Grimstroke

Grimstroke remains a niche but viable support pick in patch 7.41e, primarily because his kit scales exceptionally well into extended games where positioning and utility shine. His very late game power curve means he transforms from a modest early presence into a game-altering force, but this demands patient teammates and a game that goes beyond the typical pace. He's strong when your team can farm safely and leverage his powerful initiation and disable tools, but feels underwhelming in fast-paced matchups that punish greedy itemization.

The build path is straightforward and timing-dependent: start with Arcane Boots for mana sustain and positioning, then pivot to Blink as your mobility tool for landing spells reliably. From there, Aether Lens and Aghanim's Scepter become your core scaling items, significantly boosting your spell range and effectiveness in the mid-to-late game. The addition of Glimmer Cape or Force Staff later handles the additional survivability and utility you need to stay relevant when enemies threaten your positioning. This progression works because each item directly amplifies your ability to cast spells safely and impact team fights from favorable angles.

Grimstroke struggles badly in early-game oriented drafts where enemies force constant skirmishes before your items come online, since his baseline damage and durability are underwhelming without itemization. Avoid picking him into highly mobile cores that can kite or avoid your spell chains, or against lineups with many dispels that trivialize your disable. He's also vulnerable to aggressive early rotations and ganks on supports, so drafting him into a weak laning scenario or against coordinated roaming heroes will leave your team at a significant disadvantage while you're still scaling.