We take a look at the top carries so far in Dota 2’s latest patch.
Every new patch in Dota 2 has an effect on the current meta, especially when it comes down to core heroes. Once patch 7.31 arrived, people expected a lot of new changes, and they were not disappointed. We have access to a new hero, several new items, and all sorts of other small tweaks. This also had an effect on some heroes.
Despite the many changes, some of the meta carries in the previous patch continue to be among the go-to options for many Dota 2 players. This became obvious in the Gamers Galaxy: Invitational Series Dubai 2022. The latter was the first big tournament (even though it was not a part of the DPC) played on the new patch.
We won’t go into detail about the top heroes at the event. Instead, this article will try to show you which are some of the top carries in the current patch. Of course, the information here can change in the future because the new update is only a couple of weeks old.
Wraith King
Wraith King was not a famous hero in professional Dota 2 games until a couple of years ago. Since Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov and a couple of other carry players started using him more often, he became one of the go-to options in patch 7.30.
We expected WK to receive nerfs in patch 7.31, so it wasn’t surprising the hero’s Base Agility is down from 18 to 16. Vampiric Spirit also provides less lifesteal, but the hero’s ability to accumulate his skeleton charges much faster. It seems like this was enough because Wraith King continues to be one of the preferred options for numerous Dota 2 players.
If we take a look at DotaBuff, we can see that WK has more than a 54% win rating, which makes him among the most successful carries in the game. The fact he has a second life makes him incredibly strong for all sorts of drafts.
Chaos Knight
The second hero that definitely deserves a spot on the list is Chaos Knight. Like WK, this is another STR-based carry who was often picked in pub games. However, the hero was not popular in pro games due to his slow farming speed. That changes in the previous patch, and it seems like things haven’t changed since the arrival of 7.31.
Despite farming significantly slower than other carries, CK doesn’t need many items to be effective. Once the hero gets Armlet of Mordiggian, he is more than capable of bringing down at least a couple of heroes. Thanks to his ultimate, Chaos Knight can be an unstoppable force, especially in certain matchups.
The hero’s popularity in pro games also has an effect on his performance in PUBs. Despite not being the go-to option for every player, he has a 53% win rating, which is considerably higher than other popular heroes.
Drow Ranger
Although there are Dota 2 players who pick Drow Ranger in the mid lane, the hero proved herself to be a solid carry. Consequently, we’ve decided to put her in this list alongside names like WK, CK, and more.
Drow Ranger is one of the most engaging heroes in the game, which is why she is also among the top picks in every meta. Besides the fact she deals tons of right-click damage, her Aura helps her team push a lot faster. As a result, Drow Ranger is often paired with some of the hottest mid laners. In the last couple of years, we can see the hero alongside Templar Assassin, Storm Spirit, Invoker, Shadow Fiend, and more.
Although Drow has excellent right-click damage, she is fragile and doesn’t work well against hyper-aggressive heroes. As a result, players are usually careful because if they fail in the laning stage, bouncing back will be easier said than done. Despite everything mentioned so far, Drow Ranger’s win rating is almost 54%, which is not bad at all.
Spectre
This is one of the few late-game monsters in Dota 2 that can defeat the entire enemy team in one team fight. Spectre is one of the heroes that was often the preferred option for professional Dota 2 teams. Old-school players probably remember the classic Zeus/Spectre meta where the carry became the most picked hero in the game.
Despite the fact those times are long gone, the AGI carry found a way to bounce back in the meta. This time, pro and casual players alike focus on playing around Spectre’s ultimate instead of purchasing items like Radiance. It seems like this tactic paid off because the hero’s win rating increased a lot. Nowadays, Spectre is not as popular as before, but you can often find the hero because many pro players pick it.
Luna
Like Drow Ranger, Luna is one of the few AGI carries in Dota 2 that is always on the radar when it comes to professional and pub games. Although the hero was more robust during the infamous SD+Luna combo, she continues to be a fantastic option for every carry player. Luna is fairly durable for an AGI hero, she farms fast and has a powerful ultimate that allows her to do a lot of magical damage. All those things help her have more than a 53% win rating.
Luna will always be a part of the Dota 2 meta because Valve is yet to release any drastic changes to the hero. Consequently, she is a solid option for every pro team and casual player.
Troll Warlord
The last hero that should be on this list following the event in Dubai is Troll Warlord. Despite not being as popular as others on this list, Troll Warlord is a name that can single-handedly destroy an enemy team if he gets proper items. Speaking of items, Troll scales well in the late game and can easily push a tower in a matter of seconds. Furthermore, he is solid in 1v1 scenarios, which makes him good against heroes like LC. The latter is a popular offlaner in the meta.
One of Troll Wardword’s biggest problems is the fact that heroes do everything they can to kite him. You can often see items like Eul’s and Force Staffs. In order to do as much damage as possible, pro teams often get heroes like Magnus so that Troll Warlord has enough time to attack.