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We take a look at the top 5 supports in pubs from the past month for Dota 2 patch 7.32e.
We were promised Dota 2 patch 7.33 (not literally, but that seemed to be the understanding), but were given patch 7.32e instead after the Lima Major. Well, gotta play with what IceFrog and Valve give you! Patch 7.32e, although not what most wanted, did stir up the meta a bit. A good chunk of the change was the spike in Meteor Hammer (Meme* Hammer) usage, but some of it was a switch up in the heroes.
It has been a little over a month since the patch was released. Pubs have adapted to the new patch that brought Muerta along with it. With the next big patch (hopefully 7.33 and not 7.32f) still a few weeks away, let’s take a look at the best pub supports from Dota 2 patch 7.33.
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, which has all been on patch 7.32e. The choice of heroes has been made from a combination of high pick rate and high win rate heroes. The list includes position 4 and position 5 heroes.
1) Mirana (Pick rate: 10.87%, Win rate: 54.05%)
For nearly four years, Mirana has been popular as a position 4 support. After a bunch of nerfs to her support role, she has somehow ended up becoming popular as a position 5 support as well! She got popular as a position 5 after Tundra Esports used her successfully in their TI11 winning run. What makes her good right now is the fact that supports are prioritized based on their strength in lane, and Mirana is a strong laner because all three of her non-ultimate skills. A change in the meta might take her away from the position 5 role, but the hero needs a major reset to change the mindset of her being a support and make her popular as a core again.
2) Omniknight (Pick rate: 2.33%, Win rate: 55.25%)
The only change to Omniknight in Dota 2 patch 7.32e was an increase in the Degen Aura radius from 400 to 450. That change isn’t really significant, as his Aghanim’s Shard is not that popular. His strength comes from the buffs in Dota 2 patch 7.32, which continue to keep him a strong safe lane support in the current meta.
Hammer of Purity gives Omni an offensive impact in lane, something which he previously didn’t have. Heavenly Grace has been one of the strongest skills in the game for a while now. Even at his worst times, if there was anything that could justify an Omni pick, it was Heavenly Grace. And with the skill now affecting the caster when cast on an ally, it just makes it an amazing tool to have in the laning stage and in team fights. It can be used offensively with the base strength bonus in mind for heroes like Lifestealer and Sven, or defensively for the double strong dispel and health regen. And strength cores like Huskar, Lifestealer and Alchemist are seeing a slight bump in popularity, which just increases Omni’s appeal.
3) Jakiro (Pick rate: 10.96%, Win rate: 52.54%)
Jakiro was a major benefactor of Dota 2 patch 7.32e. Of the two buffs he received, the first one is what has made him popular as a position 5 support in the current meta. The buff doesn’t increase the Ice Path stun duration – that is the same as it was at 3 seconds. But the path now stays for an additional second, which increases the probability of catching an enemy hero in it, or makes life harder for anyone trying to avoid it. Jakiro tends to get only one point in Ice Path in the laning stage (typically at level 4), so the benefit doesn’t kick in till later on in the game. But it makes a big difference in team fights later on in the game. In the laning stage, he is a pain to deal with because of Dual Breath and Liquid Fire.
4) Muerta (Pick rate: 9.42%, Win rate: 51.91%)
Muerta is intended to be a right click core, but she can also be played as a position 4 or position 5 support because of her first two skills (Dead Shot and The Calling). Team Liquid’s analyst Mathis "Jabbz" Friesel said in an interview with Monster Gaming that her nukes can be abused while playing as a support. It definitely takes time to use her skills correctly, but in those first two skills, Muerta does have a good amount of nuke damage, a fear, a slow and a silence. She also has three talents for Dead Shot and one for The Calling to aide her in a support role. Gunslinger is wasted as a support (at least in the early and mid game), but Pierce the Veil can be used as an inbuilt Ghost Scepter to protect yourself from right click carries.
5) Undying (Pick rate: 9.96%, Win rate: 51.23%)
Undying was nerfed in Dota 2 patch 7.32e, and that has pretty much been the case for the last few patches. But just like Mirana, Dirge is one of the strongest position 5 supports in the laning stage, which keeps him relevant even with the nerfs. He was hit with nerfs to his early mana usage not just in patch 7.32e, but also in patch 7.32c. But that has been solved by buying an ungodly amount of Enchanted Mangos in the laning stage. Doesn’t matter if he does not have anything after the laning stage as long as the carry has a good time! It will take a massive meta shift to push Undying out of the meta, but for now, he is a strong hero to play with.
Honorable Mentions
Nyx Assassin (Pick rate: 3.89%, Win rate: 53.64%)
Disruptor (Pick rate: 14.30%, Win rate: 49.31%)
