Medusa Resurgence
Medusa has been out of meta for a very long time. The hero was so unpopular, she is played in pubs at a less than 5% pick rate. So, it is even more surprising to see her make a comeback in a patch where Anti-Mage is running rampant through pubs.
The new Split Shot
There was never a question whether Medusa could win a games given enough time and farm. The question t was always whether Medusa would be able to get to that point. And the latest patch addressed this issue head-on, with multiple changes to the way hero works in the early game.
Split Shot received a very fitting rework, making it a passive that now deals full damage the primary target. The total amount of damage dealt went from 400% to 325% of Medusa’s attack damage, but her ability to focus a single target has been increased.
Secondary targets now receive less damage and there are less targets affected, but realistically the effective damage on heroes you actually want to attack has increased — it was rare for all five members of the enemy team to stand within a striking distance of Medusa.
New Talents
Apart from receiving a Split Shot overhaul, Medusa had her talents changed as well. These changes had a comparable if not larger effect on the hero’s win rate, since in most instances they are straight up buffs to the previous ones.
Medusa’s current talents are a major upgrade over old ones
For example, her new level 10 talents are either +25 Attack Damage or 12% Evasion, with a rather obvious choice for the majority of games. Previously, the choice was similarly obvious, but provided only +15 damage or +12 Intelligence.
At level 15 Medusa now gets +30 Attack Speed, instead of +20 in 7.06, with an alternative of increased mana steal from Mystic Snake.
Level 20 is now +800 Mana instead of +500 mana. It also gives a decent alternative of +2.5s of Stone Gaze duration which has its merits in specific games, where you need to outwait some enemy ability, while disengaging safely.
Finally, level 25, which previously gave a measly +1s Stone Gaze duration or +25% lifesteal now either provides seven extra Split Shot targets, for when you need to outpush really fast, or the ability for Split Shot to get full benefits of Attack Modifiers.
The latter talent is especially powerful and should generally be the go-to choice unless there is a specific game scenario. It currently has a 5.4% win rate differential with the alternative and these stats are easily explained.
Being able to apply status effects and fully utilize attack modifiers turn the hero into even bigger late-game threat. She can now slow multiple targets with Eye of Skadi, proc multiple instances of MKB magic damage, and heal for 81.25% of her attack damage from the Satanic passive alone. This value rises to 650% of her attack damage during the Unholy Rage.
What it sums up to
The new Medusa is a hero who farms faster, courtesy of a Split Shot and Talents reworks, deals more damage in the early stages with higher AS and Damage bonuses from talents and is a scarier foe in the later stages of the game with increased survivability from either of the level 20 talents.
Come level 25 she also gets to a point where she can only be killed if disabled, otherwise her lifesteal will allow her to persevere through pretty much any amount of damage.
The hero is currently close to 54% win rate in 3-5k brackets, with a sudden dropoff to 45% in 5k+ games, where the pace might be too high for her to truly shine.
She is at her best when played mid, but with a position one carry role in mind, hence less greedy “utility” safelaners are preferable in a Medusa lineup. The hero remains very vulnerable in the early game and still needs time to come online, but no longer is she a burden on her team for 30 minutes — this time has been cut down almost in half.
On top of it, there are ways to “activate” Medusa a lot earlier and a Mask of Madness build has been used to a great success in several qualifier matches in the past two weeks. Not only does the item majorly accelerate the farm of the hero, but it also increases her teamfight potential once she reaches level 10 and the +25 attack damage. Moreover, it can be later disassembled for a faster Satanic and Butterfly combo.
Overall it makes for a powerful hero who is at her best when several conditions are met. She is not a safe first pick, she will still have troubles against both Anti-Mage and Nyx Assassin, as well as any heavy pushing lineups and she still needs babysitting in the mid lane — Mana Shield gives time for TP rotations, rather than ensures safe escape. But a good Medusa game with an adequate player is close to impossible to lose post 30-minute mark.
She is way too powerful after 50-60 minutes of game, maybe slight nerf in 20 and 25 level talents would make her more balanced. In comparision with luna's 20 and 25 talents they are just too good.
