We take a closer look at which carries are at the top of the meta in Dota 2 since patch 7.31d dropped.
Like most new patches in Dota 2, this one introduced a couple of new things. Even though the latest update has only been out for a couple of weeks, it already has an effect on the current meta. As expected, we’ve started seeing heroes that were not that popular before.
Even though most people pay attention to the mid-lane and offlane, this article will include more information about the safe lane. The latter is one of the popular positions in Dota 2 and one of the best places where you can boost your MMR. Speaking of MMR boosting, you need to know which heroes to get, which is why we will include them in this article.
Before we include some of the popular options, we’d like to point out that Pudge won’t be on this list. Although some of the professional Dota 2 teams pick him in this position, he is not a typical carry, which is why we’ve decided not to include him.
Lone Druid
If we look at the Divine and Immortal brackets in Dota 2, the first carry that stands out is Lone Druid. Despite not having the highest pick rate, this hero offers more than a 55% win rate, which is pretty impressive. Unfortunately, LD is not a meta carry right now because none of the professional teams pick him regularly.
Lone Druid has one big advantage over any other carries in the game – the hero can get more items. Thanks to the Bear, LD is usually one of the strongest late-game monsters in Dota 2. However, he also has many counters, which explains why he is rarely among the go-to options for professional teams and players.
Juggernaut
There are a couple of carries that can work in almost any meta, and Juggernaut is one of them. This hero rarely goes through drastic changes, and the latest patch is just another example. However, the two small buffs to his ward and ultimate were enough to make him one of the top options.
Juggernaut is a hero that allows his team to play aggressively from early on. Even though he also needs a lot of items to be effective, he is not like Anti-Mage or other heroes that have to farm for ages until they become online.
Aside from his right-clicks, Jug also has one of the most exciting ultimates in the game. Depending on the situation, the hero can efficiently deal with multiple carries simultaneously.
Naga Siren
The next hero on this list is Naga Siren, one of the carries that people pick in every meta. Like LD, Naga is a hero who can work in many situations and is usually not affected by the current meta. There are many top-tier Naga players, such as Artour “Arteezy” Babaev who will pick the hero even if she is not in the meta.
Naga is a carry that you can use in two ways. The most popular item build allows the hero to split push and rely on her illusions to farm and deal damage. As for the second item build, it focuses on right-click damage and team fights.
Both styles can work, and it usually depends on your opponents and their draft. Naga’s ultimate is incredibly powerful when used in conjunction with other spells, so make sure to make the most of it.
Ursa
Only a few heroes in Dota 2 can be as deadly as the next name on our list. Besides being one of the few names that can kill Roshan alone, Ursa is one of the top snowballing carries in Dota 2. The hero can be almost impossible to deal with, as long as it gets a good start.
Unlike other heroes that require a lot of farm, Ursa can be effective with just a single Blink Dagger. Many people take advantage of this and put the hero in the mid-lane. However, others want to be safe, which is why they take the carry role and get items like Desolator and Battlefury.
Despite the crazy damage output, Ursa has a couple of weaknesses, such as the fact that people can kite her. That’s why this is one of the heroes that need BKB to be successful.
Spectre
People who’ve been playing Dota 2 for many years probably remember one of the hot metas from around six years ago. Aside from the infamous OD/Omni combo, every pub game had Zeus and Spectre in them because these two heroes did tons of damage.
Even though the current meta is slightly different, these two heroes are still popular. Spectre is a carry that some teams in China and EU use regularly. The hero is known as one of the top-tier damage dealers in Dota 2 and one of the best late-game monsters.
Although some people continue to go for the classic “brown boots and Radiance” item build, others use the hero’s Desolate and purchase items that allow Spectre to fight even early on.
Riki
Despite the fact that some people pick Riki for the offlane or the support role, we’ve seen the hero a couple of times in the carry position. Riki is not your typical carry because the hero is highly fragile. However, thanks to his permanent invisibility and insane right-click, he can be a nightmare to play against.
Every top-tier Riki player knows that the hero is fantastic for killing supports. The professional teams that play with the hero use this to their advantage and pair him up with a tanky mid-laner.
Drow Ranger
The last hero we’d like to include on the list is Drow Ranger. Even though she is not that popular in the professional Dota 2 matches, the hero has one of the most impressive win ratings. This may not come as a surprise to many people because Drow is a hero that provides tons of damage to the entire team.
Many people only associate the hero with her pushing capabilities, but Drow can also be a right-clicking monster. This is especially true if you combine her with heroes like Venge and BM.
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