We take a look at what carry heroes are making waves in the meta that has evolved around Dota 2 patch 7.34.

^{Image: Rajitt on DeviantArt}

Dota 2 patch 7.34 is turning out to be an extremely diverse patch with a lot of viable heroes. Going into the final stretch of the season, the meta seems decently balanced to ensure unpredictability in drafting at The International 2023 (TI12). But it’s not just professional meta that is diverse, it is the pub meta as well. A few days ago, we looked at the top 5 mid heroes in pubs from the first month of Dota 2 patch 7.34. Here, we look at the which carries have been terrorizing pubs in recent weeks.

The heroes have been picked as the best performing ones from the Divine and Immortal brackets. This data is as per Dotabuff and has been analyzed for the past one month, so it well and truly reflects the games from patch 7.34 only. The choice of heroes has been made from a combination of high pick rate and high win rate heroes.

Phantom Assassin (Pick rate: 26.52%, Win rate: 50.71%)

It has been a long time since Phantom Assassin was a part of the meta, but her time has come. She basically received around 70% of her previous level 25 talent as a part of her main arsenal, which has made her quite strong (the 5% increase in Coup de Grace chance, which was previously a 7% increase through the level 25 talent). The buff which indicates the next attack will be a crit is the delicious cherry on top of the cake. Additionally, Battle Fury received a small buff against heroes, and PA is probably the best Battle Fury carrier in the game after Anti-Mage. She did get a slight nerf in balance patch 7.34b, but Mortred continues to be the carry with the highest pick rate in pubs.

(taken from Dota 2 Wiki)

Her win rate in the Divine and Immortal brackets may suggest that she isn’t as strong as her pick rate might hint, but for lower ranks, her win rate is higher. The high ranked players are just better at countering her.

Rank	Win Rate
Crusader and lower	52.96%
Archon	53.07%
Legend	52.62%
Ancient	52.07%

Gyrocopter (Pick rate: 22.69%, Win rate: 52.56%)

Gyrocopter is the talk of pubs and professional games alike, with the hero dominating the TI12 qualifiers. Gyrocopter’s Side Gunner target with Flack Cannon active makes him an even faster farmer, and is basically a better version of Muerta’s Gunslinger in team fights. The map has a lot more neutral camps after Dota 2 patch 7.33, and with an Aghanim’s Scepter and Flak Cannon, Gyrocopter is one of the best suited heroes to take advantage of all that extra gold.

Sven (Pick rate: 15.30%, Win rate: 51.99%)

Sven’s major issue has always been getting kited with God’s Strength active. Sure, there is BKB. But it doesn’t last for the entire duration of his ultimate. That is where the slow resistance helps a lot. That has been nerfed in patch 7.34c, but it still keeps Sven in the running for one of the stronger carries of the meta. Also like Gyrocopter, he is another hero that can easily take advantage of all the additional farm on the map.

The Superman Sven Strom Hammer being togglable makes his Scepter a lot more viable now. When you’re on the defensive and want to use the stun to disengage, it isn’t the best idea to fly with the hammer. The previous Scepter upgrade did not provide the option to disable that, which the Rogue Knight now has.

(taken from Dota 2 Wiki)

Chaos Knight (Pick rate: 2.08%, Win rate: 54.95%)

Chaos Knight’s stun (Chaos Strike) was buffed for minimum stun duration and maximum damage in patch 7.34. There were also buffs to the Chaos Strike creep damage multiplier (from 1.5 to 1.6) and increase in the Chaos Strike lifesteal for the level 10 talent (from +30% to +35%). Chaos Knight is a hero that hits his power spike way earlier in the game than most carries. He wants the game to end withing 30 minutes, especially in a meta where illusion killing carries like Gyrocopter and Sven are strong. The buffs help him do just that, and even though his pick rate isn’t too high, his win rate suggests that in the right scenario (all illusion killing carries banned?!), he is one to be considered.

Troll Warlord (Pick rate: 7.37%, Win rate: 51.17%)

It isn’t just Gyrocopter who has a Gunslinger like ability – there’s Troll Warlord as well! His new Aghanim’s Shard deals damage to an additional target, and the chances of it procing increase with Fervor stacks. It is also great for farming, especially if Troll doesn’t go for the Battle Fury build. But he mostly does go for a Battle Fury, which has seen a small buff in patch 7.34. And when it comes to meta matchups, Troll is one of the few heroes who can stand his ground against a Sven with God’s Strength active.

According to Dotabuff, Aghanim’s Shard was Troll’s fifth most used item in the past week, and it has a win rate of nearly 64%! Unlike a lot of other Shards though, Troll’s Shard does not have a specific time when it is purchased. It is game dependent, and not something to spend 1400 gold on if your team is on the backfoot.

(taken from Dotabuff)

Honorable Mentions

Faceless Void (Pick rate: 14.76%, Win rate: 50.36%)
Slark (Pick rate: 13.04%, Win rate: 50.80%)
Muerta (Pick rate: 2.98%, Win rate: 51.53%)
Phantom Lancer (Pick rate: 6.50%, Win rate: 51.83%)

There’s quite a few heroes here if the ones in the list of honorable mentions are also considered. But that’s just how this meta is – lot of possibilities, and no insanely broken heroes. Slark and Faceless Void in the honorable mentions do have very high pick rates, but their win rates for the lower ranks, unlike that of Phantom Assassin, are below 50%. DreamLeague Season 21 is about to begin, and there we will get to see what carries the best teams in the world prefer.

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