Hey, what is up, everyone? It’sLibrarian Husky, and today we’re back with the mid-tier list for patch 7.37C. It’s been a while since we’ve had a significant patch, which is fine—Valve has been doing great for a while. The most recent big patch hasn’t been around for a minute, so we’ll cut them some slack. We’re going to go over the mid-tier list, so you can pick better heroes in your games and hopefully gain some MMR.

E-Tier Heroes

Starting off with the E-tier, we have Keeper of the Light (Cuddle), Tusk, and Templar Assassin (TA). These heroes are quite abysmal right now. I don’t even know why Tusk is still in this tier—it was a viable mid hero back in 2018. Mid Tusk, especially with the tag team, is definitely not good anymore. Even as a support, Tusk is not a reliable pick in average pubs; it’s too difficult to play effectively. Keeper of the Light, since the nerf to Solar Bind, has become a terrible mid hero, and its ultimate cooldown only makes it worse. Templar Assassin, after multiple nerfs, is also in a bad spot. Although there was potential with Void Blades and the ability to deny with Meld, it doesn’t scale well and tends to perform poorly in pub matches.

D-Tier Heroes

You have to be super optimized to make these heroes work effectively. Next up in the D-tier, we have Tiny, Monkey King, and Batrider. Tiny as a hero tends to have a terrible win rate in pubs, mainly due to its high execution requirements. As the game progresses, you need to be very skilled at tossing enemies or tossing them back. The laning stage is tricky as well, since many players waste the tree on harassing rather than focusing on last-hitting.

Challenges with Tiny and Monkey King

Tiny’s scaling isn’t the worst if you build him right, but overall, he’s difficult to execute. Then we have Monkey King, who is a challenging hero to play. If you’re not an expert, avoid playing him. It’s a one-trick, counter-pick hero that requires extensive knowledge of the mid-matchup. If you specialize in Monkey King, he could be a B-tier hero, but for most players, he’s in the D-tier, or even lower.

Batrider’s Limitations

Lastly, we have Batrider. Sure, his arson abilities allow him to take down towers early and he’s a decent laner, but that’s where the strengths end. It’s hard to secure kills in the mid-game, and his scaling becomes an issue. Scaling is crucial for pub games, especially since many of them stretch to 30-45 minutes, and Batrider just doesn’t keep up.

Primal Beast and Pugna Challenges

I just don’t think Batrider fits well in the current meta. Next, we have Primal Beast. It’s hard to play and has a very high skill ceiling. The late game is difficult due to execution issues. If you’re a one-trick player, it can be a B-tier hero, but for most, it’s not. Then we have Pugna, who struggles to scale properly. While it’s good in lane and has a strong early game, the farming potential is lacking, and if you don’t dominate early, you’ll be a complete liability later.

Pangolier’s Nerfs

Pangolier has been hit with too many nerfs. It was never good in average pub games and had a bad win rate, but it was too strong in the pro scene, leading to even more nerfs. Now, it’s simply not a hero the average player should touch. The laning phase is weak, and its role is mostly about chain-stunning enemies for your team with precise execution, particularly with Aghanim’s Scepter.

Slardar and Other Heroes’ Decline

Slardar used to be a mid hero but has transitioned into an offlaner. His river bonus movement speed with his Q is nice for rotations, but as a mid, it just doesn’t offer enough. Slardar shines better in the offlane when paired with high-damage heroes. Lenaid is another hero that’s better played as a carry due to her greedy playstyle. Ember Spirit received too many nerfs as well, and Dazzle mid could have potential if optimized properly, but it’s far from a reliable pick at the moment.

B-Tier and C-Tier Mid Heroes

I believe Dazzle could be a B-tier mid hero, but it requires taking Poison Touch and AFK farming ancients. The way most people play Dazzle—constantly fighting and trying to dominate the lane—is just awful. I’m not a believer in fighting all the time with Dazzle; it’s more of a farming hero. Next, we have Death Prophet (DP), who received a few nerfs. The hero might be better than average C-tier, maybe low B-tier, because it can buy strong utility items like Shiva’s, Atos, or Pipe, making it viable as an aura carrier from mid.

