Identifying the Strongest Heroes in Patch 7.35

Some time ago we made a post about getting ahead in the new patch. We were a month too early and now it is finally time to apply our knowledge and identify the most overpowered heroes of 7.35. These heroes are definitely getting nerfed, but since it is the holiday season, chances are, we get to tap into their strengths for a while.

Leshrac Dominance

The undisputed king of the current patch with a 58%+ winrate across all brackets. The hero is insane. Who knew that getting extra 80 pure damage for Diabolic Edict and massive buffs to his most important item in Bloodstone would result in a 10%+ win rate jump?

There are definitely other factors at play as well. For example, Mage Slayer no longer has progression and if previously it could be built naturally on most DPS cores, nowadays getting it means having a rather questionable endgame item. Don’t get us wrong: the item is really good against Leshrac and is absolutely worth getting, it is just not as powerful and versatile as it used to be.

Additionally, the currently most popular offlane item in Shiva’s Guard now also amplifies pure damage from Leshrac and is built in what feels like every game. Top it off with games being shorter and you get perfect conditions for Leshrac dominance.

Death Prophet’s Resurgence

Another tempo hero who thrives in shorter games, but doesn’t mind going late. Getting a slow for free is definitely a big deal, but the changes to items are what propelled Death Prophet into relevance.

The hero’s main weakness was always the fact that she was a bit too squishy at the timing when she wanted to be on the offensive. It was easy to nuke her down and Spirit Siphon doesn’t help against burst damage prevalent in the previous patch.

Now we have Veil of Discord that also gives Armor, there is amazing Pavise into Solar Crest progression and even new Arcane Boots into Guardian Greaves are worth considering on Death Prophet. There are many excellent choices for the hero to survive the earlier stages of the game and take control over the map and Death Prophet can truly thrive in this environment.

Abaddon’s Strength

Position three tanky Abaddon is a menace. The hero received a lot of extra damage with the Curse of Avernus buff and his Manta Style build is stronger than ever. The buildup is also a lot easier and allows Abaddon to keep high lane presence with the extra stats from the Diadem.

There is, of course, an alternative build with Radiance, that is a lot greedier, but provides Abaddon with higher farming and scaling potential. We would cautiously advise against it right now, as games tend to end quicker and there isn’t enough time for the item to shine.

Instead, in games where dominating the lane is impossible and you are getting pressured, consider Solar Crest. Between Aphotic Shield and Solar Crest, you can amp up the survivability of your teammates by a lot, taking on a more utility role. It can be great in games where your other cores are either very greedy, or have high damage output but very limited survivability.

Vengeful Spirit’s Reliability

Venge was already rising in popularity in the last patch, so it is unsurprising she is doing so well after very important buffs. Dealing damage with Nether Swap and preventing immediate blink-outs makes the hero considerably more reliable, while Solar Crest gives the hero the very needed extra survivability and save.

You still want to build into your Aghanim’s Scepter eventually, as it provides a very powerful second life for your hero, but don’t sleep on aura items like Vladmir’s Offering either. The latter got buffed recently and it is among the best all-around auras in the game. Cores don’t really want it, but it suits Venge perfectly.

Viper’s Adaptability

Finally, we have Viper, the lane dominator. There isn’t a secret to why the hero is suddenly better: between Break now being a debuff immunity-piercing part of the Viper Strike and Viper also getting some buffs, there is just too much the hero can do at every stage of the game.

The hero still rotates very slowly and farms inefficiently, but he has multiple distinct builds that make him extremely adaptable to the game. He can go for the usual right-clicking Viper with Hurricane Pike priority, or he can play the defensive teamfight-oriented one with an early Aghanim’s Scepter and a recently buffed Bloodstone.

The latter build can be very powerful against certain lineups and it also greatly accelerates Viper farm, so perhaps it will become the default one some time soon. Also, once again, getting Solar Crest is never a bad idea, even on Viper, and it is the item a lot of professional players prefer to purchase in their pubs.

Conclusion

7.35 is a massive patch that is shaking up the meta big time. There is a chance it is also going to last quite a bit, before the smaller, “letter” patches come to fix up the imbalances. So right now is the ideal time to play some OP heroes and gain free MMR.

What are your thoughts on the new patch and the new meta? Do you think there are even more problematic heroes in the patch? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!