The Dota 2 Update 7.34 has arrived, and it’s packed with many great changes, shocking if we have to say so ourselves. Between an insta-fixed Midas spam build to a Rubik with no ultimate cooldown, this patch is wild all around.
Here’s some of the key updates we singled from the full patch notes.
General Updates
One of the new things in the Dota 2 Patch 7.34 is the rework in the Captains Mode draft order. This won’t affect pub players, but it will make a difference among professionals, especially since The International is just around the corner.
Following the changes, instead of the 2-3-2 bans and 2-2-1 picks, it will be as follows: 3-2-2 bans, 4-1-2 bans, 1-3-1 picks. There are a few other important changes to the CM mode, such as the time per ban duration during the first phase bans, which is now down from 30s to 15s. This means that players need to be a lot more careful.
In addition to the changes related to the CM mode, there are a lot of other things to keep in mind. For example, there has been a UI update for many abilities that have the Auto-Cast option enabled. The alternative cast abilities now have a unique icon for the different casting modes and more. Check out the full 7.34 patch note for more details.
There is also a new stat called Slow Resistance, as well as a few other key things, so check the full Patch Notes to learn everything.
Five OP Heroes in Patch 7.34
The participants at the upcoming International 12 (TI12) Regional Qualifiers will be the first to play in Update 7.34 officially, so these are several game-winning meta that could win games.
1. Lone Druid
Lone Druid is generally an unpopular hero due to its additional bear unit that players have to use. It requires great micro-ing as the bear will die alongside Lone Druid if he dies beforehand. In pro games, micro-ing heroes are never a flaw and are even considered a numbers advantage. Like Chen and Meepo, which aren’t picked much in pubs, we can expect Lone Druid to be a popular pick going into TI12.
In Update 7.34, Lone Druid received skill reworks, notably on his Spirit Link ability, which can now be passed to the Bear and be ally-targeted. Providing a decent armor and attack speed bonus to the ally can really make the difference in ensuring your ally overwhelm your opponents. There are also more improvements given to the bear itself, such as enjoying stats from items and having his own Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard upgrades.
This rework offers Lone Druid picks an alternative way to play the hero, which is powerful in professional games, where mind games begin as soon as drafting. By switching Lone Druid to the support role, it could truly impact the opponent’s line-up that was catered against a carry Lone Druid.
@ Reddit ( danpaz3d )
2. Marci
Marci is one of the heroes that received the most changes in Update 7.34. Her Sidekick ability offers a permanent buff to one ally, which includes lifesteal and bonus damage. At max level, that’s a 25% lifesteal and 48 damage bonus, which is decent considering it’s a permanent passive.
However, one of the most devastating hero combo with Marci will surely be the talk of the town at TI12.
3. Io
Couple Marci’s passive buffs on Io’s Tether ability, Marci’s attacks heals Io which also heals her back. Then, Io’s attacks heal Marci too while Overcharge offers Marci (while tethered) with attack speed bonus.
We could potentially see carry Io return to the competitive scene and perhaps Anathan “ana” Pham’s return, who pioneered this very meta five years ago. While this may seem overpowered, expect Io to be an instant ban in pro games. In fact, Io is already frequently banned in previous Majors due to its abilities.
@ Dota 2 Art
4. Dark Willow
While we don’t expect Dark Willow to be a TI-winning hero by any means, her Bedlam rework to be ally-targeted, makes it a great extra damage dealer for your frontline carry ally. Previously, Dark Willow has to use Shadow Realm alongside Bedlam to get close to an enemy without getting attacked.
This lets her keep her distance while still providing the full damage capability of her ultimate. This can be handy as Bedlam’s damage output is quite high, letting your carry finish off squishy supports quicker with an AOE damage.
5. Gyrocopter
Gyrocopter is back on the top carries to pick at TI with overpowered damage increase on his Flak Cannon ability. Gyro is one of those Dota 2 Carry Heroes, which can be a raid boss under the right supports. His abilities that revolve around multi-shot attacks makes him a difficult target for enemy supports to get close.
Plus, he synergizes well with the many heroes with ally-targeted reworks. Lone Druid’s bear’s Spirit Link plus Dark Willow’s Bedlam and Marci’s Sidekick, will be too overpowered to deal with.
@ WallpaperSafari
Honorable Mention: Lion, Earthshaker and Tiny
Move aside KOTL, there’s a new mana support in town! An honorable mention goes to Lion, whose Mana Drain ability can now be ally-targeted and does not even have mana cost. We can expect Lion to be beneficial in a line-up with many mana-heavy heroes, such as Void Spirit, Invoker and most midlaners. Lion is already a versatile support with two reliable stuns, so he will be quite a popular hard support pick in Update 7.34.
A memorable TI experience is not possible without the best playmakers among Dota 2 heroes. Earthshaker has been commemorated in multiple TI Grand Finals, earning it a spot as a TI-winning hero.
Earthshaker gets a small buff to Enchant Totem range and Aftershock radius.
Additionally, Tiny has his place among the most impactful heroes in TI Championships. Namely, Alliance’s Io showcased the essence of Rat Dota at TI3 and Tundra Esports Martin “Saksa” Sazdov’s Tiny for his Toss plays at TI11.
However, the only change to Tiny is an added slow resistance to Grow.
Aghanim’s Shard New Abilities
Since introducing Aghanim’s Shard back in Dota 2 Update 7.28, this affordable item with unique ability for every hero has made the average Dota 2 gameplay much more diverse.
The recent major Dota 2 Update 7.33 reworked only twenty heroes’ Aghanim’s Shard ability, so we can very much expect several heroes to get a rework too. Considering at one point, we had Riki’s Aghanim’s Shard ability define his entire gameplay using Sleep Dart to land Meteor Hammer. We have several new “broken” Aghanim’s Shard abilities.
These heroes should never be on the same team if the enemy team hopes to win against such atrocities at TI12. But, for the average pub player, this might be a fun way to play Dota in the latest Update 7.34 meta.
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