Shadow Fiend’s Decline and Windranger’s Role Change

Shadow Fiend has received way too many nerfs, and it’s no longer the powerhouse it used to be. Meanwhile, Windranger is better suited as a carry rather than a mid hero. Focus Fire Windranger is no longer as strong in the mid role; while she remains a decent laner, her ability to fight early game falls short due to being too easily nuked down. Slowing the pace of the game to hit mid-game timings makes carry Windranger a more viable choice.

Nature’s Prophet in Pro Play vs. Pub Play

Nature’s Prophet is considered a B-tier or even low A-tier hero in the pro scene, but in average pub games, it’s too greedy. Playing Prophet requires good early-game decision-making, especially knowing when to use teleportation. If you TP too early and aggressively, you might end up feeding. To succeed, you need to understand when to slow down the pace and focus on farming.

B-Tier Heroes and Their Specialization

Knowing when to buy the Shard on certain heroes is crucial, and the scaling can be great if you really know what you’re doing. Some of these heroes are high B-tier, but only for one-trick players. For instance, Storm Spirit is fine, just super average in most situations. Earth Spirit is another hero that’s considered decent in the pro scene, but for pubs, it’s just okay.

C-Tier Heroes and Their Limitations

Huskar has been nerfed too much to be viable. Sure, if you last-pick Huskar into Ember Spirit, it might feel like an A-tier hero, but other than that, it’s definitely C-tier. Puck, on the other hand, can be a dominant pub hero if played by a specialist. It has great scaling potential with various builds, such as Aghanim’s Scepter, Octarine Core, or Ethereal Blade. However, it requires high execution and careful early-game play, making it a B-tier hero for most but A-tier for experienced players.

Pub-Focused Heroes with Strong Scaling

Meepo is a good pub hero because it scales exceptionally well with farm. Kunkka, while traditionally more of an offlane hero, is strong in pubs due to its tankiness and frontline capabilities. With Blade Mail and the durability provided by Rum, Kunkka can absorb significant damage and bait enemies into unfavorable engagements.

B-Tier Heroes with Specific Builds

I believe this is a B-tier hero if you go for Blade Mail into Shard, and after that, you can even transition into auras, even from mid. Earthshaker, for example, is a B-tier hero, but it excels in good matchups such as against Ember Spirit, Void Spirit, Ricky, Pango, or Primal Beast. If you can secure a good laning phase and hit a decent Blink Dagger timing, this hero becomes incredibly explosive. A Blink and BKB combination allows Earthshaker to dominate the mid-game.

Invoker’s Recent Rise in Popularity

Invoker has seen a rise in popularity recently, becoming a reliable laner with strong scaling. The current meta build involves stacking stats early on with double Wraith Bands, Treads, and Witch Blade. Witch Blade synergizes with Cold Snap similarly to Spirit Vessel, making Invoker a menace in the mid-game. A recent buff allows Invoker to rearrange his spells while in Ghost Walk, giving him the flexibility to adapt to situations, such as deciding whether to cast Tornado, EMP, Cold Snap, or even Sunstrike depending on the circumstances.

Invoker’s Scaling Potential

With the Witch Blade build and scaling into right-click damage, Invoker continues to be a strong late-game hero. The ability to transition into various builds based on the game’s demands ensures that Invoker can be a consistent and adaptable pick for any situation, especially when played with proper execution and decision-making.

Witchblade Builds and Leshrac

A popular build I’m seeing is Witchblade into Pike, sometimes BKB, and eventually straight Daedalus for high burst damage, utilizing Alacrity and talents to enhance your right-click potential. As for Leshrac, I’ve never been a fan of this hero in average pub games. It’s tricky because you need to know when to run in aggressively, but with Max Edict, you can melt enemies. Leshrac’s scaling is strong due to its good talents, and Bloodstone remains a great item for sustainability.

Tinker as a Viable Mid Hero

I genuinely believe Tinker is a solid mid hero, and I’m surprised more players haven’t tried it. While Tinker’s side-lane potential with healing is widely recognized, its capability as a heavy farming hero that transitions into a hyper-utility role is underrated. The idea of a Tinker buying tons of utility items, enhanced by cooldown reduction, seems promising. A build with Holy Locket, Greaves, and Solar Crest could be effective, and I believe Tinker should be in the B-tier for mid roles.

