Team picks for Dota 2. Time-tested picks. Final thoughts on Team Liquid and Newbee picks

The fast-paced professional meta was introduced this year's Dota Pro Circuit as a direct result of Valve's recently revamped approach to patching.

Over the course of this season, the competitive scene has been forced to quickly adapt to the ever-changing meta.

These changes have led to the fact that the current season DPC is addictive, promoting experimental picks, aggressive game strategies and inventive combinations. Both the unstable meta and the proximity of each of the tournaments this year have served as a catalyst for a varied and mesmerizing spectacle. It's fun to watch each professional team modify their strategies in real time.

Insofar as TI8 looms in the not so distant future, determining the most effective heroes, their counterpicks and combinations is most important now.

Strong against	Weak against	Preferred in
		Team Liquid

As part of the DPC, it climbed to the top of the selection frequency graph for the last 30 days - more than 152 combined elections / bans and 53.3% win rate. Pro teams are increasingly using opportunities for early game impact and powerful AoE destruction from the ultimate.

Crazy pace play style this season is well suited to his ability to engage in early skirmishes. Synergy between core abilities: Rocket barrage and Homing missile make enemies flee unprecedented, hold back enemy ganks, and provide lane kills.

The rise in popularity this season began at ESL One Katowice where he became the fourth most contested hero in the professional scene. Some of the most successful teams are from Virtus.Pro before Vici Gaming- trusted him with their line (if he was not banned). Since then, character has remained a top priority for teams looking to solidify their position with two core slots.

With such reliable utility based on his powerful set of abilities, the hero is able to exert tremendous pressure on opponents. As the game progresses, his expanding dominance of the map dictates the pace of the battle.

It also serves as an effective roamer due to its range of application. Homing missile v 1050 , allowing him to subtly stun a target before attacking them with impressively high damage. Paired with a strong disabler by type or Puck, it becomes difficult for the opponent to reach. The flexibility of its various build options also makes it highly adaptable and not easy to resist in most circumstances.

With increasing prevalence in the competitive scene, serves as an excellent counter-choice. While the patch 7.12 increased reload time Flak cannon with 30 before 40 seconds and reduced the number of hits required to destroy Homing missile, before three, - target search radius and cast range remain unchanged for both abilities.

It's too early to determine how much benefit these nerfs will have. Most of the hero's strength directly depends on the recharge rate of his abilities. At first glance, these changes seem a little serious, but the speed with which he could participate in battles to the fullest was too high. The Dota 2 Asia Championship 2018 will be the first tournament in which we learn how these changes affect the popularity of the hero.

While it tends to fall over the 45 minute time frame, the pro meta's focus is on dominating the early to mid-match match according to its ability. The hero's presence in the early game, combined with ample outgoing damage, makes him a consistently reliable addition to any lane.

Strong against	Weak against	Preferred in
Nature's Prophet		VGJ.Thunder OpTic Gaming Infamous

The snowball (death) is reborn in the current meta. The recurring popularity of a strategy that prioritizes the early demolition of towers with an emphasis on killing has led to a recent spike in appearances in recent tournaments. Such a strategy, originally popularized by Vici Gaming on TI4, requires a set of heroes with capable AoE and powerful abilities to execute correctly.

Her variety of extremely flexible set of abilities allows her to perform many functions on the battlefield. brings dynamic utility to almost any situation - be it pushing towers with Exorcism, dealing damage with Spirit siphon or silence targets with a radius 425 .

Patch 7.12 increased mana cost Silence c 80 at every level up to 80/90/100/110 , and also increased the charge recovery time Spirit siphon with 45 before 60/55/50/45 . Although the "Prophet of Death" has not had any significant changes since the release of the patch 7.07 , it is interesting to see how professionals interpret them.

It is clear that it must remain a formidable contender in the middle lane, which can boast of vitality and impressive damage.The professional meta focuses on creating a successful laning stage, as befits, that expands its influence to other lanes after conquering yours with relative ease.

D starting nomination is not its only advantage. The influence extends well to team battles.The only thing more terrifying than watching the whirling ghosts tearing apart your teammates is becoming another victim. Spirit siphon. The ability allows her to compensate for the massive amount of damage taken by quickly depleting her target's health.

