Drow Ranger’s win rate jumped the most since Dota 2 patch 7.30e’s release. The hero went from 48% in the previous patch to an impressive 52.5% win rate after the latest buffs.

Drow Ranger is pro player Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk’s fifth most-played hero this month, where he holds an impressive win rate. Here are five reasons for what makes Drow Ranger so successful in this patch.



5 reasons why you should master Drow Ranger in the current meta

1. Other carries got nerfed

Dota 2, Monkey King, Cosmetic
Credit: Valve

Dota 2 heroes do not exist in a vacuum. When one hero gets is significantly buffed or nerfed, it has a cascading effect on the entire game.

During the International 10 (TI10) Monkey King, Tiny, and Morphling were the premium heroes of the tournament. All of them were highly contested among teams like Team Spirit and PSG.LGD.

These three heroes received significant nerfs after TI10 ended. Morphling has less agility and a weaker Aghanims Scepter. Monkey King is slower, with longer cooldowns on his basic spells, while Tiny’s damage was significantly nerfed.

With these three brought down a peg, it allowed other carry heroes to come to the forefront, and Drow Ranger benefitted the most from their downfall.


2. Drow Ranger received solid buffs in Dota 2 patch 7.30e

Traxes the Drow Ranger
Credit: Valve

Drow Ranger is the only carry hero who got buffed in Dota 2 patch 7.30e, which were significant.

  • Base movement speed increased from 290 to 295.
  • Marksmanship agility bonus from 25/35/45% to 30/40/50%.

An extra five-movement speed isn’t much on paper but it allows Drow Ranger to spend less time walking around the map to get farm, as well as chase and escape enemies faster.

Marksmanship is Drow Ranger’s ultimate and it provides her with a bonus 50% agility now. This bonus also applies to ranged allies.

At level 18, the hero received an additional 11% extra damage this patch. Marksmanship also makes her more durable to physical damage throughout the game.


3. She can do a lot of damage without items

Every carry in Dota 2 requires items to do their job and Drow Ranger is no exception. However, compared to other carries, she is capable of dishing out an absurd amount of damage even without farm.

Marksmanship makes her more item independent than other carries, for she’s able to completely ignore the enemy’s armor, and deal bonus damage.

Drow Ranger’s damage output is one of the reasons why she is the second hero Yatoro got a Rampage with at TI10 in the second game of the lower bracket match against Invictus Gaming.


4. Drow Ranger provides great versatility in early team fights

Since to Drow Ranger is more item independent, she is able to participate in early team fights to help her team.

Unlike other carries such as Anti-mage, Phantom Lancer, and Phantom Assassin, who solely provide damage early game, Drow Ranger is able to silence her enemies and at level 10 and reduce their physical damage by 50%.

Sure, Faceless Void, Sven, and Medusa, can also help their team in early skirmishes, but with long downtimes in between that range from 90 seconds to 160.

Drow Ranger’s longest cooldown spell is Multishot, which takes 26 seconds to recharge at level one and 12 seconds when maxed out with the Talent.

This combination of low downtime and great team fight contribution at all stages of the game is one of the reasons why Drow Ranger is a great hero in Dota 2 patch 7.30e.


5. Drow Ranger suits this meta perfectly

Dota 2 patch 7.30e is one of the most balanced patches in the game’s history. During The International 10, every single hero was picked or banned at least once, except for Spirit Breaker.

The current meta in Dota 2 is very open, allowing teams to play in the style they wish. Teams can go for heavy deathball lineups, big team fights, or split push their way to victory.

Drow Ranger is suited for these types of patches. Players can itemize the hero to deal with any problem the team is having.

With her high versatility, great scaling, solid laning stage, and ability to adapt to any draft, Traxex is one of the premium carries in Dota 2 patch 7.30e and well worth mastering for carry players who want to grind MMR.

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