Dota 2 tier list 6 86

6.87 Pub Tier List

It is this time of the patch once again—the dust has settled, and it is possible to have a look at what heroes are performing better. Once more, the tier list will only use the “Very High” skill bracket as its base to make it more relevant to the majority of our readers. Given a variety of gameplay changes introduced in 6.87, this pub tier list will look significantly different, and there are many new things that stand out.

Stompers (56%+)

Some very welcome changes have come to the top tier of the list. Both Zeus and Spectre are gone from the pub stompers section, and the tier itself has shrunk to only four heroes total.

The regulars of the list: Omniknight, Abaddon and Necrophos are joined by what can be considered one of the most meta-defining heroes: Lifestealer. He is a tanky hero, who deals exceptionally well with other tanky heroes, making for a very strong case in 6.87.

Several sizeable direct buffs, coupled with a global change to the Strength attribute, have propelled the hero from the “situational” tier he was in the last patch. And if this wasn’t impressive enough, his win rate in 5k+ games this week is above 60%. There is no denying that everyone should learn to play with and against this hero. Luckily, the are guides and matchups sections available.

Winners (53-56%)

Elder Titan and Riki at the top of the Winners tier does not seem real; however, the former, discussed in great detail earlier this month fits extremely well in the current meta, while the latter has recevied a variety of substantial buffs. The extra 40 damage on Blink Strike is a massive game-changer, making the hero a lot scarier in the early game and allowing him to be a successful roamer.

Crystal Maiden has somehow managed to squeeze into this tier. There were a couple of smaller buffs to the hero; however, none of them seem enough to increase her tier standings. One of the possible explanations is how much of an enabler she can be in lineups dominated by mana-deprived strength cores, especially in less efficient MMR brackets. Her win rate in 5k+, however, remains rather low, at

Finally, Warlock seems to be continuously underestimated. He has been in the winners tier for at least several patches now, but he is consistently ignored by most players. This patch is easily his time to shine—his damage amplification can be massive, while the distraught he brings to the battlefield can make several enemy heroes too pre-occupied to actually deal damage to your team.

Solid (50-53%)

Perhaps the most notable change in this tier is the inclusion of Axe. Formerly a part of the “repick” tier, Axe has entered the patch as one of its biggest winners. A strong direct buff and several item changes have made the hero a lot more viable and even ensured his presence in several professional matches. Sadly, his damage potential, despite the substantial increase, is still lacklustre against tankier cores, preventing the hero from entering higher tiers.

Timbersaw is another former “repick” tier hero who has made a comeback. A massive direct buff to the Reactive Armor, coupled with a longer debuff duration on Whirling Death, have made the hero a force to be reckoned with. Additional charges on Bloodstone have also helped the hero to find his role in the world of Dota. Dota 2 tier list 6 86 The hero excels at dealing with both tanky targets and the squishier ones. He absolutely destroys supports and BKB-lacking glass cannons, but also has a lot to offer against Strength carries, substantially decreasing their already limited DPS and taking away a huge chunk of their maximum health with each cast of the Whirling Death. Percentage-based abilities stay relevant throughout the game.

Death Prophet has received a multitude of nerfs in 6.87. The spell-immunity piercing properties, pure damage and extra vision from Spirit Siphon were gone, and the hero was frequently discredited by the patch-reviewers. It turns out trading the Pure damage for extra magical had almost no effect, while the increased duration ensured the lane dominance of the hero and almost unparalleled power level in the early game.

Situational (47-50%)

Medusa has been a viable hero in the 6.86, but her current standing is once again quite low. In the previous Meta, which was dominated by farm-oriented heroes, she was a good fit, but currently she struggles to keep up, and even in her best games she still feels lacklustre. Her DPS is surprisingly low in almost all stages of the game, and in a meta where every core reaches 3k HP with ease, she is not the best pick. There might be a build or two which will still work, but in most cases they are extremely high risk with only moderate rewards.

Tinker has made a bit of a comeback, getting out of the “avoid” tier and entering the pool of viable heroes. A small direct nerf, coupled with scaling damage from magical abilities have made the hero significantly stronger in the earlier stages, while his late-game potential has never been in question. His ability to be a Doom-level nuisance with much higher damage output should definitely put him on the radar for both mechanically superior pub players and professionals.

Magnus has also become a lot more viable. In a game dominated by high-HP cores, having more damage is never a bad thing. He also pairs nicely with almost any melee core, since his cleave allows them to farm faster and deal damage to the enemy backlines. Moreover, with an increase in the value of armor, having cleave has a lot of benefits, since the cleave damage is not reduced by armor value. Being mindful with what target to prioritize, if the enemy team is clumped up, is not a particularly hard skill to master.

Avoid (44-47%)

The biggest surprise of this tier is undeniably Arc Warden. Since 6.86, the hero has received nothing but nerfs, rendering the cheesy BoT+Rapier strategy useless. Despite that, the hero has increased in the tier list and currently has a rather respectable win rate in the Very High Skill bracket. For the most part this probably stems from the fact that only heroes dedicated to learning the intricacies of the hero are playing him currently. Moreover, with the potential for cheesy strategies gone, many players are now devising new ways to build and use the hero effectively, frequently catching the enemy team by surprise. Who knows, maybe we will even see support Arc Warden take over at some point in the future.

Lone Druid has decreased in rank in the 6.86-6.87 transition. His biggest selling point was the Spirit Bear, who could tank tons of damage while dealing meaningful Radiance burn. Very much like with Spectre, the Radiance burn has become less of a factor recently. The 17% miss chance is still annoying, but the damage output is nowhere as impactful as it used to be. Best case scenario, it will zone out or kill a support hero, but it will have a very hard time dealing with the cores of the enemy team.

Finally, Leshrac has brought some disco back. With scaling ability damage and Bloodstone buffs the hero is definitely better off. Not to the degree where he becomes a nuisance, but certainly good enough to make an occasional appearance in higher level games. Speaking of higher level games—the hero has a massive win rate in 5k+ and >20% difference between 4k and 5k games.