Here’s some of the reasons Warlock can make an excellent pick in pubs.
Whether you are a pro player or a casual Dota 2 fan, you probably want to gain as much MMR as possible. Playing pub games can be annoying, but it is an excellent way of testing your skills. Depending on your skill bracket, you may have the chance to go up against some of the best players in the world.
In order to gain as much MMR as possible, some people prefer to pick the best heroes in the meta. Needless to say, most Dota 2 players focus on the mid lane and safe lane because they think these two lanes will give them a higher chance of winning. This may be true up to a point, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t other positions that are worth it.
Besides the hottest heroes in the current meta, there are many other top-rated heroes that you can pick from in Pubs, and one of them is Warlock. This is often a hero that people forget about because he doesn’t have the most exciting set of skills. However, he can be played as a mid laner and support, which makes him versatile. With that being said, here are some of the reasons why this hero can do wonders in pubs.
Warlock is one of the best lane supports
One of the first and most important things you have to keep in mind about Warlock is that this hero is amazing lane support. Due to the fact that he can heal and harass the enemy hero at any given time makes him an excellent option for heroes, such as Anti-Mage, Phantom Assassin, and other fragile carries.
Even though the hero needs to gain at least a couple of levels in order to be more dangerous, he can be useful even if he doesn’t have level six. In other words, if you play pubs and one of your teammates picks a late-game monster, getting Warlock is usually a good idea. He may not be the most interesting hero to play, but he is useful in many scenarios.
Warlock as a mid laner
Although Warlock is a popular support hero who can do wonders in some situations, he is also an excellent mid laner. Due to the fact that he can heal himself, Warlock is capable of laning against much more dangerous heroes. Needless to say, he can also be really dangerous, especially when he hits level six.
Speaking of the devil, level six is essential for this hero because he gets the chance to use his ultimate. Although some people underestimate it, Chaotic Offering can make a huge difference at any stage of the game. Some Dota 2 players think that the golems don’t do damage, but if you give them enough time, they can be a nightmare to deal with.
Since Warlock is not a physical damage dealer, his purpose in the mid lane is to gain levels and help his team push as fast as possible. To do that, the hero needs to purchase items, such as Pipe of Insight, Guardian Greaves, and more. They would allow him and his team to participate in team fights and use Warlock’s ultimate to push pressure on the enemy team.
In other words, Warlock is not a good hero to use as a core if your team’s carry is a hero, such as Anti-Mage or another late-game monster. Although Warlock is powerful, he is nowhere near as good in the late game as he is early on. That’s why you should try to finish the game as fast as possible.
Warlock pairs well with burst damage heroes
Besides his heal and ultimate, people forget that Warlock has one potent spell in his arsenal called Fatal Bounds. When used, he can basically do damage to several units by damaging just one of them. This might not seem like a big deal, but it can do wonders in team fights, especially if he manages to “catch” several heroes with his spell.
Besides working well alongside his ultimate, Warlock’s Fatal Bonds are highly effective when paired with heroes that do a lot of burst damage. One of the good examples is Lina because Laguna Blade is one of the highest single-target damage spells in the game.
Apart from heroes that do burst, Warlock can also work well with heroes that have mass AoE damage abilities. The first name that comes to mind is Invoker and his Chaos Meteor, but there are all sorts of other options, such as Tinker and Zeus. Unfortunately, all of those heroes are popular mid laners, which means that Warlock has to be played as support.
If we have to sum up, Warlock is one of the hidden gems in Dota 2 when it comes down to MMR. The fact that he is easy to play makes him a solid pick in every skill bracket. He’s useful early on and during the late game, even though he can’t solely determine the outcome of a given team fight. The good news is Warlock works well in many combinations and metas. Be sure to talk with your teammates before picking him; because it’s always important to pick heroes that work well together.