Muerta is in dire need of a buff, but will she get it before patch 7.33?
7.33 is still a few weeks away, but Valve gave Dota 2 players plenty of fun toys to tinker with in the meantime. Muerta is the biggest one, but the tall order from south of the border has had a lackluster win rate ever since her launch. Valve has given out emergency buffs to new heroes before, so Dota 2’s newest hero may get a tune-up soon.
Despite being the most popular hero in the game, Dotabuff currently reports that Muerta has a 45.34% win rate in public matchmaking. This makes her the fourth-worst pub hero in the game ahead of Batrider, Templar Assassin, and Terrorblade.
A new hero being underpowered has happened before in Dota 2, and Valve has responded with small buffs immediately following their release. This was the case with Primal Beast, who received a variety of small buffs following his disappointing release.
With Muerta still sitting solidly under 50%, will she get a surprise buff before the next major patch?
Pierce The Veil is only situationally strong for Muerta, so potential a potential buff could help make her iconic ability more generally useful.
The easiest change to make would be increasing the length of Pierce The Veil. The ability is currently only active for six to eight seconds, which isn’t long enough to make a significant impact in most team fights. It’s also close to matching the duration of Black King Bar, which is a trump card for dealing with Muerta’s kit.
Speaking of BKB, Valve could also make one small buff to Pierce The Veil that would help Muerta deal with the item. Currently, she is unable to target a spell immune target for right clicks during ult. Instead, she could be able to target BKB-affected enemies and only deal her standard physical damage. The bonus magic damage could even still apply to Gunslinger procs on other targets.
It’s likely that Valve will hold off on any reworks until Dota 2 7.33 releases in late April. It’s more likely that Valve will simply increase the numbers on a few of her abilities. That could mean more damage from The Calling or a higher proc rate for Gunslinger at lower levels. It’s also possible that Muerta won’t get a buff until the release of 7.33, which could add an item or rework that gives her kit a better sense of cohesion.
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