With possibly the last few days of Dota 2 patch 7.35 in play, we take a look at what core heroes are doing well in pubs right now.
It has been a while since Dota 2 patch 7.35 was released, and that is most evident from the fact that the game is already being played on the fourth iteration of the patch. Dota 2 patch 7.35d
was released a few days ago, and with it, also came the announcement that the Crownfall update with Ring Master will be released in mid-April. That will most likely also be the shifting of patches, with Dota 2 patch 7.36 coming into play.
With still a few weeks to go though for patch 7.36, there is time to make the most of pubs and get some MMR before everything goes to hell in a handbasket, as it always does when a new patch is released.
Here, we take a look at which five core heroes have been doing well in the last month of pubs. Keep in mind though, that Dota 2 patch 7.35d was released few days ago, and some of the high flying heroes were nerfed, which might mean they could be a little less effective than what the data might suggest.
The heroes have been picked as the best performing ones from the Divine and Immortal brackets. This data is as per Dotabuff. The choice of heroes has been made from a combination of high pick rate and high win rate heroes.
Zeus (Pick rate: 10.42%, Win rate: 53.16%)
Zeus had only one change in Dota 2 patch 7.35, which was Lightening Bolt doing twice the damage to creeps. That is great for early game neutral creep farming along with Arc Lightening. But in case of the Thundergod, it is also other mid heroes getting nerfed in patch 7.35 and all the balance patches that followed, in which he has been untouched.
And rightly so, as ever since Lightening Hands was introduced and an alternative playstyle for the hero was made available, he hasn’t really done too well. But currently, he seems to be thriving, and over 58% of his presence is in the mid lane according to Dotabuff.
Even if you do go for the Phylactery – Aghanim’s Shard – Manta Style build, do it from the mid lane! If played as a right clicker, Parasma is a new option that’s now available after patch 7.35.
Leshrac (Pick rate: 7.89%, Win rate: 55.44%)
Leshrac rose in popularity for multiple reasons in Dota 2 patch 7.35 – the new Veil of Discord that upgrades into Shiva’s Guard, the Bloodstone AoE increase which pairs amazingly with Pulse Nova and also the minor buffs he got in patch 7.35. It was a patch aimed at bolstering magic damage heroes, and that is what Leshrac is for the most part.
He was nerfed in patch 7.35b, then buffed again in patch 7.35c, with a recent minor buff in patch 7.35d. The Disco Pony continues to be strong, but is one of the more difficult heroes to play in Dota 2.
Like Zeus, the majority of Leshrac’s pub play is through the mid lane. But he is a versatile hero that can be played in most roles. In professional Dota 2, Leshrac is one of the very few heroes who has been picked in all five roles!
Lifestealer (Pick rate: 16.00%, Win rate: 53.88%)
Lifestealer rose steadily and stealthily in the ranks of carries after patch 7.35 was released, and had an insanely high win rate in DreamLeague Season 22. His popularity rose in professional games, and with that, in pubs.
Lifestealer has not had any buffs in a while, but the buff to Radiance helps make a case for him. But perhaps the major advantage of the hero is the kind of offlaners that are strong in the current meta.
Naix (Lifestealer’s Dota 1 name) makes short work of heroes like Axe, Centaur Warrunner and Timbersaw, which are popular picks these days. However, keep in mind that because of his strong performances, LS was nerfed in Dota 2 patch 7.35d. The Rage movement speed has seen a major nerf – first in patch 7.35 and now more recently in patch 7.35d.
Centaur Warrunner (Pick rate: 13.16%, Win rate: 52.30%)
Centaur has been buffed in the last few patches before patch 7.35, so it was not unexpected that he would do alright in this meta. But one of the unexpected reasons for his rise has been the new Shivas Guard. He does need armor, as even though the behemoth has tons of HP, his effective HP (EHP) against physical damage is lacking.
But in the last few patches, the damage from both, Hoof Stomp and Double Edge has received a buff, which pairs nicely with Shiva’s Guard’s spell damage amplification. According to Dotabuff, based on the last month of pub games, Centaur’s fourth most popular item was Shiva’s Guard with a win rate of nearly 64%!
Axe (Pick rate: 11.50%, Win rate: 52.30%)
In the first few weeks of Dota 2 patch 7.35, Axe was not amongst the popular offlaners. But like Lifestealer, he grew in popularity, although probably not in games in which Lifestealer was picked! One of the major buffs Axe received in patch 7.35 was a Culling Blade kill granting armor instead of attack speed for 6 seconds, which can be increased to 10 seconds with the level 10 talent.
But his increase in pick rate could also be due to initially popular offlaners like Doom, Death Prophet and Viper getting nerfed in the balance patches. Currently, for heroes with a pick rate over 10% in top tier pubs, Axe has one of the highest win rates.