Strategy and abilities, strong synergy potential, combined with a number of direct buffs she received between patches 7.00-7.07 , made an irrefutably compelling option on the pro scene. Recently GESC: Thailand Minor she was the second most contested hero in the center lane and the fifth overall. Crobelus currently occupies 7th place in the schedule of priorities of choice DPC - 120 combined elections / bans for the last 30 days and 50.8% victories. At this point, it is obvious that the hero is on the radars of each team.

Strong against	Weak against	Preferred in
		Vici Gaming Mineski

Historically, the professional meta has largely been ignored in the past. With the change from the meta to linear domination, it was time for him to take the stage. Incredible versatility earned him third place in the combined choices / bans - for and Chen for the last 30 days. The hero is currently the first choice. He is also a top offlane hero and position 4 support. Needless to say, what is at the epicenter of events (no matter how punishing it sounds).

The hero serves as an attractive option due to his competence in almost any role (including seven carries if he farms well). While generally prioritized, it also provides aggressive support for double or triple lane carries (especially against melee heroes). Abilities such as Burrowstrike and Sand storm, serve as a powerful deterrent in line-to-line confrontation, aiming to provide kills for carries.

If it finds any difficulty in securing early killings, Caustic finale allows the hero to retreat to farm. These low cast and cooldown abilities also give the hero an inexpensive dodge.

Remains a constant threat throughout the match as a result of the incredible scaling provided by its energetic set of abilities. Their usefulness is enhanced even more when combined with Blink dagger and Force staff... With the right build, the Sand King exhibits one of the strongest grasping points in the game.

As for team battles, the huge damage from accurate Epicenter can quickly turn the tide of most battles. The hero's unrivaled initiation ability allows him to quickly engage in combat, stun / slow down and inflict catastrophic damage before retreating unharmed. Ideal for teams looking to dictate the pace of the match early on.

Has a win rate in public matches 48.02% compared with 51% on DPC... The discrepancy in numbers is most likely due to its relative difficulty in the game. in the hands of a capable player is a mighty force to fight. But he becomes an easy target in the hands of the player who acquired the necessary items and level at the wrong time.

Long list of impairments introduced with the patch 7.12 , did not pass him by. Stun speed Burrowstrike has been increased from 2.17 before 1.9/2.0/2.1/2.2 seconds, and its base movement speed has been reduced from 295 before 290 ... Shorter stun at first levels Burrowstrike offset by additional 0.03 seconds at maximum. The slight movement speed reduction is easily complemented by the mobility level attached to the standard hero build.

With the release of itself last update the same day it started DAC 2018, fans will find out if it remains, or is returning to its sands again.

Timing is everything in Dota especially when the meta converts so quickly. Teams are now more capable of effectively anticipating where the meta is heading in order to gain an edge. Understanding which heroes offer the most reliability and benefit the most from each new change is paramount to success. The heroes listed above fit the conditions of the current fashion, but for how long?

Every player in Dota 2Whether you are an amateur or a seasoned esports player, you know that the game meta is constantly changing. In addition, within the framework of major championships, a special meta develops, the patterns of which are set by the best of the best. Together we watched the teams fight for the title of championsThe International 2018 , and edition sitecould not help but pay attention to the meta formed within the framework of the tournament. In this material, the editorssitewill pay attention to the most popular heroes the main tournament of the year.

She became an absolute record holder at the last championship. Forest Nymph was involved in 94% of drafts, with 34 picks and (just think!) 150 bans. The popularity is mainly due to the fact that the character organically blended into the meta of paired lanes: while opponents are forced to form tandems, he feels comfortable without a support hero on the lane.

Accordingly, the choice of this character largely unties the hands: with such a self-sufficient offlaner, the team can afford a roamer in the fourth position, and he will not be tied to a certain line. The strengths of the graceful nymph were appreciated PSG.LGD, Evil Geniuses, a OG and did indeed initiate the trend of its peaks. Despite the fact that she turned into a hero for the off lane, a tribute to the "forest" -support on The International 2018 also gave it away.

Much more varied in Vancouver was Tiny: he was chosen as a mid lane, sent to the "easy" lane, turned into an offlane, and even tested in the fourth position. Unsurprisingly, he appeared in a total of 78 matches and was banned another 95 times. Popularity Tiny undeniable, but the situation with success is much worse - his winrate barely exceeded 40%. A similar situation developed with his frequent partner Io: with 33 picks less than 40% of matches won, but the hero ended up in the ban 140 times.

