The latest Dota 2 balance update, Patch 7.10, was released on the live servers last night.
Dark Willow has been enabled in Captains Mode, allowing her to be used in professional tournaments. This is the first time Dark Willow will be available in Captains Mode since her release in October of last year.
Dark Willow currently has a win rate of 54.69 percent in the 5,000 MMR and above bracket, according to Dotabuff’s metagame statistics. With a pick rate of 12.27 percent, it’s clear that higher MMR players recognize her power in pub games.
While her viability in professional games remains to be seen, her strong stats in the high skill brackets suggest that she could become a top tier threat in future events.
Several talents have been shuffled around in this patch. Crystal Maiden and Lion have had their passive gold per minute (GPM) talents increased from +90 to +120 per minute, making life easier for the less farmed heroes.
Tinker, one of the most popular heroes in both pubs and pro games, has also been adjusted. Laser’s mana cost has been increased from 95 to 110 at level 1, reducing its spammability in lane. The radius at which Laser bounces across multiple heroes with Aghanim’s Scepter has also been scaled down from 650 to 400 units, making it harder to maximize its effectiveness in teamfights.
Surprisingly, Terrorblade’s ultimate ability Sunder and his talents have not been touched in this patch, despite their perceived power by pros, analysts, and casters.
Dota 2, Patch 7.10, Dark Willow, Captains Mode, MMR, balance update, talents, Tinker, Laser, Aghanim’s Scepter, Terrorblade, Sunder.