Dota 2: Top supports meta 7.21d

Meta support is currently in a pretty good shape with a lot of variety, from support support, trilane to carry care. Both the pro and pub arenas are still in beta, and right now there’s pretty much every hero in the game. However, not all supports are equal. This article will look at the most stable support heroes in the professional arena.

SUPPORT POSITION 4

NYX ASSASSIN

Nyx Assassin can be considered the most successful support in the current meta, excluding Oracle. Nyx is one of the less greedy supports 4, although the damage is not the highest, but possesses a very useful skill set.

With so many heroes possessing AoE and Radiance damage right now, Spiked Carapace is truly amazing and that’s why it’s being maxed out first. Stun nearly 2.5 seconds with a 10 second cooldown that only costs 40 mana, too good to ignore. It also makes it easier for us to launch Impale, controlling the game very well.

Mana Burn is also a powerful move, but only suitable against certain heroes. This is Nyx’s main source of damage and is enough to destroy some heroes. Thus, when Nyx was first picked in Captain Draft, this hero made the opponent avoid picking current meta heroes. The same thing, but less often, also applies to pub players.

EARTH SPIRIT

Earth Spirit has simply never left the meta – the hero offers a lot of damage and versatility – which is really unfair, even though the hero has been nerfed many times over the past few years. However, to maximize efficiency, players need to play almost perfectly and the opponent is forced to position errors. But once you have mastered Earth Spirit and know how to catch your opponent, everything is as easy as turning your hand.

What the article wants to say is that there is always a reason to learn to play this hero. There was a time when Earth Spirit was underappreciated and not suitable for the meta, but understanding this hero is probably a must-have for all advanced gamers.

ENIGMA

Dominating both pub and pro, Enigma is a solid laner, strong pusher and helps turn the tide in teamfight. Enigma deals as much damage as Midnight Pulse, can build teamfight items faster than other supports, can split-push and push in groups. This is considered one of the most versatile supports in the game right now.

The most popular trend for Enima right now is to give healing rings to the team’s offlane, while going into the jungle himself. This helps the offlane stay in the lane well, it is very difficult to be harassed or killed in the lane, even when going alone. Meanwhile, Enigma is not too concerned about the lack of healing, because the hero farmed in the jungle with Demonic Conversion.

Depending on your ability to take down the enemy offlane, the most effective playstyles are: 1. pressure the lane or 2. go clear the enemy jungle. Option 1 usually requires a mid or support rotate, since most Enigma squads have offlanes that are strong enough to enjoy the extra healing from the ring. Method 2 requires you to not be “delusional” when playing support, but this problem is one of the most common in pubs.

SUPPORT POSITION 5

WINTER WYVERN

Winter Wyvern is one of the very strong but often underrated supports in the current meta. Hero has a nearly 53% win rate in pub games over 5k and has a similar level of success in the pro scene. Winter Wyvern has high damage, good lane push, saves teammates and completely breaks enemy teamfight in certain formations.

Despite being a hero that can only be used in a few situations, Winter Wyvern is still worth picking in the early stages or two. Just like how Nyx makes opponents less likely to pick heroes with high intelligence, AoE damage, Winter Wyvern makes opponents choose heroes that only have physical damage. While limiting doesn’t mean preventing, it still gives you an edge.

Picking Winter Wyvern in position 5 and Nyx Assassin in position 4, you can put the enemy in a very uncomfortable situation when picking heroes.

DISRUPTOR

No longer the only hero of the CIS region, Disruptor is now one of the players’ favorite position 5 supports, but that level of success cannot be replicated in pubs. The big reason is that pub gamers are often more greedy in the core position, while Disruptor has to rely on his skill set on early plays, constantly putting pressure on his opponent than any other hero.

Therefore, the article does not encourage you to play Disruptor in your pub games without first discussing it with the team. Taking advantage of the early game to dominate the mid-game is one of the popular tactics these days. However, it requires you to own the right squad and build the right items for this strategy to work.

ABADDON

Abaddon is the opposite of Disruptor – this hero is not strong in the professional arena, but does well in pubs. Mist Coil is probably one of the most annoying moves in lane.

Mist Coil deals 120 damage, costs only 50 mana with a cooldown of 4.5 seconds. While it’s disadvantageous in that it deals damage to Abaddon himself, that’s now being used to his advantage: Abaddon can deny himself, then quickly return to lane with full resources.

In general, Abaddon is played as Skywrath Mage in lane, instead of venturing into enemy towers with the risk of being knocked out Abaddon already has a “teleport home” move.

Combined with a strong dispel for teammates as well as self-defense, Abaddon works effectively in position 5 support. Unlike many other position 5s, Abaddon is not afraid to take the lead, gather information, and take first attacks. However, make sure your team has some disables, as this is one of the things Abaddon lacks.

EPILOGUE

The diverse support meta is something that everyone has been asking for for a long time, especially in position 5. However, being the first pick is very difficult, especially when the meta doesn’t support many playstyles. However, 7.21d really does give players a variety of hero choices to start the draft.

We still have a hard time picking the right supports for our cores, but tuning and flexibility are part of Dota. And for those who complain the current meta is passive: it’s passive because we’re afraid to try new things, even though they should theoretically work.

You don’t need to “ask” the pro players to pick that hero. You need to communicate with the team to choose the ideal formation to maximize your win rate.

According to Dotabuff