When facing an enemy hero who is significantly stronger in the early game, what adjustments should be made to your initial item build?

When facing an enemy hero who is significantly stronger in the early game, the initial item build should be adjusted to prioritize survivability, sustain, and resource management, sacrificing early damage output to minimize the risk of falling behind and allowing for a safer transition into the mid-game. Instead of focusing on items that enhance damage, the initial item build should prioritize items that provide additional health, armor, magic resistance, or mana regeneration, depending on the specific matchup and the enemy hero's damage type. This will allow you to better withstand their early aggression and avoid being easily killed. Sustain can be achieved through items that provide health regeneration or lifesteal, allowing you to recover from poke damage and stay in lane longer. Efficient resource management, through items that provide mana regeneration or energy regen, will allow you to consistently clear minion waves and harass the enemy without running out of resources. An example for a marksman facing a strong early-game assassin would be to prioritize defensive boots and a physical defense item over a damage item, allowing them to survive ganks and trades. The goal is to survive the early game, not win it. By sacrificing early damage output for survivability and sustain, you can avoid falling too far behind and create opportunities to catch up in the mid-game when your hero becomes stronger.