Dota 2: Meta Carry Analysis in 7.21b

7.21b tweaked the metagame a bit at top rank, with a few heroes returning, while nerfing most of the carries successfully. Overall, the carry meta is currently stable and has a great variety of heroes.

Again, 7.21 and 7.21b retain most of the stability of the previous patch, while helping other heroes shine. Jugerraut, Lifestealer, Luna and Phantom Assassin are no longer introducing much, instead, we will focus on emerging heroes, currently successful and less played in pubs.

BLOODSEEKER

Bloodseeker is rarely seen at high ranks – this hero is picked in less than 1% of games. However, BS has a win rate of more than 55%. This shows that the hero is really effective in pubs, at least in certain squads.

Bloodseeker is in the tempo carry group – his late game damage isn’t really impressive, but his mid-game and laning power is undeniable. In this regard, Bloodseeker is very similar to Lifestealer – also struggling as the game drags on, but can control the game at 20 minutes.

The way Bloodseeker builds is mostly pretty much the same, with Radiance shining for itself. Midas especially after being nerfed is a controversial item – Bloodseeker doesn’t really need the extra attack speed and Midas is still a pacing item.

As a result, your carry can start quite early: if you can get your item up earlier than your opponent, you can control the game with ease, combining physical and magic damage. It can deal with high armor, low health or buffalo health, but little armor.

RAZOR

Razor slowly grew in popularity after the DreamLeague qualifiers: high-ranking pub gamers often followed the pro scene closely and copied things that worked. Razor is certainly no exception.

Razor is often seen as an “anti-carry” carry, very effective against the most popular heroes in the current meta. Heroes like Lifestealer, Juggernaut, and Phantom Assassin often rely on their basic attacks to deal damage. With Static Link, especially at the level 15 talent, Razor will steal all the damage of these heroes.

If the hero with Static Link escapes, we also save a lot of time for the hero to run away and not hit our teammates. In addition, you also steal damage, which is very useful against your team’s carry.

Finally, Razor now has a few more mods: Plasma Field now has a slow effect, while Unstable Current is considered a good farming tool.

LYCAN

The buffed Lycan can’t be underestimated: the hero is now stronger in lane and allows for just-in-time build. Lycan might not be suitable for 7.21’s slow meta, but if the enemy is using too many greedy heroes combined with stable laning, Lycan can be a front runner until the 30th minute of the game.

Most of Lyacn’s power comes from his map control: Lycan destroys turrets quickly and creates good vision for the team. Although Lycan’s teamfight potential is limited, his superior map control helps him to catch oddballs well. Other than that, Lycan’s damage isn’t much of a concern: the stats are very high. It is only divided among many pieces and is enough to kill the enemy hero in ‘a few notes’.

With the help of ganks and disables, Lycan easily knocks out enemies in the mid-game and from there push the tower straight. Playing fast and daring is a must for Lycan, and if the team knows how to coordinate, this hero will bring success to the team.

EPILOGUE

With two major tournaments taking place during the week, we have plenty of Dota to analyze. Hopefully with the changes of 7.21 and 7.21b: the number of heroes will become more diverse.

According to Dotabuff