With the conclusion of the Elite League last Sunday, the Dota 2 community is now eagerly awaiting the next patch from Valve. And at the forefront of almost everyone's wishlist for nerfs is Witch Doctor's Aghanim's Shard upgrade, Voodoo Switcheroo.
One vocal Dota 2 fan has had enough of Zharvakko's transformation spell and took to the game's subreddit on April 15, expressing readiness for it to be nerfed or removed entirely. They highlighted it as a significant issue, particularly in Turbo, Dota 2's shorter and faster mode. "My muscle memory still leads me to first ban him in Turbo no matter what," echoed another player, with many others agreeing that Witch Doctor's dominance in the meta needs to come to an end.
When a Witch Doctor purchases Aghanim's Shard, they gain the Voodoo Switcheroo ability, allowing them to briefly transform into their ultimate Death Ward. While it's a toned-down version of the ultimate, it renders the hero "hidden" and invulnerable to damage for three seconds. When combined with the regular Death Ward and a Glimmer Cape for invisibility, the support can unleash significant damage unnoticed, without the need for wards or Dust.
Some players suggested alternative changes to Voodoo Switcheroo and Death Ward, like reverting to Physical damage. Patch 7.34 changed the ward's outgoing damage to Pure damage, effectively bypassing all resistances, but it's evident that the ability and its attached Shard upgrade remain too potent for players. Despite Valve reducing its damage and removing True Strike from the hero's Aghanim's Scepter upgrade over the last two patches, Witch Doctor's dominance persists.
Witch Doctor has seen a surge in popularity in Dota 2, particularly in lower ranks. He currently boasts an impressive 53.75 percent win rate this patch, according to stats site Dotabuff, making him the fourth-most picked hero behind Sniper, Lion, and Pudge.
When a hero becomes this dominant, it often signals an impending nerf. Therefore, the community will be closely monitoring Valve this week to see if a patch arrives and how they address Witch Doctor's prominence in the casual meta.