Dota 2: Do you need to care about the game’s Meta?

Meta is the current trend of the most picked heroes to help gamers grasp the game, so that everyone can better understand the professional arena as well as their own game knowledge. Sometimes, we ignore this, or sometimes we “scream” and favor certain heroes too much.

However, there is an ever-present problem that cannot be fixed: we often assume that the people reading these articles are usually ‘tryhard’ Dota players who only care about winning.

However, we read meta-analyses to understand how the pro scene plays out and try to understand what aspects can be applied in pub games. Meta articles tell you which heroes are hot and why they’re being picked, while avoiding picking heroes that are considered weak right now. But the reality is a little different.

SHOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN META?

The short answer is “yes”, but there are many things that are not as simple as you think. Because no game in Dota is the same and every player is not the same

SKILL

Knowing how to play a “strong” hero is really not as good as playing a “weak” hero well. Those who don’t know how to get the most out of a hero have a hard time exploiting the things that make that hero strong in the meta. Meanwhile, playing your favorite and most successful hero can make up for the weak points of the current hero in the meta. Often in the pro arena, particularly late in the tournament, teams confidently start using their signature heroes, whatever the current meta.

The stage where a hero is considered “strong”, in accordance with that meta is a great time to learn how to play the hero. You will experience this hero at its best and there are a lot of recent replays of pro players controlling that hero. However, playing your best hero can still help you achieve your usual win rate, no matter what the current meta is.

FORMATION

Meta doesn’t appear spontaneously – a small change can affect the strength of that hero and the way we understand the hero and the goals of the game. It can affect a lot of different things, like which hero should be paired with that hero, which hero can counter this hero or what other heroes can be replaced. From there, everyone expected a lot in the early game.

This is probably the biggest cause of concern for the meta – players come into the game with different expectations, they know which lane duos work, and expect everyone to stick to a certain plan. If you don’t cooperate during the draft, choosing the default meta picks is probably the best course of action: your team will often choose a playable and synergistic team.

Not adapting to teammates or picking picks that aren’t part of the opponent’s meta is probably one of the biggest mistakes players make. Sometimes, when your team picks the first hero and the second hero, it leaves you open because thinking that the first pickers can play that hero well, they pick first.

There are reasons why this can happen: players may be too bored with playing the same hero all the time, or they are very confident in the hero they are already good at, but the result is the same: you have to Adaptation. Those who choose non-meta heroes often ask their teammates to pick heroes that they have paired before and are worth considering to pick. This adaptive rule also applies to unexpected picks on the opposing team.

KNOWLEDGE NEEDED

The article believes that if players want to improve at the fastest speed, you need to follow the pro arena and try to understand the meta. Blindly following the meta is the exact opposite of being meta-savvy.

If you understand why this hero is “strong”, you will definitely be more prepared to fight them. If you understand why some heroes are no longer in the meta, you can see opportunities to pick them up in the game, when the weaknesses of these heroes are not easily exploited and their strengths can shine.

You should definitely care about the current meta of the game if you want to win and improve faster. However, this knowledge should not be seen as a rule to follow, but rather as a guide to understanding the intricacies of Dota and finding solutions that work for you.

Source: Dotabuff