With the Stockholm Major behind us, it is now time to start thinking of what we want to see in the future. The International Battle Pass some time soon™ is a given, at least we hope it is, but even more than cosmetics, we are excited about possible gameplay changes. Here are some of our ideas for what could be improved.
Every Major brings new heroes and strategies into the spotlight and the ESL One Stockholm was no exception. Today we would like to take a look at the snapshot of the meta and see which heroes are doing exceptionally well and which are underperforming.
With millions of dollars on the line for the most winning teams, it makes sense that the way that Dota is played would change as players strive to perfect their gameplay. Although the basic principles of Dota have stayed the same, some more advanced ideas have adjusted as new patches have come.
Pugna is undeniably one of the strongest and most annoying position five supports in the professional scene right now. He boasts a 70%+ win rate in the Major and is in the top three most contested heroes. Does it mean the hero can be as successful in pubs, or is Pugna too coordination-reliant to work in a chaotic environment?
Wraith Pact is a mid to late-game item which received multiple buffs recently. The cost was reduced to 4000 gold, thanks to the recipe cost reduction to Vladimir’s Offering. The aura’s radius was buffed along with its mana regen and lifesteal. Despite boasting an impressive 67% win rate in pubs for being so cheap, it's been almost unseen in pro matches. Is this because the item is bad? Or have players not had enough time to learn about the utility of the item? I’d argue it's a mix of both.
The Major is just around the corner, but we still have one more recap to go through. Today we are going to discuss teams from EEU and NA. Both regions had a long history of playing second fiddle to WEU in the Western Dota scene, but the former proved itself by winning the last TI and NA is on an upward trajectory as well, with teams like TSM and Quincy Crew joining Evil Geniuses as Tier One international teams.
We are continuing our team preview series for ESL One Stockholm, today concentrating on the SA and SEA regions. Both are often associated with very high peaks, but lack consistency, and this Major will be indicative of whether they improved in this regard.
Fingers crossed, of course, but it looks like we are finally getting a LAN Major with an audience. It might not be ideal and we are not going to see teams from China, but it is definitely a step towards some semblance of normalcy, which is severely lacking nowadays. Today we are going to have a quick look at the Western European representatives: the region that was going through a bit of a renaissance in Tour One and fresh blood now prowing it wasn’t just a fluke.
The final meta recap post. Today, we are going to concentrate on the first position, the importance of which was especially prominent in the previous patch. Does the new one hold carries in the same regard or has the game been balanced away from over-relying on carries is the question we would like to find an answer to.
The last several patches did not feel particularly mid-centric. That doesn’t mean the role isn’t important, but there is definitely a shift from late-game oriented mids to more space-creating tempo ones. Or at least the ones that can come online fast and early.
Once again, we are looking at the top tier heroes, this time concentrating on the offlaners: the backbone of any good lineup. This is the role that usually changes the most from patch to patch and the one that had the most heroes released for it in the recent past. Patch 7.31 is not an exception in either regard.
We are continuing our series about the most effective heroes in the current meta and today we are going to concentrate on the soft support role. Unlike position five, this role did get a decent shake-up in the last patch and it is time to see what works and why.
The last part of our month-long series about exceptional Dota players who single-handedly resulted in some serious hero nerfs. Today we are going to look at mid — possibly the most skill-intensive and at times the most impactful role in the game.
We’ve got some exciting news! Fans of our Dotabuff App have been asking for an in-game version, and today, we’re delivering one! Today’s major release enhances the Dotabuff App with the ability to choose how your data and insights are delivered: the current second screen experience, a toggle-able in-game overlay, or an all-new integrated version.
The high level pub meta usually follows the professional scene to some extent, but typically has its own spin on the most popular heroes. Self-reliance and the ability to have an impact at all stages of the game regardless of team coordination is what makes for a great pub hero and today we are going to look at the cream of the crop, the best position five supports to play in pubs right now if winning is your ultimate goal.
Did you know you can sign in securely with Steam to access your personal Dota 2 profile?
 | AP Ranked |  |
 | AP Normal |  |
 | AP Ranked |  |
 | AP Ranked | |
 | AP Ranked |  |
 | AP Ranked |  |
| should i change roles? 3 replies, |  |
| Very long queue time 5 replies, |  |
| Is Troll Warlord gay? 2 replies, | |
| pos 1 hero question 20 replies, |  |
| Holy E Youtube Smurf? 3 replies, |  |
| Cant get into leaderboard 7k mmr ? 3 replies, |  |
| another day in the mental hospital 17 replies, | |
| Shadow bann? 9 replies, | |
| Hero | Win Rate | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Doom | 47.03% | 2.04% |
 | Nyx Assassin | 51.87% | 1.97% |
 | Beastmaster | 52.62% | 1.90% |
 | Timbersaw | 45.28% | 1.38% |
 | Dark Seer | 48.48% | 1.65% |
 | Oracle | 47.39% | 1.72% |
| Hero | Pick Rate | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Windranger | 16.65% | 2.86% |
 | Night Stalker | 7.00% | 1.19% |
 | Razor | 5.64% | 1.08% |
 | Pugna | 8.13% | 0.87% |
 | Grimstroke | 9.11% | 0.87% |
 | Shadow Fiend | 13.55% | 0.97% |
