The notorious Dota 2 pub hero, Tinker, has seen a drastic decline in win rate following Patch 7.36 on May 23, largely due to significant changes to the hero's abilities, which effectively eliminated a crucial aspect of Tinker's gameplay overnight.
With every major patch, the metagame experiences a shakeup, and Patch 7.36 was no exception, introducing Facets and Innate abilities to all heroes. However, Tinker stands out with the most dramatic swing in win rate. Currently, the hero sits at a mere 35.18 percent win rate, plummeting from a respectable 49.40 percent prior to the patch.
Tinker underwent extensive kit reworks in Patch 7.36, with one crucial change fundamentally altering the hero's playstyle: Rearm no longer refreshes item cooldowns. This means Tinker can no longer utilize Soul Ring endlessly to spam spells or other items, eliminate the ability to constantly Blink around the map, maintain perma-Hex in the late game, or employ constant Wind Wakers as a get-out-of-jail-free card.
While Tinker was undeniably a challenging hero to deal with, particularly in uncoordinated pub matches, even staunch critics are surprised by the extent to which the hero's unique playstyle has been neutered. Some players lament the loss of the hero's flavor, expressing concern that heroes are being simplified to a mundane version of themselves.
Despite Tinker's rare appearances in both professional and pub games, the hero was a fixture in recent tier-one tournaments, such as DreamLeague S22, Elite League, ESL One Birmingham, and PGL Wallachia. Many argue that Tinker didn't warrant such a drastic nerf and, if anything, needed minor buffs to remain relevant in the meta.
Valve's adjustments seem to be pushing Tinker into a support role, evidenced by the introduction of the Repair Bots Facet and the removal of AoE on Laser, which was Tinker's farming tool. While the number of matches featuring Tinker in a support role is limited, there's a growing trend among high MMR pub players to experiment with this new approach, building items like Guardian Greaves and Solar Crest.
However, this shift represents a significant departure from Tinker's core identity, drawing comparisons to the Techies rework in Patch 7.31, where Remote Mines were removed from their kit. Some argue that these reworks indicate Valve's attempt to standardize hero abilities and make them more universally acceptable. This trend is also evident in the introduction of Facets in Patch 7.36 for micro-heavy heroes like Visage and Lycan.
While making less popular heroes more accessible is a commendable goal, Valve must tread carefully. Dota 2's complexity is part of its allure, and while catering to casual players is important for retention, sacrificing complexity for accessibility risks alienating dedicated players invested in the game's intricate mechanics.