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We have tower killers, heavy defenders, speed-based supporters and pushers. Note that the heroes shown below are not the only ones in the category. Additionally, heroes can easily be part of more than one category.

Tower killers refer to the heroes who, usually through their skills, can destroy towers quickly and effectively. These heroes are extremely helpful to a team, allowing them to appear quickly, destroy a tower, and vanish again before their opponents have time to react. Very often, however, these heroes need some support to reach their full potential.

Heavy defenders. These heroes all have something in common: their ability to stop even the largest of pushes in its tracks. Another aspect of a heavy defender is either their ability to soak damage well, or an ability to cast their spells from a distance. Their spells and defensive skills generally also have a short cooldown. These aspects are important as these heroes are generally the cornerstone of any defense. Thus, a hero like this, when played correctly, will easily prolong an opponent's attack, which drains and weakens them enough for you to counterattack from the relative comfort of your base.

Speed-based supporters are not necessarily heroes that buff the speed of their allies. More appropriately, they are heroes which lessen the duration of a team fight, tower assault or gank. This can be done by protecting the team and increasing their speed (Admiral's Ghost Ship comes to mind), which allows them to take increased damage over a shorter period of time, or by increasing the damage dealt by nearby allies, either via damage amplify (Dirge's Flesh Golem) or by base damage increase (Lycan's Howl). Items can also achieve this effect: the Necronomicon increases the mobility of nearby allies drastically, while Arcane Boots speed up their mana recovery.

Pusher's are, as the name implies, heroes who push the lanes. Without creep support, it is almost impossible to take a tower quickly, due to the regeneration mechanic. As such, pushing heroes are vital to allow quick towers. The second aspect of a pushing hero is that it applies pressure to the enemies all over the map, forcing them to split up and defend multiple points. This weakens them all over, allowing an uncontested victory at the point where you focus your power. Pushers are generally marked by two things: high mobility, and high AoE damage. Without the first, it becomes difficult to push multiple lanes, and without the second it becomes difficult to push even one lane. Items like Shivas and Radiance can help with the AoE damage, while Boots of Travel will easily help support your mobility.

Each team should have at least two of the above heroes. A hero who is a blend of the above becomes even more valuable: we can see that some of the most common picks of the current era are compromised of

* Shadow Fiend: a powerful pusher and tower killer, as well as a team speed-supporter with his aura and a defender with his long-ranged Shadowrazes. [4 categories]
* Medusa: a devastating pusher and a tanky defender, the Gorgon has earned her name as one of the most hardcore carries of the current metagame. [2 categories]
* Alchemist: with his Acid Spray and high DPS, he is a powerful speed-supporter and tower killer. His Spray also makes him a potent defender. [3 categories]

This is not a clear-cut definition of which heroes are good and which ones are bad. Many heroes who are part of two or more categories are not picked in competitive play due to numerous reasons.

However, a team will suffer without heroes who can accomplish the above four aspects effectively. Without the ability to efficiently destroy towers, you lack the ability to efficiently win the game.

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