General DiscussionCan people explain to me why TA is getting picked often this patch?

Pros aren't all knowing. I remember it took them like 8 months to catch on to huskar.Maybe TA was just a sleeper.

Also there are meta shift and strategy shifts that change how good a hero is in competitive and often the average player isn't knowledgeable enough to pick up on it.

I don't really know, I loved TA for the longest time and seeing her actually being picked it pretty shocking.
She isn't the hardest hero to play but she isn't the easiest either. She is a pretty good mid laner in my opinion and maybe people are finally realizing it. Although this is coming from a 2K player so take all my words with a grain of salt

https://www.dotabuff.com/blog/2017-05-03-kiev-major-meta-recap

Read it you.....
*Closing my mouth before I flame you hard*

I was playing radiance abaddon before it became a thing. Other than that Warlock has always been my favorite hero feels good to see him being picked so often.

Trends just happen, no real explanation for it.

For a while TA has been a viable hero. Becoming popular will just happen when somebody decides to try something and it works, then other people do it as well.

You'll see heroes become popular without getting buffs because the meta will shift in some way that is an indirect buff, like the pace of the game changes a bit and item timings on a hero work well with it or winning your lane decisively gives good momentum to your team for one reason or another.

But also, yah, trends will just happen because some streamer decides to jungle Venomancer and suddenly you see that in every other game. :p

jungle venom was a thing way before 7.00 and it was done in pro scene too. Its just youtube people picked that way late

TA's shield should be like a 100/200/300/400 damage blocking buff to her not any kind of damage that like deals 1 damage or minor damage tick destroys the shield.

I love how you guys chalk it up to randomness when it's clearly a meta shift driven by the adjustments made to the game. TA is often picked in the current meta because ability to push/counter-push has become extremely valuable, especially because of the armor to the tower buff. TA does massive physical damage and one of the few heroes for whom Deso is a must. She is also extremely stable in lanning phase and has a good snowballing potential.

midgame meta for a midgame powerspike

i don't think she ever fell off, it was just a matter of time until a few people chose her, then people saw those few people, then all of a sudden everyones picking her. Same with Magnus in 6.88 remember? Dendi, that one russian tinker streamer, and a few others started playing him, then all of a sudden before you know it, someone just like you was making a topic about Magnus's rise in popularity. I think it's one thing to be meta, and it's another to just be a flavor of the month.

good hero i hate dealing with solar crests however

Your number 1 reason is because the pro's were picking TA in the Major.

Also, I hear that this is supposed to be a physical damage patch + more splitpushing. TA excels at both of those things, and power spikes EXTREMELY early.

Cus most tower pushing carries didn't do well at the major except for TB. Slark once he steals enough agility can be a good tower killer, but he's melee. Lifestealer has nice rage attack speed but again melee. Jug didn't fare so well, drow never picked, luna picked once, sniper irrelevant. SF picked some. Despite troll's appearance in the championship match he actually had a bad win rate. When you have heroes like slark and spectre running your safe lane though you need something that can break high ground ok and TA was that. Plus she works well with magnus and with solar crests on your supports. I don't know enough about mid lane matchups to say but my guess is she also did well against the popular mids at major.

You go to admit there's a definite perception shift that happens with some of these popularity changes.

I think one of the things that influences it the most is that people will continue to think a hero is "bad" until they see evidence to the contrary. I haven't been playing much but I think Bristleback has caught on recently and you'd always see higher level players trash talking him even though he could be pretty effective in game.

she got lots of buffes over a long time and is now ready to rape imo. also the slower meta (7.05, the patches before where a bit too fast in the early game for her) in the early game fits her pretty well because she likes to farm for the 1st 14-15min for your blink+deso. then you take rosh and just win every fight while you have aegis. ta is also an insanely strong laner which is pretty important. in pub´s she is the easiest way to win games alone atm imo.

TA's phys, armor break, and push/counter-push is pretty nice.

i tried ta. i failed ta

any ta player pls teach ta

ta is deceptively hard, she is not at all an easy hero imo.

in this patch where people spam ursa, slark, invoker, TA is good against them.

bkb + 9 reflection charges, plus huge burst to support

not to mention, tower! its almost impossible to down tower right now without natural pusher.

if you pick a lineup without -armor to tower, you are gonna struggle alot. when games are decided by base race, those without heroes like TA, prophet or pusher will experience significant disadvantages.

To win mid with ta you have to psi blade harass which probably takes some practice to get right

same to lina, talents out in 7.00 but lina become from dead only in 7.03 if im correct

ta good agaisnt slark
???

Huskar is getting a lot of play?

I just don't want TA to be nerfed :<

All u Ta spammers are disgusting. Ta has always been a good 1v5 hero. Can farm well and kill well. Need a lot of practice to be a good laner with her. But ez games if u can force the enemy mid back (those who go 2 tango 1 ward). You'll Almost certainly run out of regen

yeh man fuck those 2 tango 1 ward mid players

real men play with 1 tango

meta is such a joke in this game, its basically some pro players pick a random hero cuz they think its good for a certain match then every other retard and their dog picks the same hero and calls it meta. most heroes that are "meta" are just spammed and didnt actually get any changes for several patches. they're just magically now good.

^ you obviously have no understanding of the game