Dota 2 7.35: All winners and losers

With Christmas right around the corner, Dota 2 has unveiled the Frostivus seasonal event alongside the 7.35 gameplay update. This update swept through the Dota 2 community like a blizzard as it brought in major item reworks, hero buffs, and nerfs. The winners and losers of this patch have made a significant impact on both ranked and unranked pubs.

Our list will help you learn about these heroes and stack up MMR before the Ringmaster update next year. Featured below are the detailed insights and changes surrounding the winners and losers in Dota 2 patch 7.35.

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Winners of Dota 2 Patch 7.35

Lion

Featured cover of Lion (Image via Valve)

• Base Health Regen increased from 0.25 to 0.5

Mana Drain

• Damages enemies for 100% of the mana drained

Talents

• Level 25 Talent - Mana Drain Deals Damage replaced with +100% Mana Drain Damage

Without a doubt, Lion got one of the best buffs in Dota 2. Upon using Mana Drain, he will not only drain the targeted unit's mana but do damage equivalent to the mana lost by the unit.

Lion's base health regen buff to 0.5 is also a good change as it further ensures his survivability during the laning phase. Additionally, you will do twice the amount of Mana Drain damage by choosing the reworked level 25 talent.

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Chen

Barren Survivor Loading Screen (Image via Valve)

Penitence

• Attack Range bonus is now applied to all ranged units under Chen's control

Holy Persuasion

• Can no longer be used to teleport controlled units to Chen

Divine Favor

• Ability reworked
• Passively provides an aura that increases Health Regen by 1/2/3/4 to all allied units within the 1200 range. Can be cast on any ally within aura to provide them with 12/16/20/24 armor and increase any healing they receive by 20%. Effect duration: 6s. Self-casting also teleports any units under Chen's control to him after a six-second delay. If a controlled unit takes damage from an enemy hero, its teleportation is canceled. Cooldown: 20/18/16/14s

Hand of God

• Initial Heal reduced from 200/300/400 to 150/250/350

Chen, a Dota 2 jungler-based hero who heavily relies on the player's micro-skills, can grant an ally a staggering 12 armor at level 1. The Divine Favor aura is an active spell that provides bonus armor and, when self-casted, teleports Chen's units back to him. Coupled with that, the allied unit will also gain an extra 20% HP regen, and it stacks with Tango regen.

Penitence's bonus attack range is applied to all controlled ranged creeps. Chen players can persuade Ghost or any other neutral creep that slows enemies and starts ganking other lanes effectively.

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Mars

Featured cover of Mars (Image via Valve)

Spear of Mars

• Backswing decreased from 1.03s to 0.15s
• No longer toggles off Bulwark if cast while Bulwark is active

God's Rebuke

• Critical Damage increased from 150/190/230/270% to 150/200/250/300%

Bulwark

• Active now grants Mars phased movement
• Active projectile redirection now also protects allies that are up to 200 range in front of Mars

Arena of Blood

• Formation Time decreased from 0.3s to 0.1s

The First Son of Heaven makes a grand return to the Dota 2 7.35 meta with a series of buffs. Spear of Mars boasts a faster backswing time, making it challenging for enemy heroes to dodge using escape spells and items. God's Rebuke sees a 30% critical damage increase at level 4, and players can purchase damage items and increase their damage output.

Additionally, Bulwark not only shields allies from incoming damage but also provides Mars with bonus movement speed. Paired with these buffs, the formation time for Mars' ultimate, Arena of Blood, is now a mere 0.1 second. These enhancements allow Mars mains to set up potent spell combos, enabling the hero to ably butcher weak supports.

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Enigma

Featured cover of Enigma (Image via Valve)

Demonic Summoning

• Eidolons' health is increased by 4% of Enigma's current health
• Eidolons now preserve their commanded attack target when they split

Midnight Pulse

• Now also deals 5/10/15/20 base damage
• Current Health as Damage decreased from 5/7/9/11% to 4/6/8/10%
• Radius decreased from 650 to 600

After a CD buff in the last patch, Enigma got an amazing rework on Demonic Summoning, as Eidolonds keep attacking the same unit even if they are split. This will help you secure the last hits and deny using your Eidolons without microcontrol.

Midnight Pulse does 20 additional base damage at level 4 to the enemy units standing on it. This is great for stopping intense pushing and initiating team fights alongside Blackhole in Dota 2 7.35.

