The Best 3 Soft Supports Of Dota 2 Patch 7.41a

ESL One in Birmingham has concluded and we have confirmation that supports are still popular. Whether due to the influence of the last patch, which was still in effect for most of the Group Stage, or a delay in the meta transition, supports continue to dominate in terms of popularity.

Let’s take a look at the supports that received the biggest boosts to their win rate and popularity. At the same time, we will examine how they adapted to the initial patch and whether they were affected by the subsequent balancing update.

The Best 3 Soft Supports Of Dota 2 Patch 7.41a

Keeper of the Light

Wherever There is Darkness, There is Light

Keeper of the Light received buffs across the board in patch 7.41, including a new innate ability. His innate gives Ezalor +1 movement speed for every 2.5 Intelligence and after moving 300 distance, he leaves behind light that provides 400 vision for 3 seconds.

His Chakra Magic is now available more frequently and restores more mana, Blinding Light has a longer cast range and Spirit Form grants a bonus 50% movement speed based on his innate.

Keeper of the Light received all of these buffs and still managed to avoid any nerfs in the 7.41a balancing patch, resulting in a sizeable 3.61% increase in win rate over the last week. He is a well-rounded support who contributes significantly in either lane but has been predominantly played in the offlane.

Techies

Mutual Assured Destruction

Techies have always been a divisive hero and received a mix of buffs and nerfs along with a new innate in patch 7.41. In the end, things worked out for them, as their win rate increased by 3.19%, surpassing the 50% mark.

Their new innate, called M.A.D., increases mana regeneration by a portion of their maximum mana equal to 0.08% + 0.02% per level. It also has a secondary effect that drops a barrel upon death and an Aghanim’s Shard upgrade that adds an active component to the innate, allowing players to place a barrel on the map and convert an additional 10% of mana into damage.

Techies also received a nerf in 7.41a, which reduced the damage of Proximity Mines, including the damage dealt at the edge of the explosion radius and the minimum damage dealt to targets caught within the radius.

Phoenix

Do Not Look Into the Blinding Sun

Phoenix was already making its presence felt before patch 7.41 and received no major changes to its abilities aside from a new innate called Dying Light. This innate deals 4% of the hero’s missing health as magic damage in a 400 radius every second, with a 0.2-second tick rate.

Since this was Phoenix’s only change, the hero did not receive any nerfs in the balancing patch and saw a more modest 2.29% increase in win rate, pushing it further above the 50% threshold.

Phoenix is a very reliable support in terms of damage and has been used as a flex pick, occasionally appearing as a surprise offlaner. It was the fourth most picked hero at ESL One Birmingham and should remain relevant until teams discover the new meta during scrims before the next tournament.

READ MORE: The Best 3 Offlaners Of Dota 2 Patch 7.41a

Featured Image Source: Valve