How to play Dota 2 well: mid-game analysis skills

We will continue the series How to Play Good Dota 2: Analyzing the Stages of the Match. This time will be the midgame, which can be considered the most important phase of the match. This is when your squad is mature enough to carry out the plan and is the time when the game is almost decided to win or lose. So what do you need to keep an eye on and what should you worry about in the mid game?

UNDERSTAND POWER LEVEL

Power Level is a term that describes the strength of a hero when reaching a certain amount and level. It is difficult to determine the hero’s power level number because networth sometimes doesn’t say much. During the midgame, you have to always understand which heroes are at their strongest and find a way to deal with them.

The first is to always think “is my team capable of winning the teamfight?” Dota is a strategy game and no matter how far ahead the opponent is, we still have a choice.

The opposing team pushes 5 people into the tier 2 tower? If you understand you can’t win them – Don’t try to eat sticky rice. You can split-push to get more resources, shortening the XP and gold gap between the two teams because when they stick push, it means sharing resources together in that area. You can try cutting wave creeps or farming in the jungle if you’re afraid the enemy will counterattack. There are better ways than committing suicide to teamfight.

Dota 2 is a game with a very flexible way of operating, and players can freely adjust their fighting style in any situation. For example, the enemy’s long cooldown skills are also an important factor to consider. Fighting Tidehunter when he has Ravage and when he doesn’t are two completely different power levels. Even if you are losing economically, the game still has an opening for you to exploit the opponent’s points.

In short: keep an eye on your opponent’s level and items to know when is a good time to fight, then pay attention to the enemy hero’s cooldown to understand when he’s not powerful enough to engage.

PLAN THE BATTLE BEFORE COMBAT

Professional teams will always have the best battle plan, which makes their teamfights easier to operate, more perfect and gives better results.

It can be seen that the offensive and defensive phases of high-level teams are often planned in advance. Everyone knows exactly where in the enemy hero’s list is the danger. They will make a list of targets that will be prioritized to focus in each teamfight, instead of just rushing to attack instinctively.

To improve yourself, you need to learn the same way. At least try to apply it to a certain extent, because you can’t expect that your teammates in pub games will do it all for you. Let’s start by thinking about the kills you can easily get, or the easiest way to teamfight.

Let’s use some real-life examples to make it easy for you to understand. If the opponent’s core is Terrorblade, will they rely primarily on Terroblade for damage? We need to plan how to deal with this hero. Suppose the other party picks more Oracle, how will it be. Let’s start thinking right from the champion pick phase: do we need to “split” Oracle and Terroblade and kill them on different sides of the teamfight? Or need to catch the Oracle before focusing on the Terrablade. Does the enemy Offlaner also have a Force Staff? Be prepared mentally about this item so as not to be surprised.

Start thinking case-by-case, work your way up to the complexity of the situation, then use your experience and game sense to find the right solution before the real combat begins. Remember to share with your teammates too. Obviously talking right before a fight will negatively affect their ability to focus on the game, so just gently remind them of their role. The team’s mobile heroes focus on defending heroes standing in the backline, while the leading hero of the team will engage the opponent and create space for the team, and your support should keep a safe distance. Things like that make a huge difference.

EPILOGUE

Midgame is the most important moment in Dota 2, at least with the current 7.27d patch. It is when the team has a full set of skills as well as items to create mutations in the game. This is also when the cores begin to have important enough items to turn the game around.

Understand how dangerous each enemy hero is to your squad. Need to know what to buy to get an advantage and understand what the opposing team will want to buy in order to react in time. As long as neither side is completely overwhelming after the laning phase, you and your teammates can still control the tempo of the game to win.

In short, know when to attack pressure and when to wait patiently for an opportunity. Hopefully, through this guide, you will improve your win rate when playing Dota 2. And most importantly, enjoy the feeling of victory when you and your teammates have tried their best.

You can read more about the first part of the series