The best safelane heroes in Dota 2 Patch 7.38b

Valve introduced Patch 7.38 nearly a month ago, bringing several changes that reshaped how players approach Dota 2.

However, players quickly noticed several heroes were too strong in that update.

Let’s not forget a certain Dragon, whose so-called "rework" still dominates pubs and strikes fear even in professional matches.

To address these issues, Valve released Patch 7.38b shortly after, attempting to correct their mistakes.

While the update had some success, certain heroes remained overpowered, and a few "nerfed" heroes unexpectedly emerged as top meta picks.

Let's look at the best safelane heroes in patch 7.38b - the ones that are dominating the meta.

Nature's Prophet

Nature's Prophet boasts the highest win rate as a carry at 54.2%.

It's been a while since this hero was a meta pick, but in Patch 7.38, he was one of the reworked heroes. His innate ability, Spirit of the Forest, received buffs, increasing its damage numbers.

Although his ultimate, Wrath of Nature, received slight nerfs in Patch 7.38b, NP remained a dominant force.

NP is one of the high-skill ceiling carry.

His core items, Mjollnir and Hand of Midas solidify his strength as the new map layout makes NP an ideal farming hero. Additionally, with his second ability, he can easily join skirmishes anywhere on the map.

Furthermore, the rework to Revenant’s Brooch enhances NP’s itemisation, making it a perfect pickup for him. This grants him a massive power spike in the mid-game—precisely when NP players aim to dominate.

As a carry, NP's go-to facet is Ironwood Treant, which boasts a 99.4% pick rate and a 54.2% win rate.

Ursa

Ursa is another hero who has made a strong resurgence in the post-7.38 meta. As a carry, he holds a 51% win rate across 3,374 matches. At first glance, it may seem like he was nerfed, but in reality, these "nerfs" actually work in his favour.

Ursa excels against the current meta offlaners, including Tidehunter, Abaddon, and Night Stalker, making him a strong pick in this patch.

His go-to farming item, Battlefury, was nerfed, but it also became cheaper—allowing Ursa to purchase it earlier and hit his power spike much faster.

Ursa is one of the most beginner friendly heroes.

Secondly, Ursa doesn’t rely solely on raw damage, as his third passive ability compensates for any lost damage and provides additional benefits.

With Battlefury now being more affordable, Ursa can accelerate his farm and reach core items sooner. This results in a significant mid-game power spike, which is when Ursa players typically look to dominate the map.

Both of Ursa’s facets are viable, but Grudge Bear is the more popular choice. It allows Ursa to deal extra damage while taking damage during his ultimate, Enrage, making it an excellent option for aggressive plays.

Morphling

No matter how many times Valve tries to nerf this water boi, players always find a way to keep Morphling thriving in the meta. In patch 7.38b, he is still one of the best safelaners.

He was one of the heroes reworked in the previous patch, and at first glance, some aspiring players might be discouraged from playing him.

However, these changes have actually made Morphling stronger, simpler, and more straightforward to play. His talent tree rework works in his favour, giving him a stronger mid-to-late-game power spike despite some key talents being pushed back.

Dota's famous water boi is hard to nerf.

Morph's itemisation remained unchanged. However, some of Morphling’s core items, Eye of Skadi, received buffs, which could further improve his strengths and viability.

As a carry, Morphling’s preferred facet is EBB, his agility facet. It boasts a 99.4% pick rate and provides him with a 51.9% win rate, making it the go-to choice for most Morph safelaners.

Slark

This slippery fish has been out of the meta for quite some time, but Valve recently gave him a much-needed buff. His Dark Reef Renegade facet now applies an armor-reduction effect, giving Slark a much stronger laning stage. However, his other facet, Leeching Leech, remains a strong option as well.

Additionally, the recent rework of Orb of Corrosion makes it an ideal item for Slark in the laning phase, as it scales well into the early and mid-game. Another core item for Slark, Eye of Skadi, also received buffs, making him even more of a menace as the game progresses.

The notorious slippery fish in Dota 2.

Slark is a hero that can easily snowball if he secures a solid laning stage, and the new map layout makes it easier for him to find pickoffs.

Furthermore, he is exceptionally strong against the current meta safelaners and offlaners, making him a high-value pick in this patch.

Between his two facets, Leeching Leech is the more popular choice, as it enhances Pounce, allowing it to apply stacks of Essence Shift whenever he lands it on an enemy hero. In 5,098 matches, Slark with the Leeching Leech facet holds a 52.5% win rate.

Looking at the aforementioned heroes, Patch 7.38b favours heroes with strong mid-to-late-game power spikes. However, the patch is still new, and it will be exciting to see how the meta evolves in the coming days, especially with upcoming tournaments.