Underrated Heroes in the Current Patch

Many heroes remain underutilized by players despite their potential in the current meta. Today, we will discuss some of these heroes and why they are gaining popularity among professional teams.

Bane – A Dominating Lane Support

Bane, a lane dominating support, is often overlooked due to player habits. However, his effectiveness has not diminished, it simply requires a different approach. Maxing or leveling up Brain Sap is no longer the optimal strategy. Instead, skilled players are finding success by outplaying their opponents through basic attacks.

There are two primary reasons Bane excels in this strategy. First, as a Universal hero, his attack damage is remarkably high. Additionally, he gains +5 damage per level, making him a formidable force without any items.

Secondly, focusing on Enfeeble and Nightmare provides Bane with additional attack speed, free hits, and a powerful damage mitigation tool. These factors make it nearly impossible for opponents to out-trade Bane in lane, the only limitation being his mana pool.

Bane’s impact extends beyond the laning phase. He becomes a midgame nuisance, forcing enemies to use dispels early in fights. As a result, casters are unable to effectively use their spells, and carries struggle to right click due to the lingering effects of Enfeeble. With the ability’s massive cast range and high uptime, Bane can strategically target priority enemies.

By utilizing Enfeeble, Nightmare, and a BKB-piercing Fiend’s Grip, Bane can neutralize 60% of the enemy team during teamfights, when executed perfectly. While this may be challenging, the hero is undoubtedly worth exploring in the current patch.

Muerta – An Underrated Flex Pick

Muerta, a hero often underestimated, has the potential to shine as a greedy position four. Although some players have attempted to play Muerta as a carry, a position four Muerta is gaining momentum in the meta.

The key lies in The Calling, a massive zone denying tool that discourages enemy supports from approaching while also pressuring enemy cores to obtain early Black King Bars. Previously, mobility abilities and Force Staffs were an easy solution to counter it. However, Muerta’s buffed Aghanim’s Scepter diminishes this strategy’s effectiveness.

Parting Shot, while it may seem fancy and complex, is essentially a 4-second stun on a 45-second cooldown with 750 cast range. Its efficiency is unparalleled. Despite not silencing enemies during the stun duration, affected heroes are unable to utilize mobility options, as they return to their original positions once the stun wears off. This leaves them susceptible to further crowd control effects from Muerta’s Dead Shot.

What sets Muerta apart is her versatility, making her exceptional in the professional scene while still performing well in pub matches. Her potential as a greedier support with scaling capabilities is noteworthy. Furthermore, as a carry, she possesses ample damage to compete with the best.

Waterpark Kunkka – The Comeback Kid

Kunkka, known as the “Waterpark” version, is poised to make a comeback due to the potency of his upgraded Torrent Storm, granted by Aghanim’s Scepter. This ability, a screen-wide 40% slow with substantial damage output, creates five seconds of chaos. Considering Kunkka’s ability to manipulate enemy positioning, this combination may be overwhelming.

Pairing Blade Mail with Aghanim’s Scepter proves to be a reliable and highly effective strategy. This combination is relatively easy to execute; landing X Mark followed by any disable allows Kunkka to initiate fights, lead the frontline, and deal significant damage.

In our opinion, Kunkka embodies the ideal midlaner for the current patch. He strikes a balance between greed and scalability, possessing a diverse array of offensive and defensive capabilities. Additionally, he thrives in creating space during the early game. Kunkka’s adaptability is showcased by his willingness to build Spirit Vessel when necessary or opting for Heaven’s Halberd against popular carries in the meta.

Kunkka is already making waves in high-level pubs and professional matches, and we predict his popularity will continue to rise.

Conclusion

These are our top three picks for the most underrated heroes in the current patch. Some of them are already gaining traction and are likely to maintain their momentum.

However, there are undoubtedly other deserving heroes that warrant attention. We encourage you to share your thoughts on the most underrated heroes of the patch in the comment section below.