Why Mirana is one of the best heroes in Dota 2

Mirana is one of the best heroes that Dota 2 players love to use. The Princess of the Moon has been one of the regulars in the game and she is always a top pick to win matches. Her skills and easy use have led her to be the best hero for most tourneys up to this moment.

Mirana is a mid hero that produces strong stats in the entire game. This made her one of the most popular heroes in Dota 2. She is naturally a mid hero because she has strong stats for the entire game. However, in recent years, most Dota 2 players have tried to use her as a support hero.

Mirana is a well-rounded hero who can fill every role needed in a team. Her skills can get her to disable, nuke, push, escape or even gank heroes at any given time. Depending on the lineup, Mirana can serve as a carry, semi carry, roamer, support or even jungler if the team needs her to do so.

Playing her in that role was just a unique experience before but with her Sacred Arrow maxing out as a five-second stun, it is hard to deny that playing her in that role is what’s best. Moonlight Shadow is also a strong skill to help the team because it makes the entire ally team invisible which can help them either engage or escape team fights. 

While she is mostly played in the support role nowadays, you can still have her as a core hero when needed. She can farm fast due to her stats but she also has Starstorm which she can use to flash-farm creeps. When she gets the right items, you can rely on Mirana to be a hard-hitter in the late game because of her agility stats and the item build.

Mirana is a versatile hero

As a ranged agility hero, Mirana uses her skills to get the jump on other heroes. She is even used to chase even some of the fastest heroes in the game. The hero is a great huntress and her skills have proved to be a great help in crucial games.

Mirana is played as a roamer at most. In the early game, players use her Sacred Arrow to stun enemies in the lane and set up for a kill. Mirana players should buy wards when needed and they can even turn her into a hero that can deal a lot of damage and match the best carries in the game.

If Mirana has a good early game, players can even direct her to be a carry right away. Items such as Manta Style and the Stygian Desolator can help her get a bigger damage. Some players even put Aghanim’s Scepter to allow her to deal damage at burst rate on more than two heroes.

Thanks to her low base strength and low growth rate, Mirana is frail unless built with the right items. She needs to focus on Leap and Moonlight Shadow to get some advantages over the enemy and turn a big chance to score kills as well.

The low rate of intelligence means she needs more mana items and that means Mirana players need to give her those items with double purpose. Arcane Boots is the best pick among those since it gives mana and additional speed at the same time.

This strong build for Mirana may turn out to be a rewarding end for her since she can max out most of her stats. That means that every build for Mirana is centred around improving her attack and intelligence at the same time, which means a lot for her growth to start off the game.

Mirana’s skills are deadly when used well

Starstorm calls down big meteors that deal damage to any enemies near Mirana. A second star strike will deal more damage and it is a nuke move that allows her to kill any chasing units. This is why it is easy to master this skill in the early game to earn creep kills.

Sacred Arrow works like a charm since this arrow moves in one direction and can deal a huge chunk of damage to enemy heroes and can instantly take out any creep or non-Ancients. This skill is hard to manage but landing a long range arrow can be promising and can open up more chances for heroes to get a big kill.

Leap is a good spell to use with Mirana jumping forward. This is a key skill that can help her get a chance to escape or get to a good spot where she can score skills in a snap. That makes it easy for Mirana players to join clashes as well, and this move is popular among many esports Canada players.

Moonlight Shadow works like a charm since it places a buff on all allied heroes. This gives them a short time to be invisible and move faster as long as they do not attack or cast spells. In turn, it would give her allies some time to get into position to spot and put up either an ambush or move out of the area to escape.

Mastering Mirana’s skills is a huge plus especially in late game. A maxed out Mirana will surely deal a lot of damage to her enemies and even crush them in a single blow. She can take on any opponent when not caught by surprise. This only shows a lot of promise for Mirana’s abilities since it can take out a whole squad if used well.

Mirana is definitely a promising hero to use in Dota 2, this says a lot about the rising usage rate for the hero since the last The International was played. Mirana may just be the strongest hero there is if used right. That shows how the hero is still one of the iconic heroes in the game and has been there since the Defence of the Ancients mod from Warcraft III.

