What Are The 10 Best Dota 2 Mid Heroes That Will Destroy Your Enemies?
A lot has changed since the one-man mid meta was first put in place. Are the days of babyrage SF back in style?
Most dota 2 players know position 2, the midlane hero, is quite often the most impactful solo hero in the game. If you win mid, the game's pretty likely going to start off in your favor. If you feed mid, you'll likely get four reports. Here's our list for the top ten midlane heroes in the current meta.
10. Shadow Fiend
Shadow fiend mid is as classic as Dota gets. We’ve all faced it. SF gets a few souls and… GG, FF. The recent patch changes to SF have only made the hero more versatile and more dangerous. I’m sure we all remember Sumail’s spellcaster build; I know we all remember Arteezy’s classic SF.
SF mid succeeds in stages. His passive skill gives him more damage with each creep/hero killed. This gives you easy last-hitting advantage in lane. Next, we’ve got his razes, which not only give kill potential in lane; but give him good kill-threat all the way into the deep late-game. And finally, we have his ultimate: the Requiem. Whether he combos it with a euls, shadowblade, or just running in with a BKB; every Dota player knows how easily an SF ult can tip the scales of a teamfight.
9. Medusa
Medusa mid is not as classic as Dota gets. In fact, it’s a very recent addition to the meta. That being said, her ability to survive early ganks, combined with her massive scaling capabilities, makes Dusa a great choice for a crowded midlane.
Medusa’s mystic snake deals more than 80 damage level one, while also stealing mana from the enemy for Dusa to claim as her own. This is a very strong spell, especially with more than one enemy hero in the midlane. If things start to get hairy, Dusa also has her spell shield, which swaps mana for damage block. If everything’s going well Dusa can skill her splitshot and go farm some ancients. Ez money.
8. Dragon Knight
Dragon Knight mid is popular in much the same way as Medusa. The midlane gets crowded nowadays in Dota 2. This is the simple truth behind Sumail’s switch from mid to offlane. And what’s the best preparation for a scary midlane? Dragon’s blood – high armor and high hp regeneration.
Dragon Knight’s nuke is usually skilled first, just like Dusa. CS is the most important part of playing the midlane. Not only can dragon breath grab some last hits, it also reduces the enemy hero’s damage dealt – making last hitting even easier for the duration of the spell. And when things get worrisome? DK’s passive is one of the buffest in the game. Don’t expect many kills early from your DK, but when he gets his ult that midlane tower will be gone in a matter of minutes. And if you’re lucky enough to play at an MMR where DK’s actually skill their stuns, he’s got some pretty massive kill potential as well.
7. Zeus
Zeus doesn’t follow the same mold as the last two heroes. Zeus is not a tank that can survive most early-game ganks. That being said, he’s still pretty good at surviving those early-game ganks. This is because of his unique skill set. Zeus deals a lot of damage without having to get too close to the action. There is a reason he is often called a noob hero.
Zeus’s unique skill set begins with arc lightning. Dealing high percentage-based damage with one of the longest ranges in the game, arc lightning allows the Greek god of Thunder to stay hidden from the enemy and grab easy last-hits. Thunder bolt keeps him safe from invisibility and allows for good positioning by providing flying vision and true sight. And once he gets level six, expect your teammates to start screaming “Zeus Ult Now!” With his ult, Zeus sends a blast of magical damage on every hero on the map, no matter where they are – now that is how you killsteal.
6. Templar Assassin
Templar Assassin is a niche pick. Do not pick this hero in ranked matchmaking if you don’t understand how Psi Blades work. A good TA player can avoid early-game ganks, get a desolater and blink dagger around minute 20 and end the game 5-10 minutes later. A bad TA player will feed and never find their place in the game.
TA is unique because her skills are truly like no other in Dota 2. Refraction fully blocks several damage instances, while increasing her damage. Meld grants TA invisibility and a huge damage boost. And her psi-blades allow your attacks to do damage to anything behind your target, leading to some pretty crazy kills sometimes. Use her well and you can solo-carry; use her poorly and you’ll get four quick reports from your teammates.
5. Tinker
It is the same story for Tinker. If you know how to play this hero, you will be a menace to your enemy. If you don’t, you will be a menace to your team. And noobs be warned: Tinker is one of the hardest heroes to master in Dota 2, with the highest actions per minute required of any hero in the game.
In the laning stage, use Tinker’s Laser to completely disable your opponent’s ability to last-hit. Against a hero like SF, this can be devastating. If you’re having a hard time getting last-hits though, use Tinker’s march to secure them without having to show yourself in lane. And when you think you can get a kill, send out your high-damage rockets. Once you get your ultimate, the laning stage is over – for everyone. You can now be all places, at all times. Have fun.
4. Storm Spirit
I think we all remember watching Sumail burst onto the scene with this hero -- unbelievable. Although Storm might not be as strong as we’ve once seen him, we still believe this hero can pull its weight. Storm does a lot of damage and, with his ult, becomes one of the most mobile heroes in the game. The only problem: surviving the early-game and getting a point in that ult. And no, we don’t think Kaya is the solution.
You’ll probably want to put your first level in remnant to secure some CS and get good positioning. After that, you’ll want your passive. Use these two skills to combo your opponent out of the lane with very high damage. Most players don’t get his stun very early, but this hero isn’t played too often nowadays so if you think it’ll help you out – do it. And once you’ve got enough mana to sustain your ult, have at it with the rotations.
3. Queen of Pain
Queen of Pain is another hero that isn’t picked as often as we think she should be. She’s got a reliable escape and lots of damage early-game. What else can you really ask for? (Besides the punks being satisfied.)
The skill build for QOP is really game-dependent. You have to know what you’re up against and skill for that situation. If you’re fearing early-ganks, then levels in your blink will be useful. If you want to bully the enemy mid-laner 1v1, your first skill is probably best. If you’ve got some surprise kill potential, you might want to level up that third skill. QOP is a really flexible hero and that’s why we like her.
2. Viper
There is a reason this hero’s nickname is Cancer. In a one-on-one situation, Viper will dominate. Even in a two-on-one situation, Viper’s got a pretty good shot. The point is that this hero is hard to kill and even if you kill it, it will likely come at a large cost.
Viper’s poison attack does more damage based on the enemy’s health levels. If the enemy hero isn’t full hp, they will have to worry. If the damage isn’t enough, this fear will likely bully the enemy mid out of lane. The new update has given Viper another active skill in Nethertoxin. It might be more useful late game, but Nethertoxin can still be used to secure a few CS. And corrosive skin will make sure any damage done to Viper is reflect back – farewell clarity users.
1. Meepo
Meepo is our tenth hero. We’ve said this before, but we cannot possibly emphasize enough how serious we are about it now. DO NOT PLAY THIS HERO in ranked matchmaking if you haven’t done it before. When you play Meepo, you aren’t just playing Meepo – you’re playing several Meepos. This hero makes clones of itself. That’s what makes it so strong in the midlane, but also so vulnerable.
Meepo is one of only a handful of heroes whose ultimate you can upgrade before level 6. This allows you to clone yourself and start doing twice as much very early. Add in a root and two skills that deal massive damage and you have quite the threat. Just be careful – this hero is hard for even professional gamers to master.
That’s our top ten list of Dota mid heroes right now. Let us know any you’d add or replace!
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