posted by EskayDota,
The Big Winners
All stats accurate to 01/12/18
The award for highest winrate so far (with over 15 games) goes to Pugna, with a winrate of 69.23% in 26 games. From the previous patch, in roughly one-in-10 games Pugna was played as a support, whereas now that statistic has almost vanished. With a 21.42% current increase in his winrate from the previous patch, Pugna is likely to be an in-demand hero for the developing meta.
The next biggest winner of the patch was Oracle, whose winrate is currently nearing double that of 7.19 — increasing from ~38.71% to 68.75%. The others in the top 5 winrate with over 15 games played are Phantom Assassin, Magnus and Anti-Mage.
Hard times from IceFrog
Winter Wyvern is having a difficult time in the 7.20 patch, with only a 27.59% winrate out of a total of 29 games. Lina, Skywrath and Shadow Demon have been picked a combined total of 71 times, but have only won 23 games between them.
These heroes might be having a hard time, but we can’t take all of these statistics at face value. A pick depends on a number of factors; the players playing the hero, the role, the enemies and the allies. Synergy and combinations can outplay individual picks, so who are the most successful pairings of 7.20?
Credit: ValveSuper Tuples
Utilising the most of a hero’s abilities is key — whether it’s Tiny/IO or Shadow Fiend/Clockwerk, synergy will make or break a draft. With that said, the most common pairings with high winrates are unlikely combinations.
The most successful combinations (in terms of winrate in over 15 games) are Invoker with Phantom Lancer, Invoker with Phoenix and Arc Warden with Earthshaker. Curiously, none of these heroes received an ability rework in the new patch. Whether this suggests that players are yet to work out how to utilise the reworked heroes or simply fortune is yet to be seen.
Interestingly one of the most played combinations is Undying alongside Rubick, with a total of 16 games, but only 3 wins, coming in at 18.75% winrate. Certainly a bad omen. On the flipside, an honourable mention goes to Magnus and Phantom Assassin, who have only been picked in 11 professional games together in 7.20, but with only one loss so far.
Lastly, although the statistics don’t tell us anything in particular about the combination, Dark Seer and Spirit Breaker have proven to be comically strong.
Easter Eggs
7.20 brought Grimstroke into the professional scene. He has quickly become one of the most in-demand heroes, being the eight most picked of the patch so far. With a seemingly decent winrate of 56.06%, the hero appears to be a favourable pick.
Evil Geniuses utilising the Lich / Grimstroke combination to their advantage, despite their loss.
Another fun change that came with 7.20 is the meta of the core supports. We’ve seen everything from offlane Shadow Shaman, to mid Dazzle being a regular fixture. So far there have been 29 core Rubick games and 27 core Dazzle games, with varying success. Dazzle as a core has a winrate of 48.15%, whereas Rubick’s core winrate sits at 55.17%.
The meta is still developing, and especially with the number of heroes that received ability reworks we’re still likely yet to see the finest developments of the patch. With both the minor and major on the horizon, it’s difficult to not be excited about what the tournaments have in store.
Teaser credit: Valve
What's your favourite part of 7.20 so far?
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