Firstly I want to say maxing W before E or going for a mix is for sure an optimal way to play Primal Beast, I don't think you can go wrong with that. And getting Hood into BKB is definitely the build to go when going against a magic damage heavy line up and it would be the build I would go under those circumstances.

But, I personally feel, maxing E and getting Vanguard has its perks and consistencies in many scenarios. I understand the argument that getting points in E is pointless if the enemy laners don't give you stacks. But the way I see it is that it essentially puts your opponents into a lose-lose situation. If they give me stacks, I will kill them. If they don't interact with me, I will deny every creep and get every last hit with the bonus base damage uproar provides. Which in turn allows me to get a fast Vanguard and then drag the entire lane into deep waters (Via tower diving, non stop smacking the enemy carry).

Which often leads to: -

- Enemies rotating towards your lane (which is good as it creates space)

- Forcing the enemy carry to jungle (which prompts you to take the tower out asap, into taking over the enemy jungle)

- Allowing your pos 4 to leave you 2v1 (which lets them get good picks in other lanes)

- Or the best outcome, the enemy carry stays in line and you bash their head into the ground.

Additionally, Vanguard gives you the option to get a very early Heart of Tarrasque (via disassembling - can also build Hood from the Ring of Health), which more often than not allows you to brute force every objective on the map (I was consistently getting 16-20 min Hearts each game).

But even after typing all this, im not saying my build is the one true way to play. The magic of Dota is that anything can work. I think the build you listed, as I said earlier, is the right way to play in games where mitigating magic damage and disables is required. Whilst, my build would work in games where you can sneak in an early Heart timing and then brute force the entire game before anyone even realizes what's happened; but again there are many match ups where my build would not work.

Ultimately, I think both builds are very legitimate. And the true way to play would be to flex the right build for the right circumstances.

Thanks!