One Dota 2 hero is fast becoming Patch 7.33’s best carry, and it’s even better in higher ranks

Naga Siren has been one of the better hard carry heroes in Dota 2 for a long time now, but the troublesome pusher is on track to becoming the best of them all after a notable win rate spike in Patch 7.33’s evolving metagame.

The hero’s win rate has jumped from 51.34 percent in Patch 7.31 to 52.27 percent in Patch 7.32 and 53.36 percent in Patch 7.33, according to Dotabuff, much higher than its all-time win rate of 47.20 percent.

It’s fared even better in the past week, especially in high-level matches with an average of 7,000 MMR and above. Dota2ProTracker has noted a 58.2 percent win rate in that bracket.

The staple build isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it’s more effective than ever. Starting items typically include two Iron Branches, a Quelling Blade, Tangos, and a Circlet and Slippers of Agility built into Wraith Band. Magic Wand and Ring of Basilius aren’t too uncommon for early pick-ups, either. After that, most high-level players lean towards Power Treads, Yasha into Manta Style, Orchid Malevolence, Heart of Tarrasque, Butterfly, and Bloodthorn if it reaches the ultra-late game. Diffusal Blade, Aghanim’s Shard, Scythe of Vyse, Eye of Skadi, and Nullifier are also good in some instances depending on the enemy line-up.

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Naga Siren underwent some changes in the New Frontiers update. Its base health, base health regeneration, and the damage dealt from Rip tide were reduced—all of which were nerfs. But on the bright side, its Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade was changed to make Ensnare pierce debuff immunity, its Level 20 Talent was changed to reduce Song of the Siren’s cooldown rather than increase its radius, and its Level 25 Talent was changed to make Rip Tide apply on one less hit rather than reduce an enemy’s armor by an additional seven points.

None of these changes seem too dramatic—at least, not enough to make the hero better or worse on their own. Instead, Naga Siren’s ability to use its illusions to farm, shove lanes, rat objectives, and overwhelm enemies, plus the fact it can turn fights with its ultimate, are all a perfect fit in the current meta.

It’s almost surpassed other hard modern Dota 2 carries like Spectre, Legion Commander, Medusa, and Meepo in terms of having the best win rate right now.