If players can master how Mirana works well with other heroes, she may turn the tide of any game and give them a lot of wins in the long run. That shows how much of a great hero Mirana is if used well.

Elite heroes to use in pro Dota 2 gaming

Dota 2 has a lot of heroes for starters that can be quite difficult to use. This only shows that there are some of those heroes that can be tiring to use for newbies but a lot promising for certain players who play at an elite level.

Dota 2 has been one of the best games that showed a lot of options for players to play at their own pace. Each hero is unique and has a lot of skills to choose from. They also have varying builds depending on their roles, which only means that they need to learn each of those to thrive.

These heroes are always dependent on the meta and are designed to be stronger than the usual baby heroes in the game. Dota 2 created a lot of heroes with various abilities and advantages over others, and it is up to the players to make it work.

Players have made some strategies of their own to make use of some of the top heroes in the game over the years. Here are some of the elite heroes that players should use in pro Dota 2 gaming:

Queen of Pain

The Queen of Pain is known as one of the biggest icons in the game thanks to her skillset. Akasha is one of the best heroes that can deal damage in a huge area, which is why players use her in key games that need coverage. 

QoP is known for her ability to use sounds to her advantage and score kills while distracting her enemies. She is played in the middle lane as a ganker and even as a semi-carry. She can appear in battle and score big hits and flee with ease when needed. 

She is one of the heroes who need to be in a great position to make big hits with her skills. Most pro players use Akasha to trap heroes and lead allies to a strong spot where they can kill the rest of the enemies.

When using her spells, it is best to add spell boosters such as Aghanim’s Scepter and it should be the first item for QoP. Unless players have no gold, Orchid Malevolence is the next build for her and it should even move on to the Scythe of Vyse. 

QoP users who die most of the time should add a Linken’s Sphere and Shiva’s Guard is the next best option. Both items work well to add extra armour and burst damage as well.

Arc Warden

The Arc Warden is an agility hero who serves both as a hitter and a support at the same time. Zet has the ability to cripple an enemy down and deal big damage. He can also create shields for his allies and buildings and gain swift attack speed at the same time.

Zet also can place wraiths that can attack a nearby enemy and has a lot of magical damage. Arc Warden can also create a perfect copy of himself and use all of the skills and items at the same time. That makes the hero a menace to deal with at any point in the game.

Maelstrom is a good build for Zet and adding a Boots of Travel helps him traverse the map for farming, fighting and split pushing. He also needs mana to farm lanes and neutrals with the bonus attack speed from Magnetic Field. 

Zet is also squishy in the early game but he can work with them by adding certain heroes who can help him rotate to his lane. Vision is a huge weapon for him to avoid incoming ganks. Without a Blink Dagger or other escape tools, it would be fatal for Arc Warden to get ganked as well.

Axe

Mogul Khan is one of the best melee heroes in the game and he is known for sparking chaos in battle. As one of the best initiators, his strong style needs him to be up close and personal against his enemies. He can rack up a lot of kills in just a snap which makes him a dangerous foe to face.

Axe is one of the heroes that can harass others, thanks to his attack speed and huge base damage. That gives him an edge over other melee heroes who have to fight him at any part of the map. His skills are also a strong factor for his rising usage in most tourneys in the current meta.

Axe is a strong initiator, and this is his edge that players should use all the time. His piercing spell in Berserker’s call makes him strong in clashes and one on one battles. On top of that, he can use his Battle Hunger to boost his speed and Counter Helix to shred many enemies at once. Cunning Blade is even an instant win to wreak havoc at any point in the game.

In the late game, players even try to use Berserker’s Call as much as they can in any fight. This gives them a huge boost and could even make it easy for Axe to move in and out of a fight. There are big chances that he can get out of it without any scratch.

Enigma

Enigma is a tactical spellcaster who has a lot of tough skills. Playing him needs players to be efficient when it comes to farming and they would also need to work on their positioning to use his gravity-related abilities at most. A well-played Enigma can take on a whole team on his own and decide a match outcome as well. 

