Features/Patch 6.72

The DotA Strategy Team has once again convened to bring you an analysis of the important changes in the new version of DotA. These changes have been determined by the team to be the most potentially influential changes for the competitive DotA scene. This time GGnet's captain Puppey also joins us briefly to give his insight into the new version.
by Michael 'sabmud' Schonning

Melee heroes
()- Base HP regen from 0.25 to 0.75 (1.00 for Axe)This is by far the most eye-catching change of this current version, affecting a total of nine heroes; granting them with additional protection against harassment. The actual impact this has on the game however, is of diminished effect since all but two heroes are destined to be tri-lane heroes which are recognized by nukes and constant action, and therefore has no real use of long-time harassment protection like this.

Pitlord - Expulsion reworked slightly - Pit of Malice now creates 5 corpses in the cast area - Firestorm reworked Practically a complete rework. What is most notable is his diminished counter-pushing abilities, in exchange for additional pushing abilities. His main problem still is his laning phase and as such we, the Strategy Crew, only see him being picked in very occasional pushing line-ups. Prediction: Will (almost) never be picked.

Solo heroes
:
- Armor reduced by 1 (2 for Ancient Apparition)

Probably the changes which has the greatest impact on the competitive scene. A wide range of the most common solo heroes has received a nerf with the most notable being Invoker. These are probably the three most early- to mid-game defining heroes we have in the current meta-game, and as such they are highly dependent on their laning phase when soloing against another solo which is exactly what this is a nerf to.

Prediction: Same amount of picking, but with a more problematic solo vs. solo lane.

Invoker - Base damage reduced by 5 - Alacrity can now target mechanical units (1680) - Alacrity manacost increased from 50 to 100 - Alacrity bonus damage & attack speed decreased from 30->90 to 20->80 - Cold Snap now requires a minimum of 10 damage before it triggers - Ice Wall no longer affects magic immune units A hero which has been deemed overpowered for quite some time now, Invoker, finally received some much needed nerfs. Most notable amongst these, are his weakened physical attacks with the combined reduction of base damage and alacrity which will have an impact on both his laning phase as well as mid-game DPS. Another much needed nerf is the ability to neglect the Ice Wall with Black King Bar, granting yet another indirect buff to the melee carries. His ability to use Alacrity on catapults is his only direct buff, and is theoretically a great one. The practical uses of it is however of diminished effect, since in any given push, you want to use it on either yourself or a team-mate, which you are not able to if you have previously cast it on the catapult. Prediction: Still super strong. Nerubian Weaver - Swarm damage rescaled from 21/24/27/30 to 15/20/25/30 A nerf which has a great impact on his early game when going up against another solo hero due to the decrease in DPS output. Prediction: Will still be picked.

Miscellaneous Heroes

Crystal Maiden - Freezing Field level 1 manacost from 300 to 200 Crystal Maiden has never been known for her ultimate; in fact, it was a sensation if you catch anyone able to use her ultimate straight from level six simply due to the high manacost. In this regard, this is a much needed buff which brings the possibility for an early level of Freezing Field, and an increased flexibility to her early-mid game phase. Prediction: A slightly bigger flexibility in terms of skill builds and thus also early to mid-game roaming. Drow Ranger - Previous sight range nerf reverted (from 6.68) Not that big of a change at all, yet still noteworthy enough to be mentioned. It can be discussed whether this is a buff or not since her day vision will be equally nerfed to her night vision buff; but when looking from a competitive view, the nerf is of no real significance due to her always traveling with either creeps or other heroes. The actual impact of this change is mostly negligible; however, due to her need for constant appearance in lane, the buff cannot be used to full effect as a scouting tool. Prediction: Could act as a weapon against Smoke of Deceit, but will most likely have no impact. Slayer - Aghanim's Laguna Blade cast range increased from 600 to 900 A very intriguing change, and a follow-up on the one in the previous patch. It seems as if Slayer is starting to become more of a long range nuker with no real need for dagger (although Force Staff is still of great use due to its intelligence gain). The actual competitive impact is debatable, since she has never really been a frequent hero in the scene. Prediction: Will still not be picked this patch, will however be interesting when looking into future patches to see where she will end up. Morphling - Armor reduced by 2 Reducing the armor by two on any hero is quite a big nerf, but on a hero whose only nuke brings him up close on the opponents, it has potential for being catastrophic. The way the meta-game has evolved however, his laning phase will probably not be affected since he is usually placed in a killing tri-lane, and is expected to convincingly win the lane. The question remains, if this is an open opportunity to reintroduce Ring of Basilius, an item that has been on a downfall lately. Prediction: He is more dependent on his supports now, which will even have a harder time leaving him for roaming action.

