Everything you need to know about Patch 7.37d- Hereos and Items

Valve has finally released the highly anticipated post-TI patch. While the community is still eagerly awaiting the release of the new hero, Kez, and the final act of Crownfall, patch 7.37d addresses some of the most broken strategies players have been exploiting at The International 2024.

Collector’s Cache II Treasure in Patch 7.37d.

Though this is not a major update, patch 7.37d is a significant one. Despite the limited number of changes, this patch could potentially create ripple effects across the overall meta, especially in upcoming tournaments.

Let’s break down the biggest changes and discuss how players might adapt to these adjustments.

Aura Items Receive Yet Another (Slight) Nerf

Players have been abusing aura items in Dota 2 for some time, especially as Icefrog has made them increasingly relevant in recent years. Although there have been nerfs in previous patches, players still purchase these items due to their strong sustainability in skirmishes, allowing teams to survive longer.

In patch 7.37d, Valve has once again targeted aura items with slight nerfs. Popular aura items, such as Crimson Guard, had its guard duration reduced by a second, and Pipe of Insight had its barrier duration reduced by two seconds.

These small nerfs might not have much effect in pub games. However, at the highest levels of play—where even milliseconds can decide the outcome of skirmishes—these changes could lead to significant impacts.

Itemisation plays a crucial part in Dota 2.

While players will likely continue to buy aura items, these nerfs could push them to seek alternative solutions.

As a result, heroes who can help focus on single-target bursts rather than relying heavily on aura items may rise in the meta. Additionally, heroes with strong healing abilities or those who specialise in saving teammates could find their way back into the play.

The nerfs may also encourage the emergence of a new breed of safelane carries. With reduced item duration to sustain and survive in fights, carries that offer built-in sustainability could thrive in this environment.

Slark is a prime example of this type of hero. Long skirmishes benefit him greatly, and he excels at scouting enemy vision. Although he has recently been played as a support, these changes might encourage players to return him to his original role as a safelane carry.

No More Double Stats

In patch 7.31, Valve introduced a mechanic that support players welcomed—at 25 minutes, starting items like Bracers, Wraith Bands, and Null Talismans would double their stats. Players would stack these items for great mid-game value, often enabling supports to shift momentum in a losing match.

However, patch 7.37d removes this feature. With this change, core players will likely skip stacking these items, and support players may feel the impact the most.

As a result, supports will likely need to prioritise picking up utility items like Glimmer Cape or Force Staff earlier in the game.

Let’s Talk About the Heroes

Now that we've covered the basic changes of patch 7.37d, it's time to dive into the topic that Dota 2 players like to blame the most—heroes. At The International 2024, scaling heroes dominated the meta.

Luna was one of the most contested safelaners during the early stages of the tournament due to her exceptional scaling abilities. She excels not only in farming but also in contributing to team fights and pushing objectives, making her a powerful all-around pick for teams.

As expected, Luna received nerfs in patch 7.37d. However, her nerfs were just minor. Though her win rate dropped she's still a strong pick in pubs.

Bye Bye Bear Boy.

Another hero that got nerfed was Lone Druid. During the final weekend of TI13, LD was the favourite amongst many teams because of his Bear Necessities facet. It allowed teams to play high-tempo matches.

In this patch, this facet of LD got nerfed. However, here's a thing – LD is a complex hero and is often a cheese pick. So it's safe to assume that this hero would likely be returning to the cave he crawled out of with this nerf.

Selemene can't help against Valve.

The third hero that got massively nerfed is Mirana. Throughout TI13, Mirana was one of the highly contested picks because of her flexibility. Her Solar Flare facet makes her team a force to be reckoned with during skirmishes. Now with its max attack speed/damage and duration decreased, this hero could fall off soon.

The buff heroes

With the TI13 meta heroes receiving nerfs, new heroes are rising to take their place. One of them is Anti-Mage.

Anti-Mage received some notable buffs to his Counterspell facet. Moreover, he is a traditional counter to Medusa, a hero who is making a return to the meta.

Drow Ranger could be a meta carry in the next few patches.

Another safelane hero who could reappear in the meta is Drow Ranger. Her base agility was increased by two in the latest patch. Since she heavily relies on agility, this is great news for Drow. One of her biggest weaknesses used to be her laning phase, but this buff could give her a stronger start, allowing her to snowball into the midgame.

Beastmaster is another hero we might see more often in this meta. Although he received some nerfs to his Aghanim's Scepter ability, his Roar duration was increased. At max level, Roar now lasts for four seconds, meaning any hero caught in it is likely to be eliminated.

With a four-second stun in his arsenal, Beastmaster offers exceptional pick-off potential for his team in this patch. He can also pick up aura items to further boost his team's strength.

One of the strongest pub dominators from the previous patch, Lina remains unchanged and continues to boast an impressive win rate in this patch.

This guy to controls the pub circus.

Ringmaster, a recently added hero in Dota 2, also maintains a high win rate in pub matches, thanks to his strong abilities.

All that said, Patch 7.37d has only been out for a short time. We’ll have to wait and see how players adapt to the changes while waiting for the final act of Crownfall and Kez.