There are many ways to use Enigma in games, but most players try to use him early in the jungle to farm with efficiency. His Eidolons are the best to set up either ganks or farms, so it is important for players to put mastery on that skill first.

He also has a limited casting range, but enough to cover a lot of area within his sight. It is important to build him with some of the best position tools such as the Blink Dagger or Force Staff. He should have the role of a ward supporter for the whole team or either have someone else do that for him. Players also use him as a carry with the use of wards or the Gem of True Sight, which is a huge help for all Dota 2 teams.

Heroes vary from one another, but it all depends on how players would work on their games and push for a win. At the end of the day, it is how players manage their heroes’ builds and skills at a given game, and there is no guarantee that picking the right hero can lead to a win in the end.

Four Dota 2 heroes you can rely on for big games

There is a wide variety of Dota 2 heroes to choose from, and it is easy to expect that players will also have a tough time in choosing which of these strong heroes would be good at a given game. This is why it is always a must to know a lot about these heroes if they want to win.

Dota 2 started out as a revamped version of the Warcraft III mod Defence of the Ancients. It was a big hit among the masses. A lot of players until today continue to enjoy its gameplay, thanks to its continuous growth backed by Valve.

On top of that, a lot of heroes have been added into the fray ever since. Players have found the best ones to pick in tight games especially if they are playing in Dota 2 tournaments. 

However, there are certain heroes who are excellent in most games. This means that while some heroes may be good for a given meta, it all depends on how players use them. Here are four Dota 2 heroes you can rely on big games:

Puck

Puck does better with rune control than any other hero in the game. The build for this hero is quite simple with the current patch making him a strong option at most. The best way to win with Puck is to get him a bottle and capture the best orbs. 

Most players go for the Illusory Orb to get the ranged creeps which makes him hard to kill and it deals more damage to players at the same time. The build for his skills is also flexible since you can get a point in Phase Shift early and max out the Illusory Orb and put Waning Rift at last.

For items, Puck always works best with the Witchblade to go with Boots of Travel to keep map pressure at all times. Blink Dagger is also a win for him since it puts him with a much faster attack and some even go for Dagon if they need to deal burst damage in clashes in every Dota game.

Players can even opt to go for Aghanim’s Scepter as well. Once players get their ult with Puck, it is easy to rotate and kill a core in a side lane as well. There is also a big chance that players can take out the mid heroes either with allies or even alone if a good rune is in their arsenal when they attack right away.

Bounty Hunter

Bounty Hunter is one of the best heroes when it comes to roaming around the map. Just like Warlock, BH’s Shard makes him a great pick in the patch. He has a lot of great skills that can be upped by the said item, so getting him that Shard is the first priority for most players.

Using Shadow Walk gives him 35% damage reduction while he is invisible, and a stunning move when attacking. Players can run up hills with no fear and attack enemies with a quick blow. 

In the lane, the best way to make BH work is to hit the enemies with Jinada off cooldown then weave in and out of the lane. That should prevent pulls and ruin the opponent’s support. Players can do more when it comes to harassing other heroes with his skills since he packs a lot of punches.

Most players get to start with some boots and Jinada and push through the jungle. Others tend to put Shadow Walk first to get most of the runes as well. That all depends on the play style that the player wants to use.

For item builds, most pros try to put in Tranquil or Phase Boots, Orb of Corrosion and Solar Crest. Urn of Shadows on its own is also a good pick and ups to a Spirit Vessel as soon as it counters an enemy. 

Centaur Warrunner

Centaur is a beefy boy who can be unkillable at the hands of a great player. Most players tend to use him in the lane; no use of the jungle at this point as he is always aggressive. 

In the lane, most players tend to go for Hoof Stomp to deal in some stun damage then go for more attacks with Retaliate. Most players then follow it with the Double Edge since it can keep on putting up more attacks even against the towers.

If all goes smoothly, the best build for Centaur is to go for Vanguard first to make him rock solid in HP then add the Hood of Defiance and go for Blink Dagger as soon as there is enough gold. The items should be able to blend well with the skills that the hero has since he is a hard hitter.

