The changes to the draft order for Captains Mode in Dota 2 patch 7.34 are bound to have a major impact on how professional teams approach drafts. Let's see how.
When a new Dota 2 patch drops, it is the hero and item changes that get the most attention, which is the case with the release of Dota 2 patch 7.34 as well. But some of the general changes tend to have a higher impact on the game. When it comes to Captains Mode (on which professional games are played), it is the change in the draft order.
Patch 7.34 changed the draft order for the first time since patch 7.27, although there was a minor change in patch 7.30. This is now the first time that teams will have different number of bans for the first two ban phases depending on if they have first pick or second pick. Let’s take a look at the changes and hypothesize how they will impact the professional games in the days to come.
First Ban Phase
The biggest change right of the bat is the change to the first ban order. The team with first pick now gets 3 bans in the first phase, while the team with second pick gets 4 bans in the first phase. For the last few patches, it was two bans each in the first phase, meaning only 4 of the most impactful heroes of the patch would get banned out. Now, 7 will be taken out before a single hero is picked. This means if there is bunch of heroes in the meta that are broken, a good deal of them will get banned. In no recent patch has a team had two bans in a row. That part is also bound to add some spice, as it will impact the mental games during the draft.
The craziest thing is each ban will only have 15 seconds, and because second pick has an extra ban in the first phase, the team will have 15 seconds less of overall draft time. Many players have said in interviews that planning the first phase against an opponent often takes hours of preparation. They probably run simulations for various scenarios to see how a draft might progress. Teams better be thoroughly prepared with the new changes, because the bans will be coming in hot and fast!
First Pick Phase
The opening pick phase is so interesting in Captains Mode; or it least it was for the last iteration of Captains Mode. First pick got the first hero choice, but second pick got to pick a hero combo. Pugna-Storm Spirit or Keeper of the Light Storm Spirit, Leshrac-Io – these were the kind of picks you saw a lot of times. The benefit of two continuous picks was no hero could get banned or block picked. But that strategy will take a massive hit post Dota 2 patch 7.34. No combos will be pickable in the first phase, and there is a good chance showing a key hero reveals your strategy, so that other heroes that go well with it will get banned in the second phase. Oh, you picked a Leshrac in the first phase? Didn’t need to ban Io in the first phase, but we will in the second one!
There is a good chance the first hero picked now will be more of either a flex pick or a hero that fits into multiple drafts. But alternately, this can also bolster picks that can be countered right away. For example, if a team with second pick showed Pangolier in their first phase picks, the team with first pick had a chance to pick Bloodseeker right away. Now, no team can do that! You can show a hero in the first pick phase and plan on banning the counters in the second ban phase without any repercussions.
Second Ban Phase
Second ban phase has an extra ban for the first pick team, so they can better protect the one pick they have shown, or use it to better protect what they plan on picking, although that might be a slight giveaway. The first pick teams gets two continuous bans, followed by the second pick team having a ban and a pick. So the second pick team can hold their cards really close to their chest.
Second Pick Phase
This is where both teams get two continuous picks (where in the previous iteration, only the second pick team got two continuous picks, in the first phase). So if any strong hero combos have made it through, they’re like to be seen in the second phase.
While this change does not affect gameplay as such, it massively impacts the way the game is set up. By the time a team gets to pick their second hero, 10 heroes will already be out of the pool! Previously, that number was 4. This makes it easier to target a specific player with bans and force the opposition into either revealing a pick early or settling for a hero they aren’t comfortable with.
The first significant eye test for Dota 2 patch 7.34 will be during the qualifiers of The International 2023 (TI12). Teams better be ready with a more diverse hero pool in the coming days, because from the initial looks of it, the new draft order phase will require it. It will be exciting to see how drafting unfolds under this new system.
