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Dota 2: The biggest winners of patch 7.31d

Dota 2 patch 7.31d has been out for over a week and it is time to look into which heroes received the biggest bump in their win rate.

While the game's latest update was mostly a rebalancing patch without major changes to the game, several heroes received buffs and have had more success in pubs and the pro scene.

Let's take a look at the five biggest winners in Dota 2 patch 7.31d:

Lina

Illustration of Lina in Dota 2 (Photo: Valve Software)
Lina in Dota 2 (Photo: Valve Software)

7.31d changes

Fiery Soul

  • Stack duration increased from 15s to 18s

  • Shard bonus damage increased from 10 to 15

Fiery Soul lasts significantly longer in the new update, which has done wonders for Lina.

The hero doesn't need to spam her spells as often now to enjoy the benefits of Fiery Soul.

This is particularly useful earlier in the game when the hero's mana pool is more restricted.

Lina tends to put one point in Fiery Soul early and then focus on maxing the other basic spells. The extra three-second duration makes it easier for the hero to contest runes, run from camp to camp to farm, and just be overall more efficient.

Support Lina also received a buff to her Aghanim's Shard upgrade, which now provides an additional 15 damage per stack, maxing out at 105 damage to her spells.

It's a nice buff to an underused Shard upgrade, though time will tell if it is enough damage to justify actually buying it or simply wait for Roshan to drop it for free.

Sven

Illustration of Sven in Dota 2. (Photo: Valve Software)
Sven in Dota 2. (Photo: Valve Software)

7.31d changes

  • Base Attack Speed increased from 100 to 110

At the moment, it seems like IceFrog has a soft spot for Sven, as this is the second patch in a row that the hero receives buffs and makes it to our list of the biggest patch winners.

Sven gained a 1.9% increase in his win rate thanks to the extra-base attack speed the hero received in Dota 2 patch 7.31d.

With the nerf to other meta carries, Sven looks a little more appealing to pick right now.

Despite the buffs, Sven has received for two patches in a row, the hero has yet to make an appearance during the 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Summer Tour.

It looks like Pro teams are still wary of picking the Rogue Knight while options such as Tiny and Monkey King are around.

And despite the buffs to Sven, we don't recommend picking the hero if you plan on grinding MMR.

Sven still has a below 48% win rate in all brackets due to his over-reliance on his ultimate God's Strength. In the current fast-paced meta, carries with long downtime like Sven are too risky to pick.

Lycan

Illustration of Lycan in Dota 2 (Photo: Valve Software)
Lycan in Dota 2 (Photo: Valve Software)

7.31d changes

Shapeshift

  • Critical Damage increased from 150/175/200% to 160/190/220%

Lycan gained a 2.4% increase in his win rate thanks to the bonus critical damage provided by Shapeshift.

Lycan has always been great at taking objectives and this change allows him to bring down enemy heroes a little faster in engagements.

In uncoordinated pub games, Lycan remains one of the most successful heroes to spam in order to grind MMR.

Lycan can self-sustain in lane, split push effectively, and remains a threat throughout the whole game.

Due to the nerf to Healing Salve, Lycan's ability to play solo during the laning stage makes the hero more valuable in patch 7.31d.

While other cores have to spend more gold on regeneration items or burden their supports, Lycan's Feral Impulse provides the hero with all the sustain he needs during the laning stage.

Thanks to a shift in the laning stage meta and a buff to his damage, Lycan is the fourth biggest winner of the patch and currently one of the best heroes in high MMR games.

Alchemist

Illustration of Alchemist in Dota 2 (Photo: Valve Software)
Alchemist in Dota 2 (Photo: Valve Software)

7.31d changes

Berserk Potion

  • Shard Mana Cost reduced from 125 to 100

Chemical Rage

  • Duration increased from 25s to 30s

  • Cooldown increased from 55s to 60s

A five-second increase in Chemical Rage's uptime and cooldown might seem like the spell remains the same, but it's actually a solid buff.

Most fights tend to last longer than 25 seconds, and having an additional five seconds of Chemical Rage allows Alchemist to maintain his presence for much longer in big team brawls.

It also means the ultimate has a 50% uptime now, compared to 45% in previous patches.

Alchemist also benefits from the longer games being played in 7.31d.

While Alchemist is famous for his farming ability, he still needs several items to come online, whereas heroes such as Monkey King and Chaos Knight are ready to fight from the get-go.

Thanks to longer matches, Alchemist has more time to get into fighting shape and the pros have taken note.

Alchemist has been picked seven times so far in the Summer Tour and won five of those matches. The hero was practically ignored during the ESL One Stockholm Major and only showed up twice during the entire tournament.

Dawnbreaker

Illustration of Valora the Dawnbreaker in Dota 2. (Photo: Valve Software)
Valora the Dawnbreaker, Dota 2's 121st hero. (Photo: Valve Software)

7.31d changes

  • Strength Growth reduced from 3.6 to 3.4

Luminosity

  • Critical Damage increased from 120/140/160/180% to 125/150/175/200%

Solar Guardian

  • Cooldown reduced from 120/110/100s to 120/105/90s

For the price of one strength every five levels, Dawnbreaker now deals significantly more damage when she crits and has a shorter downtime on her ultimate.

Those two things have earned the hero a 2.6% increase in win rate and made Dawnbreaker the biggest winner of the patch.

A loss of 5 strength by level 30 isn't a big deal for Dawnbreaker, as she still has a reasonable starting armor of 4 and 3.4 strength gain.

The truth is, Dawnbreaker remains as durable as ever and the small hit to her strength gain is negligible.

In return, Luminosity hits harder at all levels, which in turn means she heals a little more as well. This makes the hero and her team harder to bring down during team fights.

It's a small damage increase overall, but the fact that it also buffs the hero's healing makes a world of difference.

Dawnbreaker is also able to play more active in Dota 2 patch 7.31d, courtesy of the cooldown buff to Solar Guardian.

This is particularly useful in pub games, where fights tend to happen all across the map, and Dawnbreaker's ability to show up anywhere can turn the tide and win the game.

Overall, Dawnbreaker is well suited for the current meta and the pros have noticed that as well.

Dawnbreaker has been picked in every region in the Summer Tour except South America. Pro teams are experimenting with the hero and so should anyone who wants to grind MMR in 7.31d.

Otomo is a long-time gaming enthusiast and caster. He has been playing games since he was 10 and is the biggest Dota 2 fan.

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