Pudge’s Mid Lane Strategy

Pudge as a mid hero has potential, and I’m becoming more of a believer. The key to maximizing Pudge’s mid potential is by consistently hooking the large neutral camp, farming quickly to gain a lead. With this hyper-farm strategy, Pudge can become a formidable presence in mid-game team fights, utilizing his tankiness and abilities to dominate.

Pudge’s Early Roaming Strategy

I think a lot of players roam too much early on, which is fine after you get your first item like Phase Boots or Wind Lace. However, it’s crucial to get an early level six by consistently hooking the large camp and snowballing from there. This allows you to dominate the game early with your core items and make impactful ganks when the time is right.

Razor’s Scaling Potential

Razor is scaling incredibly well in pub games right now, primarily due to the Thunderhead talent. This talent makes your Storm Surge passive twice as likely to proc during your ultimate, with a 36% chance and only a 0.5-second cooldown on your E. In the mid lane, the recommended build is Wand, Wraith Band, Raindrops, Treads, Wind Lace, and BKB. After that, transitioning into items like Manta and Satanic makes Razor extremely tanky while taking full advantage of the Thunderhead talent’s broken mechanics.

Timbersaw’s Early Game and Scaling

Timbersaw, surprisingly, has a strong win rate in pubs. Twisted Chakra Timbersaw, particularly in the mid lane, is better for explosive early-game ganks since you won’t have your W maxed out early on. This allows you to blow up enemies faster during early engagements. In terms of scaling, Timbersaw tends to prioritize Aghanim’s Scepter as a core item, followed by other situational items like Kaya and Sange in most games.

Scaling Heroes and Build Flexibility

If the enemy team has mostly magic damage or dispels, you can build Kaya into Eternal Shroud and Shiva’s Guard, becoming a frontline tank with Shiva’s Axe or Shiva’s Eternal Shroud. This tanky build allows you to absorb a lot of damage while contributing to fights. Next, we have Zeus, a hero known for nuking enemies from afar with his powerful magic abilities.

Dragon Knight and Queen of Pain

Dragon Knight is a reliable mid hero with the Fire Dragon form, allowing him to farm ancients and hit strong mid-game timings. Scaling with Blink Dagger, BKB, and Bloodthorn, Dragon Knight can become a durable and damaging presence. As for Queen of Pain (QOP), I’m a big believer in Dagon QOP with the Masochist talent, which amplifies damage. This setup delivers heavy nuke potential and is extremely reliable in the current meta.

Outworld Destroyer and Arc Warden Scaling

Outworld Destroyer (OD) may not appear in the pro scene often, but it has a surprisingly good win rate in pubs. OD scales incredibly well despite its weaker farming potential. With abilities like Essence Flux that increase your max mana by 4% for 10 seconds, OD becomes a late-game powerhouse with items like Pike, Moon Shard, and Refresher Orb. Its scaling is remarkable, and the hero can dish out massive damage in extended fights.

Arc Warden, on the other hand, is another scaling beast in pub games. With a double Gleipnir and right-click build, Arc Warden dominates late-game scenarios. The hero’s ability to scale makes it a high B-tier pick for average pubs, where long games allow it to reach its full potential.

Viper’s Position

Viper is another reliable pick with great potential to dominate lanes and scale into a threat in pub matches, offering both durability and damage over time with his poison abilities. Viper thrives in longer games, where he can maximize his impact.

Viper’s Strengths and Meta Matchups

I’m a big believer in Viper, and you probably know that by now. The Predator innate ability is incredibly powerful, and Viper’s laning phase is excellent with a lot of solid matchups. However, there are some tough matchups in the current meta. Sniper, for instance, is a difficult opponent since it’s very meta right now. Queen of Pain is another challenging matchup. But overall, there aren’t too many direct counters to Viper at the moment, with heroes like Windranger and Lina being out of the meta.

Sniper’s Potential and Struggles

Sniper, the final B-tier hero, is one that I believe in heavily, but it’s hard to place higher due to its win rate sitting at just 49% on DotaBuff. I think it has immense potential if played optimally. For example, you can maximize impact by picking Scatterblast to roam and make plays, or if your side lanes are greedy, you can farm with Ghillie Suit. Ghillie Suit is particularly effective in lane against melee heroes, allowing you to zone them out and free farm.

