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2 Underrated Heroes Every Role Pros Are Abusing (7.35b)

Hey, what’s up, guys, it’s Librarian Husky. These heroes obviously have high win rates , so I’ll mostly have positive things to say unless I’m a bit unsure. First off, we have Faceless Void . I don’t know why this hero has such a high win rate, but it definitely seems to be dominating game after game. I think it’s mostly due to the meta. It’s kind of just like an item thing.

There’s a lack of auras, which I think tend to be good against Void , like the early game ball-up, which is funny because I feel like Chen is pretty popular. Items like Mech and Vlad’s are good ball-up items but there’s very little Pipe, very little Crimson, and not much Mech, except on Chen. Maybe that benefits the hero. Also, the Maelstrom and Mjollnir giving attack speed has really helped this hero, and its win rate has been good ever since 7.35 .

Doom: A Controversial Hero

Next up, we have Doom , a hero I personally don’t really like. I don’t think the hero is actually that good, but it seems to be winning in pubs. It’s being picked a decent amount in the pro scene as well, and it does one thing quite well, which is killing people when it gets Shiva’s. Now, when you doom someone, they can’t get denied, right? So, if you doom someone, it does like 400 pure damage at level one, which is half HP of most supports, a third HP of many cores, and a fourth HP of the tankiest heroes. In the early game, and then when you get Shiva’s and hit Level 12 or 13, depending on your skill build, you just kill people with Shiva’s plus Doom . It’s a simple idea: you blink in, click your Shiva’s, have Scorch Earth going, and hit someone with Inferno Blade.

However, I feel like the hero is not very good at farming , it’s not a great laner, it’s not good at wave shove, and doesn’t connect to kills when Doom is on cooldown. In the early to mid-game, the hero is kind of a bot. Thus, I personally feel like the hero has a lot of flaws that are exploitable at the pro level. In pubs, I would actually recommend picking this hero, but I think at the pro level, it will not be super popular. I could be wrong about this one. I just have a vendetta against Doom.

Meepo: The Broken Hero

Then we have Meepo , a hero I personally think is very broken and versatile. It can be played in the off-lane, safe lane, or mid lane. I think certain pro teams should and will abuse this fact. It’s just too hard to counter Meepo nowadays. Even something like Winter Wyvern, I feel, is not unplayable with how the hero functions. Even if one of the Meepos gets low, you Mega Meepo or you dig. The Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard are too versatile.

From there, the buffs to Poof, allowing him to one-shot waves at level seven, have been a very notable buff to the hero. At level 10 , he gets Poof damage, and you just destroy people with Poof. Poof is the highest damage spell in the game when you hit Level 10 . If you get on top of someone and triple Poof them, they just literally disappear. It’s pretty crazy what this hero can do and how fast it can snowball.

Understanding Slark’s High Win Rate

And how hard it can run over games, then we have Slark. I don’t even know why he’s here. Is this hero really good? Like, it somehow has the fourth highest win rate, and it’s winning in 9.5k games and above. That’s what this second number is; the first number is just the overall win rate from 7K plus. So, Slark apparently just owning in both, which is crazy to me. I really don’t get it. I have nothing to say. If you guys have something to add, I would appreciate it in the comment section down below. Why in the world is Slark a high win rate ?

Maybe it has to do with some of the meta offlaners. He’s pretty decent against Abaddon. I’ve played that lane, and I’ve dumpstered the Slark every time, though. So, I don’t know. I guess he’s kind of good against Centaur. I feel like he’s reasonably alright against Doom. Your Shars are good against Dooms. I don’t know why here; maybe it’s just a meta thing, maybe just happens to be a counter to what’s good. That’s all I can suspect.

Arcor: Versatility in Dota

Then we have Arcor, a hero I personally think is very, very good. It can be played in any of the three core roles and in either of the two support roles. I think the flex of this hero is actually something people can and should consider abusing at the highest level, at the pro level. And maybe we’ll see that trend at some point if this hero gets buffed again for some unforsaken reason. Then, I do believe that will happen.

The Role of Pugna as a Support

Alright, next to be Pugna , just a well-rounded support. This hero has been nerfed like over and over again, but it just doesn’t matter. The hero’s base stats and early laning are just too good. Its ability to take the tier ones early on and win its lane is just good. For instance, you pick Faceless, you pick Slark. What in the world do you want with Faceless and Slark? What type of position five do you want? Crystal weed? Not necessarily.

Slark and Crystal Maiden Synergy

Maybe if the Slark has a really favorable matchup, then you want a Crystal Maiden. You can all in people. Do you want some sort of like AA? No, right? Do you want a Grimstroke? Probably not, even though there is theoretical synergy between Slark and Faceless with Grimstroke . You don’t really want that guy in your lane, reason why he doesn’t trade well early on.

His base stats and his spells are not good enough. They just don’t trade as well as Pugna . This hero is really reliable. It takes early towers and just becomes a defensive hero with a team fight spell as the game progresses. So, very well-rounded hero. I think it will stay here for a while, and it even is a hero that I could see getting buffed because it’s just not that popular.

Emergence of Ember

Then we have Ember, a hero that has shot up in popularity due to the new item build: Mage Slayer into Shiva’s Scar . This makes the hero incredibly tanky while doing huge amounts of DPS and limiting the enemy damage by ridiculous numbers. The Mage Slayer working on Slide of Fist and Shiva’s also working with it. It’s pretty ridiculous what this hero can do with this build. I’ve even seen some people playing it in the offlane and safe lane. Will this hero trickle down to average MMR ? Probably not that much. Ember tends to be a semi-low win rate hero the lower you go, but maybe Mage Slayer is too broken.

