We examine the top 5 performing facets in the mid-lane from the last week of Dota 2 games on patch 7.36.
Innate abilities and facets may have seemed overwhelming when they first arrived with Dota 2 patch 7.36, but most players have adapted well to them in a short time.
A few days ago, the third balance patch following the release of the main patch – Dota 2 patch 7.36c – was released, introducing a few nerfs before the Riyadh Masters. Here, we look at five facets that have been performing the best in the mid-lane over the last seven days in pubs.
The facets have been selected as the best-performing ones from the Immortal bracket. This data is sourced from Dotabuff. The selection of facets is based on those with high win rates and at least 1,000 games played in the past week. Analyzing facets can be tricky, as a high win rate doesn't necessarily mean it's one of the best in the game. It could simply be a case of a strong hero using the preferred facet.
Visage – Sepulchre (Games: 2,131, Win rate: 57.28%)
Facet pick rate in pubs for the past week: 86.06%
Visage isn't the easiest hero to play, but once mastered, he can dominate the mid-lane. Sepulchre is popular because it enhances two abilities – Grave Chill and Summon Familiars. Grave Chill gains a small 250 AoE, which is beneficial in clustered team fights. The major appeal of this facet is that Visage can recall his Familiars from anywhere with a 4-second delay and no cooldown. This provides an additional way to save his Familiars besides Stone Form, preventing extra gold from going to the enemy and ensuring the hero has his summons available more often.
Broodmother – Necrotic Webs (Games: 2,201, Win rate: 55.11%)
Facet pick rate in pubs for the past week: 56.25%
Necrotic Webs reduce the health regeneration of enemies, including regen from a Tango, Healing Salve, Bottle, and Water Rune. Facing an aggressive hero in the mid-lane, having your HP regen stunted can be a significant disadvantage.
Tiny – Crash Landing (Games: 11,635, Win rate: 54.72%)
Facet pick rate in pubs for the past week: 60.54%
Mid-Tiny typically plays a tempo-controlling role, making early-game moves to create space for the carry. This role aims to burst down the target with the Avalanche-Toss combo, followed by a Tree Throw if necessary. The additional Toss damage from Crash Landing can be the deciding factor in whether a Tiny ganks to the side lanes is successful, potentially altering the game's direction.
Ember Spirit – Double Impact (Games: 11,380, Win rate: 53.73%)
Facet pick rate in pubs for the past week: 81.08%
Double Impact provides more last-hitting potential and more damage in team fights. It always hits the closest target with the second sleight shot with reduced damage, allowing for strategic positioning, especially during the laning stage.
Phoenix – Dying Light (Games: 1,844, Win rate: 53.57%)
Facet pick rate in pubs for the past week: 79.94%
Phoenix isn't typically a popular mid-hero, but Dying Light makes him a viable option. Combined with Radiance, it deals significant AoE damage. Since Phoenix sacrifices health to use his spells, he's rarely at full HP. Additionally, Radiance continues to deal burn damage when Supernova is activated, making the mid-Radiance build on Phoenix with Dying Light a strong combination.
Honorable Mentions
Arc Warden – Disorder (Games: 3,329, Win rate: 57.28%)
Lone Druid – Bear with Me (Games: 1,959, Win rate: 56%)
Earth Spirit – Resonance (Games: 1,357, Win rate: 53.21%)
Arc Warden has the highest win rate but only makes the honorable mentions as he doesn't perform well in the lower tiers of Dota 2 pubs.
As the meta stabilizes following the release of Dota 2 patch 7.36c, GosuGamers will take a closer look at which heroes are performing best in each of the five roles.