We hear you, you actually love enjoying Pudge. The hero’s been the most well-liked Dota hero for so long as he was within the recreation, and is likely one of the most copied designs in low cost Dota knock-offs. Is the hero really good now and did the adjustments of the final a number of years lastly made him a viable character to choose in larger degree video games? Let’s discover out.
That is the very first thing that ought to be instantly obvious for many. Present model of Pudge within the present meta isn’t support-viable. Even in a ranged core lane, he merely doesn’t provide sufficient stress and reliability to be an excellent decide.
His ganking potential is equally restricted. Pudge leaving the lane is often very noticeable and even a profitable hook doesn’t assure a kill on an enemy midlaner. Given how assist Pudge can also be very more likely to be XP-limited, there’s little on provide from him till later within the recreation, the place the injury to his personal crew has already been completed.
All of the high-level Pudge video games are core-centric, at the least within the present meta, and there are a number of good causes for why it’s the solely viable choice. And a surprisingly potent one.
There are a number of gadgets the present meta revolves round. Shiva’s Guard,
Everlasting Shroud and
Mage Slayer are essentially the most persistently bought gadgets in high-level pubs. One in every of them is superb on Pudge, one is situationally nice and one is a really robust counter. In the long run it type of evens out.
Having a noticeable armour increase, robust potential injury amplification on high of a dependable sluggish makes an enormous distinction for Pudge. The hero is notoriously weak to bodily injury and an early Shiva’s gives a variety of EHP. It additionally permits for walk-in initiations on non-mobile targets, doubtlessly netting straightforward assist kills.
Afterward, coupled with Blink Dagger it may permit for a fair stronger teamfight soar, or when paired with the greedier
Aghanim’s Scepter, it could make Pudge a really tanky and hurtful
Leshrac.
If further safety towards potential injury is required, Everlasting Shorud may also develop into a precedence. The merchandise roughly changed Coronary heart of Tarrasque because the go-to tanking merchandise and it’s a nice match for Pudge within the later parts of the sport.
That stated, when coping with Mage Slayer carriers, we really feel like getting an earlier Blink Dagger and possibly even a
Black King Bar ought to be a precedence. Whereas the Mage Slayer debuff pierces BKB-immunity, the Blink+BKB combo can be utilized to get on high of the Mage Slayer goal to kill them at first of the battle.
They need to be a precedence most often, because the injury mitigation and periodic injury coming from them could be a enormous drawback. Although one of the common Mage Slayer carriers within the recreation proper now could be Dragon Knight, who isn’t a great goal for initiation more often than not, so the choice making course of is extremely situational, as is every thing in Dota.
This half may be very straightforward. Quite a lot of gamers are nonetheless maxing out Meat Hook for the additional nuke injury, whereas the default excessive degree construct is maxing out
Rot first and
Flesh Heap second, with a price level in Hook taken at degree one, largely to safe the ranged creep.
Pudge, particularly the viable core variant, shouldn’t depend on excessive talent and a few luck for initiation. They need to be tanky, self-sufficient and, above all, dependable. Hook is a pleasant follow-up, it’s an sometimes nice save, it’s one thing to fashion on the enemy crew with after a profitable initiation.
We’re not saying that making an attempt for Hooks is a nasty concept, however we’re saying that prioritising it over different talents in talent construct and itemising for it in your merchandise construct just isn’t the wisest path. Pudge shouldn’t develop into ignorable for 12 seconds simply because he missed one hook. Coincidentally, it is usually one other argument towards assist Pudge.
On the time of writing, Pudge is by far the most well-liked hero in pubs, however may also boast a considerably respectable ~49.10% win charge in Divine+ pubs. The hero isn’t essentially robust, however considering of him as an auto-lose is a little bit of an overreaction within the present patch.
That stated, there are positively significantly better heroes for each offlane and mid positions, when in comparison with Pudge. All devoted assist heroes are additionally undeniably superior to Pudge in a assist function as nicely, so do hold it in thoughts in the course of the drafting stage.
We additionally really feel like flaming teammates for one missed hook or for merely selecting Pudge isn’t a game-winning technique. Tilting your teammates is rarely going to end in a better probability of successful, even when stated teammate is enjoying assist Pudge and touchdown zero hooks.
Keep calm and focus by yourself recreation: that is the one true method to enhance on this lovely recreation.