Valve has just announced the most recent update for its flagshit MOBA, Dota 2 patch 7.21c. Similarly to 7.21b, the new update is focused mainly on balancing certain heroes. Let’s take a brief look at what’s new.

7.21c General stuff and Items

The XP that you earn when a creep gets denied is now set to 35%. This is yet another increase from 7.21b, where we saw a +5% buff. The idea behind this is to increase the leveling speed. It seems like IceFrog is not a fan of slow Dota.

The second change affects probably the most popular item in 7.21 - Hands of Midas. When the patch first got released, Midas was providing 200 gold when players used it. In 7.21b the gold amount was reduced to 180 and now, with the most recent update, it is set to 160. In my opinion, this was needed. There were just too many heroes that bought Midas's.

Unlike 7.21b, this time there is another item that has been nerfed. Drum of Endurance is a very popular item that provides decent stats for a good amount of gold. The price of Drum of Endurance has been increased to 600 from 500.

7.21c Heroes

Losers

Some of the heroes received minor buffs, whereas others got slightly nerfed. For example, Chen has his Divine Favor bonus damage reduced from 48 to 32. However, the non-hero damage multiplier receives an increase from 2x to 3x.

Viper

Arguably the most annoying mid laner of 7.21 finally gets what he deserves. Viper always dominates his lane, especially when he was against melee mid laners. The current playstyle of the hero is very different compared to the usual one from past patches. People play him as a spellcaster rather than a ranged right clicker. That’s why Valve decided to nerf his Nethertoxin and buff the Poison Attack. Nethertoxin’s AoE damage no longer stacks with itself, and its mana cost has been increased to 100. Viper’s agility gain also does not leave unnoticed - now it is set at 2.8 rather than 3.3. Last, but certainly not least, the slow from Poison Attack is now higher during level one, two and three.

Kunkka

The other annoying mid dominator in 7.21 is Kunkka. He has a somewhat similar faith to Viper - Tiderbringer does not provide damage bonus on denies. While this will surely make laning against Kunkka easier, in my opinion, he still remains one of the strongest mid heroes.

Others

Four of the most popular carries in 7.21 have also been slightly nerfed. Ursa’s movement speed is reduced by 5. The strength gain of Lifestealer is now 2.9 instead of 3.2. Troll Warlord’s level 20 talent now gives +40 instead of +50 damage. The OSfrog hero (Phantom Assassin) is the least nerfed of all - just a 0.3 agility gain decrease. Most people expected a reduction to his crit damage but I guess that could work too. All those small tweaks should balance those heroes but I think they will most likely remain the most popular carries of the patch.

Winners

Shadow Fiend

Some of the classic mid laners have been buffed again, even though they already received buffs in 7.21b. Shadow Fiend now has two more base strength which will make him a little bit tankier than before. SF is slowly becoming one of the top meta picks again, as more and more teams tend to pick him regularly.

Templar Assassin

Templar Assassin is another mid laner which is being buffed two patches in a row. In 7.21b, her Meld was able to dispel any stacks. Now, in addition to that, her agility gain has a slight increase and Refraction’s bonus damage is now +100 at level 4, instead of +80. All these changes make TA a very strong laner. The Viper nerfs are also helping her because Viper is one of her biggest counters.

Storm Spirit

One my favourite heroes of all time is slowly but steadily becoming a force again. Storm Spirit, similar to TA, is being buffed two patches in a row. Electric Vortex no longer slows him when he uses it. This, combined with the CD and mana reduction buffs added in 7.21b might be enough for Storm Spirit to become a top pick again.

Queen of Pain

Queen of Pain has a +3 base Intelligence increase and a total of +20 damage to her big ultimate - Sonic Wave. QoP has been more of a situation pick in the last couple of patches. However, after these little additions, we might see her more often.

Death Prophet

Death Prophet is also on the buff radar this time around. Valve reduced Crypt Swarm's mana cost. They also lowered the cast point of Silence to 0.4. Additionally, Death Prophet's level 15 talent now provides +175 Cast Range instead of +150. DP has always been a situational pick. Usually, the hero shows its full potential when she is combined with defensive support such as Omniknight, for example.

Conclusion

Be sure to read the full patch notes before you press the Play Dota button. The overall changes are good, especially if you hate Viper spammers. If Valve doesn’t pull a rabbit of their hat, the upcoming Stockholm Major should be played on 7.21c. Expect more information about it soon.

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