As soon as Blink Dagger is bought, the last piece to build for Centaur is the Crimson Guard or Pipe of Insight. The Shard is a welcome sight for him as well since it puts Double Edge to go up by 15% in strength in 15 seconds while slowing enemies by 25% in two seconds.

Warlock

Warlock is great when it comes to team fights. He is also best when used with an Aghanim’s Shard that ups all of his skills. His Shadow Word can apply to all units in a 450 unit radius and gives a 10% speed bonus to allies while slowing down enemies by the same number.

In the lane, Warlock’s job is to stand behind the carry and try to harass the enemy. He can heal their safe lane player as well, which can give others a chance to thrive early. There are many styles when it comes to using Warlock in the game.

Players need to give their full attention in every lane that Warlock plays in. They need to look out for heroes who can purge the bonds and allies who need some heals. They also need to hold back in using damaging spells in the lane since Warlock is a late-game hero. That’s why using Warlock is for players who are patient enough.

When it comes to item builds, most pros use Arcane Boots, Glimmer Cape, Aether Lens, then Aghanim’s Shard as soon as players can get one. When they have the gold, they can opt to go for the Aghanim’s Scepter too.

Using these heroes may not guarantee a win, but it takes a lot of grit for players to make the most of their games and win them as well. Players have to work hard and play hard to ensure they get the best wins out there.

Popular Dota 2 teams in esports history

As more players get the chance to learn the mechanics of Dota 2, the better they understand the esports scene surrounding the game. With the increasing popularity of the game, the rise of its esports market also grew to now being one of the most profitable industries in the world. 

Naturally, professional players are going to spring up to the scene and make the most out of their skill sets to showcase to enthusiastic fans. There have been legendary teams that participated in major tournaments like The International (TI). 

But, which teams are the most popular that contributed to the growing success of Dota 2’s esports? Here are some that made a great impression in the league throughout the years:

Natus Vincere 

Natus Vincere or ‘Na’Vi’ is the team that made the Dota 2 esports a remarkable market. In fact, Na’Vi will forever be remembered as the first team to win the first The International against EHOME. 

Popular players like Danil ‘Dendi’ Ishutin and Clement ‘Puppey’ Ivanov made a name for themselves with Na’Vi and became legends in the esports scene. Their amazing combos and spectacular plays like ‘Fountain Pudge’ is just the cherry on top. Natus Vincere was established in December 2009 as a Counter-Strike team rather than Dota 2.

Evil Geniuses 

Evil Geniuses is one of the older organisations in the esports industry established in 1999. EG is also one of the teams that shaped the Dota 2 esports landscape by providing exceptional talent in the market. 

In the history of its organisation and its affiliation with the game, they had a lot of talented players like Artour ‘Arteezy’ Babaev who is now regarded as one of the most influential players in esports. 

Furthermore, EG won the 2015 The International against CDEC that secured their first Dota 2 championship. To top it all off, they also earned $6,616,014 for their amazing display and pursued to become better the following years. 

While they have never gained back the title after their first championship, they still made a lot of influence due to sheer talent and grit alone. The 2015 TI was known for EG’s incredible combo use of Ice Blast and Echo Slam in quick succession. 

Arguably the greatest play ever that secured them $6 million, EG will forever be remembered as one of the top teams in the history of Dota 2 esports. 

OG

Team OG is another team that brought Dota 2 to popularity among younger audiences after winning the 2018 TI. It’s one of the greatest achievements for any Dota 2 team due to how the game ended. 

Prior to The International 2018, OG wasn’t really the team to look out for. Instead, they hit-rock bottom before the tournament even began and were struggling to make it to the top. 

However, Sebastian ‘Ceb’ Debs’ Axe made perhaps the play of the century by activating Berserker’s Call that kept OG’s hard-carry Phantom Lancer alive. With that simple play, OG completed their incredible run after being underdogs throughout the tournament and won about $11 million. 

This is heavily documented as one of the most impressive wins in TI history. With that simple ‘Q’, it ended the game against PSG.LGD and rallied through the TI victory. 

Alliance

Alliance is one of the most popular Dota 2 teams and have made one of the best plays during The International. Alliance is a gaming organisation that was founded in 2013 and is currently owned by Jonathan ‘Loda’ Berg. 

