Dota 2’s post-TI7 patch has arrived. It’s only a small one, so don’t get too excited. No new heroes or items. Not yet, anyway. Clearly, IceFrog felt the meta was getting a little stale, so the folks over at Valve decided to freshen things up a bit with 7.06f while they polish the next big release, which will presumably be the Dueling Fates update. These small patches do liven up pubs and competitive play, so let’s take a look at the key changes.
Lycan in 7.06f
- Lycan: Howl no longer provides a net heal on buff application/loss (always maintains the same HP percentage now)
Lycan got the nerf he deserved, and his win-rate in public games has dropped by a couple of percentage points as a result. Instead of healing heroes when applied, Howl now increases the maximum HP, and adjusts their current HP accordingly. Howl will still be powerful when used before fights, but can no longer act so effectively as a Hand of God save type ability. He’ll still be viable in competitive play, but it’s good to see he’ll no longer be finishing games with massive stats for healing.
Wraith King in 7.06f
- Wraith King: Reincarnation cooldown reduced from 240/140/40 to 200/120/40
- Wraith King: Level 15 Talent increased from +15 Movement Speed to +30
Whilst Wraith King has rarely been seen in competitive play or up at the highest MMR brackets, he’s always had a good win-rate overall in pubs, but life just got a bit better for the Hero Formerly Known As Skeleton King. The cooldown reduction to his Ultimate is enormous, allowing him to fight more frequently throughout the early stages of the game. In addition, the movement speed buff to his Level 15 Talent might well make it more attractive now than the extra Wraith Fire blast damage, given that the hero can often be kited. We’ll have to see whether these buffs are enough to make professional carry players give him a try. Wraith King is still a slow farmer and a relatively feeble laner, but he’ll certainly be a dominant force in your pub games, so be prepared. The small nerfs to Diffusal Blade might also work in his favor.
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Necrophos in 7.06f
- Necrophos: Reaper’s Scythe cooldown increased from 90/80/70 to 100
- Necrophos: Ghost Shroud magic resistance penalty increased from -20% to -25%
Another king of pub matches, Necrophos has been a terror for the past few months and seeing these changes is a relief. Carry players know the pain of going up against offlane Necro time and time again. The increase to Reaper’s Scythe cooldown, already an often underwhelming ability at early levels, will hurt Necro’s early game and encourage the Aghs build more often. The increase to the Ghost Shroud magic resistance penalty will make him far easier to punish in 7.06f, providing your team has some magical burst damage at your disposal.
Tiny in 7.06f
- Tiny: Toss mana cost reduced from 120 to 90/100/110/120
- Tiny: Grow Scepter attack range bonus increased from 85 to 150
The 7.06f changes might not be enough to make Tiny great again, but it won’t stop players for trying him out. The lower mana cost makes Toss more usable early on, and the Scepter attack range bonus will certainly enhance this potential as a physical damage carry. He’ll be harder to kite than before, and even one extra attack can be massive when you’re hitting as hard as he does.
