Snapfire was a big pick at the LA Major qualifiers and has cemented themselves at the forefront of the meta.

Even though the latest patch in Dota 2 has been out only for a couple of weeks now, we already have a couple of heroes that stand out. Last week was full of epic Dota 2 action because we got to see the qualifiers for the Los Angeles Major. After many amazing series, it is now time to step back and take a look at one of the most contested heroes in all of them - Snapfire.

Who is Snapfire?

This hero (alongside Void Spirit) were the two new heroes that got released in the Outlanders Update. Similarly to every new hero, Snapfire was not allowed to be picked in Captain’s Mode in the beginning. However, after a couple of months in the pub meta, IceFrog decided to give it a go in patch 7.24.

As a result, this hero quickly rose to the top and became the second most contested hero in LA Major qualifiers so far. This doesn’t really come as a surprise, consider how strong Snapfire is. Often picked as an offlaner in pub games, this hero made a slow transition to support in the last couple of weeks.

Thanks to its tanky nature, high-damage spells and a reliable escape mechanism, Snapfire makes a great laner, especially against weak heroes.

What Changed in patch 7.24?

Apart from the fact that Snapfire was added to CM mode, there were two nerfs as well. Firstly, the hero’s base damage is now reduced by four, which was definitely needed. Even though this nerf might not sound like much, it is actually a pretty significant amount. Snapfire used to deal insane amounts of damage with her Lil’ Shredder, especially on level one. Now, even if it’s just -4, it is still just a bit bearable.

Another nerf that had to be done a long time go is related to her Firesnap Cookie. This is the spell that makes this hero really strong because it has a fairly reliable escape mechanism. However, the mechanic behind this ability was just too broken because it allowed the unit on which it’s used to basically escape from abilities such as Black Hole, Chronosphere, and Kinetic Field. Needless to say, this had to be changed.

How can you make the most out of this hero?

As we’ve mentioned above, Snapfire can be used in many scenarios. Judging by her massive stats in these qualifiers, she can fit many roles in different team compositions. This hero was picked a total of 81 times and has a total of 52% win rating, which are not bad numbers at all.

In addition to being a strong laner, this hero can also work very well in conjunction with most AoE spells. Thank’s to the utterly-broken ultimate, Snapfire can deal absolutely insane amounts of damage, given the circumstances.

Getting the proper items

Since this hero mainly shines as support, it can benefit from most support items out there. Usually, things like Guardian Greaves, Force Staff, and Glimmer’s Cape will do wonders. However, if you’re in a game where you’re dominating heavily, you can also opt for a Rod of Atos. This item works very well with your ultimate because it allows you to hit your enemy at least two times with it, which still does a pretty hefty amount of damage.

Conclusion

We definitely advise our readers to learn how to play with Snapfire because this hero is a blast to play. Apart from being very fun, this hero can also be a very good MMR booster, so keep that in mind.