Dota 2: Offlane Vengeful Spirit is the new meta in 7.20?

Vengeful Spirit was impressively successful at the highest rank. The win rate of 57.35% last month to the win rate of over 60% just last week makes VS the best hero in the current meta, based on stats.

Vengeful Spirit is a hero that has always been ungainly – despite being played as a core, VS is mostly picked for its base stats and stats that add up per level. Combined, they make VS one of the strongest long-armed tank heroes in the game, with high HP and armor.

Her damage is pretty decent, thanks to her increased agility and strong aura. But later in the game, Vengeful Spirit’s lack of both hand attacks and AoE damage makes him more of a ‘debt’ than a carry that the team can rely on. VS couldn’t farm and relied entirely on his kit to finish the game before the 40 minute mark.

In the new patch, in addition to VS being directly buffed, the game also becomes much shorter. These two changes combine to make VS useful in the game, and while the teams are still testing her as a core, VS has found a decent foothold in the offlane.

WHAT DOES A GOOD OFFLANE NEED?

Patch 7.20 revives many of the iconic offlanes of the past – the meta no longer allows for a greedy hero to be drafted, which means we should see more auxiliary heroes. Vengeful Spirit fits the above requirements, with a popular way to build items and skills.

Vengeful Spirit wants to gain more experience as a support. VS doesn’t necessarily have to be good and this hero can do a lot of great things as a support, but prioritizing farming will allow him to maximize his nuke and aura abilities for the team at the right time – sometimes this is something that VS has to consider (nuke or aura).

All of this hero’s skills work well with Magic Missle – powerful nukes and disables: Wave of Terror reduces enemy armor and Vengeance Aura makes himself stronger. This means that each level this hero gains has an effect and the earlier you max the skill, the more VS gives you an advantage.

These skills also work well with the whole team. They are strongest when allies take advantage of aura, stun duration, and armor reduction on the opponent. VS can’t farm, but she can make sure her teammates do it, always in favor of the enemy. While I myself have the skill Nether Swap in case of an emergency. This is especially true in the late game.

UP ITEM FOR OFFLANE

Looking through the VS build guides, we can draw the conclusion that this hero is very versatile or that players are still debating which item build is “best” with VS. Almost the same amount of people maxed Stun, Wave of Terror and Aura, but Aura is usually more for a support style.

All hero skills are great. Although they look simple, they are very effective and that is the most important thing. We can’t say what is the best skill build for the hero – Aura is clearly better if you have a teammate who has a hero that can push early, Wave of Terror can destroy enemies with weak armor, and Magic Missile deals Good amount of damage and good disable. Think of what you need most and adjust accordingly.

Although the skill distribution mainly depends on the game, the way VS’s map is already shaped. Vladmir’s Offering is one of the best items in the current meta and blends well with Vengeful Spirit’s gameplay and role. It adds another aura in teamfight, turret push, not to mention that VS’s shadow will persist after the hero dies, which will continue after that.

It also solves the hero’s mana regeneration problem, allowing VS to work longer, more independently – which is extremely useful for heroes who farm slowly in slow games.

Solar Crest is also an item that many people can rely on. It’s out of reach for most supports and isn’t too useful for cores, but offlane support heroes are completely different, especially with Vengeful Spirit. It pairs well with the reduced armor of VS and VS really benefits from the stats this item adds – the hero needs armor, health and mana.

Finally, we have the Force Staff, the last item to return to the core heroes. Going to Force Staff can solve a lot of problems in the game and support sometimes can’t get this item in time to make a breakthrough for the team. Hurricane Pike is also another useful item if VS wants to have a side attack.

EPILOGUE

The meta is still developing which is a great sign. 7.20 has been out for more than a month and we still have a lot of heroes undiscovered or used. Hopefully this trend will continue after the Minor, however at major tournaments the best teams in the world will often shape the whole of the patch.

One thing is for sure, Vengeful SPIrit will appear more in the professional arena. This hero is versatile and easy to play, making him a great choice in any draft.

According to Dotabuff