Lina has been an unexpectedly popular pick at DAC 2017, largely thanks to her buffs in 7.03 and the way the 7.04 meta is developing.
Featured image via Dota 2 HQ.

7.04 Meta Report: The Heroes of DAC 2017

Apr 3, 2017
-1.8k
1880
Featured image via Dota 2 HQ.

The Dota 2 Asia Championships 2017 has highlighted some huge shifts in the metagame, and plenty of top teams are reevaluating their prioritization of certain heroes. We’ve seen Monkey King rise to prominence as a roaming support, Lina reemerge as a competitive midlaner, and Magnus receive a ton of hate during the banning phases. Let’s take a look at what we’ve learned from the first large tournament after the release of Patch 7.04.

Is Lina OP?

It’s been a while since Lina was a cornerstone of the competitive meta but with a stunningly impressive win-rate at DAC, it’s clear she’s come back with a vengeance. Patch 7.03 is largely what made the difference. With her Level 10 Talent increased from -25s Respawn Time to -30s, it’s hard to keep Lina off the map for long, especially since Bloodstone has become part of her standard build. Her Level 25 Talent changed from +1 Fiery Soul​ Max Stacks to +40/4% Fiery Soul​ Per Stack, offering Lina a massive boost during the late-game by turning her in to a strong right-clicker. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Icefrog hit her with the nerf hammer in 7.05.

Lifestealer: Nerfs Can’t Hold Him Down

I’m pretty sure that nobody, including the players themselves, wanted to see the Lifestear/Slardar infest bomb continue to dominate the metagame. The loss of 6 Base Damage in 7.04 hasn’t shifted Lifestealer off his “Best Carry” pinnacle. Even without the Slardar, there are plenty of other great vehicles for him and, given his strong laning presence and ability to escape ganks with Infest and Rage, he’s still an excellent choice. It may be that teams need to be a bit more creative when up against these strats though, with heroes like Medusa possibly providing a way to counter them.

You May Like

Roaming Supports: Monkey King and Earth Spirit

Roaming supports have played a big role at DAC 2017, with Earth Spirit and Monkey King standing out above the rest. Their ability to apply pressure during the laning phase is unrivaled, and they contribute massively to teamfights. Monkey King, in particular, has emerged as a real force to contend with. Not only does he provide your team with heaps of vision and pressure early on, the combination of his Ultimate and stun means that he also scales extremely well into the late-game, provided he’s able to finish off a couple key items. The number of bashes he gets once the Basher is online absolutely devastated enemy teams. We’ve seen Batrider picked up to counter the Monkey King to varying degrees of success, thanks to the flying vision Firefly gives, so expect more sides to pick up the Bat.

Magnus is Scary in 7.04

The amount of hate Magnus has received from captains isn’t all that surprising. He’s had a high win-rate, provides his team with a massive damage and farming boost thanks to Empower, and also possesses a powerful BKB-piercing team fight Ultimate. But as IG.V showed in their playoff match against LGD.FY, melee focused line-ups can be easy to control in teamfights so Magnus strats are by no mean unbeatable.

Best Support Players Dota 2Ashley "Ashnichrist" Christenson is the founder of Desoladies, a group designed to unite and advocate for women in the Dota scene.
Mar 29, 2017
2353
Puck is one of several heroes that players will likely see more of in Patch 7.04.
Mar 27, 2017
1630
While many players buy Dota cosmetics, Valve's management of the marketplace and the items themselves leaves much to be desired.
Mar 23, 2017
1204
Looking for some good Dota comics to pass the time? We've got you covered.
Mar 22, 2017
1153
Alex Dyet
92 POSTS
An English student and freelance writer from London, UK, Alex has spent far more time than he'd care to admit battling it out on FIFA's Ultimate Team mode, before moving on to the more competitive eSports out there, like Dota and Hearthstone. He's got big plans for Blizzard's upcoming shooter, Overwatch, and he's counting down the days until the game goes live in May. You can catch him on twitter @Alexcd13D.
What do you think?
react-1

ayy lmao

react-2

Nice.

react-3

Meh.

react-4

No.

react-5

Whoa!

Previous articleSteam Workshop Artists: The True Value of Cosmetics
Next articleDAC 2017: Best Support Players