Sniper’s Late-Game Scaling and Item Build

Sniper scales very well into the late game, with Ghillie Suit allowing you to shoot without revealing your position. Its talents also enhance its late-game effectiveness, making it a strong pick if executed properly. For items, I recommend starting with Maelstrom into Dragon Lance to maximize both your farming potential and your late-game presence. Sniper’s ability to stack and farm efficiently makes it a solid hero if managed well.

Utility Sniper Build

I’m also a big believer in utility Sniper, where you can build Shard, Hurricane Pike, and Gleipnir, making Sniper more of a frontliner. Surprisingly, when you have these items, you become really tanky and hard to kill. You can bait enemies into focusing you, but with this build, you’re unlikely to die. The combination of Pike, Shard, and Gleipnir works wonders, and this playstyle is solid for Sniper.

Riki’s Playstyles in E-Tier

In the E-tier, we have Riki. I believe Riki mid is super strong right now, and there are two main ways to play it. In average pub games, it’s better to take the Contract Killer facet, which grants bonus experience for kills. This helps you snowball, allowing you to reach higher levels quickly. With each level-up, your ultimate grants even more experience, further accelerating your growth. This playstyle focuses on heavy snowballing and aggressive gameplay.

Exterminator Facet for Farming

There’s another interesting facet called Exterminator, which makes Tricks of the Trade deal 4.5 times your agility when attacking non-hero units like creeps. This means you can farm neutral camps and waves very efficiently, especially once you buy Aghanim’s Scepter, which lets you one-shot camps. However, you already get great farming potential with Aghanim’s, so this build tends to be more situational.

Exterminator vs. Contract Killer on Riki

I’m a bit skeptical about the Exterminator facet for Riki. It seems unnecessary, but it does allow you to farm efficiently in the early game without Aghanim’s Scepter. When you max out your E ability, it grants 450% agility against creeps, which is quite nice. If you’re good at farming between engagements, Exterminator can be wonderful for clearing camps. However, Contract Killer is the more straightforward approach, where you simply run around with Diffusal Blade and secure kills. Both facets allow you to play aggressively, but Contract Killer is more brainless in execution.

Recent Riki Buffs and Backstab

Riki recently received major buffs to Backstab, significantly increasing its damage. The agility multiplier was raised from 0.4 to 0.55 at level one, making it incredibly strong in the early game. As you level up your ultimate, the backstab multiplier improves by 0.1% per level, adding even more damage. The E ability was also buffed, increasing from 40 to 55 agility at level one, making Riki’s early game much stronger. These buffs solidify Riki as a dominant pub hero, particularly effective at punishing inexperienced players.

Void Spirit’s Strengths in E-Tier

Void Spirit also falls into the E-tier. He has consistently had a strong win rate due to the buffs to his innate ability, which now grants additional bonuses from his stats. Void Spirit scales incredibly well into the late game. His ability, Sanctuary, creates a barrier that absorbs all damage, making him tanky while allowing him to scale with right-click damage. This combination of survivability and damage scaling makes Void Spirit a solid pick in longer games.

Void Spirit’s Scaling and Builds

Void Spirit is one of the better scaling mids due to his innate ability and fast-hitting talents. His later talents, such as additional Astral Step charges and Astral Step crit, allow him to become a right-click menace. The main build I’m seeing involves Manta Style and Aghanim’s Scepter, followed by items like Witchblade or Echo Sabre. Some players prefer to build Echo Sabre into Daedalus or Witchblade, depending on the game, but Manta and Aghanim’s are the most common core items. Aghanim’s is particularly good in most games, offering significant utility and damage.

Necrophos as a Mid Hero

Necrophos is a solid mid hero, especially in standard pub games. His ability to nuke enemies and act as a frontline makes him a strong pick, and he has very few bad matchups in the current meta. Many long-range mid heroes like Windranger, Shadow Fiend, and Lina are out of the meta, which used to counter Necrophos. In a meta where most players are stacking health with multiple Bracers, Necrophos’s ability to decay health is incredibly valuable. Despite this, I’m surprised Necrophos isn’t more popular in the pro scene, though this might be due to his slower pace and susceptibility to ganks if the enemy team is well-coordinated.

