Dota 2: A guide to effective map control

‘map control’ or ‘map control’ is one of the terms used a lot by casters. It is very simple concept: Control areas on the game map.

We’ll go deeper to understand what ‘map control’ really means and how to achieve it. Map control is more than simply having vision in an area. Visibility is also part of the map control job but we need to meet a few more conditions and have to keep our influence in the areas of the map.

The three important points in map control are:

• Gain safe passage to neutral and creep wave zones in the area.
• The opposing team must be afraid (fear) of entering a controlled area and fear it may cost (with their lives) if they do.
• Control vision to create a safe area to prepare to attack targets.

Why these points are important:

• Safe passage to neutral yards and creep waves offers the potential to be easier to farm. The more areas the team can reach, the more everyone’s ability to farm will increase.
• When the opposing team is hesitant to enter an area, they cannot put farm pressure on the team that is in control. And yet, the opposing team is also farming less and less efficient around the map. Also, if an enemy enters an area out of control, they run the risk of being ganked, inadvertently giving your team gold and experience.
• Visibility delivers better regional information and allows you to make better decisions based on that information.

SO HOW DO WE CONTROL the MAP?

Map control comes in many different ways. The first and simplest is to destroy the enemy turret. Turrets not only provide vision and are a safe area for heroes, but they also block the movement of creeps in the lane. By destroying turrets, creeps can go deeper, providing more vision and thereby giving the team more control of the map.

In the current patch, the best tower breakers are Beastmaster, Death Prophet, Lycan and Timbersaw. These heroes are prioritized a lot by pro teams because they can put pressure on turrets very early on. Timbersaw is a bit different from heroes that specialize in heavy damage to turrets but thanks to ‘nearly immortal’ in the early game, Timber can take hits instead of creeps so they can focus on breaking turrets. Timbersaw also hits another important point in map control: In the early game, Timber is often so dangerous that it makes other heroes afraid to compete with Timber in lane. You can of course still “lose” with Timber, but the odds of getting on the board are quite high. At this point, Timbersaw can control the map a lot without support from the team. This is why Timbersaw is being picked by hunting teams right now.

This point brings us to the second aspect of map control that is ‘protection’. Since there’s no term for heroes who are good at keeping map control, we’ll just call them ‘protection groups’ in this article. ‘Security groups’ can threaten an area and ‘protect’ areas well by pressuring or killing anyone who dares to enter. In the current meta, the two most popular guardians are Puck and Void Spirit. These two heroes are extremely good at closing the distance as well as catching trespassers. They also have burst damage, quickly wiping out heroes that dare to enter. Beastmaster and Timbersaw are also part of the ‘protection group’. The difference is that these two heroes usually control an area of ​​the map while Void Spirit or Puck can appear anywhere very quickly.

Guardian’s job is to protect areas that the team considers important by using their overwhelming power. Popular guardians are usually good at pushing wave creeps, allowing them to take advantage of creeps before disappearing from the minimap. The most powerful weapon of ‘protection’ is when they don’t appear on the map. Monkey King is a prime example of this group. Hero farms wave creeps as quickly as Primal Spring before jumping up trees, out of sight and waiting to see what prey will enter his territory.

VISION TO WIN GAMES

Gaining vision through wards, creeps or heroes is the strongest and easiest way to control the map. Simply put, the more you see, the better you can play. Therefore, the article continues to emphasize the importance of heroes like Beastmaster in the current meta. The stealthy Hawk allows the hero to set vision when pushing, as well as prepare to gank in an area he controls. Monkey King can provide vision in an area while he is still hiding in a tree. This inadvertently creates a risk for anyone intending to regain control of these areas of the map.

Ward is very important in map control, but it is more difficult now because the map has not been adjusted in a long time. The presence of Necrobooks in the heroes Lycan and Beastmaster makes things even more difficult. Therefore, the ‘guard team’ has a very important responsibility to protect the plugged wards. Professional teams often ward areas that are used to prepare to attack targets. Therefore, they are willing to put in a lot of effort just to protect the planted ward.

One of the heroes that does a good job of breaking wards is Keeper of the Light. Not only is it easy to deward with vision from Illimunate, but the fast movement speed allows the hero to quickly retreat in dangerous areas of the map. The strongest thing in KotL’s skill set is the ability to call any hero to act as ‘protection’ by Recalling them to their current location. This skill alone allows teams to control the map much better than usual and it is one of the reasons why KotL continues to be so successful in the meta.

Do you have an effective map control and vision tip you’d like to share? Please comment below, as well as share which heroes are very good at controlling the map in the current meta!

According to dotabuff

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