Wow
medusa now has a hard enrage timer, get your mechanics down or lose the boss fight. (sorry for a wow reference)
it is because of papich (his fans)
Well, I tried. No idea how to play her. 20 mins of overfarm with 2 kills and 0/2 PA just running around and killing me.
Just a rectification: MKB now does pure damage instead of magic. Nice post tho.
Proc multiple instances of Malestorm (instead of MKB) magic damage.
@Caesar only one shot of all split shots can proc chain lightning at a time due to Mjolnir/Maelstrom having a 0.2 sec internal cooldown
@problem?
The way Dota is set up, someone has to be the strongest hero in the game at the latest time. If you nerf her then someone else will take the spot as the ultimate late game hero. To beat her you have to be proactive, and that's just fine.
Diffusal is also a must against her. MKB is also really good.
I thought MKB damage was pure? Is it not 75% chance to proc 60 pure damage which ignores evasion?
So, how to deal with the evation now?
i think spec wk am slark lc are all more potent late game carries
"lc"
"potent late game carries"
jungle LC into midas detected...
this article seems poorly edited..
and again and again
how could you possible lose with 820 gpm
such a good hero :)))))
Lc late game
I little part of me died today
sexxxx
noobs be noobs, bashing late game lc lmfao
Not even trying to trash the writer, but articles on this site are written so poorly. Becomes distracting, even though the content is always good. Just have an editor read over it before posting ! Keep up the good work dotabuff.
Of course people bash late game lc, because it essentially doesn't exist in the late game - at best as a disabler in a teamfight. Try to learn the difference between a tempo hero and a lategame one before you start calling players with higher mmr noobs :)
Finally won with this garbage hero pls don't pick her ever.
@sputnik
Care to elaborate? I actually found the articles surprisingly well-written, given that mostly virgin schoolchildren read those
She is to strong 7 games in row won 700+ avarge gpm solo vs 5 heroes after 40 min ez
^ you mean 5 games. "You ain't gotta lie craig"
Why can't you people just play dusa like a normal human being
And go 1st item rapier, into 2nd item rapier, into 3rd item daedelus? Smh some people
this hero is a fucking raid boss 60+ minutes in
Boring hero ever
budet li rad papich?
at early game it maybe to soft to kill but in late game it very hard to kill cause so high mana in gameplay or depends on game.. hard to farm if to many carry in team.. so don't let any other player pick another hard cause only her are good
pogchamp https://www.dotabuff.com/matches/3571083669
Лучший в мире на медузе это КАРЛ РАКАЛОВИЧ! И тащил я на ней, когда вы все поливали этого героя дерьмом, что она может раскрыться только после 60 минуты, а я выносил всех с самого начала игры, мог спушить 2 вышки за 10 минут, стоял почти всегда в соло против даблы или триплы и убивал 3х гангеров, которые приходили мне помешать. И все удивлялись, как это имея доминатор манту и волка, я имею на ней 200 урона с руки на 13-15 уровне. Или что можно ее вовсе в ману не собирать, а собрать как типичного кери, который никогда в жир собиратсья через дорогущие предметы по типу скайди не будет. Но нет надо было кукарекать, что герой дерьмо и покупать линку первым артом. И я даже вышел из ситуации, когда весь мой билд угробили все предметы, которые я ей собирал порезали, а доминатор так и вовсе можно сказать удалили, и смог ее подстроить под старый патч, когда игры заканчивались за 20 минут, а то и больше, а я фпшил дузу и выносил эту саму вражескую тиму с этими некрами, нюксами, антимагами и свенами за эти же 20-15 минут. И да у меня дико горело с несправедливости талантов посмотрев на таланты дузы и того же ама или джагера и то наоборот это мне придавало мотивации, еще больше на ней тащить, когда героя полностью втоптали в грязь, а я играю на ней буд-то бы это какая-то имба всех времен разваливающая с первых минут игры или это патч 7.07. И что самое интересное, все что я хотел и как я хотел что бы апнули медузу или хотя бы сделали адекватные таланты, ей все о чем я мечтал так и сделали, добавили аганим, апнули таланты, и добавили то о чем я мечтал точ в точ, кучу стрел и возможность юзать модификаторы на сплитшот.