In patch 7.34, Ogre Magi was granted a few minor buffs to his Aghanim's Scepter ability, Unrefined Fireblast. However, instead of strengthening the hero, these tweaks were met with a sharp drop in win rate, which was evident on the first day of the patch's release among all heroes. The root cause of this decline was identified as a bug in the Hand of Midas item leading to Ogre Magi's Hand of Midas Bug
The Hand of Midas Bug and Ogre Magi's Unexpected Decline
The bug permitted multiple instances of Hand of Midas to not share a cooldown, an issue likely stemming from the new changes to the item in version 7.34, where it gained two charges that refreshed sequentially. Since Ogre Magi's unique Multicast ability affects Hand of Midas, he seemed perfectly positioned to benefit from this alteration.
Yet, contrary to expectations, this proved to be an ineffective strategy. Only Meepo and Arc Warden fared worse. A key contributing factor was that a well-farmed Ogre Magi does not scale and present a significant challenge to other core heroes. This miscalculation has even inspired a series of meme videos showing Ogre Magi players obsessively farming throughout the game, oblivious to their bases' destruction.
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Dota 2
Community Reaction and Bug Fixes
The situation created quite a stir in the community, highlighting how the game's complexity can lead to unexpected interactions and outcomes. It became an important reminder that not all strategies are equally effective, even when they seem promising on paper.
After recognizing the bug, the game's developers took swift action, and has since fixed the bug. Ogre Magi's win rate has since begun to improve, though it currently sits at a 1.55% decrease. This entire episode serves as a fascinating illustration of how even minor changes can have unforeseen consequences, particularly in the context of a game that requires a delicate balance between countless variables. Valve fixed several major bugs in a series of small updates following Dota 2's patch 7.34. Notable fixes included Hand of Midas items not sharing a cooldown and Centaur's Hoof Stomp failing to interrupt when stunned or silenced.
