For complete skills statistics click the icons below:


Storm Bolt

A reliable stun with less than decent cd of 15 secs but with above average damage of 325 and has an AoE of 350. Can be used as an initiation skill and to farm creeps. Really a very important skill throughout the game.


Great Cleave

Allows him to deal damage to many heroes. Gives the team another AoE damage in teamfights. Helps in farming and neutralizing image generating heroes. Works well with God's Strength.


Warcry

Another team oriented skill. The extra movespeed is good for chasing targets but the armor it gives during the late stages of the game is great. After blinking in and casting stun, cast this and go whack away like crazy.


God's Strength

The best attack-damage increasing skill. This skill makes him a dps-ing machine even without much items. Lets him skip damage items early. Along with cleave, makes for really painful slashes.

Lvl 1 Storm Bolt
Lvl 2 Stats
Lvl 3 Storm Bolt
Lvl 4 Stats
Lvl 5 Storm Bolt
Lvl 6 God's Strength
Lvl 7 Storm Bolt
Lvl 8 Warcry
Lvl 9 Great Cleave
Lvl 10 Great Cleave
Lvl 11 God's Strength
Lvl 12 Great Cleave
Lvl 13 Great Cleave
Lvl 14 Stats
Lvl 15 Stats
Lvl 16 God's Strength
Lvl 17 - 24 Stats
Lvl 23 - 25 Warcry


Justifications:

This is the generic build for Sven. Stats help him with his early game more than great cleave and warcry. One level of warcry needed after maxing storm bolt 'coz the only thing you need from it is the move-speed to roam around the map. Putting more points to it doesn't increase the ms it gives. The rest is self explanatory.

Item Build

CORE ITEMS

1
2
3 or
4
5
6

Justifications:

You need to attack fast and the +8 str from treads adds to your damage and survivability. Not to mention it increases your damage with God's Strength. Remember that God's Strength increases only through + str-giving items only.

Magic Wand is still one of the top cheap items in the game. Ironwood Branches are great starting items on most heroes especially on Sven who needs to increase his mana pool.

Urn of Shadows gives Sven the ability to cast more skills and replenish life thru decent regeneration. Since he is a ganker, he would be able to maximize the use of this item. Empty Bottle is an alternative to Urn as it replenishes life and mana lost too.

Kelen's Dagger of Escape maximizes the duration of his stun and GS by instantly being beside his target to reduce seconds lost from running towards the opponent. Can initiate clashes with this.

Black King Bar is needed by Sven to be able to deal tons of damage without being disabled. Since you would be initiating you would expect many spells to fall on you.

Always, always, always bring with you a Scroll of Town Portal. It is very important in teamplay. It is important that you are never late during tower defence. One hero late for the clash can mean the loss of the tower and sometimes loss of the game.LATE-GAME ITEMS


Assault Cuirass is one of the best end-game items for str-based heroes. It gives them what they lack: imba attackspeed, imba armor and nice auras. The recipe costs a lot but Hyperstone and Plate Mail are extremely good on their own.LUXURY ITEMS


Damage items would be a nice luxury for Sven. Though, I would doubt that he would be able to farm these items on a competitive match. Anyway, if you ever do get the chance, these items would be the best choices.EXTRA/SITUATIONAL ITEMS


If you are the designated carry (which usually shouldn't be) then you should go for this item along with BKB even before you farm for dagger. A cheap and efficient way of increasing your dps.

Strategy

Early Game

Can do with top or bottom lanes: Choose a non-mid lane. He is a regular tri-lane guy because of his reliable AoE stun.
Do what is expected from you: If you are in a tri-lane with a pure carry hero on your team then it is not your time to farm yet. Give the farm to your pure-carry. Always be aware of any kind of opportunity to kill your opponents. Do creep pulling if you are on your team's defensive lane. It's your chance to farm.
Learn how to chain stuns: It is very crucial in teamfights to be able to maximize the stun duration on your targeted prey. If your teammate throws a stun at your opponent try to land some hits first. Right before the stun duration ends, throw your Storm Bolt skill. That way the target won't have time to be able to cast a skill to save himself. Do not give them the opportunity to escape.

Mid Game

Farm for your items: This is your chance to get some items. Go straight for Dagger then Vanguard.
Balance farming with ganking: If your teammates are going ganking, go with them. Farm the neutral camps along the way. Do not focus too much on farming.

Late Game

Initiate for your team: Since you have an AoE stun and should have your Dagger right now, you should initiate for your team. Cast God's Strength, Blink beside your target, cast stun, warcy and whack away.
Always try to stay alive: Once your life bar is critical try to escape, regen some hp and wait for stun and dagger cd. When it is both available blink in and stun a target once again if there are still more targets. Your carry might still need another disabling skill.
If the game drags on, go for dps items: Try to bring down your target as swiftly as possible. You would also realize that when you do lethal damage to your target, your other opponents would also take tremendous amount of cleaved damage.

Replays

I suggest you go to Dota Commentaries.com as they don't just give you replays, they also give some analysis of the item builds, warding and team play. Not to mention, they are commentating competitive games and not your ordinary pub games where any build would work.

Hero Synergy

Anybody with a decent disable is a good ally to every hero so I would mention only a few with great synergies with him.


This tandem had been famous during previous versions. Though, Omniknight is not used much nowadays, he still holds the reign as the perfect tandem for Sven. Purist can slow down their target while protecting a GS-Madness buffed Sven with Repel and Guardian Angel. I haven't even mentioned that Purist can heal.


If you're ganked by this tandem, you're basically doomed. Both can dish out a lot of damage to a single target in no time. You wouldn't survive even if you use TPs. Yep, any kind of slow can really help Sven.

Weaknesses


Basically, Purge really kicks his ass. Sven would take long to kill a hero if he has no GS. It's what makes him a killer. Without it, he's just another stunner.

Competitive Scene

He is a usual component of a tri-lane 'coz of his reliable AoE stun. He also has AoE dps-ing capabalities with the combination of God's Strength and Great Cleave. Warcry also benefits the whole team. All-in-all Sven does a lot for the team that's why he is a regular pick. Most of the time he is given just a support-initiator role with an AoE presence but not given much farm, being able to purchase only Treads, Urn and Dagger, which, makes me feel sad. Though he can do just that and be able to give his team the "W", I still feel that his dps-ing capability is not being maximized. I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't want to see Sven do Godly damage and obliterate the other team in seconds?