After rapid fire patches in early July Valve gave Dota 2 a chance to settle, the meta has started to grow a bit stale, and the company has responded by delivering a big shakeup.
Dota 2 update 7.27d is now live. As per usual, the patch delivers nerfs to some of the most powerful heroes in each meta while also giving a bit of a boost to those who are struggling in the current meta. There are some interesting decisions by Valve, particularly as it relates to the heroes that weren’t changed.
The biggest change came to Spectre, the clear best carry of version 7.27c. The hero’s early game strength was reduced, with the damage of Spectral Dagger and Desolate being reduced at early levels. Her late game strength also took a hit, with Haunt’s cooldown being increased.
Another hero that has dominated high-level play is Broodmother, and like Spectre, she was hit with some potent nerfs. While Spectre was hit with various nerfs to weaken her at all stages of the game, Broodmother was dealt a single nerf to the movespeed bonus that comes with Spin Web. Its potency was decreased by 10%, both with and without Aghanim’s Scepter.
The last top-level pub stomping hero that was battered by Valve is Underlord. Atrophy Aura, Pit of Malice, and Firestorm all had their range reduced, while his Firestorm and Pit of Malice talents were also weakened. This will reduce his utility and either force players to invest into tankiness to allow him to absorb hits when he casts spells, or invest in an Aether Lens.
Venomancer and Bane also received small nerfs that will likely reduce their utility. Heroes that have looked strong in professional play over recent weeks such as Phoenix and Doom also took small hits.
Clinkz, Batrider remain strong in Dota 2 update 7.27d
While many of the heroes that got nerfed had it coming, some of the most dominant heroes in the current Dota 2 meta went untouched in update 7.27d.
The greatest example of this is Clinkz. The hero was reworked last month and reverted back to the spells he had in 2014. That wasn’t especially well-received by fans, which wasn’t helped as he was one of the best heroes in the game by a big margin.
The hero was bludgeoned with nerfs, but still enjoys above-average win rates at all levels of ranked place and has the third-highest win rate in Divine and Immortal play. Despite that, Clinkz was untouched in Dota 2 update 7.27d.
Clinkz going untouched by Valve might be chalked up to the hero being largely ignored in pro play.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Batrider. Batrider is one of the most timeless heroes in Dota 2, enjoying relevance at the pro level for the game’s entire history. He’s one of the most contested heroes in professional Dota 2 around the world right now. Despite that, Valve didn’t see fit to nerf him.
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
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