The Dota 2 Meta is constantly changing. Before the next gameplay update, this version of Dota truly made some interesting heroes and strategies shine. However, the item we know as Bloodstone is the main character of this update.
With big changes to its core design, Bloodstone is an appealing item. It is also a core item that players use for the biggest heroes for this Dota 2 Meta. The Bloodstone active allows for heroes to heal quickly in combat, more rewarding when the heroes have reliable spell damage.
However, heroes that pick up Bloodstone aren’t the only winners. Other heroes also went from unpicked to top must-bans after small changes were made to this kit.
Silencer
A small, forgettable change put Silencer in the leagues of top-picked supports like Lion and Witch Doctor. His first ability added damage once cast instead of ticking damage. It made him even more effective in the lane and the game in general.
This added to his strong scaling mechanic, where he steals intelligence from enemies that die to him or near him. A new cooldown talent for his ultimate at level 15 made picking him great and playing against him, a chore.
Silencer saw little action in ranked matchmaking before this update. Even more, players often used him to counter heroes with great team-fighting abilities like Enigma. He also has a place as an unconventional carry pick and a rare mid-lane due to his late-game damage potential.
Despite having no hard disable, Silencer was also an uncommon support pick before this patch. His kit specializes in punishing spellcasters and is a good thing to have. But, he suffered from being unreliable without any hard disables.
Razor
The greatest spike in pick rate for this patch goes to Razor. His ascendance to relevancy is not a surprise after the changes to the Bloodstone. Even more, changes to his talents and Aghanim’s Shard benefited him significantly.
As a consistent spell damage hero, he can use the spell lifesteal mechanic. It allows him to be sustainable in fights, rivaling Leshrac who also saw Bloodstone as a must-buy.
His Aghanim’s shard made it so all spells, and a chance for some melee attacks, have returned to their enemies. Alongside a shock of slowing lightning, it highlighted Razor’s frontline capabilities for many top-level players in the offlane position.
However, with the shard aside, Razor’s magic damage is nothing to be ignored. He was already a strong offlaner even before the current patch. His ultimate, paired with his basic abilities, make him a strong anti-carry hero that can crush armor and steal physical damage.
Faceless Void
Anyone who has played Dota will tell you that Faceless Void is a menace in pubs. As a traditional carry hero, FV has seen some picks in the high levels. Also in tournaments in some of Dota’s most memorable pro games in history.
His kit has remained similar throughout recent memory, but his talents and his Aghanim upgrades enable a more aggressive playstyle. The Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard give hero-specific upgrades.
For Faceless Void, it augments his first ability, time walk, in two ways. For the scepter, it makes it so enemies at the arrival point of his time walk are affected by timelock, giving him a reliable disable.
On the other hand, his shard extends the range of his time walk and gives FV the option to reverse time walk, an anti-punishment feature. To mention his talents, his level 20 talent gives him attack speed while inside his chronosphere, increasing his DPS. This talent has seen some nerfs in recent patches, but it is still quite powerful.
Riki
The unseen stealth assassin makes a return to prominence in high-skill matches. Riki is a favorite for the low MMR range, where “invisibility is invincibility.” Despite this, players from high-skill brackets have found more wins, and fun, in playing Riki as a disruptive support hero. His kit is, by more means, a creative way to make space by not being visible in the minimap.
Even with a low health pool, Riki’s prowess is in his kit, which allows him to disrupt spell casting and chase down enemies, and start ganks. With his invisibility, he gives a global fear factor to enemies who are out of position, visible on the map or not.
Riki can make plays that are otherwise dangerous thanks to his invisibility, and it can be enabled further with his aghanim’s shard. Sleeping Dart is a new ability that has a good range and can disable someone for a reasonable duration.
This can allow for the temporary removal of one enemy in a fight, or start one by sleeping a target and then using Riki’s smokescreen to prevent them from using spells.
What are other heroes you think are Dota 2 Meta picks for this patch? If you liked this article, you can read more on our website. You can also follow us on social media to stay updated with the latest gaming and esports news.
