How to analyze patch updates in Dota 2 Betting

Dota 2 receives regular patch updates to keep the game fresh and bring balance to everything. With every new patch, teams must remodel their strategies and approach to the game. A team that was exceptionally strong in the previous patch might not be in the top 5 after the latest update. While this is exciting from a viewer’s perspective, it can be a nightmare for Dota 2 bettor. This article will help you to analyze a Dota 2 patch and understand it from an esports betting angle.

Dota 2 Updates and Patches

Valve regularly pushes balance updates in Dota 2. There are also new heroes and items that join the game with these updates. In a game like Dota 2, every change can have a drastic impact on the strength and weakness of multiple heroes.

Dota 2 updates can be extremely lengthy and complex. If you don’t want to listen to Kevin “Purge” Godec, a Dota 2 content creator, talking for nine hours in an analysis video, here are a few pointers to help you customize your esports betting strategy around game updates.

Image credit to Valve.

New Abilities

Dota 2 patches can often introduce new abilities to existing heroes that can change the esports betting landscape. Any change in a hero’s ability will drastically change the hero’s viability. Some heroes might see a fall in pick rates while some become extremely popular.

New Items

Valve also periodically adds new items to join the hundreds already in the game. Items give heroes additional statistics and movement capabilities. The choice of an item is ultimately up to the player, although teams can use new items to complement their playstyle. So mobility-based items might suit aggressive teams more, while stats-based items might suit teams that rely on mid-late game farming.

Buffs/Nerfs

While new abilities and items are an excellent indicator of changes to the meta, a Dota 2 patch also introduces minor changes to several heroes. Purge’s videos often run over 8 hours in length because every small change can have a big impact on the game.

Since Dota 2 is a very complicated game, any change to a particular hero can have an unintended impact on another hero. Heroes often counter one another and the act of balancing heroes is delicate. Any changes to one hero can result in another hero becoming extremely overpowered or losing popularity. Dota 2 esports bettors should check trends on DOTABUFF to understand how certain heroes are faring in terms of popularity on the latest patch.

Image credit to Valve.

Pub Matches Help Understand Esports Meta

As a casual gamer, a Dota 2 bettor can often go wrong in their assessment of the new patch. The best way to understand the impact is to listen to various update reviews from creators like Purge, WeSayThing, the Trent and Zyori podcast and many more.

But one of the best ways to understand the shift in the meta is to watch professional players’ streams and their pub matches. High-level pubs are usually the best indication of a hero’s strength or changes to the current meta. The Dota 2 game client lets any player watch their favorite esports player’s match within the client.

It’s important to understand as much as possible to maximize returns since esports betting continues to grow. This growth is comparable to that of traditional legalized sports betting. In the US, Virginia’s revenue since sports betting launched in January has surpassed $60 million and will likely hit $1 billion in total handles. Betting sectors are becoming more popular as live events and esports LANs come back.

Understanding changes in the patch and reviewing them to get an upper hand will allow you to make informed choices. If you have seen a Dota 2 esports team practice with a particular composition, it can influence betting decisions and help bettors profit.

Written by Rohan Samal

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