Mage Slayer Analysis

I’m not going to lie, guys, this item is somewhat unfun. Every game I play against this hero, where I’m some sort of magic damage dealer, let’s say I’m a Centaur and I’m going on this guy, and he’s using Slide of Fist on me, I do no damage to him because he has 48% magic resist. Then my spells do 40% less damage. I’m doing like 30% of my damage to him or something. It’s like ridiculous; it’s straight up. I mean, you don’t do any damage if you’re affected by Mage Slayer and going on the Mage Slayer guy. I don’t want to say it’s a problem, this item, but honestly, it’s probably a little broken.

Lion’s Position in the Meta

Honestly, I thought Lion would be higher in terms of win rate. I personally think Lion’s a very good hero, very disruptive. I feel that the max E just 1-1-4 is the name of the game on this hero. Just max the drain and drain people, and it’s high impact. You buy that Shard, and oh man, it’s hard to play. I’m always running out of mana against Lion. I don’t know how to deal with it. He spell IMs you when he buys the Shard , it’s like Shard R band, Rai band.

Analysis of High MMR Hero Contest Rates

Discussing the peculiar case of a hero with a 96% contest rate at high MMR, this phenomenon underlines the hero’s dominance in only 4% of games. Such statistics indicate not just popularity but also effectiveness in gameplay. Contrary to what some might think, the hero isn’t as overpowered as perceived, yet it remains a strong contender in the meta due to its early disruption capabilities and scaling potential. Interestingly, support Nature’s Prophet’s unique build, incorporating Mage Slayer , highlights an unconventional yet effective strategy, enhancing the hero’s attack speed and teleport damage.

The Curious Case of Venomancer

Venomancer’s inclusion in the list is baffling, given its apparent diminishing effectiveness at higher levels. However, its suitability as a Shiva’s Guard and Spirit Vessel buyer potentially explains its 20% contest rate. The hero’s preference for armor and Veil of Discord aligns well with these items, suggesting a strategic niche in the current meta. Nevertheless, its actual impact and frequency in high-level play remain questionable, highlighting a potential mismatch between theoretical utility and practical application.

The Resilience of Treant Protector

Treant Protector remains a consistent figure in the meta, unaffected by various nerfs. Its resilience is evident in its continued effectiveness, particularly in the laning stage. The hero’s innate strengths, such as providing armor to frontline allies and the utility of Overgrowth , contribute to its enduring presence. Additionally, its Shard upgrade offers significant scouting and healing abilities, further cementing its role as a formidable and versatile support.

Shadow Shaman’s Surprising Win Rate

Shadow Shaman stands out with an impressive win rate, surpassing the 50% mark over a substantial number of games. This success can be attributed to recent buffs, especially the enhanced Hex damage. Initially, the effectiveness of these changes seemed dubious, but the statistics clearly demonstrate the hero’s improved performance. This shift in the hero’s viability reflects the dynamic nature of game balance and the evolving strategies within high MMR gameplay.

Overview of Current Meta in Gaming

We have Chen , who, not everyone thinks, is pretty decent. Drums and Vlad’s very good items. Mech is pretty good. Enigma , a hero I’ve been looking at, is very good. Vlad’s Fire, an interesting item, might shoot up in the meta. I personally think Vlad’s is quite strong, definitely something to consider on a multitude of heroes, just because it has no recipe now. It’s a very cheap item for what it can do. I wouldn’t buy it early on.

I personally think there’s a lot of people overbuying the item early game. I think bonus damage and lifesteal early on is not good, but when we’re talking minute 25-30 and your hard carry’s online , it’s a fantastic item, particularly good with Enigma because he needs the armor early game, he wants the mana, and then he gives the bonus damage to all, so there’s quite a bit of value.

Itemization Strategies in Gaming

Even then, I actually don’t think rushing Vlad’s is that good on Enigma. The one hero I like it on is Tide because it works so well with Anchor Smash, making a lot of sense on that hero. Vlad’s rush, for the most part, I’m not a fan of XXX . I think it’s a great mid-game item. Enigma can buy Shivas , literally Blink Shivas or Shiva’s Blink, which has looked good to me.

You just be a front liner, be tanky, and then, talking about the next hero that does the exact same thing: Dark Seer, who is not very contested at all, which to me is surprising because I think this hero is fantastic. I think this hero is wonderful. It’s a great buyer of Shivas, the wave shove is great, and the quantity of camps on the map benefits Dark Seer heavily. I’m surprised that this hero isn’t more popular, and I do believe that in the pro scene, we’re going to be seeing more and more Dark Seer over time.

Specific Hero Analysis

I believe that this is one of the top off-laners right now in pubs and should be in the competitive scene due to its abilities. Its biggest weakness is potentially the laning stage, but even then it’s not that bad. There are a lot of fours you can pick with it that are popular right now that will do well, like Gyro, Tusk, Pugna, Lion , which are all very strong.

Winter Wyvern, let’s go over two more heroes: Winter Wyvern is very contested, 40% contest rate, being played as a core and a support. I do believe that this hero is pretty damn good, not broken by any means, but very strong. The buff to Q and The Buff to the E, as well as the buff to the ulti, giving it higher cast range and vision when you ulti the person, has made this hero way better.

Conclusion and Future Trends

Finally, we have Lone Druid . Yeah, a nerfed hero but still good, man, still good. Shiva’s Lone Druid anyone? No? What about Mage Slayer Lone Druid, Vlad’s Lone Druid? I could totally see a world where there’s a Vlad’s. Why? It’s a universal hero: lifesteal, bonus damage. I mean, I guess it doesn’t really use the mana regen, but maybe if it’s against a Lion, then it actually does need the mana regen. That’s interesting.

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