The International 13 is over, which means Valve has released the long-awaited Dota 2 7.37d patch to end this aura meta.
Though 7.37d is a letter patch, Valve has still made several much-needed changes to stop aura stacking and, most importantly, Gleipnir. Most broken items in the previous patch were nerfed heavily, and the pub-stomping Ringmaster hero was finally reworked to be balanced.
Dota 2 Patch 7.37d notes
No more insane value on Arcane Boots
Arcane Boots was easily the best Boots of Speed upgrade in the previous patch due to its buildup with Ring of Basilius. The item was so good that even heroes like Windranger picked it up. These bad boys had their price increased by 100 gold through its recipe, and further nerfs include reductions in mana regen and replenish.
Gleipnir finally gets a significant nerf
Though Gleipner received a nerf in the previous Dota 2 patch before TI13, the item was still borderline broken, with most players abusing it to the max. This item created the ranged carry meta, with heroes such as Lina, Weaver, Mirana, Invoker, and Nature’s Prophet dominating Dota 2’s biggest event. Heck, even Mirana support players would build Rod of Atos into Gleipnir to scale into the late game.
With a 300 gold bump in price, Gleipnir was also sentenced to lower damage, attack speed, health bonus, and chain lightning damage, making the item less effective all around.
Bracer, Wraith Band, and Null Talisman stacking is done for
Support players at TI13 would stack up on Bracers, Wraith Bands, or Null Talismans due to these items receiving double stats at the 25-minute mark. As a result, you’d see most support heroes with three Bracers and 2,000+ HP. Now that these items no longer double their bonuses at 25 minutes, you will rarely see them invested into the mid game.
Is Ringmaster finally balanced?
The newest hero addition to the game, Ringmaster, was tearing apart pubs with his crafty ability kit. This hero could do anything, from clearing waves, having an AoE fear, a vision spell, and most importantly a save. Though Ringmaster wasn’t allowed at TI13 yet, he was clearly the strongest support hero in pubs with an abysmal 56 percent win rate in high-level games.
Ringmaster was hit with cast range and radius reductions for Tame the Beasts and Wheel of Wonder, respectively. But most importantly, Escape Act can now be dispelled.
Say goodbye to Whirlwind
Windranger quickly rose to one of the most popular heroes in the game, with an incredibly high contest rate at TI13, and it all has to do with Whirlwind. Carry players could pop Whirlwind to clear Ancient stacks in unnatural speed, and the low cooldown allows them to join fights with low downtime.
However, the cooldown for Whirlwind jumped from 30 to 50 seconds at level three, the damage was reduced by five percent more, and the duration was decreased from nine to eight seconds. Windranger players go for Gleipner every game, so the nerf on the item is also an indirect nerf to her.
Is Solar Crest rush dead?
Another notable item change is a nerf onto Solar Crest. When carries were rushing Gleipnir, supports were rushing Solar Crest. This team-oriented item gave too much value for its good buildup with Pavise. Solar Crest had all of its numbers decreased, with the duration and attack speed reduction being the most critical changes.
Sand King’s Dust Devil facet takes a hit
When the meta developed at TI13, it was illegal to let Sand King slip through a draft uncontested. The Dust Devil facet, selected in 98 percent of games, has been toned down with decreased radius and duration. Reducing the duration by seven seconds ensures Sand King won’t be permanently under Sand Storm off cooldown at earlier levels.
Check out the official website for the complete Dota 2 Patch 7.37d notes.
