These are the five best heroes to rank up in Dota 2 patch 7.29
Dota 2 update 7.29 is two weeks old now and the sample size of games is large enough to start identifying the game’s best heroes in this latest patch.
Puck remains very powerful despite getting some modest nerfs in the original 7.29 patch, but past him things have really been shaken up. In each lane, there are some fresh faces that are revolutionizing the game and enjoying the limelight like never before. Here are the five best Dota 2 heroes right now.
Beastmaster despite the removal of Necronomicon
Lycan and Broodmother were absolutely rocked by the removal of Necronomicon in the 7.29 update. It was so bad that IceFrog had to give them a sizable buff to them in the patch, and then again in the 7.29b follow-up. But that’s not been the case with Beastmaster.
While building Beastmaster typically revolved around rushing Necronomicon and then barreling down lanes in the mid game, Beastmaster now rushes to Aghanim’s Scepter. This removes the cooldown from Whirling Axes and lets him spam the ability, something that has seen Beastmaster transition from being a relentless pusher to an overpowered caster.
Beastmaster ranks among the most-contested heroes in each region and enjoys a solid win rate in each. Though this isn’t the same Beastmaster that players are accustomed to, the hero may be more powerful now than he ever has been.
Mars may be the best Dota 2 offlaner in 7.29
Mars has popped in and out of the pro Dota 2 meta as a solid offlaner but faded away a bit in 7.28. The hero has made a huge comeback in 7.29. Across the first few weeks of the Dota Pro Circuit, Mars is one of the most-contested heroes in the game and has a 100% picked-or-banned rate in China.
The hero has always had a lot of strong tools including excellent wave clear and strong initiation tools. Though some of Mars’ spells were actually nerfed in 7.29, buffs to his stat gain and talents were enough to offset those losses.
Centaur Warrunner is a strong offlane option
Though there is still some space in the offlane for the likes of Enigma and Nature’s Prophet, it’s the tanky heroes that seem to be the best offlaner options in Dota 2 right now. Alongside Mars, Centaur Warrunner is enjoying very strong use in pro play as an offlaner right now, and that can translate to your ranked games as well.
The hero was a big winner in the 7.29 update, receiving buffs to each of his abilities with very few drawbacks. That complemented his excellent strength gain and exceptional mobility that remain solid regardless of how farmed he is.
Players are approaching him in different ways, too. Some are steering into his tankiness by looking for Pipe of Insight and Vanguard, while others look at him as a utility option with Force Staff and Aghanim’s Scepter. Centaur Warrunner’s an interesting option right now, making him worth considering at both the pro and casual levels.
Despite 7.29 nerf, Puck remains as strong as ever
Puck was one of the best heroes in version 7.28 and received only modest nerfs in 7.29. Unsurprisingly, that’s resulted in the hero sitting comfortably at or near the top in almost every region.
Puck is one of the three most-contested heroes in each region except for China. In South America, Southeast Asia, and Europe, Puck is the most contested hero of all, with a picked-or-banned rate up to 100% in SEA.
This popularity stems from Puck being one of the best mid lane options in all of Dota 2. The hero’s strong early wave clear lets him farm efficiently and he scales well as both a physical and magical damage-dealer. He can also be turned into a strong utility option.
Puck can do it all, and everyone seems to want to pick the hero. Or at the very least, they don’t want to play against him.
Grimstroke is the best support in Dota 2 right now
At any given moment, Dota 2 either has one clear best support hero or a long list of possible contenders. Grimstroke seems to be the best support hero in Dota 2 right now.
Grimstroke has always been a strong damage dealer, with Stroke of Fate hitting hard right from the start and getting amplified further with low-cost items such as Kaya and Aether Lens. That has seen Grimstroke get some play in the pro scene, but what’s pushed him to the next level is the reworked Aghanim’s Shard upgrade he received in update 7.29.
With Aghanim’s Shard, Ink Swell now heals the target and casts a strong dispel after deploying its stun. With bulky offlaners and big carries back in vogue in Dota 2, this change makes the upgraded Ink Swell very powerful. It does come at the expense of Stroke of Fate being less powerful, but that’s a small price to pay.
Grimstroke isn’t universally regarded as the best support in Dota 2, but stands in the top-five most-contested heroes in CIS, Europe, and China. It’s absolutely worth taking the new Grimstroke out for a spin in ranked games, as the new Aghanim’s Shard upgrade for the hero lets him transform an underfarmed carry into a true force of nature.
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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