Valve’s Dota 2 patch release schedule is notoriously suspect, and they’ve once again lived up to the reputation as the 7.30d gameplay update drops 11 days before the start of TI10. The patch was released at around 6 am local Romanian time, where most teams are now boot camping for The International 10, on Sunday, September 26th.
Valve has decided to spice things up before TI by dropping a patch just 11 days before the start of the event (image via Valve)
Hero Nerfs in Patch 7.30d
With it comes a host of nerfs to some of the game’s most broken heroes. First on the chopping block is Dawnbreaker. The more recent hero for the game had her wings clipped just before her debut on Dota 2’s grandest stage. Reduced damage on her Starbreaker and nerf to her slow pushes her out of the must-pick/must-ban tier. However, we may still see her at the event, with many teams practicing her.
The next victim of Valve’s nerf hammer is Tinker, whose rework last patch to bring them to relevance had created quite a stir. His enhanced utility, teleport, and raw damage potential had brought him to the forefront of the game’s hero pool.
Luckily, while Valve is often a neglectful god who fails to hear the cries and prayers of players, on this occasion, they listened. Tinker’s Rearm, which had the new teleport component, had its mana cost boosted, while the Heat-Seeking Missile received a healthy nerf. Unfortunately, Silencer also felt the burn of the nerf. He’s had his silence penalty multiplier reduced and his Aghs Scepter ability range nerfed.
Tweaks and Changes for Items
But the patch also had some tweaks for the new items added in 7.30. For example, Tumblers Toy now has less utility, with its cooldown reduced. It can also no longer be used while rooted or leashed (no more free escapes). Mirror Shield and Nether Shawl also felt some nerfs.
However, it’s not all nerfs. Riki, Pugna, Timbersaw, Ursa, and Undying received small buffs, perhaps hinting at what kind of carries we’ll see at TI. And the biggest winner of the patch was clearly Clinkz, who is now closer to his 7.30 rework release stats.
As mentioned, Valve is notorious for dropping patches at unideal times. Including during the playoffs of an event, during Majors, and most recently, in the middle of the DPC league. So a patch with a week of build-up isn’t too bad. Still, the developer is very aware of how little time is left until TI10, and was clearly looking to shake things up with this patch.
You can find full details of all the patch changes here.
