Cheese Hero Broodmother Joins the Meta

A couple of weeks ago, we were relieved to find that Broodmother was not a prominent cheese pick in the meta. However, it seems that has changed as the hero has received a significant buff. Broodmother is now another powerful hero to dominate pub matches.

The Rise of Universal Heroes

Universal heroes, who rely on right-click attacks, tend to have both survivability and high damage output due to the way defensive and utility items are designed. As a result, the current meta heavily favors Universal heroes. It wouldn’t be surprising if the damage per stat is adjusted in the future to restore balance, as it’s not particularly healthy for the game when heroes are hitting for 300+ damage per attack while remaining highly survivable.

Additionally, the rise of Universal heroes has also affected their complements and counters. Heroes like Magnus can amplify the already ridiculous base damage of Universal heroes, while heroes like Underlord and Timbersaw can reduce enemy stats and DPS. This is why Aghanim’s Scepter Morphling is gaining popularity. The trend towards Universal heroes has made Broodmother, a Universal hero herself, broken by default. It just took players some time to realize it.

Broodmother’s Early Game Weakness

At the start of the game, Broodmother is extremely weak with below-average base damage, base HP, and low Strength gain. However, like most Universal heroes, she can buy items such as Bracers and Wraith Bands to ensure her survival in the early game. With the extra stats and Armor, she can quickly transform from a squishy spider into a terrifying nightmare within minutes.

It’s crucial for players to be aware of Broodmother’s metamorphosis when laning against her. With 4.3 Base Damage per level, 2.4 AS per level, and additional attack damage from items like a Magic Wand, Broodmother becomes a formidable opponent in a 1v1 situation by level five. Only heroes like Ursa, Troll Warlord, or Monkey King stand a chance against her.

The Broken Ability: Insatiable Hunger

The most broken ability in Broodmother’s kit is Insatiable Hunger, which is an undispellable buff. This ability provides a whopping 70% Base Attack Damage increase, making it immensely powerful on a Universal hero. It also grants 100% lifesteal and can potentially reduce Broodmother’s attack speed to 1.4, putting her on par with Juggernaut.

Broodmother becomes a highly damaging hero while simultaneously building survivability items and utilizing her Spiderlings to farm the map. Skilled players even block enemy camp spawns with Spiderites if they have no intention of farming them. As a result, Broodmother’s winrate is rapidly rising across all skill brackets as more players discover her tanky yet threatening playstyle.

Countering Broodmother

To counter Broodmother, it is advisable to pick supports with AoE slows that can withstand the onslaught of Spiderlings. Heroes like Lich and Ancient Apparition are excellent choices. Core heroes who rely on illusions should also fare well against her. Surprisingly, Troll Warlord is an effective counter as he doesn’t suffer from Nullifier and can maintain his DPS while utilizing lifesteal and blinding options.

What are your thoughts on this new development? Are you willing to give Broodmother a try? Share your opinions and frustrations in the comments below.