The threat came from where it was not expected. A real star on The International 2018 became - a long-forgotten character with the stigma “a hero not for a professional stage”. King Leoric appeared in 66 matches and won more than half of them: the players fully showed his multivariance. After experimenting with as the main core character and the "four", the professionals still agreed that Leorica should be an offlaneer. Fast Blink Dagger, and then - even Radiance, even Blade Mail, even Heaven's Halberd, there are many options, and each is good in a certain situation.

In the group stage of the competition, another hero who has lost its former glory burst into the arena. At one time, “quick push” strategies were in demand, but opposition was found - Traxes disappeared from the radar and sat in the backyard right up to the Canadian event. On The International 2018 with the participation of 29 matches, 20 of which ended in her favor. Neither the representatives of the West, nor the team from the East refused from the opportunity to strengthen their lines with the help of the aura of the archer.

For obvious reasons, on one side of the barricade with often found themselves, Weaver and . So, the last two were fixed in the ranking of the most demanded core characters: they were used both on the middle lane and on the sidelines. They quickly deal with towers, confidently hold on to the laning stage and, in general, are not afraid of either dynamic or protracted matches. Statistics will serve as confirmation: Weaver was selected 62 times and banned - 117. Meta The International 2018 By the way, it also affected matchmaking: at the height of the tournament, the frequency of hero picks in ranked games increased by almost 5%.

We've talked about record levels of the ban - now let's pay attention to the most demanded heroes. Drafters love it in Vancouver! The "spirit of revenge" literally confused all the cards for the predictors, because no one expected that the character would be preferred in 89 battles, and the percentage of victories almost reached 54. Alas, at such a long distance Shendelzar did not appear before the audience in various images: she is above the fourth position she did not rise, although even the grandees of the competitive scene did not refuse to test her suitability as a carry.

In a sense, personal indicators can be considered sensational. Nescrophos and - heroes who are usually not in demand everywhere. At 57 peaks Necrophos banned 114 times, and overtook him by only one match and lost by 7 bans. Nevertheless, Northrom is more successful than the old man with the scythe: 28 fights ended in his triumph, and thanks for this is mostly the vice-champions in the person PSG.LGD and also the guys from Team Secret... It is not surprising that the demand for matchmaking has grown from 11% to 18% in just a week.

Quite expectedly, she shone at the final tournament of the season, which, according to many experts, is the strongest character of the fourth position in the current meta, so abandoning her is an unforgivable mistake. The fairy, however, cannot boast of the same popularity as, and she did not make it to the list of the most forbidden heroes, but she won 37 out of 66 battles fought. They simply could not pass by PSG.LGD, Virtus.pro,Evil Geniuses, Team Serenity, Mineski... The list can be continued for a long time! I wonder when someone will be able to push her off the pedestal?

• Take a hero who is disabled early on. And I don't mean Warlock's ultimate.
• Make sure not to reveal all the cards. There are two ways how to do it:
  • Get a flexible hero early on.
  • Do not get lost in attempts to build synergy and calculate everything, because of this, all lines may suffer.
• Need at least some AoE nuke. It is necessary both for countering split pushing and in order to deal with heroes like Broodmother, Meepo and so on.
• It is necessary that the team combine different types damage - both magical and physical. Otherwise, you can easily be countered with the help of Pipe of Insight, Black King Bar, Assault Cuirass, Vladmir's Offering and similar items.
• Recruit heroes for the strategy, but do not overdo it. Taking five heroes that do the same thing is a bad idea.

First ban phase

Target:

• Get rid of heroes who are strong and flexible picks in the current meta, and which you are not going to take. You can also remove a hero that interferes with your planned strategy.

Patch 7.06 has some standard first bans:

• Earthshaker: Can do absolutely everything except demolition of towers. Great ban if you're going to snowball, teamfight, split push, or 4 + 1. Well, if you don't want to play against a "slow" team.
• Nyx assassin: Same as Earthshaker, but even more annoying when trying to push against him when he has Aghanim "s Scepter. Less team-mixing so you can snowball against him.
• Night stalker: One of the best gankers in the game and also provides a ridiculously huge vision advantage. Take away if you want to take Keeper of the light and also if you want to play through ganks or teamfights.
• Keeper of the light: A great slow hero who can provide the main characters with infinite mana, and in the late stage - make a hellish push with Aghanim "s Scepter. Ban if you do not want to play against 4 + 1 or" slow "line-up.