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Other winners in Dota 2 7.35

• Leshrac - Diabolic Edict does more damage, and Lightning Storm decreases enemies' attack speed by 50. Along with Shiva's Guard and Bloodstone rework, he is quite overpowered in Dota 2.
• Disruptor - Thunder Strike and Static Storm buffs will help you lock down enemies before they purchase BKBs.
• Juggernaut - Blade Fury rework stacks with Juggernaut's attack speed.
• Magnus - Skewer deals 15% damage based on the distance the enemy units traveled.
• Keeper of the Light - After using Recall on an ally, the ally will receive Chakra Magic mana upon teleporting.
• Razor - Static Link and Storm Surge buffs enable Razor to bring down even the most pesky enemy carries.
• Tiny - With Tree Grab and Grow buffs, right-click Tiny is back to haunt your pubs.
• Undying - Soul Rip considers Undying as a unit, providing more healing for allies.
• Ursa - With the Fury Swipes buff, Ursa can sneak an early Roshan.
• Vengeful Spirit - Nether Swap deals damage up to 450 at level 3. Additionally, a barrier of the same amount is created when used on an ally.
• Batrider - Increased projectile speed of Flamebreak can help you knock back enemy units at a faster rate.
• Viper - Nethertoxin has been reworked to only reduce units' attack speed. Viper Strike breaks the enemy unit and deals additional damage with a polished cast point.
• Doom - Doomed enemy units in Dota 2 7.35 cannot be denied.
• Bounty Hunter - No CD on Jinada, new level 25 talent tree in Dota 2 7.35.
• Abaddon - When Curse of Avernus procs, the enemy unit will have 60 maximum dps per second at level 4.
• Terrorblade - Terror Wave and Demon Zeal buffs make Terrorblade's late game much smoother.
• Timbersaw - Base strength and Reactive Armor buffs allow him to tank more damage.
• Dragon Knight - Breathe Fire applies Elder Dragon Form level's Corrosive Breath and Frost Breath debuffs.
• Medusa - Split Shot damage increased by 5%, and new talent tree perks improve Medusa's crowd-control damage capability in Dota 2 7.35.
• Axe - Bonus armor for a short duration after a successful Cull on an enemy hero.

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Losers of Dota 2 Patch 7.35

Dazzle

Featured cover of Dazzle (Image via Valve)

Poison Touch

• Now allows affected heroes to be denied if they fall below 25% health

Bad Juju

• No longer affects item cooldowns
• Health Cost Increase per cast decreased from 50% to 40%

Dazzle is no longer one of the broken heroes in Dota 2. The nerfs he received will undoubtedly cripple his early and mid-game phases. Players can deny allies below 25% of total HP under Poison Touch debuff.

Bad Juju no longer affects item cooldowns, representing a severe nerf to Dazzle. Therefore, Dazzle mains are advised not to play this hero in ranked until he receives proper balancing in the next patch.

You wouldn't want enemy heroes denying their allies and robbing your team of that precious kill gold after using Poison Touch, especially in ranked pubs.

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Lone Druid

Featured cover of Lone Druid (Image via Valve)

• Strength gain decreased from 2.0 to 1.8

Summon Spirit Bear

• Bear Armor decreased from 3/4/5/6 to 0/2/4/6
• Fetch Duration increased from 2.25s to 2.5s
• Fetch no longer slows the bear

Savage Roar

• Radius decreased from 375 to 350

Talents

• Level 15 Talent Spirit Bear Armor decreased from +8 to +7
• Level 15 Talent Savage Roar Cooldown Reduction decreased from 8s to 7s

Lone Druid's bear is what prompted pro players to pick him in ranked pubs and even in competitive games. The armor reduction from 3 to 0 at level 1 is a significant nerf that diminishes the bear's power spike.

Additionally, Shard's Fetch buffs don't change much, and the radius nerf further makes Lone Druid appear weak in this patch. You can't tower dive at level 1 when playing mid, as your bear will be the victim of both tower and creep damage.

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Bristleback

Featured cover of Bristleback (Image via Valve)

Viscous Nasal Goo

• Aghanim's Shard Stack Limit decreased from 7 to 6

Bristleback

• Aghanim's Scepter Cooldown increased from 20s to 24s

Talents

• Level 10 Talent +20 Damage replaced with +25 Attack Speed

Bristleback is still tanky, but he can be easily subdued with items such as Silver Edge, Spirit Vessel, Diffusal Blade, and more. However, the Shard stack and Scepter CD nerfs will force BB players to avoid the infamous Aghanim's build and opt for team-based aura items.

The CD increase by four seconds is a lot for an item you purchase for 4200 gold. You'll need to stack your Bristleback with CD reduction items to do more damage via the Bristleback passive in the Dota 2 7.35 gameplay update.

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Treant Protector

Featured cover of Treant Protector (Image via Valve)

Nature's Guise

• Aghanim's Shard Movement Speed bonus decreased from +15% to +8%

Living Armor

• Heal per second decreased from 3/4/5/6 to 2/3/4/5 Mana Cost increased from 50 to 55

Talents

• Level 10 Talent Nature's Grasp Cooldown Reduction decreased from 5s to 4s

The healing nerf will be a major issue for Treant Protector to effectively heal towers and allied heroes in early-game. The movement speed reduction from 15 to 8 percent will disable Shard users from warding quickly, ganking, and fleeing.

Choosing the new level 10 talent will reduce the cooldown of Nature's Grasp from 17 to 12 when the spell hits level 4. Treant mains must focus on getting other items like Glimmer or Force Staff instead of rushing Shard in Dota 2 patch 7.35.

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