Dota Patch 7.36 Betting Insights – A Shifting Meta

In a classic Valve move, a new Dota patch rolled out mid-tournament at the DreamLeague Season 23 – Patch 7.36. Throwing the competition into a frenzy, several changes challenged which teams could adapt the quickest. With the event concluded, Dota patch 7.36 is the new prospect for Dota betting, let’s dive right in.

Dota Patch 7.36 – Pre-Patch Statistics

First things first, let’s remember how things looked like in Patch 7.35 before this new one rolled out and changed esports betting.

Here’s a look at the Win Rates of heroes for Patch 7.35 according to DotaBuff:

HeroWin RatePick RateKDA Ratio
Abaddon55.32%9.52%3.24
Arc Warden54.03%5.92%3.26
Sand King53.66%6.63%2.73
Witch Doctor53.58%20.16%2.47
Meepo53.54%3.20%2.93
Leshrac53.53%4.32%2.79
Axe53.21%16.84%2.63
Warlock52.94%7.60%3.17
Death Prophet52.69%5.00%3.36
Zeus52.66%16.13%4.44

Dota Patch 7.36 – Hero Changes

dota 2 bettingElite League 2024 Betting Guide - Markets & Odds
Image Credits: Valve

Rolling out changes to 124 heroes, here’s our summary of which heroes have been nerfed and which heroes have been buffed as listed for future Dota 2 tournaments:

Dota Patch 7.36 OutcomeHeroes
NerfedAbaddon, Ancient Apparition, Arc Warden, Axe, Batrider, Dark Willow, Dragon Knight, Earth Spirit, Gyrocopter, Juggernaut, Legion Commander, Leshrac, Meepo, Necrophos, Night Stalker, Outworld Destroyer, Phantom Assassin, Shadow Shaman, Templar Assassin, Terrorblade, Tink, Warlock, Winter Wyvern
BuffedChen, Crystal Maiden, Death Prophet, Disruptor, Elder Titan, Enchantress, Huskar, Lifestellar, Lina, Lone Druid, Magnus, Mirana, Morphling, Nature's Prophet, Omniknight, Pangolier, Pudge, Sand King, Slark, Snapfire, Spectre, Storm Spirit, Sven, Techies, Tinker, Visage, Void Spirit, Wraith King

Clearly, the majority of the heroes with the highest win rates have all received nerfs – which teams will adapt quickest to this change in meta?

Hero Facets and Innate Abilities

Moreover, this huge patch also features Hero Facets and Innate Abilities – what are they and how do they affect Dota 2 odds?

There’s a lot to dive into and we recommend reading the patch notes deeply and giving the game a try. This is the biggest change since Patch 7.33.

Embracing the Chaos

At times like this, with such radical change, teams with a certain playstyle are favored by Dota 2 betting sites. If we’re going to boil Dota play styles down to the most basic, there are two kinds: meta and off-meta. Remember that there is no single meta in Dota at any one time though – each region will establish its own meta based on the current patch.

Teams who play the meta use the patch to their advantage. They play statistically good or recently buffed heroes with established interactions and combinations to overpower their enemies.

Remember when Snapfire was first released back in 2019 just a few months after Mars? – Combining the Arena of Blood with Mortimer’s Kisses is a great example of a meta strategy.

Best Dota 2 Teams for 2024 - Top 10 Leading Teams
Image Credits: Azure Ray

SEA and Chinese teams such as Azure Ray and Aurora are well known for their meta strategies. Their drafts and strategies may be more predictable but if they’re executed well, the risk of a loss is minimized.

Off meta teams are way more common in regions like Europe and MENA with teams like Gaimin Gladiators and Team Falcons fly the flag for off-meta style. It’s worth mentioning that Europe has won every iteration of The International since 2016.

These teams focus more on their player’s strengths and ability to adapt quickly to succeed. The hero pools are much larger, making target banning almost impossible. No matter the patch, no one wants to come up against Quinn’s mid Leshrac, even if Bloodstone got nerfed into the ground. The volatility of the drafts means teams need to react quickly to prevent a 20 minute stomp of a game.

Dota Patch 7.36 – A Matter of Time

However, this effect on the meta is only temporary.

With the DreamLeague Season 23 concluded, all eyes will be on the regional qualifiers for The International 2024. The next time we’ll see the international community compete is at Riyadh Masters 2024 in July. Learn more in our Esports World Cup betting preview.

By then, the meta should have settled. We’ve already received the 7.36a balancing patch which has nerfed some of the new abilities. But until then, teams who are quicker to adapt are more likely to benefit in the short term. At the same time, the top teams have to work a lot harder to maintain their place at the top.

As always, winning in Dota involves being able to adapt quicker than your opponent.

Gabriel Sciberras
Gabriel Sciberras

Since: February 7, 2023

Gabriel is a content writer and editor at EsportsBets, covering every related esports scene and topic under the sun, apart from plenty of experience in the realm of technology and gaming. When he's not covering international news, he's focused on the local Maltese scene.

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