SnowStorm Huntress Loading Screen by Anuxi

About half a year ago, it was close to impossible to play a game of Dota without running into the usual suspects, such as Invoker or Spectre--at least in higher skill brackets. Dota has evolved in a way since then that has made the game more diverse and the meta more open. It may be one of the most pub friendliest patches the community has experienced.

No Superstars

The past year has seen some scary dominating performances from individual heroes. In 6.85, Windranger claimed glory in both pubs and pro games and fielded a consistent 30% pick rate across all brackets, far ahead of other heroes. In 6.86, Invoker rose to fame, and a pick rate of over 50% in the 5k+ bracket turned him into a virtual nightmare for many players.

Ever since 6.87 though, there’s been a balance in hero picks. Heroes may still have high pick rates; Mirana certainly has proven so. These heroes aren’t alone at the top though. Up until now, there’s always been a certain hero that set himself apart, whose pick rate was significantly higher than those beneath them. Currently, the gap between the #1 and #2 most popular heroes in the 5k+ bracket is 7%, and neither heroes are top picks in the competitive scene.

Following these heroes are a variety of different characters, from roaming supports to re-emerging midlaners--all within a few % of one another.

Surely, this trend is one that has been building for a while, but it’s because Icefrog has allowed the trend to build up. 6.88 may be different from 6.87, but by no means were the changes as drastic as they usually are from one major balance patch to another. Many argued that 6.88 might as well have been a 6.87e patch, with no changes to terrain or other global effects, but a variety of hero tweaks.

It all culminated in the 105 different hero picks at this year’s International, a record breaking number and a perfect example of how diverse the current meta is.

Meta keeps evolving

Despite the fact that Dota has effectively been on the same patch for roughly half a year, the meta keeps evolving. Just recently, heroes like Outworld Devourer or even Sniper have re-emerged, partly due to players’ improved understanding and appreciation of Dragon Lance. At the WESG LAN finals, Centaur Warrunner has shown that he is not useless after all, and more and more pro teams have started to adapt Omniknight into their line-ups.

A meta will always keep evolving, as players will always find ways to deal with the status quo. It just happens that up until now, patches always had a persona non grata in the ranks, a hero or two that would “terrorize” pubs and cause public outcry.

First it was get shackled to a tree and then focused down that was unbearable, then the infamous Eul’s into Sunstrike combo that nobody could stand. But what about now? Some say Drow Ranger is this patch’s pest, some argue it’s Mirana. None of these heroes have nearly the amount of animosity that either Windranger or Invoker have faced.

A Pub Patch

There have been a few nuisances, but they have been swiftly dealt with. For a while, Arc Warden emerged as a potential pubstar, but a quick balance tweak in 6.88d dropped him from an astonishing 57% winrate to now 45%.

Every balance patch since this year’s TI seems to be directed in a similar way, with small tweaks to make pub life easier and more enjoyable. Keeper of the Light’s annoying Mana Leak was nerfed and even Drow Ranger and Mirana were addressed, though not in a way to remove them from the top completely.

Of course, one big reason for the success of this patch and 6.87 is the added banning phase in ranked All-Pick. Allowing players to remove those annoying heroes, those potential pubstompers and “freewins” is a great way to keep the community happy. It feels less of a burden to queue into a ranked game, knowing that you have the chance to not play against the likes of Slark, Tinker, Arc Warden or Riki. It allows every game to be different, it doesn’t always revolve around the same heroes.

Keeping the vocal part of the community, but also the pro scene happy seems to be a good direction for future patches, as it allows patches to grow into their potential. Considering all the different hero picks and strategies we see now after TI, it begs the question what other things we have missed in past patches, simply because those patches weren’t allowed to live on much longer.

More Balance?

6.88 as a whole has served us well thus far. 105 hero picks at TI, a balanced pick distribution in high skilled games; what more could one ask for? It seems almost impossible for Icefrog to add even more balance to this patch.

Unfortunately, every patch has an expiration date. There will be a time when everybody, caster, pro player, pub player, will be tired of this patch. Other heroes have been waiting in the shadows and are longing for buffs.

Valve has announced that their next update will be on 12th December, two days after the Boston Major. It will likely feature Monkey King, the new hero announced at TI, and with him probably 6.89.

Up until then, an entire Major and its qualifiers will still be played on 6.88. How much more will players, pub or pro, squeeze out of this patch?