The Best Midlane Heroes in Patch 7.38b

Patch 7.38b has been in effect in Dota 2 for a few weeks now. While this update addressed some of the overpowered hero issues from Patch 7.38, it also introduced its own set of broken heroes. Interestingly, a few unsung heroes have unexpectedly risen to prominence, shaking up the meta in surprising ways.

These heroes are reshaping the meta, redefining what it takes to be a top-tier pick. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of the best midlane heroes in Patch 7.38b and what they bring to the table.

Monkey King

Since his release, Monkey King has remained a top-tier pick. Despite countless nerfs, he always finds a way to stay relevant in the meta. Whether played as a support or a core, MK brings incredible potential to his team.

In this patch, players have returned to using Monkey King as a core—specifically in the midlane. In fact, for the first time in a long while, MK is once again thriving as a mid-hero. In Patch 7.38b, he stands out as one of the best midlane heroes available.

The Monkey is back.

What makes MK so powerful is his lane dominance, combined with recent buffs to starting items. These changes favour Monkey King in multiple ways. During the laning stage, he typically picks up Orb of Corrosion, which now scales well into the late game.

Thanks to this and his natural lane control, he only needs a Mage Slayer or Echo Sabre to start wreaking havoc across the map. The rework to his facet, Simian Stride, removes the cooldown on Tree Dance at max level.

This change makes MK incredibly mobile, allowing him to rotate quickly to the side lanes and help secure favourable matchups for his teammates. As a result, he can create a devastating snowball effect, making it easier for his team to secure a smooth, decisive victory.

The only real obstacle to MK’s momentum is an unfavourable matchup. While most of his traditional counters aren’t particularly strong in this patch, one counterhero has emerged as a serious threat to him in the current meta.

Both of MK’s facets are viable in this patch. His preferred choice, Simian Stride, has a 58.6% pick rate with a 48.0% win rate, while his other facet, Wukong’s Faithful, has a 41.4% pick rate but boasts a higher 57.0% win rate.

This could also suggest that while Wukong's Faithful is picked less often, it may be the stronger option in certain situations. Currently, Monkey King has a 54% win rate as a midlaner.

Huskar

Huskar is one of the strongest counters to Monkey King. Fortunately for Huskar players, he is the only viable MK counter in this meta—and beyond that, he remains one of the best midlane heroes in patch 7.38b.

What makes Huskar particularly powerful is his ability to dominate the lane. Unlike other heroes, he does not rely on mana, which gives him unique advantages.

It's over when you see Huskar in the opposing team.

Instead, his main resource is his HP, and with an early pickup of Armlet of Mordiggian, he can sustain himself effectively while keeping up his aggression. In terms of itemisation, Glimmer Cape, and Sange and Yasha remain core picks for Huskar.

Despite their recent nerfs, the magic barrier from Glimmer Cape and the status resistance from Sange and Yasha are still strong enough to allow him to control the mid-game tempo with ease.

As for his new facet, Cauterize is a solid option, but Incendiary remains just as viable, if not more so. Both boast win rates above 50%, but Incendiary is currently the more popular choice. Cauterize has a 46.6% pick rate with a 51.9% win rate, while Incendiary is picked 53.4% of the time and has a slightly stronger 53% win rate. Huskar has a 53.2% win rate.

Dazzle

Yes, you read that right—you’re not mistaken. In Patch 7.38b, Dazzle is one of the best midlane heroes for the meta. While he is still viable support if you want to maximise your win rate, pick him and run down mid. You might be surprised at how often it works.

This shift is due to Dazzle being one of the heroes reworked in Patch 7.38.

Dazzle is that hero that is extremely annoying when there's no Axe on your team.

He received a brand-new ultimate ability along with some buffs, which have pushed him into a new role: midlane. However, midlane Dazzle is a bit peculiar—rather than playing like a traditional nuker or right-clicker, he has become a hybrid damage dealer thanks to recent item changes.

With the rework of Revenant’s Brooch, Dazzle experiences a huge mid-game power spike. When these items are combined with Octarine Core, he becomes an absolute menace as the game progresses.

The best Facet for midlane Dazzle is Poison Bloom, which allows him to spread his first ability, Poison Touch, across multiple enemies. With this facet, Dazzle currently boasts a 55.8% win rate as a midlaner.

Nevertheless, it would still be interesting to see how Patch 7.38b develops in the upcoming days and tournaments.