Instructions to beat the zoo squad in Dota 2

In the current meta, the ‘zoo’ roster is expanding all over the place. Wolves, bears, trees, pigs and other creatures are running around the map and they will crush your house. Heroes with the highest win rate in Divine/Immortal rank are: Lycan, Visage, Beastmaster, Broodmother, Chen and Bane. In addition to Bane, the remaining heroes belong to the zoo lineup with the ability to summon large numbers in Dota 2.

So what makes the summon squad so strong? How do you fight them? In this article, we will explore the zoo meta and their counter strategy and push ability.

THE POWER OF THE SUMMON STRATEGY

GO FOREST

Heroes like Lycan, Nature’s Prophet, Beastmaster, etc… can go jungle at low level. If there is a bad start, they can run into the woods to catch up. These heroes have no trouble jungling, in fact, that’s one of their strong points.

Cores like Specter, Anti-Mage, Weaver, or similar heroes, jungle at level 5 is not easy. Losing lanes and running into the jungle at low levels is a huge loss for these cores.

Meanwhile, the zoo hero uses the jungle to his advantage. Ho can run into the jungle at level 5 and allows solo lane support. This way, the support gets more gold and experience, and the zoo hero can farm quickly so everyone benefits, unlike other hero combos.

Zoo heroes can also farm Ancient creeps at low levels, helping to gain experience even faster. This is something that Sven, Juggernaut or Broodmother dare not do until they have some items and are at a high level.

YOU CAN 1V9 OK

In pub games, we know what 1v9 feels like. Not only will your opponent try to kill you, but your teammates will also make it difficult for you. This is a difficult situation to stay in, especially when you’re playing a hero like Crystal Maiden or Pudge. It’s almost impossible to do without teammates.

However, zoo hero is not like that. They have a skill set that can be 1v9 okay. By focusing on pushing lanes and turrets, while hoping the team can delay your opponent’s push, you can take out turrets with hordes of beasts faster than your opponent’s speed.

Sometimes you have to ignore your teammates and try to split push to win. This is very difficult to do with a hero like Vengelful Spirit but it is a strong point of Beastmaster or Lycan.

NO NEED TO COMBAT

With the summon squad, you don’t have to join the teamfight yourself. Hero like Lycan or Beastmaster can control Necronomicon minions and soldiers to fight, using them to attack while you stand behind waiting for the moment to ripen. This can cause opponents to panic because confronting pigs, wolves, and Necro soldiers is not easy.

Heroes like Slark, Juggernaunt, Troll Warlord, etc. are forced to join the fight if they want to deal damage. Even though they can deal massive damage on their own, they can still be countered by strong BKB penetration control skills like Black Hole, Duel or Primal Roar.

Zoo heroes can push safe turrets. By sending summons that push towers, the hero can stay behind and wait for the opponent to expend resources on defense. This forces the defending side to attack first instead of vice versa.

STRATEGY TO COMBAT HERO ZOO AND PUSH

OUTPLAY REPRESENTATIVES

Most heroes don’t have the skill set to deal with these zoo heroes, that’s why they’re dominating the current meta. Countering their power with a hero like Tusk or Undying will be difficult, unless they don’t know how to play the hero they pick.

But you can try to predict the opponent’s moves. This requires game knowledge: knowing how to read maps. You can read this article to better understand and control the map.

You may not be able to split push any better than Lycan, but we can try. If you are one step ahead of your opponent, you will always have a chance. Try to play on the other side of the map, push the lane, and try to pick locations where you can use TP during the critical moment.

PATIENT

Patience is key. They are push heroes, ie heroes that will also try to push high ground. When that happens, you will have a chance to defend.

If you engage in a tier 2 turret on your side to die, your opponent will have an easy time getting to the high ground. If you just wait for them to push high ground, now you have the advantage of high ground. It’s easier for us to defend the high ground than the balanced terrain. So, be patient and wait for the enemy to push to tier 3 before you try to defend.

PRESSURE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MAP

If the team doesn’t have turret pushers, but you can trade barracks with the enemy, that’s a big win for the team. If you don’t have the ability to defend, but have a chance to eat the opponent’s barrack, do it.

If the enemy has no TP to return to defense, then you can trade barrack. If they TP back, then you can try to TP back. From there, the team will have many advantages in team fight due to being on the high ground.

They can’t push every lane. But if the opponent tries to do that, they will be at a disadvantage in some position. And that’s when you exploit this disadvantage. Try to keep at least one push lane so that the opponent can’t control all lanes and you also have a chance to push into the opponent’s turret.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW7NM6ypIEQ

EPILOGUE

Defeating zoo heroes will be hard work. That’s why these heroes have the highest win rate in current pub games. Their skill sets are stronger than other heroes in the meta at the moment.

What you can do is use their tactics against them, and take advantage of the opportunities you have. Force some heroes to TP on the other side of the map, and only act when you know you have an advantage. Threaten the opponent’s high ground so they can’t focus on attacking their own high ground.

The new patch is coming soon, but for the time being, at least you know what to do in pubs if you see animal experts appearing in the enemy draft.

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