The Drow + Visage Strat is hardly a secret, and I fully expect Evil Genius to pull it out at TI 7, maybe with a Puck in the offlane. Teams looking to play at a high tempo will lock in Shadow Shaman fast during the drafting phrase. He’s also gives you plenty of single-target lock down, which can be key in securing pick-offs on enemy cores. Shaman gives your team that power you need to take objectives, whether it’s Roshan or early towers, and any line-up with a Shaman will look to play around the timing of his Ultimate. Base Damage buffs, Strength Gain buffs, buffs to his Mass Serpent Wards, buffs to his talents… It’s hardly surprising that he’s finally made it into the competitive meta. Talking of closing out games… Shadow Shaman has been getting buff after buff, patch after patch. Expect to see plenty of AM over the next few weeks. The recent changes to the Neutral Camp respawn times may be part of what’s brought him back into the meta, making that early Battlefury far more impactful once he’s got it. But he’s also a hero that’s tricky to kill, and does exceptionally well at split pushing and frustrating line-ups that want to close out a game. He’s not a hero you’d typically see picked up early on in a draft but he’s looking like the best greedy carry option going into TI 7. We saw a huge amount of Anti-Mage at DreamLeague and with a lot of success. Very few players can react quickly enough to dodge or get off their Black King Bar before that Echo Slam initiation ruins their day. Secondly, Earthshaker provides a largely unparalleled combination of team-fight lock down and damage. This means you can pick him up early on in the draft without giving much away or committing to a specific laning strategy. Why is this hero being prioritized then? Firstly, Earthshaker is now a pretty versatile hero – he can be a support, he can be an offlaner, and he can even be played in the mid lane occasionally. Earthshaker back in the meta with a bang and he’s likely to be the top pick at TI 7 if the past month is anything to go by. Which heroes will define the The International Dota 2 Championships 2017? Will it be the push heroes of TI4, with Nature’s Prophet and Shadow Shaman reigning supreme? Or the rat Dota of TI3 with the Tiny-Wisp combo making a comeback? Are you hoping for the sheer versatility and mayhem of TI6? Or the intricate drafting strategies that won Evil Geniuses TI5? With the TI7 group stage kicking off tomorrow, let’s take a look at what we’ve got in store.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |