Valve released Patch 7.37 a few weeks ago. In that patch, they tweaked many things, including heroes and neutral items.
While some heroes received nerfs, others got buffs, and some were completely neglected. Most of the buffed heroes had their innate abilities reworked, including Lina.
As a result, Lina's pick rate increased by 2%. Though it may not seem like a lot, her win rate jumped from 46.54% to 49.59%. Additionally, both her win rate and pick rate were starting to pick up the heat.
Soon after patch 7.37, Valve realized some heroes were too strong. Thus, they released a letter patch to balance things out.
In patch 7.37b, many strong heroes from the previous patch got nerfed. However, while most heroes got nerfed heavily, Lina just received a rescale on one of the facet abilities. As a result, in Dota 2 Lina is still a viable hero.
Thus, in this article, we'll discuss why Lina could be a hidden fire in patch 7.37b. Additionally, we'll provide you with the best itemization for this hero right now. Moreover, we'll also be providing some ways to counter an overpowered Lina.
Before we start talking about what makes Lina strong, there's something you should always keep in mind about this hero. She's a glass cannon. This means Lina can get burst easily if a hero can get on top of her.
Now that we've covered that, there are two ways to play Lina – focusing on magical or physical damage. In the current meta, it's more effective to play Lina as a physical damage dealer.
Magical damage type Lina can quickly take down a single hero before the start of a skirmish.
However, physical damage type Lina is better at securing objectives, winning skirmishes on her own (under the right circumstances), and farming efficiently.
Additionally, physical damage type Lina can also sustain better as the game progresses. Thus, let's delve into what makes Lina overpowered in this patch.
In the patch 7.37, Lina got a rework. She received a new innate ability, Combustion.
In simplest terms, it allows Lina to deal a aoe damage whilst focusing on a single hero. Additionally, her passive ability, Fiery Soul, got rescaled.
While playing physical damage type Lina, you must choose Thermal Runaway as the hero's facet. It allows Lina to instantly gain a specific number of Fiery Soul charges when she uses her ultimate.
With these charges, her attack speed and movement speed are buffed, making it easier for her to overpower her opponents in combat.
During the laning stage, there are two ways you can play Lina. You can either play with Dragon Slave or Light Strike Array to build up your passive charge.
However, keep in mind that Dragon Slave will deal more damage as you level it up, and LSA will have a longer stun duration if you level it up.
Additionally, with Dragon Slave, it will be much easier to build up Fiery Soul charges.
Lina is a lane dominator. Thus, there are only a few problems that can hero can face during a laning stage even against the likes of Viper and Huskar. She needs to always keep an eye out for ganks.
If she got caught in a gank during the laning stage, it's best not to run from one.
Instead, try to stand her ground and take one down with her as she will most likely get killed if got caught in gank during the laning stage.
There's one issue you will need to know before playing Lina – she struggles a lot with mana during the early game. Thus, many players will focus on buying Falcons Blade.
Additionally, it's a good starting item for the hero, granting her mana regen, additional health and damage.
After FB, get Boots of Speed for the movement speed. From there, many players rush Gleipnir as the item gives significant buffs to Lina.
It allows Lina to have more catch, boots her hp and attack speed. After Gleipnir, Boots Of Travel as it grants Lina additional movement speed and split push capabilities.
Based on the situation, Lina can choose to purchase a Silver Edge or a Black King Bar. If there are multiple heroes that Lina can easily eliminate, she should opt for a Silver Edge.
However, if there are heroes with high magic damage output in the game, she should go for a BKB.
It's optional for Lina to switch the order of the items depending on each game. Monkey King Bar is also good on Lina.
After getting those items, Satanic and Daedalus are the best choices for Lina. Satanic offers lifesteal, which can be pivotal for Lina during skirmishes.
Daedalus pairs well with Lina's level 25 talent, +150% Crit On Targets Affected By Spells, giving a tremendous surge in her damage output. Occasional items like Eye of Skadi, Butterfly and Assault Cuirass are also solid item choices for the hero.
As mentioned above, Lina is a glass-cannon hero. Thus, there are some heroes you should be wary of when playing Lina. These heroes can get on top of her quickly to extinguish her spark.
Ember Spirit is one of those heroes that Lina should be worried about. Although the hero got nerfed significantly in patch 7.37b, it's still a viable hero in the midlane.
Additionally, the hero can address the pressure Lina tries to create on the map and he can also lock down Lina during skirmishes.
In terms of support, Nyx Assasin is currently a popular support right now and one of Lina's counters.
During the early game, he can find Lina farming on the map with his Vendetta and pop her under the right circumstances. His Spiked Carapace can be used to counter Lina's abilities because of her animation time and spell cast range.
Faceless Void is the best safelaner to counter her. He can get on top of her with his Time Walk and his bashes can lock her down. Additionally, Time Dilation can cause some problems for her. If Lina can get too strong, he can just Chrono and finish her off.
In patch 7.37b, Lina has a 53.6% win rate in 3365 matches. Her pick rate has increased to 16.31%. The hero is currently one of the top-tier heroes to climb the ranks.
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