What Does The International 10 Meta Look Like in DOTA 2?

The long-awaited TI10 patch has finally been released for DOTA 2 and fans have been left wondering what kind of an in-game meta update 7.30 will bring. However, now that the patch notes for update 7.30 have been released, it is clearly visible what Valve has planned for The International (TI) 10 meta in DOTA 2.

If you are new to the game, make sure to go through our DOTA 2 Hero Tier List for Beginners to get a better idea of which heroes to draft in the current meta.

Let's dive in and take a look at some of the meta-defining changes that were made with update 7.30 in DOTA 2.

Generic Changes to the Meta

Update 7.30 saw a bunch of changes to in-game mechanics that will most definitely alter the current meta. Before moving any further, readers are advised to note that most of these changes have been made to set the meta for the upcoming TI10 DOTA 2 Championship. Having said that, most of these changes could be altered again with the post-TI10 patch.

These changes include:

• Captain's Mode second pick phase is changed from Dire/Radiant/Dire/Radiant to Dire/Radiant/Radiant/Dire (assuming Radiant has first pick)
• Multiple Critical Strike procs are now rolled from strongest to weakest and will stop rolling once a proc occurs (this results in the same DPS but is less likely to have multiple crits in a row or multiple attacks without a crit.)
• Cooldown Percentage Reduction no longer stacks (Sources of flat cooldown reduction still stack)
• Increased HP Regen of all heroes with 0 HP Regen to 0.25
• Water Rune healing reduced from 80HP to 40HP
• Second Roshan no longer drops cheese
• Neutral Creeps now drop 5 neutral items per tier

Considering these changes, it is safe to say that the TI10 meta will revolve a lot around team fights and active clashes between the two teams.

Item Changes to the Meta

Some of the most notable items nerfs in update 7.30 have affected the extremely popular Aeon Disk, Bottle, Sange, and several other items. These items had become a common sight in most DOTA 2 matches and safe to say, these changes will heavily impact the current in-game meta.

These are the most notable items that have been nerfed in update 7.30 to alter the in-game meta,

• Witch Blade
• Aeon Disk
• Bottle
• Sange
• Enchanted Mango

Apart from these nerfs, a bunch of overlooked items has been finally buffed to make them more relevant in DOTA 2. From the Helm of the Overlord to Hurricane Pike, the list of buffs will definitely set the trend for TI10's meta.

These are the most notable buffs to overlooked items in DOTA 2 update 7.30,

• Helm of the Overlord
• Hurricane Pike
• Silver Edge
• Gleipnir
• Drum of Endurance
• Abyssal Blade
• Smoke of Deceit

Considering these changes, it is almost certain that teams now have to focus a lot more on team fight execution and active movements across the map. Additionally, items like Drum of Endurance and Smoke of Deceit will allow players to gain a massive advantage from planned ganks on the enemy team.

Overall Verdict

Although there will be further sub-patches like 7.30a and 7.30b before the beginning of TI10, update 7.30 has given a basic idea of what fans can expect at the DOTA 2 Championship. Considering the changes that have been made, it seems obvious that Valve wants to create a much more active and team fight-based meta for the professional teams participating in TI10.

However, it remains to be seen how the developers further make changes with sub-patches to finetune the game before TI10.

Balancing Sub-Patches Before TI10

As predicted, Valve has released multiple sub-patches over the weeks leading up to TI10. While there haven't been any major changes to the in-game meta set by update 7.30, the sub-patches have introduced a lot of balancing changes to the game.

Whereas updated 7.30b and 7.30c served as testing grounds, patch 7.30d has all but cemented the trend for drafts at TI10. On top of making the strength blink more relevant, a bunch of fan-favorite heroes has received notable buffs to bring them back into the mainstream hero pool.

Ranging from stealthy assassins like Phantom Assassin and Riki to the likes of dominating late-game carries like Wraith King and Ursa, the recent changes have affected most of the community-favorite heroes.

However, the last sub-patch was released less than two weeks before the start of TI10's group stage. Thus, it will be interesting to see how the professional teams execute their revamped strategies at the biggest DOTA 2 Championship.

Read More: Valve Releases Free Compendium For TI10 In DOTA 2