The Must-Try Heroes of the Current Dota 2 Pub Mid Meta
The Dota 2 pub mid meta hasn’t seen drastic changes of late, but players have started adopting a greedier playing style. While most of the heroes from the previous patch remain viable, some new underpicked characters have risen to the occasion. Here are five heroes that have proven surprisingly effective in the mid role, even though they weren’t part of the usual suspects.
Huskar: The Cheese Platter
Huskar may have received criticism at the start of the patch due to the removal of his full spell immunity during Life Break. Players can now queue stuns and disables for when the hero arrives, making him vulnerable and unable to fight. However, the easy adaptation is to press BKB before jumping in, which solves most of the hero’s problems. He remains as high tempo as before, dominates most heroes in his lane, and can scale very well. Armlet of Mordiggian into Heaven’s Halberd into Black King Bar is still the go-to build, and it’s worth switching the order of Halberd and BKB depending on the matchup.
Tinker: A Stupidly Overpowered Hero
Tinker may have received some nerfs in the last patch, but he remains strong in a greedier meta. He can be difficult to play well, but is much more forgiving in the current patch. This is mostly due to players utilizing Defense Matrix well. Although technically weaker due to the Blink Dagger being broken instead of going on cooldown when taking damage, Tinker’s own Defense Matrix and potential Pavise on a teammate make it almost impossible to go through the barrier. There’s no easy way to deal with this hero outside of the drafting stage, but a Pipe of Insight and Glimmer Cape can be helpful for jumping him.
Arc Warden: An Absolutely Stupid Hero
Unfortunately, the biggest problem with Arc Warden is that his illusions and clones benefit from the Magnetic Field’s extra attack range and damage, making him an absolutely stupid hero with an insane amount of damage output. However, any source of mobility can help reach the actual hero or his clone, and barrier-type items such as the Manta Style can be a welcome addition. Finally, try to finish the game as early as possible since Arc Warden is more than happy to play the annoying Aghanim’s Scepter game late.
Meepo: On the Rise
Meepo may not be a top-tier pick right now, but he’s definitely on the rise. He can be overwhelming in the right hands and in the right game, meaning that killing his tempo early on is a must. A Black King Bar on cores could be a viable option since both Poof and Ransack damage can be mitigated by debuff immunity. A Solar Crest is also a good item since it provides strong single target focus, and Meepo doesn’t have a ton of armor. Finally, a Force Staff is a useful save item that can come in handy.
The Dota 2 mid meta is currently filled with a lot of cheese, but the game still feels fair most of the time. These trending heroes are on the stronger side, but they don’t feel unbeatable. Which heroes do you think need a nerf? Share your thoughts in the comments below.