Clinkz has been terrorizing high-level Dota 2 pubs in 2026, posting a 55% win price in 7,000+ MMR video games. He’s been contested in virtually each sport, forcing gamers to both ban him or endure the results — however the newest patch might have modified issues.
Nonetheless, like all damaged heroes in Dota 2, Valve introduced the hammer, hitting Clinkz with a sequence of heavy nerfs within the newest 7.40c patch. However, the actual query is whether or not the Bone Fletcher continues to be viable, or has he been nerfed to the bottom?
Clinkz Nerfs on Patch 7.40c
Valve dropped patch 7.40c on January 21, and Clinkz was one of many greatest losers. His modifications had been primarily focused at his capability to delete buildings in a matter of seconds with Aghanim’s Scepter and Refresher Orb – one of many predominant causes he was such a ache to play in opposition to.
His changelogs are:
Skeleton Stroll
Skeleton Stroll Constructing Harm penalty elevated from 25% to 75%
Now not upgraded with Aghanim’s Scepter
Now Aghanim’s Scepter solely gives Burning Military capability with out rising Skeleton Archer Hits to Kill by 1
Abilities
Stage 15 Expertise Assault Vary decreased from +60 to +50
Stage 25 Searing Arrows Multishot not applies to Skeleton Archers
All in all, these nerfs had been clearly focused at Clinkz’s sieging potential. Most of his harm output – aside from his Stage 25 expertise – stays comparatively untouched.
What Made Clinkz So Damaged?
To reply our query on whether or not Clinkz continues to be viable after nerfs, we first want to have a look at what made him so overpowered within the first place – and the way the most recent patch has focused these actual strengths.
At his peak, Clinkz provided manner an excessive amount of worth in too many areas:
Robust laning stage:
His excessive assault vary naturally makes him a risk within the laning stage. Nonetheless, Searing Arrows makes him extraordinarily tough to commerce into and out-last hit.
Explosive harm output:
If there’s one factor Clinkz is at all times good for, it’s his harm. He excels at pickoffs, deleting helps and squishy enemies earlier than they will react. Clinkz can deal huge harm to a number of targets in fights together with his Aghanim’s Scepter – Burning Military.
Aghanim’s Shard worth:
Clinkz has probably the greatest Aghanim’s Shard upgrades within the sport with Burning Barrage. This capability permits him to deal heavy burst harm, but it surely additionally serves as an unbelievable flash farming software that lets him minimize waves and break up push. It’s virtually too environment friendly for farming.
Unmatched sieging energy with Aghanim’s Scepter:
After which there’s the elephant within the room – his sieging energy. Closing out video games and taking the enemy excessive floor is probably the most tough section in each Dota 2 sport, and Clinkz makes it look easy with Aghanim’s Scepter and Refresher Orb.
When a hero can dominate lanes, erase heroes, farm quick, and finish video games on his personal, there’s clearly a difficulty.
Is Clinkz Nonetheless Viable After the Nerfs?
Clinkz’s core identification has at all times been about dealing heavy harm and choosing off heroes, and with these modifications, that a part of his equipment continues to be fully intact. His wave-cutting with Aghanim’s Shard may be very annoying and stays untouched, but it surely’s merely a part of his design and is manageable.
The place Clinkz actually crossed the road was not in killing heroes, however in ending video games all by himself.
In Dota 2, taking excessive floor is meant to be the toughest a part of closing out a match, and Clinkz simply bypassed that problem solely with Aghanim’s Scepter and Refresher Orb, basically deleting a complete lane of Barracks in seconds.
Now, he not has this “free move” to win the sport off one profitable combat, making his position as a “nearer” now far more restricted.
This doesn’t imply Clinkz is buried to the bottom. He’s nonetheless sturdy in lane, farms rapidly with Aghanim’s Shard, deadly in pickoffs, and his harm output in fights stays virtually untouched. What he not has is the power to hold fights and erase a complete base on the similar time.
Thus far, Clinkz’s win price in high-level pubs has dropped from 55% to 51%, so there’s no query this nerf was an enormous hit to his toolkit. Nonetheless, I don’t assume the hero is lifeless by any means. He nonetheless fulfills his identification and is now only a balanced hero, fairly than a damaged one. The fear is gone, however the hero stays.
