It was just last week when Dota 2 released Update 7.28. Dubbed as the “Mistwood Update,” it introduced a new hero named Hoodwink. Then, there’s the addition of a new item known as Aghanim’s Shard. From what you can expect in any update, it also had a bunch of changes to heroes and items.
As suspected by many, Hoodwink got nerfed a day later. A few days after that, Update 7.28a was released, which brought another round of changes. Those familiar with the Dota 2 scene know that this is usually the one where some fine-tuning comes in.
Overall, it seems that part of Update 7.28a is to undo some of the nerfs handed to OD. But is it enough?
The Destroyer Got Destroyed
There’s a lot of hero changes but the biggest one appears to be for Outworld Destroyer, again. For those wondering, this hero was previously named Outworld Devourer before 7.28 brought in the new name. That update didn't only bring a new name but many adjustments too. The changes more than guaranteed that the hero wouldn’t be in the priority pick.
Update 7.28a looks like it’s trying to lessen the impact a bit. Arcane Orb, for example, got a bit of increase in damage while its cooldown reduced. Still, these seemed not enough.
A post on Reddit actually made fun of it and called it as the OD cycle. What happens is that he gets buffed to the point that everyone wants to play him. Then, he gets nerfed to the point of becoming unplayable. The cycle just continues.
Other Changes
A total of eight heroes had a few changes in their Talent Trees. Snapfire got the good end of the deal with Level 10 Talent: from +15 Movement Speed to +20 Movement Speed. Arc Warden didn’t do so well with both Level 10 Talent and Level 20 Talent getting some reductions.
Some heroes received changes to attributes. Batrider, for instance, had movement speed increased to 295. Vengeful Spirit got some improvements, including Strength gain to 2.6 from 2.4. Ogre Magi, meanwhile, had minimum and maximum attack damage lowered.
For ability changes, Juggernaut's Swiftslash got nerfed with now having a lower cast range and longer cooldown. The upgraded Blade Fury, through Aghanim’s Shard, had its damage reduced as well. Good news for Keeper of the Light as mana restore from Chakra Magic is increased to 100/180/260/340 from 80/160/240/320.
You can view the list of complete changes here.
