We breakdown the Offlaners who are top of Patch 7.31b’s meta so far.
Despite the fact the offlane is one of the most important positions in Dota 2, many people in PUBs don’t pay enough attention to it. Needless to say, professional players are well aware that the offlaner can drastically change the course of a given game, which is why they always pick some of the best heroes in the meta.
Speaking of meta, the newest Dota 2 update didn’t affect the top offlaners as hard as some people expected. As a result, many of the big names in the previous patch continue to be the go-to option for professional and amateur Dota 2 players. With that out of the way, here are some of the top offlaners in the current meta and let’s see how to utilize their power.
Centaur Warrunner
Since the days of DotA, Centaur Warrunner has been one of the most popular heroes in the game when it comes down to the offlane. Even though most people combine him with support, he is capable of laning on his own. This shouldn’t come as a surprise because Centaur Warrunner is one of the most robust heroes in the game. Furthermore, he has an AoE stun which allows him to escape when needed.
Speaking of escaping, Centaur Warrunner is notorious for his ultimate, which allows him and his allies to escape. What’s more interesting is once the hero gets an Aghs, he and his teammates can’t be shown down, at least in the first couple of seconds. This makes Centaur Warrunner one of the best offlaners in the game. Currently, the hero has a little over 52% win rating.
Underlord
The second hero that you can often find in pro and casual Dota 2 games is Underlord. The latter has always been one of the best heroes for this position due to the fact he’s tanky. What makes Underlord unique in some lineups is his ability to utilize items that give different auras. For example, he is often one of the heroes to buy items like Guardian Greaves, Assault Cuirass, Radiance, and more.
While it is true Underlord can do wonders, he’s not a hero you can use in every situation. In fact, most teams decide to pick him to focus on pushing or a five-man team fight. That’s why you can rarely see him alongside some of the late-game monsters, such as Anti-Mage or Spectre.
Enigma
Enigma used to be the go-to jungler, at least a couple of years ago. Even though the hero continues to play an important role in this position, most people started using it in the offlane. This was strange at first, but once we got used to it, we realized Enigma could work well against numerous lineups.
Thanks to the minions, the hero can sustain himself even against aggressive lineups. Furthermore, Enigma can easily farm the camps near the lane and even gank the mid lane once Black Home becomes available.
Once the laning stage is over, Enigma becomes one of the most important heroes on the map because Black Hole gives his team a massive advantage. Needless to say, most teams will always try to play around this ultimate.
If we look at the official statistics, we can see Enigma has more than a 53% win rate. Despite this, the hero isn’t as common as others on this list because he only works in certain situations.
Mars
This may not be the most popular option for pubs, but Mars established himself as one of the best heroes for competitive Dota 2 games. He plays a crucial role for all sorts of teams because of his damage capabilities. Mars is one of the few offlaners that often deal more damage than carries, especially if he gets a good start. The hero can use a stun, a nuke, and the ability to kill a hero in a matter of seconds, thanks to his ultimate. Furthermore, his third ability makes him the tankiest hero in Dota 2 and can do wonders in the late game.
One of the reasons why Mars is not that popular among PUB players is the hero is difficult to master. Even people who’ve been playing the game for some time now do not have the needed experience to utilize him to his full potential.
Tidehunter
While we are on the topic of meta heroes, we have to mention Tidehunter, the go-to offlaner in the last couple of months. Some professional teams, such as Nigma Galaxy, have been utilizing him since TI 7. Others didn’t pay much attention to the hero until recently when everyone realized he is one of the best in the current meta.
Tidehunter is a hero known for his durability. He can also do impressive amounts of damage, especially once he hits level 25. Of course, we haven’t even mentioned the elephant in the room, which is his ultimate. A good Ravage can have a massive impact on a team fight, making Tide a valuable pick.
Timbersaw
Some offlaners, such as Mars, are known for their ability to do a lot of damage. However, this hero’s damage doesn’t even come close when compared to Timbersaw. The latter can easily out-damage almost any hero in the game, especially if he gets a good start. Timbersaw is used as a counter to every STR carry in the meta, which makes him ideal against the likes of Chaos Knight and Wraith King.
Although the hero can work well in multiple scenarios. Timber has a few counters, such as Storm Spirit. In fact, every hero that focuses on magical damage can be deadly against Timber, which explains why people often buy magic resistance items.
Beastmaster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKhf8u8lIR0
Finally, we have Beastmaster, the hero who can single-handedly carry his team when needed. BM is one of the options that pro teams use when they want to have as much attack speed as possible. The hero is notorious for being one of the best when it comes down to pushing. Moreover, Beastmaster is a hero that can easily counter every elusive carry or mid laner, thanks to his ultimate.
The hero works well in conjunction with a wide range of options, such as Templar Assassin, Queen of Pain, Drow Ranger, and more.