In the event you’ve performed Dota at a excessive sufficient stage, you’ve most likely seen apparent account patrons. Questionable match historical past, excessive win fee, suspicious hero choice on the account and absolute cluelessness in the course of the match. These days, it’s a lot rarer than it was, however every such encounter left me with a single, lingering thought: “what precisely are you attempting to attain right here?”.
Successful a recreation as somebody far under the foyer’s common is actually out of the query. There isn’t lots of enjoyable in dying repeatedly both. The one pseudo-positive I can personally consider is that larger stage lobbies expedite the training course of. Although, to be sincere, there isn’t a complete lot of studying occurring for the account purchaser, in my view. Normally, the distinction within the understanding of Dota is large enough to make studying any kind of classes nearly unattainable.
That is the elemental difficulty with studying Dota basically: as it’s an extremely complicated and deep recreation, there are such a lot of transferring elements to maintain monitor and pay attention to, that the majority people will likely be overwhelmed if they struggle to soak up all of it on the similar time.
That is the rationale stats web sites like Dotabuff exist. They combination info from tons of assorted matches to present a fast overview of what we find yourself calling “the meta”. Nonetheless, utilizing this info effectively and really bettering by means of it’s a studying course of by itself.
One of many massive, current occasions within the Dota-world was that stats web sites misplaced entry to the best stage information. The knowledge from the highest 0.5% participant lobbies is now not out there to us and regardless of the way you spin it, it’s an info loss.
Whether or not this info was in any manner related to the overwhelming majority of the playerbase is a distinct query altogether. For my part, copying the highest stage builds and hero picks was not essentially useful when it got here to studying Dota and typically even detrimental to the method.
When a mean participant takes a shortcut by copying a talent or merchandise construct from the skilled scene, there’s a excessive probability they inadvertently exhibit the identical behaviour, because the aforementioned account purchaser. They don’t totally perceive why it really works, and why it is likely to be mandatory for the gamers within the excessive stage lobbies to make selections they make, they merely copy the builds, anticipating optimistic outcomes.
Generally it really works, reinforcing their perception within the power of this strategy. And when it doesn’t, there are all the time teammates responsible: in any case, you might be enjoying a top-level construct that wins 55% of the sport in 10k lobbies, certainly you’ll be able to’t be the issue in a 3k common recreation, proper?
Right here lies the issue: 1k common, 3k common, 5k common and 10k common gamers are enjoying basically totally different video games. As a broad stroke instance: a 
Magnus in 1k must be preoccupied with merely executing a good Blink + Reverse Polarity combo onto a number of targets. A 3k one can begin studying the 
Harpoon + Skewer combo. At 5k they need to pay attention to on the spot hexes or silences on the enemy group and preemptively begin utilizing 
Black King Bar if mandatory, earlier than leaping in, for the reason that enemies are prone to react in time or pre-cast their disables if Magnus is in imaginative and prescient.
In 10k+ this could all mix into a stupendous package deal the place a Magnus can soar into one group of enemies, Horn Toss and Skewer them into one other group of enemies for a large RP, beginning off with 
Shadow Blade off-screen to forestall pre-casting hex potential and utilizing BKB in the course of the Horn Toss animation on the enemy CC heroes, whereas they’re nonetheless within the air, to maximise BKB effectiveness with out getting disabled. Then do the identical factor another time after utilizing 
Refresher Orb.
Striving to try this in 1k common foyer could be admirable, however there’s a excessive probability executing this complete sequence is already going to be overwhelming to a brand new participant. Furthermore, there are going to be lots of redundancies when it comes to construct as effectively: this Magnus in 1k doesn’t want Shadow Blade, since it’s unlikely the enemy goes to pre-hex them and even have imaginative and prescient. They gained’t have to press BKB earlier than leaping in, as enemies are unlikely to react in the course of the Reverse Polarity solid level. They most likely gained’t want a second spherical of spells, for the reason that enemies are going to be clumped up regardless. And there are various, many extra such small intricacies I’m personally not conscious of, since I’m not a 10k Magnus participant myself.
The primary level nonetheless stands, although: merely copying a excessive stage construct in your common recreation will end in pointless, pricey inefficiencies. And they’ll value you video games because of this. what works greatest at your specific stage, understanding why it really works and what the potential counterplays are, is what is going to make you a greater, extra educated participant. Once you begin gaining MMR, utilizing this data to adapt to more and more tougher situations will likely be a lot simpler as effectively.
Copying builds is, by definition, a really inflexible strategy. There are positively key objects on sure heroes which can be just too good of a match, however even they don’t seem to be obligatory, if the a bizarre recreation you end up in is looking for one thing totally different.
People are additionally extremely various and in a multi-faceted recreation of Dota, this implies there are various totally different, profitable methods of self-expression. Forcing your self to repeat particular playstyles goes to stifle your personal progress, whereas doubtlessly lowering your enjoyment of the sport.
On the highest stage of play the decision-space is actually extra restricted, as some small construct inefficiencies and excessive ranges of greed are very punishable, however even then, there’s room for creativity. Most of us will bear in mind Topson constructing 
Diffusal Blade on 
Gyrocopter in TI Grand Finals and this kind of resolution isn’t made by statistics and copying the preferred builds, it’s made by having a really stable, deep understanding of Dota.
Most of us don’t have time to take a seat and experiment for the entire day, however all of us wish to win and have our MMR go up. Statistics may help us establish developments and provides a fast overview of what usually works within the present meta, however it may’t win you video games. Enhancing as a participant is the one approach to get a better ranking. And bettering as a participant means analysing your personal errors, being life like in regards to the stage you might be enjoying at and figuring out what might be finished to win extra video games in your specific circumstances; not by copying what works for gamers who’re enjoying a really totally different recreation.
Copying “what works” is not the identical as understanding “why it really works”. That does not imply it’s best to go fully off-meta: every patch will certainly have its share of stronger than common heroes and objects, however even when choosing a “sturdy meta hero” be sure to are actively analysing why they’re sturdy in your bracket and what limitations they could have if you end up in a better one. You shouldn’t use statistics to seek out definitive solutions. It is best to use statistics to ask the proper questions.
