Cover-Credits:
Every time a new hero is released, players strive to be the first to pick it. Similarly, Marci, who was introduced to the game on 29th Oct 2021 as the 122nd Dota 2 hero, has been received by players with a great deal of excitement. It is not uncommon to see pubs prioritize the hero but the fact that she is incredibly strong is making players even more eager to play her. She has a broad toolkit that encompasses escape, physical and magical damage, and lockdown. But despite her versatility, Marci more often than not being is being used as a core hero by the pros. Here we look at the items, skills, and talents that Dota 2 professionals are opting for in their pubs.
Marci Dota 2: Here’s how Dota 2 professionals are playing it
Marci Item Build
Players are more likely to prioritize Marci as a strong core hero due to her ability to deal high damage. When the hero is being played from the offlane, Phase Boots are the best choice. For safelaners, Power Treads would be the best choice. However, they can also choose to use Phase Boots if they need extra armor in the lane and the movement speed buff that comes along with it that can significantly aid the hero in the mid game. Midlane players have the option of going with either of the choices depending on the situation
One of the most effective items on the hero is the Armlet of Mordiggian, which works well with Sidekick and Unleash. The Helm of the Iron Will, which is the first component of the Armlet, benefits safelaners and offlaners greatly during the laning phase.
Depending upon the role you are playing, you will find an array of options following the Armlet.
Standard carry items for safelaners include the Echo Sabre, Black King Bar (BKB), Skull Basher, and Silver Edge.
As an offlaner, Sange and Kaya, BKB, and Blink Dagger are the key items that can help amplify damage alongside granting the capability to tank incoming damage.
Mage Slayer, an item buffed in 7.30e, Maelstrom, and BKB are some of the choices for midlaners after the Armlet.
Skull Basher and Satanic are two important items Marci players turn to as a match moves into the late game.
Some skill builds by professional players in recent games
Artour "Arteezy" Babaev (Mid Marci) - Maelstrom, Mage Slayer, Blink Dagger, BKB, Skull Basher, Abyssal Blade
Nico "Gunnar" Lopez (offlane Marci) - Armlet, Sange and Kaya, Skull Basher, Daedalus
Mohammed "Attacker" Almheiri (mid Marci) - Armlet, Blink Dagger, Skull Basher, Silver Edge, Nullifier
Marci Skill Build
It is imperative that safelaners level Sidekick. By doing so they can move easily to the jungle and farm even if they suffered bad lanes. With it, leveling Rebound is typically the best approach, with one value point in Dispose.
Midlaners, if the situation demands, can completely disregard Sidekick if they are the tempo maker. It will also depend on whether they rush Armlet without buying Boots. It is however appropriate to put four levels into Rebound, and equal points into Sidekick and Dispose if they wish to strike a balance between farming and killing.
An example of playing without Armlet was given by Arteezy in a recent pub game. He had level four Rebound, level two Dispose, and one Ultimate point through the first seven levels. The first item he picked up was Maelstorm, and he only took a level in Sidekick at level 8.
Offlaners tend to have similar skill builds to midlaners. Due to the fact that Armlet is usually the preferred purchase, Sidekick automatically becomes the prioritized spell. Although a different approach can be taken if the midlaner and offlaner are on greedy heroes. In such a case, Rebound takes precedence over Sidekick.
Marci Talent Choices
Valve
Level 10
Marci has a choice between ‘+2 Mana Regen’ and ‘+5 Armor.’
While it may seem like the presence of four active spells on Marci necessitates the mana regen talent, it is however not the case. All four of her spells make for a relatively low mana skillset when compared to most other heroes in the game possessing four active spells. Additionally, 5 armor is quite a bit and is too good to be ignored and this is why most players are opting for it.
Level 15
Marci has a choice between ‘+250 Rebound/Cast Jump Range’ and ‘+0.75s Dispose Stun Duration.’
As the game progresses, the cast and jump range talent are likely to fade out as players opt for mobility mechanics, such as Blink Dagger and Silver Edge. On the other hand, before this talent, Dispose stuns for 2.1 seconds. An additional 0.75 seconds can make a world of difference. Even though the cast range talent looks amazing at first glance, the stun talent simply has greater importance.
Level 20
Marci has a choice between ‘+30 Movement Speed’ and ‘1.75s Sidekick Spell Immunity.’
30 movement speed is a decent amount, but when you receive 1.75 seconds of BKB every 12 seconds on the ally of your choice, it is hard to turn it down.
Level 25
Marci has a choice between ‘+50% Sidekick Lifesteal’ and ‘1.5s Unleash Pulse Silence.’
An argument can be made for both talents, but most professional players prefer the pulse silence in their games. Due to the impact those 1.5 seconds of silence can have towards the end of the game, it makes it the more solid choice. In some cases, the extra lifesteal may be redundant, since Sidekick provides 50% by default anyways, and many players also choose to go with Satanic at times.
As some customary balancing changes are applied to the hero in the near future, the ideal role, the item and skill build, and the heroes' talents will become clearer through some extensive playtime with Marci.