We shift this to the draft:

• Team Liquid bans Night Stalker: A very strong pick, which also counters one of the best Liquid heroes in the tournament - Keeper of the Light. If you are Team Liquid, then 9/10 of the time you need to start with this ban.
• Newbee bans Io: Io has always been one of the strongest heroes in the game on the teams played. Also next to Keeper of the Light best hero GH. You can ignore Io if you are playing against a random team or just in a pub.
• Team Liquid bans Earth Spirit: One of the strongest kaka heroes. Strong first pick with a lot of control. Suggests that Team Liquid is going to take heroes that hate being kited.
• Newbee bans Earthshaker: Strong meta pick throughout the tournament. Great amount control. Could mean Newbee is going to take heroes who don't like being kited or five characters to push.

It's important to note that Newbee left Keeper of the Light (as did the LFY before) as well as Nature's Prophet, which may have been the reason behind Team Liquid's victory in the previous streak against LFY.

Phase of the first peak

Objectives in order of importance:

• Leave the strategy incomprehensible to the opponent, and the opportunities to send heroes to different lanes are open. You just need to take heroes who can perform in different roles depending on the amount of farming, items, lines or pumping abilities.
• Take the heroes you want to get hold of and are afraid that they may be banned in the next phase or taken for yourself. Not less important than the first point.
• Obtain at least one disable.
• Get someone who can somehow clear the lines.
• Get a mix of magic and physical damage.
• Get a hero with whom you can make a good combo, especially if you have a second pick. If you have the fourth pick, then you can try to counter the opponent's combo.

Usually in this phase you can perform all the described points. Suitable heroes in 7.06: Earthshaker, Nyx Assassin, Night Stalker, Batrider, Earth Spirit, Sand King, Puck.

From here there are good combinations that can be picked up on the second pick: Night Stalker + Batrider (excellent visibility, allowing you to successfully catch in the "lasso"), Sand King / Earthshaker / Earth Spirit + Puck (combo of ultimates).

We shift to the draft:

• Team Liquid takes Nature's Prophet: As mentioned, he was one of the main reasons for winning the previous series against LFY. Newbee barely had time to prepare for it, unlike Keeper of the Light, which Team Liquid played with throughout the tournament. An excellent pick for Team Liquid, who can push and also provides trending visibility and a global presence in the teamfight.
• Newbee takes on Nyx Assassin: One of the most popular picks in the tournament, which fits all the conditions described above. An excellent counter to the favorite Team Liquid Keeper of the Light, which makes his pick less likely.
• Newbee Takes Bloodseeker: A hero that this team values ​​very much, and, moreover, took him in all the games of the previous series against LFY. Allows them to quickly clear lines and combine magic and physical damage. The downside is that it is a deadly mistake if Newbee's strategy is to overpick the opponent.
• Team Liquid takes Slardar: There is a disable that the team would really miss if they chose Keeper of the Light. He's also good against Bloodseeker and Nyx Assassin. They're both melee heroes, so it's easy to crush them. Thanks to this, he is excellent at counter-initiating ganks, and can also just stand in the center of the fight and beat due to the large amount of health and strength. A support that does not reveal Team Liquid's strategy.

Second ban phase

Goals:

• Find out what heroes the opponent needs in the next phase, depending on the free positions, and remove them.
• Ban heroes that are countering your draft and especially your main characters. It sounds simple, but you don't want to give out a game plan. Unless you are sure there is no other way to counter your peak.

Usually this phase is focused on the main playmakers, because no one wants to give the enemy two convenient characters, despite the fact that in order to counter both of them, there is only one peak left.

We shift to the draft:

• Newbee bans Huskar: A hero who is very good at three things: wins the lane, smashes cows with magic damage, survives thanks to the Armlet of Mordiggian or supports. This indicates that Newbee is going to focus on magic damage in order to pick up heroes. It also means that they might want to use these heroes against anyone other than Huskar - like Viper, Anti-Mage, etc.
• Team Liquid bans Tidehunter and Ax: Team Liquid decides to focus on offlaners, especially tanks with great mass initiation. And this is logical, because if Newbee takes these characters, then the contribution from Silence from Bloodseeker or Impale from Nyx Assassin may be too great. The fact that they are removing offlane “enforcers” may also mean that they are no longer going to take heroes that reduce armor. And without them, it would be problematic to make out such characters. The third conclusion that can be drawn from these bans is that they seem to be not particularly afraid of the large gank potential of the next two picks of Newbee. This means that Team Liquid is going to play through three cows and / or pick for team fights.
• Newbee bans Venomancer (before Team Liquid's Ax ban): A hero who, if starting as a core, has tremendous magical (and physical) damage. The main thing this hero is good at is killing characters over time and "snowballing". This may mean that Newbee is not going to pick heroes with healing, and is also afraid of exchanging kills: if the team will go gank Venomancer, she will most likely die from damage that she will receive over time, in conjunction with the movements of Nature's Prophet.