Necrophos and His Role in the Meta

As players improve, Necrophos becomes less effective conceptually because he is a highly gankable hero, especially if opponents coordinate well with smokes. However, in lower MMR brackets, where smokes are rarely used, this isn’t a concern. Necrophos excels at countering heroes with high maximum HP, which fits perfectly in the current meta dominated by tanky, Bracer-stacking heroes. I believe Necrophos is undervalued at higher MMRs and should be considered more, as he can quickly burst down these high-health heroes.

Lone Druid as a Strong Mid

Next up is Lone Druid, and I’m a big believer in this hero as a mid. The Bear-centric build with items like Bracer and Treads into Gleipnir is very effective. From there, you can transition into Harpoon or Disperser and go all-in with aggression. By buying Vladimir’s Offering for the bear, Lone Druid becomes a strong laner and an early tower taker with virtually no bad matchups in the mid lane. You can also farm efficiently and roam with your Gleipnir timing or even rush Diffusal Blade for heavy roaming potential.

Lone Druid’s Farming Strategy

The main strategy I recommend is to purchase Maelstrom and hit level 12 by the 13-minute mark by farming ancients. This allows you to get massive quickly. If you reach your Gleipnir timing between minutes 14 and 15, you’ll feel incredibly strong. At this point, start getting active on the map, and you’ll dominate with this build, making Lone Druid one of the most powerful mid heroes in the game.

Sand King: The Best Mid of the Patch

I believe the best mid hero right now is Sand King. This might surprise some people, but Sand King is an incredibly strong mid hero with very few bad matchups. While it struggles against heroes like Viper and Sniper, Sand King’s ability to clear waves and deal massive magic damage makes it a powerful pick. It’s especially good against heroes like Necrophos, thanks to its high magic damage output and fast wave-pushing abilities.

Why Sand King Excels in the Mid Lane

Sand King is broken with its Dust Devil ability, allowing it to farm extremely fast. It can clear ancient stacks and hit level 10 by the 10-minute mark. In a ranked game, I faced a Lone Druid spammer and managed to kill his bear twice and solo kill him as well. The reason? Sand King can insta-kill mid waves, pushing them out far faster than in side lanes. Caustic Finale is much more effective in mid, and with Sandstorm, you can constantly pressure your opponent while farming efficiently.

Mid-Game Domination and Flexibility

At level three, with two points in Sandstorm, Sand King can instantly clear waves using Caustic Finale, Sandstorm, and Burrowstrike. If the lane becomes difficult, you can simply rotate to the jungle and continue farming. Sand King’s ability to control the mid lane and pressure the map with its wave-shove nukes makes it a dominant mid hero that can outpace most opponents.

Sand King’s Jungle Efficiency and Scaling

If the lane is going well, you can push in the wave and jungle; if the lane is bad, you just head to the jungle immediately. Sand King excels at stacking camps and farming them quickly by dragging two camps together. At minute two, Sand Kings can stack, then clear the camp in between waves because they instantly kill the midwave. Whether you’re new to the hero or experienced, Sand King is incredibly strong, with an absurd farming speed and lane pressure.

Optimal Item Build and Playstyle

Rush a Bloodstone, walk into the enemy team, and you won’t die—you’ll kill them all. Follow up with Blink Dagger, Shiva’s Guard, and then either Black King Bar or Eternal Shroud. This allows you to charge into enemy lines and decimate them. Sand King’s scaling is excellent, and its talents are incredibly impactful. Skip the level 10 talent, but at level 15, take the Sandstorm talent. At level 20, both talents are viable, but I prefer the Epicenter talent for extra pulses. By level 25, the Epicenter pulses talent is amazing, but Sandstorm’s slow and blind are equally strong with Bloodstone.

Why Sand King Dominates in the Meta

Sand King is currently first-phase pick or ban in the pro scene, and its win rate in pub games is incredibly high. The hero is brain-dead easy to play and overpowered, making it a staple of the meta. Its wave clear, jungle farming, scaling, and teamfight potential make it a must-pick for many teams. This is why Sand King is one of the strongest mid heroes right now.

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