Getting out of the trench: How to Solo Carry low MMR Dota 2 Games 

Like most competitive multiplayer games, Dota 2 also has its own system to quantify player skill levels. In Dota 2, this system is called MMR, short for Matchmaking Rank. The primary purpose of MMR is balanced matchmaking, so that the skill gap between two teams is not too unfair.

The MMR of a player can deviate from one skill bracket to another based on the result of 10 calibration games. These calibration games are not a trial of a player’s individual impact. The ranking depends completely on whether the player’s team wins. This can place some unfortunate players below the MMR they deserve. On lower MMR brackets, this is dubbed a trench, because it can get difficult to get out.

The paradox of Dota 2 roles: Why getting out of low MMR can be tricky

There are many reasons why players get stuck in a bracket for a season or even more. The obvious explanation would be that they simply lack the skill in order to qualify for a higher-skilled bracket. But the reasons are sometimes extrinsic to the MMR climbing aspirant. Smurfing, in Dota 2, is still a nuisance.

Theoretically, solo carrying goes against the intended Dota 2 ethos. For the carry heroes of Dota 2, their ease of access to resources depends on how well the support can do their job. Supports, on the other hand, may wane in prominence in the late game showdowns, where they are compelled to depend on the cores who can carry the rest of the game.

Solo carrying may still be possible at low MMR levels. Here’s how:

There are two caveats to this. Firstly, solo carrying consistently is possible only below 2000 MMR. The lower the rank, the more these principles apply. Secondly, the carrying player in question has to be perceptibly better at the game compared to their bracket.

The idea of solo carrying comes into play, because at low brackets, players are often clueless. The point of a carry pick in Dota 2 is to get ahead of the enemy in farm and XP, so that the player can find their power spike earlier and utilize it to take objectives.

Generally speaking, cores in Dota 2 can be classified into three types. The first, a fighting carry, goes online earlier. By winning teamfights, they dominate territories which then leads into objectives. Many of these heroes have to rely on winning these early clashes to pick up their farm. Thus, in a solo Dota 2 pub, fighting heroes are less than optimal, as they have to rely on team coordination.

To solo carry, a player has to pick between the other two types: a split-pusher, or a flash-farming hero with solo kill potential. As flexible as Dota 2 is, a hero can have the potential for both.

Anti-Mage, for example, can do both. Two other big examples include Wraith King and Arc Warden.

The strategy is simple. Instead of fighting with the team where their coordination and rate of success will be unreliable, the carry player should prioritize getting ahead in net worth. The lower the MMR in Dota 2, the easier it is. In trench brackets, there are a lot of dead zones when the enemies group up due to their ineffective map movements.

There are two keys to successfully pull this off. The first is to find these safe dead zones to pick up farm while the enemies move around the map cluelessly in the 5-20th minute period. The carry needs to have map awareness to know which spot is safe to farm in relation to the enemy movement.

Secondly, the player has to recognize when they have the upper hand. These can manifest in different circumstances. They may have one or two items above the enemy cores, making it a good time to join team fights to capitalize on this advantage. Or it could be about spotting ratting opportunities, a common phenomenon in low MMR levels.