Phase of the second peak

Goals:

• Synergy with your picks and alignment with your chosen strategy.
• Fill in the draft gaps left after the first two picks.
• Counter the heroes / strategy that the opponent is most likely using.

We shift to the draft:

• Newbee beret crystal maiden: Another hero who is very good at ganking, especially in the early game. After she is no longer useful in the woods, she needs to be successful in ganks in order to maintain her potential. You should also remember about the aura when you see this peak. Crystal Maiden has an AoE nuke, albeit a small one.
• Team Liquid takes Lich: A hero who totally counteracts what Crystal Maiden wants to do. Lich has a lane under your tower and it becomes very difficult for a slow hero like Crystal Maiden to gank. One of your main characters always gets the necessary farm. Team Liquid players understand that they have got a well balanced pair of supports: one (Slardar) needs successful ganks to get a farm, and the other is useful even when he has absolutely nothing. Nyx Assassin, Bloodseeker and Crystal Maiden are heroes who need levels, and Lich will take it anyway.
• Newbee takes Batrider: Another hero who needs gold, and therefore ganks. When Nyx Assassin, Crystal Maiden and Batrider are at their peak, Team Liquid already knows that Nyx Assassin is a support, and Crystal Maiden is a fifth position, and they both need a lot of gold and experience. They will gank a lot. Newbee has revealed all the cards, and Team Liquid has already defended with the help of Lich, which will keep the lane under the tower and prevent farming.
• Team Liquid takes Lifestealer: He can climb into Slardar and issue an infest bomb, and he is also difficult to gank: he just hits Rage and flies away. Lifestealer can tank and hit towers well, which is exactly what Team Liquid's draft was lacking. The team's plan for the game is still unclear: Slardar and Lifestealer make people think that the main feature will be in ganks and midgame; Nature's Prophet is more about pushing, while Lich hints at the late game - it will provide a safe start to the second core.

Final ban

Objectives in order of importance:

• Find out which position the enemy has not yet chosen.
• Find out what tactics the opponents have for the game and who they should take.
• Get rid of the hero that interferes with your game plan.

You need to pay special attention to peaks that can be easily countered in the beginning, but which have nothing to counter if you do not have the last peak. Examples of such heroes: Broodmother, Phantom Lancer, Chaos Knight, Meepo, Huskar, Anti-Mage, Alchemist, Naga Siren, Arc Warden, Specter, Medusa, Morphling, Ursa, Techies.

We shift to the draft:

• Newbee bans Morphling: Newbee shows that he is very afraid of the hard carry, who can easily farm, and then just as easily kill. It becomes apparent that Newbee is targeting early game with ganks and the end of the match to midgame.
• Team Liquid bans Queen of Pain: A strong ganker that fits Newbee's plan, but is good at both lane pushing and teamfighting. A lot of burst damage, and this is what Newbee does not have now.

Final peak

Goals:

• Break the game. A good final pick is a hero who seems unfairly strong because he is taken with the most suitable allies.
• If you have the very last pick, this gives you an advantage: you can take a hero that will counter the enemy core (most often it is the mid lane).
• Surprise the enemy. If the draft remains open, you can surprise your opponent by reversing roles and lanes.

We shift to the draft:

• Team Liquid takes Troll Warlord: Completely completes Team Liquid's snowball strategy. A lineup with three cores that wins with a right click will eat towers after each successful gank from Nature's Prophet or Slardar.
• Newbee takes Lina: An excellent counter to Troll Warlord due to its huge attack distance, movement speed and strong nuke. Gives Newbee a combo where you can hit any enemy with a strong lineup. Great tower breaker in the late game.