Items

Heart of Tarrasque - Melee heroes now only have to wait 4 seconds after taking player damage for the regen to activate A decrease of 33% on the non-healing time for melee heroes. On paper this sounds amazing, but the actual effect of this is close to zero, simply because when heroes have acquired this item, it is so late into the game that the game is decided by team-fights and what happens in these, not after. Quelling Blade - No longer unsellable A great buff to this item, making it viable for players to get on melee carries. The only problem with this is the same as with Heart of Tarasque; as of now, only one melee carry is viable; Spectre, meaning that the actual impact of this change is close to none. Smoke of Deceit - Dispel AoE from heroes and towers increased from 850 to 950 - Stock cooldown increased from 10 to 12 minutes A change that has been called out for a long time, and for good reasons; but with a mere 100 distance, is it vital enough to feel? Note that not many initiative spells has a casting range between 850 and 950, and thus are of no great effect the moments before action is happening. Prediction: Still going to be used, but is now more night dependent. Ancient Janggo of Endurance - Charges can now be refreshed by buying the recipe Another long awaited change. The question remains, will it resurrect an item that seems to be in decline? Prediction: It will be bought more on utility heroes. Sange and Sange and Yasha - No longer an orb effect A very intriguing change. Strategically speaking, it allows you to get a mid-game based item which grants both DPS as well as increased HP; without removing the potential of a later orb in form of either Frost Attack or Lifesteal. It also allows for some flexibility, as you are no longer forced to buy Vanguard as a mid-game protective item. Prediction: Will be seen more frequently.

New Item

Veil of Discord +5 armor +5 HP/sec regeneration +12 Intelligence Discord (active) - Discord - Applies a debuff on all enemy units in a 475 AoE, causing them to have reduced magic resistance for a duration. - Amplifies magic damage by 25% - Lasts 15 seconds, costs 75 mana, has a 30 second cooldown, and an 800 cast range An item that decreases the magic resistance on enemy targets. This was an ability that was previously restricted to Oblivion, Tauren Chieftain, Ancient Apparition and heroes carrying an Ethereal Blade. The new sensation comes as a bit pricey, but nevertheless does grant some additional bonuses which is why we will most likely see this item on a wide range of utility heroes. What is intriguing is the added survivability, yet it also comes with a massive 800 range, thus being somewhat of a contradictory item as normally either goes for added survivability in order to soak up damage or avoid it. Prediction: Will be used on most solo mid heroes.

New Heroes

Nerubian Assassin One of the most iconic heroes in the DotA scene, we are proud to announce the return of the Nerubian Assassin. Most known for his superior ganking abilities, he has now been remade to also have 5 scarabs which collectively grants a huge amount of vision. His laning is however a huge problem, as he needs all of his skills at a comparatively high level, yet does not have the defensive nor ranged capabilities to solo properly. In this regard, he can be seen as a mix between Beastmaster and Demon Witch and will most likely take the solo mid role of the utility hero, which will also greatly benefit his mana needs if he decides to go for a bottle. Prediction: Will enter the usual permaban phase for an extended period of time. If he is picked, during this time, he will most likely be played as a ganking solo mid hero, with focus on mid-game dominance and late game map control. Shadow Demon As with any new hero introduced to the scene, Shadow Demon should traditionally enter a permaban phase; but with the high-count of first-pick material heroes, this phase will either be drastically decreased, or leave a lot of room for other heroes to be picked. The hero itself is a mixture between a support and utility and can be played as an irritant if need be, but we will need to see some more play coming from him before passing a clear verdict. Prediction: Will enter the standard permaban phase for a limited time, will be picked once in a while afterwards.