quelling Blade earlier because Timber’s damage in the laning phase is terrible ever since they changed it from universal to strength. Now that it’s no longer needed, I’ll focus on more important items like Pipe, which will be a game-changer. What is that Batrider even doing right now?

Strategizing for Mid Game Control

If we want to kill him, we can smoke; otherwise, I’ll just keep farming. My supports are farming mid, which isn’t terrible, but they should be stacking ancients. It’s really important, and I should probably ping them to remind them. Stacking ancients is crucial for our progression, and it’s a bit of a missed opportunity. I’ll focus on cutting the midwave to maintain pressure.

Assessing Fights and Tower Defense

Centaur won’t have Blink for a while, but the enemy is rotating top to get a kill. Losing our mid tower in exchange for a single Lina kill isn’t worth it, especially when I’m massive. Timber is strongest in these slower-paced games where I can farm freely. While Timber isn’t bad at early fighting, his need to be in melee range makes it tricky, so this pace suits me.

Securing Farm and Preparing for a Fight

I’m going to cut the midwave aggressively since they don’t have Echo Slam. The only real threat is a chain stun combo with Eclipse, but it’s difficult for them to execute. I’m almost at my item timing, and we should smoke soon. Let me push the wave first, as we’ve hit the god timing. I’m incredibly strong right now, with a haste rune ready. I’m on my way, running to join the fight.

Handling Team Fights and Building Survivability

I’m coming in, though Primal got caught, which made things a bit awkward. I just tanked all the damage thanks to Eternal Shroud. I’m considering buying another tank item to become unkillable due to their damage type. It’s feasible to be nearly unkillable in this game. Pipe gives health regen, which is useful for Timber since he has sustain issues, especially if you’re not maxing E early on. While Eternal Shroud provides mana, Pipe is more reliable for overall tankiness.

Stacking Camps and Map Control

Stacking camps is crucial when playing Timber; it’s something to keep in mind to maximize farm efficiency. I’m thinking about ganking top or gating mid. The enemy’s attempt doesn’t look promising, but with Shaker on their team, we’ll need to kite a bit. I’ll grab the rune and focus on stat-based items, as it seems more useful this game given their composition.

Farm Domination and Vision Control

At this point, I’m so strong that I can clear camps and push waves without much trouble. Planting a good ward here will provide valuable vision, especially around tier one teleport spots. I’ll keep farming and controlling the map unless I miss abilities, in which case it’ll slow things down a bit. Let’s see what our neutral item will be next, and I can teleport mid if needed for more team support.

Maintaining Map Control and Game Strategy

Even though we’re winning the game decisively, I’m still comfortable splitting the map for a short period. The goal isn’t to AFK farm but to maintain pressure. There may be a ward or the enemy could be smoked, and if they are, I’ll be the one to tank it. I’m looking to grab the haste rune and continue pressuring. My hero feels solid, but we’re calling Roshan without our Tusk, which is odd since he’s our Tag Team provider.

Post-Roshan Plans and Team Coordination

After Roshan, I need to head back to base for mana. The game feels relatively easy at this point, but I have to credit Primal Beast for playing well, aside from my own strong performance. He managed to take down the tower before I even had a chance to gate in and help, which speaks to his impact. Primal is typically not the best laner, but he seems to have handled Omni well in this game.

Preparing for the Next Siege

Our team is doing some risky plays, but I plan to push the midwave to secure my next item. With Aegis in hand, I don’t think the enemy can contest us, but two of our heroes are low, so it’s somewhat reasonable not to force a siege on tier two right now. After pushing in the wave, we can reset and look for the next opportunity to engage.

Focusing on Itemization and High Ground Push

I’m thinking about buying Heart of Tarrasque because I want infinite HP, making it nearly impossible for them to take me down. Instead of TPing to chase after Batrider, I believe it’s better for us to just go high ground and try to end the game. I’ll poke whoever shows up since I don’t think they can kill me. This way, we can maintain pressure and look for the right opportunity to break their defense.

Preventing a Throw and Adjusting the Plan

Initially, I thought TPing out would be a throw, but it turned out fine as they didn’t manage to catch anyone significant, and Centaur couldn’t threaten our Lina. Now, I’m focusing on farming camps to secure my next item. I’m still unsure if Heart of Tarrasque is the best choice here; Shiva’s Guard might be better for sticking on enemies and bursting them down. However, given the game’s pace, I’ll likely go for Heart.

Handling Team Fights and Farm Efficiency

I’ll opt for Plate Mail for additional armor since Luna will be dishing out physical damage soon. We’ve got strong illusions mid to clear waves, and I’ve got solid regeneration to sustain myself. My teammates are a bit scattered, with Shaker feeding and Tusk buying back after dying, but we’ll keep pushing. If Batrider goes in with Lasso, we need to be ready to counter, especially with Tusk looking to follow up on their initiations.

Team Fight Positioning and Strategy

I’m not sure why my Tusk is front-lining like this; it’s really odd. Our priority is getting onto the backline to take out Omni. Luna has no BKB, so she’s essentially dead to my Ax. Omni bought back and repelled her, allowing her to survive, but we dealt massive damage. They bought back two heroes while we didn’t use any buybacks. They tried to go on our Lina, and while the jump was risky, it worked out in the end.

Maximizing Damage and Staying Safe

I’m poking Luna, but we need to avoid jumping recklessly. I threw a little extra damage at Centaur to make sure we secure any small advantage. These small plays always matter. I’m using my bottle to heal up before we make another push. At this point, we want to end the game, even if it’s a bit risky. There’s almost no chance they can contest us without Batrider.

Game End and Reflection

Instead of taking megas for better positioning, we’re opting to push into their base directly. Centaur is teleporting away, and I have a feeling he’s setting up for a flank. Regardless, with no major threats left, we should be able to close out the game. Thanks so much for following along; it was a solid match. I played cleanly, made good decisions, and while I almost choked in the mid game against Shaker, it turned out fine.

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