Final thoughts on Team Liquid and Newbee picks

Watch

Team Liquid

• Lineup: Nature "s Prophet, Slardar, Lich, Lifestealer, Troll Warlord
• Tactics: Overtake your opponent and snowball

• Ban Night Stalker. They wanted to ban Newbee, as if they were going to take Keeper of the Light and not go into the "snowball" strategy, but the ban seems strange. I would rather remove Nyx Assassin.
• The bans in the second phase were too explicitly aimed at heroes who could stop the snowball, and it was clear that the team was not afraid of ganks. Newbee was unable to take advantage of this - and this is no less a mistake. I think they could have banned less obvious and more meta heroes like Sand King.

What Team Liquid did really well:

• Ban Earth Spirit. A terrific hero who interferes with the snowball, who is not suspicious in the event of a ban, and whom Newbee often takes.
• Didn't disclose the strategy until the very last peak. Despite the bans of the second stage, Team Liquid never once hinted to the opponent about their plans.
• Nature's Prophet to the first pick. Although not the most flexible character in terms of lanes, Team Liquid chose him due to the large number of possible play styles. The hero can gank, push, split-push and fight.
• Banning Queen of Pain. Newbee had enough disables already, which means Lina is just the "Queen of Pain of the Smoker" in this game. However, Queen of Pain is not very good at pushing, and this is the only reason why Lina could be preferred over her.
• Troll Warlord to the last peak. This is how the perfect last peak looks like. When the last character appears, the puzzle that Team Liquid has been piecing together from the very beginning is revealed. Lich helps him on the lane, Troll Warlord empowers the other two characters with a right-click and turns a simple gank strategy into an unrealistically powerful snowball.

Newbee

• Lineup: Nyx ​​Assassin, Bloodseeker, Crystal Maiden, Batrider, Lina
• Tactics: Lots of early picks that won't leave Team Liquid a chance to control the map.

Solutions that strike me as wrong:

• They didn't understand what Team Liquid was trying to achieve. Therefore, the draft was not flexible enough.
• They violated the "rule for all occasions": they took heroes, each of whom does the same thing.
• Banning Earthshaker: If you have a gank lineup, I'm not sure why you need to ban Earthshaker. Team Liquid would prefer Keeper of the Light to him anyway.
• Bloodseeker for Second Pick: Not a bad decision from Newbee, but Bloodseeker is too big a shot for a second pick. As a result, Team Liquid just swept over it.
• Crystal Maiden to the third pick: It's like Newbee talking into the microphone about her strategy of ganking and faring. After the third pick, Team Liquid had a lot of ways to deal with this, which they did, taking Lich and thereby protecting Troll Warlord.
• Batrider to the fourth pick: Newbee players have reached the fourth pick and suddenly realized that ... they need to somehow break the trees of Nature's Prophet? Here they are too fixated on control.
• Banning Morphling: Once again, it is clear that Newbee has no clue as to what Team Liquid is going to do.

What Newbee did really well:

• Nyx Assassin is a great first pick. The hero can gank, fight, harass, and so on. Just imagine what it would be like if Team Liquid took him instead of Slardar ...
• Ban Huskar: The hero would have played well against Team Liquid's heavy draft in midgame. Ban Venomancer: Can be annoying for Batrider, who cannot blink when poison is spat at him from all directions. A great flexible hero against the Team Liquid lineup. Lina's Choice: Good against Troll Warlord in lane and also when releasing. But she was taken too late, and she could no longer save the situation.

Cm is a captain mode in Dota 2. This is one of the game modes in which the heroes are chosen by the team captains, not the players themselves. Also, captains have the right to ban, that is, they can block some heroes. Cm implies an excellent knowledge of picks and tactics, since here often victories are won precisely at the stage of choosing heroes, and in the match itself everything is already pretty clear. Game Mode cm in Dota 2 is very popular, but it is quite complex, it has many nuances, which we will talk about in our article.

General nuances cm

It is possible to play both open and closed lobbies. Preference, of course, should be given to closed ones, since in open ones there is often a complete mess, which is no different from All Pick. Firstly, everyone wants to become a captain, because they think they know Dota 2 best of all. Secondly, the number of yells in the style of “Give me an Invoker and I’ll beat everyone down” or “Oh well, I won’t play for this XXX, he bottom "just rolls over.

In cm, bunches of heroes and counterpicks rule (we'll talk about this below), so here you can often see such characters as Io, which is not popular in the Dota 2 pub. Sometimes the main task of the captain is not to collect the optimal composition of heroes for his team, but to prohibit certain ones for the enemy.

