Dota has a rich terminology, forming a distinct Dota vocabulary. It includes both modern terms like "sustain" or "contest", which might be unfamiliar to all, as well as ancient terms gradually fading from the Dota lexicon. Let's delve into these old names and their etymology.
"Panda(s)"
The Brewmaster model in the original Dota portrayed Chen Stormstout, a Pandaren monk from the Warcraft universe. Similar to the three spirits in Dota Allstars, the hero was a Pandaren, with his ultimate summoning three Pandas, elemental warriors.
To avoid copyright issues, Valve revamped the Brewmaster model for Dota 2. In the concepts for Dota 2, Brew no longer resembled a panda.
Despite no mention of pandas in the character lore, for players, he remained "Panda" forever.
"Imba"
These days in Dota, you'll more often hear the Russian "slomann/ polomann", the English equivalent "broken", or "OP" for overpowered. But "imba" remains a classic and probably one of the most common terms in gaming slang overall. "Imba" refers to an imbalanced character, item, or other in-game object, usually being too powerful. For example, Disruptor is definitely considered "imba" right now.
"Egg"
Phoenix's ultimate turns the hero into a burning sun, as described in the ability's description. But Dota players commonly refer to the Supernova ability as simply the "egg", as Phoenix is a bird, albeit mythical.
But the Phoenix egg is even more mythical than the bird itself. According to some legends, the phoenix does not lay eggs; instead, when it dies, it burns, and from its ashes, a chick is reborn. According to others, an egg appears in the ashes from which the chick hatches.
Given that the phoenix is a bird that never lays eggs, where did it come from?
In "Warcraft III," the ultimate of Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider was the Phoenix, whose model was used by the Dota Allstars hero. And when Kael's Phoenix died, it left behind an egg from which it was reborn.
"Sickle"
The image of Stygian Desolator in the original Dota was a blade, slicing flesh with splatters of blood. However, on the small in-game icon, it's challenging to discern this bloody slashing, and many mistook it for the hilt of the blade—a scythe. Hence the term "sickle" was born.
In Dota 2, Deso is much less frequently called that, although the item literally represents a scythe.
"Cookie/Tablet"
A humorous nickname you can still hear today. Hyperstone in the original Dota was depicted as a flat, round emblem, resembling a tablet or a cookie.
Void Stone had a similar image, sometimes called a "yellow cookie," but more often a "medal," even before the appearance of Medallion of Courage in Allstars.
The current Hyperstone bears little resemblance to a cookie, but the ancient "Tiny with a cookie" from some Dota old-timer still warms the heart.