https://www.cybersport.ru/dota-2/articles/so-dna-na-vershinu-vinreita-geroi-dota-2-kotorykh-patch-7-29-vernul-v-metu

Faceless void

In patch 7.28, it was possible to get several reports from teammates if you chose Faceless Void for carry. The character was downright weak in the laning stage and rarely could compete with Juggernaut, Troll Warlord or Wraith King in farm speed. Valve tried to make Faceless Void in demand, and judging by the statistics, the developers succeeded. The hero’s winrate has increased by 4%, and his popularity has climbed from 8 to 10.5%.

In 7.29, Faceless Void received an increase in armor, an increase in damage from Time Lock, and a noticeable buff for the ultimate. It is now much easier to catch mobile heroes with the Chronosphere – the delay before using the ability has been halved. Apparently, now there will be fewer “golden domes”. However, the main gift for Faceless Void from the developers was the amplification of Time Dilation. Abilities reduced cooldown and added damage for each skill used by an opponent. Now, in theory, Faceless Void is capable of inflicting almost 300 damage to the enemy already at the second level of Time Dilation, so the hero on the lane will feel much more comfortable. If earlier he hoped exclusively for stuns from Time Lock, now there is a reason to study Time Dilation as early as possible and use it to knead your opponent.

In addition, Faceless Void received a modified Aghanim’s Shard. The artifact grants a bonus to the range of Time Walk that was previously available as a talent. At the same time, the talents themselves were also strengthened. And if at low ranks gamers have not yet fully “tasted” the updated Faceless Void, then at high MMR the hero already has a winrate of more than 52.5% and he is gradually entering the list of the most demanded carries.

Necrophos

At 7.28, Necrophos almost completely dropped out of the meta – for example, at the Major in Singapore, the hero was taken only once. Valve decided to correct this injustice and significantly strengthened the character in 7.29. First of all, now Necrophos can comfortably finish off creeps at the laning stage and without using abilities: the character has increased the speed of the projectile and reduced the delay before the attack. But Necrophos is one of those characters who are especially dependent on a successful last hit on the lane, and therefore this is a really important power-up.

However, Valve did not stop there and improved Necrophos three abilities at once: Reaper’s Scythe decreased the delay before use, Heartstopper Aura increased the duration and amount of health and mana regeneration, and Ghost Shroud now slows enemies a little more. Together, these buffs gave the character a noticeable boost at all stages of the game.

But the main thing is that the developers changed Aghanim’s Shard, making it a must-have artifact for Necrophos. Now, with the help of this item, the character can use Death Seeker on allies and rivals, which activates Death Pulse and gives an ethereal form for 2.5 seconds. Moreover, if the spell is aimed at the enemy, it will also reduce the resistance to magic by 25%. For 1,400 gold, Necrophos gets an analogue of Ghost Scepter, which can be used to save allies. At the same time, Aghanim’s Shard increases the hero’s potential in single kills. Necrophos now even without a high level Dagon will be able to “click” enemy characters in the middle of the match. And if you add to this the Veil of Discord, which was also strengthened in the patch, you get a very dangerous combination.

All these bonuses, naturally, were reflected in Necrophos’ performance in matchmaking. After the patch was released, the hero’s winrate increased by 4%, and his popularity – by one and a half times. Probably very soon Necrophos will return to the professional Dota 2 scene.

Drow ranger

As with Specter, the main buff for Drow Ranger in 7.29 was the Battle Fury nerf. Now it is much easier for the character to compete in farm speed with other carries, who previously preferred to collect through this artifact. But the items that Drow Ranger herself loves – Manta Style, Dragon Lance and Hurricane Pike – have been strengthened.

Drow Ranger also received a small but very nice bonus in the form of a decrease in the delay before an attack, which will allow her to better finish off creeps in the lane. Reducing Multishot’s cooldown by another two seconds with the level 15 talent made this ability even stronger. However, the main thing is the strengthened Aghanim’s Shard, which began to be bought on Drow Ranger in almost every second game: now the slowdown from the “hypothermia” effect has been increased from 25 to 40%. Together, these small changes have given the hero a noticeable boost: Drow Ranger’s matchmaking winrate has increased by over 6% since the release of patch 7.29. From a forgotten character, she turned into one of the most meta carries.

Medusa

This is not to say that Medusa completely dropped out of patch 7.28. The hero was quite popular, including on the professional scene, but remained extremely ineffective. He was even in the top 5 characters with the lowest win percentage at some ranks in Dota 2 at the end of the last patch. With 7.29, Medusa’s winrate finally surpassed 50%, up 5%. At high ranks, he reached a record 56.7% – one of the best performers among core characters.

What influenced these changes? First, as with Drow Ranger, item balancing and Battle Fury weakening. In addition, Valve significantly strengthened Satanic, adding a dispel effect on use, and this artifact was one of the key artifacts for the hero in the late game. Secondly, the character has increased base recovery and added the ability to Mana Shield a permanent bonus to mana. Thanks to the latest power-up, Medusa now has no problems with manapolding in the lane and can more often punch the enemy offlaner with Mystic Snake, which makes it much more comfortable in the early stages.

In addition, the developers have increased the effectiveness of the Aghanim’s Scepter bonus. Now the petrification from Mystic Snake lasts longer, which makes the artifact more popular. If Aghanim’s Scepter was taken in extreme cases, now professional players began to buy it regularly, and sometimes even in the early stages of matches. With the Battle Fury nerf and the retirement of the Necronomicon, Medusa could once again take the lead in farming late carries with 7.29.

Winter wyvern

Winter Wyvern dropped out of professional Dota 2 in patch 7.28. During the first season of DPC 2023, in some regions, the hero was practically not chosen, and at the Major in Singapore they were picked only four times. Patch 7.29 is likely to bring Winter Wyvern back into the ranks of the most sought-after supports in the pro scene.

Before the release of patch 7.29, we were talking about Valve needing to strengthen Aghanim’s Shard for some characters, including Winter Wyvern. The developers drew attention to the weakness of the artifact for the hero and changed the bonus from the item. Aghanim’s Shard now reduces the cooldown of Cold Embrace by five seconds, which means it can be used every ten seconds. At the same time, Valve also increased the bonus from the talent at the tenth level – now it increases health regeneration by 1.5%. Together, these buffs allow the hero to heal allies extremely effectively and often.

In addition, Valve reduced the cooldown of Arctic Burn at level 1 by eight seconds. This is an extremely important buff for the laning stage: it was Arctic Burn that allowed Winter Wyvern to exchange health with enemy characters, but a 50 second cooldown made the ability rather weak. The result of the changes can already be seen in matchmaking: at the high rating, Winter Wyvern became the most successful and one of the most popular supports with a win rate of 57.6%. The overall win rate of the hero in matches at all ranks in Dota 2 has increased by 3.99%.

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