There are six stages in cm before the start of matches:

• Two bans (prohibitions) from each team;
• Two choices from each team;
• Two bans each;
• Two choices each;
• One prohibition at a time;
• One choice.

How is cm different from the Dota 2 pub?

It is definitely not worth recommending to newcomers to Dota 2 cm, you will simply get lost there. If we compare it with a pub, then there are very big differences, one might even say that Captain Mode is a separate game. This is where team actions and playing for different heroes in Dota 2 are honed. And the main differences, in our opinion, are:

• The very mode of choosing heroes, which makes you think, in contrast to the pub, where they often grab those for whom they know how to play;
• From the first follows the second - in pubs, often everyone does not care about roles, but in cm you will not see how a carry, instead of farming, buys a chicken or puts wards;
• Dota 2 was conceived as team play and it is the cm mod that fully implements this idea;
• Many will just be interested in playing it, and learning Dota 2 will go much faster;
• Often it all depends on the captain, this can be attributed to the disadvantages. Especially if he is not too familiar with Dota 2, but only read the basics. Some people like obvious combinations, for example, taking nukers without mana and supporting them with Keeper of the Light. And you can't do anything, you have to play;
• CM matches often last much longer than pub games, especially if the two captains have heads on their shoulders.

Spades in cm in Dota 2

The stage of the peaks is the most interesting thing, which actually determines the further alignment and prospects of the team. Here they usually go in two ways:

• The tactics and skills of the team determine the peak;
• The peak determines the tactics.

The difference is that in the first case, the heroes are selected according to the team's capabilities, the main thing is that the enemy does not interfere. In the second case, they try to simply collect strong variations, use imbalance links, and all players adjust to this choice. If you already have a assembled team, then it is obvious that you should rely on the first option, picking those heroes, when playing for which the capabilities of your team are revealed most fully. At the same time, you need to prevent the enemy from collecting strong ligaments. In Dota 2, there are quite a few of them, and it is in cm that you need to know them.

We will not write specific links here, since it will be very long, and not very useful. In the sense that you should never rely on well-known combinations, the captain in cm must know the capabilities of all heroes and be able to think quickly. The enemy took three characters who open up to the late and bend everyone there? Well, take Ursa and Night Stalker, which by 6-7 minutes can cut out the entire enemy team. And there are a lot of similar examples, because the number of peak options in cm is virtually unlimited.

We recommend inventing your own combinations in Dota 2 or using complex and rare ones, and first of all ban those characters who can successfully resist them. The enemy may be glad that he was allowed to collect a very strong bundle, but he will not pay attention to the fact that she simply will not have time to pump, since you took heroes who are able to gank from the very beginning of the match.

It is also very important to know and understand that there can be no absolute option, any combination is countered in Dota 2. Another question is that sometimes at the peak stage it turns out that two teams have collected strong ligaments that do not counter each other. In this case, everything will be based on the ability to play.

CM tactics in Dota 2

The tactic in cm depends on the pick and on the plans for the match. Tactics can be conditionally divided into passive and aggressive play... The first is that the team just waits for the late, when the carry swings, after which they go to take out the enemy. With this approach, the most important thing is to control the map very well and not make mistakes. Of course, the team works for the carry, because he often becomes the only chance to win.

Aggressive tactics are sometimes forced. For example, the enemy has two hellishly strong late, against which it is difficult to do something. Especially if you don't know how. In this case, there is nothing left but to begin to strain the enemy from the first minutes, taking the initiative into their own hands. Sometimes cm specifically goes for this tactic, choosing the appropriate characters. Of course, this tactic is quite risky, especially if you have to resort to it. You will have the opportunity to quickly lose or you will not be able to prevent the enemy carries from quietly farming.

The tactics should be determined during the peak. For example, the enemy took Phantom Lancer, which definitely should not be given the opportunity to calmly swing because in the late he is very strong. What is left for you? That's right, take characters who, at the very beginning of the game, will be able to demolish the opponent's difficult line. They could be Juggernaut, Chen and Leshrac, or there could be other options.

That is, in this case, your opponent is counting on the fact that his carry will calmly swing, the rest will farm as far as possible, and even closer to the late your team will definitely bend over. But with your active actions (which are planned during the peak!) You destroy all the enemy's plans.

