4Z.Gunnar shows off how broken Templar Assassin is in 7.29d

William Davis Published 25/07/2021

4 Zoomers captain Nico “Gunnar” Lopez recently demonstrated Templar Assassin’s insane attack range between matches on his Twitch stream. 

Templar Assassin’s passive ability Psi Blades lets her attacks pierce through targets and hit anything behind them. Psi Blades also grants 230 bonus attack range at level four. With a level 10 talent and Dragon Lance, Templar Assassin’s attack range is 630, tied with Pugna and barely within tower range. 

Attack range buffs are especially significant on TA because her Psi Blades piercing range is double the length of her normal attacks. Any boost gets effectively tripled for units standing behind the initial right-click target.

Add in neutral items and things start to get ridiculous. If a Templar Assassin player gets their hands on a Ballista, she can theoretically pierce targets up to 3,015 units away. The absolute maximum Psi Blade range of 3,165 is achieved with the above buffs and Enchanted Quiver. 

Is Templar Assassin good in Dota 2?

TA has become a highly-contested pick in competitive Dota 2. Several teams at The International 10 regional qualifiers drafted her in the first phase. OG ran her multiple times in the safe lane for the Western Europe grand finals against Tundra Esports. 

The hero is lane-flexible and excels in both pickoffs and team fights. Blink Dagger, Desolator, and Black King Bar are all Templar Assassin needs to carve up the enemy team. She also benefits from the recent buffs to Quelling Blade. Psi Blades can apply the item’s creep-only bonus damage to heroes. Those factors may make her a prime target for the next Dota 2 balance patch.

Will there be a balance patch before The International 10?

The current patch 7.29 is nearly four months old. The coming onset of The International 10 means that a new Dota 2 patch is in the works.

Many fans expected a balance patch to drop right after The International 10 regional qualifiers concluded but Valve is still silent on any gameplay update. Fans and pro players alike would probably appreciate a hefty nerf to Psi Blades.

In all likelihood, Dota 2 is almost guaranteed a new patch before The International 10. TI9’s patch was released nearly four months in advance. TI8’s patch came out just three weeks before the big event. Although travel restrictions broke a lot of Dota 2’s yearly traditions, a big pre-TI shakeup will almost certainly make a comeback.

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