The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: The Top 3 Strongest and Weakest Heroes in 7.33B

The recent release of the massive 7.33 patch approximately three weeks ago introduced several changes to the game, including new objectives, increased map size, and various hero changes. Following the patch, 7.33b was released, which balanced and fixed various things from the previous patch. The Berlin Major was the first Valve event that featured teams playing in the new 7.33 patch, and fans got to witness some all-new strategies.

Like always, certain heroes like Medusa were stronger than the rest of the playing field and were constantly picked or banned throughout the major. Unfortunately, a few heroes were completely left untouched after they were perceived to be much weaker than their peers. This has also been reflected in pub games, where certain overpowered heroes seem to enjoy incredibly high winrates.

Here are three of the most overpowered heroes that are dominating pubs and pro games alike and will likely receive nerfs in the next patch. We’re also highlighting three heroes that need some love from Icefrog to be viable in this patch, as we head towards Tour 3 of the Dota 2 Pro Circuit (DPC) 2023 season.

Nerf Them Now: The Top 3 Most Overpowered Heroes

Whether it was through the Berlin Major or high winrates in pub games, some heroes seem to be dominating in the new patch more than others. In this article, we will look at the Top 3 heroes that will most likely get nerfed in the next patch.

Medusa

The newly reworked snake lady is one that has been haunting players in pub games as well as professional ones. The Berlin Major featured this hero being integrated into various team strategies, and eventually being either first-picked or banned in the first phase of drafts. The initial patch 7.33 saw the hero have an extremely low winrate, and many fans complained about the hero being too weak to be played. However, after an additional buff to her third skill, Mana Shield, which has made the hero very strong. She currently has a winrate of 58% in pub games with a pick rate of 19%.

At the Berlin Major, many teams would integrate this hero in any position, including position 5, showcasing how strong and versatile the hero can be. Dota fans can surely expect a nerf coming soon for the snake lady in the next patch. 

Alchemist

Alchemist, the hero that typically earns the most gold in the game, has undergone some changes with the addition of a new innate ability. Although the skill Greevil's Greed was nerfed in terms of its overall numbers, the hero gains the benefits of Greevil's Greed right from level one, providing additional skills and bonuses. The hero's new ability, Corrosive Weaponry, has the potential to stack debuffs for every attack landed, reducing the enemy's status resistance and slowing them down. Alchemist also possesses a stun, which the hero can use to be a nuisance in the early game.

At the Berlin Major, Alchemist was seen to be a highly contested pick and ended the tournament being picked in 63 games and banned in 87 games, with a high winrate of 65%. The new changes have made the hero incredibly strong and a nerf is highly likely in the upcoming patch.

Rikimaru

Riki has been a dominant hero in the recent meta, with many teams at Berlin Major 2023 picking the hero for its utility and high damage output. In patch 7.33, Riki's Aghanim's Shard ability Sleeping Dart has been removed, but the hero has received buffs to its first skill and ultimate. Smoke Screen has now been upgraded with Aghanim's Shard, which reduces enemies' armor and makes them untargetable to allies within the smoke. While the hero was slightly nerfed in patch 7.33b, it was still strong enough to be picked by professional players at the Berlin Major with a significant winrate of 57% and a 54.5% winrate in pub games. It may seem as though the nerfs were not enough and the hero may require further changes to be balanced in the new meta.

Top 3 Underpowered Heroes That Need a Buff to Level the Playing Field

There are a few heroes that have been underperforming in this current patch, with some having very low winrates in pub games, while others performed poorly at the Berlin Major 2023 or not being picked at all. In this section, we will discuss the top 3 heroes that are likely to receive buffs in the upcoming patch.

Nature’s Prophet

The hero known for teleporting constantly across the map, Nature’s Prophet, has received significant nerfs in the previous patch. The cooldown on his Teleportation ability has been increased from 20 seconds to 35 seconds, making it almost twice as long. Additionally, the duration of his treants summoned by Nature's Call has been decreased, and the cooldown on Sprout has been slightly increased. However, patch 7.33b did not make any changes to the hero, leaving him in a relatively weak state. Nature's Prophet has a low winrate of 41.5% in pub games and a pick rate of 3.1%. Furthermore, he was not picked even once in the Berlin Major, indicating that professional players view him as a weak hero that requires some buffs to be relevant in the current meta.

Zeus

One of the mages with the highest burst damage in the game, Zeus, received significant changes that altered his playstyle. The shard upgrade for his ability Static Field was removed, and the ability was integrated into his first skill, Arc Lightning. He also received a new shard ability called 'Lightning Hands', which increases his attack range and causes his normal attacks to create Arc Lightnings that deal 50% of their damage, with illusions dealing 25%. Despite these changes, Zeus has a low winrate of 43.4% in pub games and a pick rate of 4.4%. Furthermore, he was picked only once during the Berlin Major, indicating that he is not a popular hero among professional players.

Troll Warlord

Troll Warlord is another hero that we believe requires some buffs. The hero received minimal changes in the recent 7.33 update. The only change made to him was the ability to use items during his ultimate, Battle Trance. This change was expected to make him a viable pick in the current meta, but his winrates suggest otherwise. Currently, Troll Warlord's winrate stands at around 48%, which is not very impressive compared to other heroes. The reason behind Troll Warlord's low winrate could be the presence of items like Heaven's Halberd and Euls, which still counter the hero. Additionally, changes to Spell Immunity mechanics and Black King Bars could have made him weaker than before. These factors could be the reason behind his lackluster performance at the Berlin Major, where he was only picked in 10 games and had a winrate of 30%.

Honorable mentions - Item nerfs

Vanguard

Vanguard is undoubtedly one of the most popular items in the current Dota 2 meta. It is primarily purchased by offlane heroes as a starting item due to its incredible ability to make heroes tanky. The item provides a 60% chance to block 64 damage from melee hero attacks and 32 damage from ranged heroes, which makes it extremely difficult for enemies to take down offlane heroes.

In the 7.29 patch, Vanguard's total cost was reduced from 1825 to 1700, which made it much easier for players to buy the item in the early game, and it has since become a popular choice for offlane heroes to start with. Another advantage of Vanguard is that it can be disassembled to be used in other items such as Octarine Core and Heart of Tarasque, making it a very versatile item. This versatility has made the item even more popular in the current meta.

The popularity of Vanguard has led to several complaints from the Dota 2 community, including two-time TI winner Topson. In a recent stream, Topson commented on how broken the item is and how it can make offlane heroes almost unkillable. 

“Actually this Vanguard is such a stupid item. I can’t believe this item exists like this. You can just make an octarine out of it. It’s such a broken item early game and you dont spend anything for this early game advantage. You just make an octarine out of it. You shouldn’t be able to disassemble it,” Topson said.

It will be interesting to see if Valve hits us with another mini-patch before Tour 3 of the new DPC season kicks off.