It is worth noting that in cm, the usual tactic is also popular, in which they first calmly farm, fight in the middle of the game, and run to endure at the end. But in cm there is the possibility of a correct and thoughtful pick, which can simply destroy a team that adheres to traditional tactics. This is why this Dota 2 mod is interesting.

This mod is often characterized by errors that can rarely be seen in other Dota 2 matches. For example, a team chooses two carries and leaves them two lanes, while the three of them farm on one. Of course, this approach is not at all correct, since the late may no longer exist, so carries will not play their role. What to do? Run into the forest, even if there is no forester in the team.

Although, tactics in which there is solo hard, solo mid and triple on the safe lane are also found, including in the match of professional teams (especially Asians love this). Of course, it has the right to life, but only if you know how to use it very well, and everyone has a very high playing skill.

In Dota 2 in general, and in cm in particular, those who adhere to a certain plan, not paying attention to the layouts in the match, also often lose. Changing tactics during a match is also an art that takes a long time to learn.

There is no optimal tactics and pick in cm, just as there is no such tactics in any Dota 2 match. gods in Dota 2. But such layouts are quite rare, since Captain Mode implies a fundamental knowledge of Dota 2, which should be based on real gaming experience.

I think it's no secret that hero picks have a huge impact on the entire course of the game in Dota 2. This article will go over the basic strategies in Dota 2 and the correct hero picks for those strategies.

1. Fast Push.

This strategy in Dota 2 is as old as the world, but it still does not lose its popularity and is quite common in practice. They write a lot about the fact that this strategy is easy to counter, but if you think so, then theoretically in Dota 2 you can counter any strategy, otherwise there would be no balance in it.
Fast pushing technology is based on the use of heroes that have the following characteristic features:
- summoning summons that help with pushing (Furion, Lycanthrope, Spider, Warlock, Venomancer, etc.)
- luring neutral creeps to your side (Chen)
- auras that are useful for the whole team. I think everyone knows the imba link Traxa + Luna + Wenga - all the heroes of this link have auras that increase the attack of allies, as a result, a very strong symbiosis of auras is obtained, which significantly increases the damage per second (DPS) of the entire team. Also, the auras useful for pushing are possessed by such heroes as Beastmaster, Lycan, Doom (if he swallows, for example, a creep with an aura of increased damage), Skeleton King.
- abilities that quickly destroy crowds of creeps (Cauldron, Zeus, Pak, Chimera, etc.)
- abilities that quickly destroy buildings (Bansha, Leshrak, Rasta, Pugna).

Also, with the strategy of fast pushing, such an item as the necronomicon is very popular - if all team members collect it, it will be a very formidable force.
Most of the already described pusher heroes counter this strategy well, since if the hero is a good pusher, then the anti-pusher is usually also good from him. Also, some heroes with powerful AoE spells or splash damage are good as anti-pushers: Shaker, Scorpion, Enigma, Helicopter, Moon.

2. Gang Style (gank strategy).

This strategy is based on attempts to constantly press and kill enemies. Typically, this strategy has two main executions:
- due to the constant killing of enemy heroes, achieve such a difference in levels, at which you will defeat the enemies in any case (push the enemy base) no matter what peak they have;
- constantly stressing enemies with ganks, you give either your carry to swing, or your team has a good pusher who slowly pushes the lanes while the enemies "groan" under your ganks. A classic example of a combination of ganking and pushing strategy is the use of Furion - with extremely high mobility and good pusher abilities due to summoned treants, he is able to effectively demolish enemy buildings while the rest of your team annoys enemies with constant ganks.

Good gankers in Dota 2 include heroes such as

For the ganking strategy (as well as for countering it), competent and continuous warding is very important. The counter to the ganking strategy is to move around the map with the whole team (so that the gankers cannot snatch and easily kill a single hero), imposing pushes and massive mixes on the enemy. As a rule, good gankers have powerful point spells, but when it comes to mass mixes, they already cannot boast of good efficiency in this case.

3. Patient Dota.

Although it is said that this strategy is almost never used in professional games, this tactic is still very popular in the pub when playing with teams. Its meaning is to swing 1-2 carries in your team to such a state that they can tear the enemy team to shreds. To do this, you need to protect the carry in every possible way and give them the opportunity to farm freely. The following heroes can be attributed to good carries that are used in such tactics in Dota 2.