Dota 2 is filled with 100+ heroes but some are stuck within a role. Versatility is still important in Dota which is why we’re looking into versatile heroes. Let’s talk about the heroes that are not restricted to playing one role because they have a diverse skill set that can make an impact.

In Dota, there are four main roles that you have to think about. The hard carry is the hero that can take over games because they have the best hero that can live up to the namesake, by carrying the team using the resources they farmed. The mid laner is usually the player who sets the tempo because they will make the aggressive moves and make ganks happen.

The offlaner is probably the most under the radar player because they usually play by themselves. However, they will make a huge impact on the game with their spell usage and initiation plays. Lastly, the two support players will live up to their namesake as the foundation of their team to support the other three core players. 

There are some heroes in Dota 2 that are restricted to roles but as two-time The International winner Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein said, ‘Everything can work’. Now, let’s talk about how some heroes can play different roles from the old standards.

Monkey King

When you look at the history of both public and professional matches, no hero has blurred the lines between roles than Monkey King. While the hero was only released in late 2016, MK has proven to be one of the most versatile heroes ever. During the early days, he was exclusively run as a mid hero because of his strong laning power highlighted by his long reach. 

However, when people recognized that he could be run in the hard carry role, people gravitate towards that as well. He had a strong run as a mix between a carry or mid but a few months after his release, he was added to Captain’s Mode which meant pro players were able to use it. 

Due to players like Jesse ‘JerAx’ Vainikka and Ye ‘BoBoKa’ Zhibiao, Monkey King was opened up to be played in the support role. Using Tree Dance, MK can jump on trees and have a ward-like vision. This meant that teams can use him as an initiator from the shadows that no hero can replicate.

These days, when MK is picked, it is hard to distinguish what role he is going to play. He is open to becoming an offlaner as well because he can be the main initiator by building items that make him more of a tank than usual. If you’re looking for a hero that can confuse enemies from the picking phase, MK is the best choice. 

Mirana 

As one of the most popular heroes in Dota, Mirana has always been seen as one of the strongest heroes because of her skill set. She is naturally a mid hero because she has strong stats for the entire game. However, in recent years, most players have gravitated towards making her a support hero.

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.

Kunkka

Back in the day, Kunkka was exclusively played as a mid hero but that all changed when people started to realize that he’s actually viable in other roles as well. People mostly focused on his high damage output back in the day but with the use of X Marks the Spot, he can displace the enemy heroes all on his own.

Pairing the X skill with Torrent and Ghost Ship, Kunkka became a top-tier support hero. It also helped that he can transition into a core hero when needed because his damage with Tidebringer was still there. 

Some people have also run him as a hard carry recently because he can stack his damage with good items and as a strength hero, he can be bulky. Kunkka has proven that while his skills don’t change, people can still find out some new nuances to the hero which makes him such a good pick in both the public and pro matches.

Wraith King

Traditionally, Wraith King has always been a hard carry. This was mostly because of his kit that emphasized that he will be a hard hitter while also having the unique ability to have two lives because of his ultimate, Reincarnation.

WK is a strength hero that relies on dealing damage while also playing as a damage sponge. He can take the damage but he will only respawn after he is killed for the first time. When the Dota metagame started to shift, WK became mainly an offlaner because damage sponges became important. 

This was also the reason behind him being played as a support hero because his Wraithfire Blast was a reliable single-target stun but he could also run in by himself and mess up the enemy’s dynamics. 

While all of the mentioned heroes are the most versatile heroes in the game, you can still argue for other names. Leshrac is a good choice because he can be run as a mid and support but most of the time, mid is the only lane where he goes. Lina has the same situation as Leshrac because they should be played more of a damage-dealer rather than being stuck as a squishy support hero.Versatility is a huge part of Dota 2 and it will be a shame if people start to forget that innovation is key to growth. N0tail said it best and his words live on forever.