With the latest balancing patch, 7.32c recently landed, we look at its affects on some of Dota 2’s favorite heroes.

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Every new patch in Dota 2 has a big impact on the game, so it shouldn’t be surprising that this is also true for 7.32. Although it became available a few months ago, it became clear that this will be the patch for The International 11. Dota 2’s biggest event of the year is just a few weeks away, so don’t forget to check some top-tier Dota 2 betting sites before choosing a favorite.

Speaking of 7.32, Valve made a couple of changes to the patch. The first one came just a few days after the official update’s release. 7.32b included a couple of important changes, so we thought that this patch would be the one for TI. However, Dota 2 fans were surprised yet again a couple of days ago when Valve released patch 7.32c.

Similar to the previous one, this one includes a lot of nerfs and buffs so that heroes and items are more balanced for the upcoming tournament. The patch has been out for a few days now, so here are some of the most affected heroes. Expect more information about 7.32c in the upcoming days.

Changes to some junglers, like Chen

Although some people think there is no such thing as a “jungler” in Dota 2, some heroes do a pretty good job. Chen is one of them because he is among the few heroes that can use neutral creeps to his advantage. Aside from farming, he also helps lanes by ganking and doing damage.

With that said, Chen received a couple of changes that may jeopardize his current win rate. Starting with Holy Persuasion, this ability now gives 10 less bonus damage, which is almost a 30% nerf. On top of that, Divine Favor now decreases the HP regen from 6 to 4, which is also a significant nerf.

As if that was not enough, Chen’s level 10 talent Penmitence Deals Damage is creased from 250 to 225. Additionally, 7.32c nerfs one of the most popular neutral creeps – Satyr Mindstealer. His mana regen aura is down to 1.75 from 2.00, and his mana burn is down is now set to 20+ 2x INT. The latter makes him great for the late game, but it is not that good early on.

Death Prophet’s popularity will take a dive

As mentioned, Dota 2’s newest patch brings a lot of changes to the table, most of which are nerfs. One such nerf affects Death Prophet, one of the popular midders in Dota 2. While it is true that many teams used the hero in the offlane or even as roaming support, DP continues to be one of the successful mid-laners.

Sadly, we may not see the hero that much at TI 11 because the recent patch adds three significant nerfs. The first one is to Cypto Swarm, DP’s main Nuke ability that allows the hero to secure kills and clear waves. Following the recent update, this ability now has 1 second extra CD, meaning she won’t be able to use it that often.

The second nerf is to Spirit Siphon, the ability that lets DP chase her targets and deal damage. She will be able to do that in the new patch as well, but her Charge Restore Time is 38s instead of 36s.

Lastly, we have Exorcism, the hero’s ultimate. When used, she will get a 16% bonus movement speed instead of 20%. This may not have that big of an effect early on, but it will play a role in the late game.

The good news about DP, as well as a couple of other heroes, is related to Bloodstone. This item no longer has a health activation cost, so it should be way more appealing to heroes that used to go for it.

Sadly, Refresher Orb now shares a cooldown with the Refresher Shard, which means that DP can’t use both items right away. In other words, Death Prophet can’t have three activate ultimates.

Phantom Assassin could be a viable pick at TI 11

Every patch needs a top carry, so it shouldn’t be surprising that players are trying out all sorts of options to see what works best. Speaking of the devil, Phantom Assassin was one of the heroes that some teams tried out numerous teams. Although there were cases where she worked fine, there were many matches where the hero wasn’t that strong.

Patch 7.32c didn’t include that many changes to Phantom Assassin. However, this is one of the core heroes that received two buffs, both of which might make her one of the preferred options in the upcoming The International.

The first new thing to PA is her improved turn rage. The hero now has a 0.8 turn rate, which means she should be able to escape from the danger or attack a target faster than before. While we are on the topic of attack, Phantom Strike will give her 170 attack speed instead of 150. 20 AS more is not that much, but it will make the hero even more dangerous because having more AS means more attacks, which could result in another critical strike.

Visage probably won’t be TI 11’s most dominant mid-laner

We’ve written a couple of articles regarding some of the best heroes among professional and pub players. Although there have been some differences, Visage was one of the few heroes that were among them. The hero is one of the best options for the laning stage heroes and one of the top-tier options for the mid-game.

While it is true that teams like Entity will probably keep picking Visage when they can, we don’t expect to see the hero that often. That’s because the Dota 2 patch 7.32c introduced a couple of big nerfs that will have an impact on Visage.

The first one is to Grave Chill, one of the hero’s main abilities that allow it to win the laning stage. Following the changes, this thing now has 1-second extra cooldown, so Visage won’t be able to use it that often.

The second thing that is nerfed is Gravekeep’s Cloak. This thing now has a maximum radius of 900 (down from 1200). As for his Shard Max Health, this thing now restores 25 HP instead of 35%. This big nerf will make laning against nukers like Shadow Fiend much harder.

The next thing on the list is related to Visage’s ultimate called Summon Familiars. After the changes, the two “bats” will have 420 movement speed instead of 430, which means they won’t be able to escape that easily.

Tidehunter might be back

Unlike the Dota 2 meta from a couple of years ago, most professional teams focus on getting offlaners that can transition into carries later in the game. So, instead of picking heroes that have big ultimates, teams often go for things like Viper, Void, Timber, and more.

While it is true that those heroes can have a big role in the game, there are cases where it is better to get heroes with big ultimates. A couple of options stand out, but it is safe to say that Tidehunter is among the first names that come to mind.

Tide is one of the best options against a melee safe lane and one of the tankiest heros in the game. Although he has a slow start, the hero can farm fairly fast for an offlaner and doesn’t need many items to succeed. These are just some of the reasons why he’s always been one of the popular offlaners.

Tidehunter hasn’t been among the preferred options in the current meta, but patch 7.32c might change that. After the update, the hero’s ultimate Ravage now deals 450 damage instead of 400. On top of that, the debuff from Gush now lasts 4.5s instead of 4s.