In the event you’ve performed Dota at a excessive sufficient degree, you’ve most likely seen apparent account patrons. Questionable match historical past, excessive win charge, 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 once, however every such encounter left me with a single, lingering thought: “what precisely are you making an attempt to attain right here?”.
Successful a sport 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 greater degree lobbies expedite the training course of. Although, to be sincere, there isn’t a complete lot of studying happening for the account purchaser, in my view. Often, the distinction within the understanding of Dota is sufficiently big to make studying any type of classes just about unimaginable.
That is the elemental situation with studying Dota on the whole: as it’s an extremely complicated and deep sport, there are such a lot of transferring elements to maintain observe and concentrate on, that almost all people will probably be overwhelmed if they struggle to absorb all of it on the similar time.
That is the explanation stats web sites like Dotabuff exist. They combination info from tons of varied matches to offer a fast overview of what we find yourself calling “the meta”. Nonetheless, utilizing this info properly and truly enhancing by it’s a studying course of by itself.
One of many massive, latest occasions within the Dota-world was that stats web sites misplaced entry to the best degree knowledge. The knowledge from the highest 0.5% participant lobbies is not accessible to us and regardless of the way you spin it, it’s an info loss.
Whether or not this info was in any method related to the overwhelming majority of the playerbase is a distinct query altogether. For my part, copying the highest degree builds and hero picks was not essentially useful when it got here to studying Dota and generally even detrimental to the method.
When a median participant takes a shortcut by copying a talent or merchandise construct from the skilled scene, there’s a excessive likelihood they inadvertently exhibit the identical behaviour, because the aforementioned account purchaser. They don’t absolutely perceive why it really works, and why it is likely to be mandatory for the gamers within the excessive degree lobbies to make decisions they make, they merely copy the builds, anticipating constructive outcomes.
Typically it really works, reinforcing their perception within the energy of this strategy. And when it doesn’t, there are at all times teammates accountable: in spite of everything, you’re enjoying a top-level construct that wins 55% of the sport in 10k lobbies, absolutely you may’t be the issue in a 3k common sport, 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 ought to be preoccupied with merely executing an honest Blink + Reverse Polarity combo onto a number of targets. A 3k one can begin studying the 
Harpoon + Skewer combo. At 5k they need to concentrate on on the spot hexes or silences on the enemy crew 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 an exquisite package deal the place a Magnus can leap 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 stop 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 do this in 1k common foyer could be admirable, however there’s a excessive likelihood executing this complete sequence is already going to be overwhelming to a brand new participant. Furthermore, there are going to be lots of redundancies by way of construct as properly: 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 received’t have to press BKB earlier than leaping in, as enemies are unlikely to react in the course of the Reverse Polarity forged level. They most likely received’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 principle level nonetheless stands, although: merely copying a excessive degree construct in your common sport will lead to pointless, expensive inefficiencies. And they’ll price you video games because of this. Taking a look at what works greatest at your specific degree, understanding why it really works and what the potential counterplays are, is what is going to make you a greater, extra educated participant. While you begin gaining MMR, utilizing this data to adapt to more and more harder situations will probably be a lot simpler as properly.
Copying builds is, by definition, a really inflexible strategy. There are positively key gadgets on sure heroes which might be just too good of a match, however even they aren’t necessary, if the a bizarre sport you end up in is looking for one thing totally different.
People are additionally extremely various and in a multi-faceted sport 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 decreasing your enjoyment of the sport.
On the highest degree of play the decision-space is definitely extra restricted, as some small construct inefficiencies and excessive ranges of greed are very punishable, however even then, there may be room for creativity. Most of us will bear in mind Topson constructing 
Diffusal Blade on 
Gyrocopter in TI Grand Finals and this type of choice isn’t made by taking a look at statistics and copying the most well-liked builds, it’s made by having a really strong, deep understanding of Dota.
Most of us don’t have time to sit down and experiment for the entire day, however all of us wish to win and have our MMR go up. Statistics may help us determine tendencies and provides a fast overview of what typically works within the present meta, however it will probably’t win you video games. Bettering as a participant is the one option to get a better score. And enhancing as a participant means analysing your personal errors, being reasonable in regards to the degree you’re enjoying at and figuring out what might be executed to win extra video games in your specific circumstances; not by copying what works for gamers who’re enjoying a really totally different sport.
Copying “what works” is not the identical as understanding “why it really works”. That does not imply you must go utterly off-meta: every patch will certainly have its share of stronger than common heroes and gadgets, however even when selecting a “robust meta hero” ensure you are actively analysing why they’re robust in your bracket and what limitations they may have if you end up in a better one. You shouldn’t use statistics to search out definitive solutions. It is best to use statistics to ask the proper questions.
