Muerta Joins the Dota 2 Roster and Plays Artifact
Muerta, the newest addition to the Dota 2 roster, is a master of death. Interestingly, she seems to enjoy playing dead games like Artifact, Valve’s abandoned card game project based on Dota lore.
When players download patch 7.32e and load into Dota 2, they will discover an altar filled with items from Muerta’s past. There’s even an Artifact board present, which she apparently tried to teach Death how to play.
The Relationship Between Death and Muerta
To understand the connection between Death and Muerta, let’s take a quick dive into the lore. When Muerta was killed, her hatred was so intense that she refused to die. This impressed Death, who then appointed her as his second in command and gifted her two weapons.
Despite their busy schedules collecting souls, Muerta and Death found time to spend nearly an entire day teaching each other how to play Artifact.
Death and Artifact
In the poem, Death appears confused by Artifact’s three-lane gameplay and the card restrictions that involve color matching and hero presence. However, after getting familiar with the “phone book full of rules,” Death becomes hooked on the game.
The Rise and Fall of Artifact
Artifact was Valve’s first attempt at expanding Dota 2’s lore. Despite much anticipation, the card game failed to retain players due to fatal design flaws that made it “pay to pay to play.” With a dwindling player base, Valve canceled all plans for a competitive scene and officially ceased development of the game in 2021.