The glory days of Alliance started early in its lifespan. Alliance has always played the game the right way in that they hold each player’s positions seriously to take down as many towers as possible. 

Facing off the defending champs, EG, the tournament was a close fight that could’ve gone either way. This showed a more exciting gameplay, especially when Lone Druid was the main carry for Alliance. 

In the latter parts of the game, Jonathan Berg’s Lone Druid was left alive and defended the Ancient all by himself. This is where LD’s position was encapsulated being a strong defender with his bear unit. 

It seemed as if Team Alliance was about finished when the Throne was attacked to crisps, but the Lone Druid was able to fend off the attackers which left the throne surviving at exactly 200 HP.

What you won’t be expecting next is the fact that Alliance was able to rally past the mid lane and sacked the ancient throne and secured the win for TI8. 

Team Spirit 

Team Spirit is the latest team to get crowned as champions in TI10. Team Spirit is regarded today as the best team in the league and looks to repeat their title aspirations in TI11. 

With players like Illya ‘Yatoro’ Mulyarchuk and Magomed ‘Collapse’ Khalilov. Team Spirit seeks to become more dominant in the 2022 season as well. 

Team Spirit carried the squad to the championship with a win in the last game after squandering a 2-0 lead early in the best-of-five finals, including a painful fourth-game defeat that left the team with a 2-2 record. Team Spirit, which is based in Moscow, will now collect the greatest prize payout in esports history: $18,208,300.

The fact that they almost didn’t qualify at all is even more astounding. TS failed to acquire enough Dota Pro Circuit points during the regular season to qualify for the event. 

In addition, the team failed to win the open qualifiers, causing people to distrust their chances of winning the TI. It goes without saying that their preparation, which included physical and mental conditioning, as well as playing a huge amount of Dota, was crucial to their success.

With all that’s happened during the 2021 Dota 2 tournaments, Team Spirit deserved the title more than anyone. 

How each popular team is contributing to the success of Dota 2

There are a lot of reasons why the most popular Dota 2 esports teams are giving the game much more appreciation. Here are the biggest ways they helped in cultivating viewership and new fans to play Dota 2:

Players seeking to play like the pros 

Popular players in the most famous Dota 2 teams encourage other newcomers to improve their skills and be better at playing the game. Not only will it attract more new players to the game, but it will also retain their gameplays due to more practice times devoted. 

Publicity 

Just like real sports, publicity usually promotes the brand of games sports persons are trying to convey to the world. As one of the leading games in the esports industry, Dota 2’s popularity can all be thanks to the popular teams because they glue fans to seats during tournaments. 

Meta game

Pro players are usually the spearheads for the metagame. Whichever hero they’ll make famous for will spread throughout the game and players. For instance, Riki’s Meteor Hammer meta was made famous by Topias ‘Topson’ Miikka Taavitsainen. 

Metagames like this provide more publicity to already existing players to keep playing the game despite logging in thousands of hours. 

The top Dota 2 teams are one thing, but if they make the game more accessible and enjoyable for the players, it’s a huge win for the esports industry as a whole. Popularity is certainly subjective, but with how the most famous teams are playing, it should go without saying that they lent a hand to the success of Dota 2 as a whole.

Top 10 Dota 2 heroes with the highest win and pick rates

When playing ranked matches in Dota 2, the first thing players do before the match starts is to ban and pick heroes to use. This pick-and-ban phase is also applied in professional tournaments, upping the ante in competitiveness. However, if you are a fan of watching pro Dota 2 games, you will notice that some heroes are selected more frequently than others.

Having a high pick rate means a hero is easy to use, is meta-relevant, or synergizes well with most heroes. There are those with a high pick rate who also managed to win lots of games, meaning they are incredibly valuable in a lineup.

Curious to see which Dota 2 heroes have the highest win and pick rates? Here is a list of the 10 best heroes to use in ranked and competitive matches:

Mirana

Mirana is a ranged hero who specializes in ganking enemies due to her invisibility ability which also affects her allies. Her Star Storm and Sacred Arrow allow for damaging enemy units from near and far. She can also boost her power after initiating a fight through her Leap. Meanwhile, her invisibility gets reactivated even after she or any of her allies is revealed.

