Top 10 most played Mid lane heroes of 7.19c at 5k MMR
The top 10 most popular Dota 2 heroes in the mid lane during 7.19c. We will learn the best picks in the meta, how to play or counter them, and the patch changes.
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The heroes are arranged by pick rate, and the data considers all games played in any region in the 5k+ (Divine) bracket. Note that we can’t filter data for 7.19c only, so the past 30 days are examined. Statistics from Dotabuff.
Top 5
| Hero | Name | Pick% | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storm Spirit | 20.6% | 49.7% |
| Invoker | 19.8% | 49.5% |
| Zeus | 12.4% | 56.3% |
| Tinker | 10.3% | 49.2% |
| Lina | 9.0% | 45.3% |
7.19c mostly balanced the best safe and off lane heroes of the meta, and only a limited number of changes influenced the mid lane ones. Templar Assassin dropped out of the top 10 and has been replaced by Ember Spirit, but we talk about tiny percentage variations.
We will have a look at the patch changes that affected all the heroes in the current top 10.
Note: I won’t explain the heroes in detail as most of them are top picks by a long time. On the website, you can find several analysis on Zeus, while the reasoning behind Clinkz’s popularity has been explained in the 7.19b mid lane article.
Storm Spirit
Currently, Storm Spirit is one of the most popular mid laners in pubs, but he has a negative win rate at all ranks.
Static Remnant damage reduced from 140/180/220/260 to 120/160/200/240.
Even when the mid lane is lost, SS can just flash farm the jungle thanks to the damage of Static Remnant and Overload, and afterwards capitalize on the extra mobility via Ball Lightning.
This is a 20 damage nerf at all levels, so it won’t upset him a lot, but it will still slow down his farm by reducing the last hit potential in the lane and the farming speed in the jungle. Moreover, it also impacts his harassing potential in the laning phase at early levels.
Wartorn Heavens set for Zeus - Valve
Zeus
Zeus has been hurt by countless nerfs in the past six months, but he remains a monstrous menace for pub players maintaining a win rate above 55% in every MM bracket.
I believe this nerf (which affects only the late game) has been released solely on a pub perspective as during September he had a 25% draft rate and a negative 45% win rate in pro games.
Strength gain reduced from 2.3 to 2.1.
Level 25 Talent reduced from +170 Arc Lightning damage to +155.
Overall, less HP and damage in the late game. The level 25 Zeus is already incredibly strong, so these changes aren’t enough to influence greatly his win rate.
Nerfing Nimbus is perhaps the only way to balance the hero from a pub perspective. The Aghanim’s Scepter on Zeus is mandatory because this ability is literally overpowered. He can contribute to fights taking place on any section of the map by providing vision, true sight, damage, and ministuns (which disable teleports and channeled abilities during ganks).
7.19 reduced the radius of Nimbus from 450 to 500, but this change helped only a few ranged heroes, and hardly limited the AoE effectiveness of the skill.
Top 10
| Hero | Name | Pick% | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinkz | 8.6% | 54.2% |
| Alchemist | 7.8% | 53.7% |
| Shadow Fiend | 6.8% | 41.9% |
| Broodmother | 6.7% | 55.2% |
| Ember Spirit | 6.1% | 48.8% |
Clinkz
Base strength reduced by 2.
36 less health points. It doesn’t seem a big deal, but the strength has been decreased by 2 also in the previous patch, and Clinkz is a very squishy hero with just 416 HP at level 1. He must be very careful against burst damage in the laning stage.
Searing Arrows manacost increased from 10 to 12.
More mana problems. He already needed mana regeneration items, so this change won’t interfere with his standard build. A few Enchanted Mangoes or Clarity potions will suffice in the early game.
Some players prefer buying the Soul Ring (after the Ring of Aquila) to solve completely any mana issue until better items are acquired. I do not love this build, but you can consider it when rushing the Desolator.
Level 20 Talent reduced from +20 Health Regen to +16.
Level 25 Talent reduced from +4s Strafe Duration to +3s.
Two needed late-game nerfs because his talents were just too powerful. Reducing the health regeneration by 4 isn’t a real problem, but will still hinder a bit his sustaining capabilities: Clinkz never needs to go back to base because he gets health regeneration via the talent and mana from the items.
The nerf to Strafe Duration can be a serious issue depending on the opponents faced. This ability is exceptionally useful due to the unlimited dodge component.
Blade Mail
Reduced armor bonus from 6 to 5.
Increased Damage Return cooldown from 20 to 25.
Finally, the nerf to the Blade Mail is an indirect buff to Clinkz as many popular melee heroes of the meta (such as Wraith King and Spectre) were purchasing it in nearly every game. The item has great stats so the armor reduction is a fair change, and the increased cooldown gives fewer chances to use it multiple times during the same team fight.
The Blade Mail is one of the reasons Clinkz must be careful with the level 25 talent Searing Arrows Multishot as he could potentially obliterate himself without even noticing it.
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Header image: Compendium Scorched Fletcher loading screen for Clinkz - Valve