In ranked games, Mirana has a win rate of 51.43% and a pick rate of 15.73%.

Windranger

Windranger is also a ranged hero whose ability power depends on how strong her physical attack is. Her Shackleshot is an excellent crowd control tool that stuns and ties enemy units to each other while Powershot gets stronger the longer she charges her weapon. Defensively, she can use Windrun to improve her evasion and movement speed and Gale Force can push enemies away.

In ranked games, Windranger has a win rate of 47.95% and a pick rate of 17.24%.

Legion Commander

Legion Commander is a tanky yet mobile hero who can easily target squishy enemies. Her first ability, Overwhelming Odds, allows her to exploit enemy numbers to boost her strength. Her other two abilities, Press the Attack and Moment of Courage, can be used simultaneously to dispel enemy abilities and give her lifesteal.

Her ultimate, Duel, allows her to go one-on-one with an enemy hero using only normal attacks. In ranked games, Legion Commander has a win rate of 48.55% and a pick rate of 17.22%.

Lion

Lion is a ranged hero who can disrupt enemy combos with his crowd control abilities. Earth Spike status enemies after being knocked airborne. Hex transforms enemies into a frog while Mana Drain prevents enemies from using abilities due to Lion’s absorption of mana. His ultimate, Finger of Death, is a powerful move that gets even better for every kill he gets.

In ranked games, Lion has a win rate of 48.67% and a pick rate of 17.02%.

Slark

Slark is a melee hero who can harass enemies safely due to his Depth Shroud which creates a smokescreen and Shadow Dance which renders him undetectable by any item. Slark can also drain the attributes of his enemies through his Essence Shift and capitalize further on this by tethering his victim with Pounce.

In ranked games, Slark has a win rate of 50.15% and a pick rate of 17.55%.

Invoker

Invoker is a ranged hero who is arguably the most difficult Dota 2 hero to learn. He can use various abilities based on the combination of his three elemental reagents: Quas, Wex, and Exort. Quas provides increased HP regeneration, Wex provides a boost in movement and attack speeds while Exort improves Invoker’s damage output.

In ranked games, Invoker has a win rate of 47.47% and a pick rate of 22.67%.

Sniper

Sniper is a ranged hero who is known to have a decent damage output that scales as the game progresses. Aside from his range and accuracy-related abilities like Take Aim and Headshot, he can also use explosives that have an area of effect. His ultimate, Assassinate, can deal heavy damage or even take down enemies from afar.

In ranked games, Sniper has a win rate of 49.65% and a pick rate of 23.27%.

Phantom Assassin

Phantom Assassin is a melee hero who is used as a carry due to her insane critical hits and evasive abilities. Stifling Dagger and Fan of Knives are her main offensive moves while Phantom Strike and Blur make her an elusive opponent to deal with. Her ultimate, Coup de Grace, can be used to finish off enemies in an instant.

In ranked games, Phantom Assassin has a win rate of 50.19% and a pick rate of 24.12%.

Juggernaut

Juggernaut is an easy hero to master despite using melee attacks. This is because his abilities revolve around the use of his sword. His Blade Fury and Blade Dance combo well while his Swiftslash and Omnislash improve his mobility before attacking. What makes him last longer in team fights is his Healing Ward which also affects allies.

In ranked games, Juggernaut has a win rate of 50.61% and a pick rate of 21.20%.

Pudge

Pudge is a melee hero famous for pulling enemies close to him with his Meat Hook. His other abilities deal decent damage but depending on what ability you use, it may get risky or rewarding. Rot releases a toxic cloud that also damages Pudge while Dismember heals him up as he devours an enemy unit.

In ranked games, Pudge has a win rate of 51.12% and a pick rate of 33.94%.

If you regularly play Dota 2, chances are you will be coaxing your teammates to use any of these heroes or try to secure some of them yourself. The advantages these heroes can provide to a team is no joke. Try to learn how to use most of them to improve your game. Just remember to exercise teamwork so as not to waste these heroes’ potential.