Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Heroes to abuse for easy win at patch 6.86


The so-called Balance of Power patch doesn't really mean balance on all heroes, like past Dota 2 patches, some heroes are nerfed, balanced and buffed. Here are the list of pub-stomping heroes for easy win at normal and ranked games. These heroes are abused for easy MMR climb.

Winranger - With a slight nerf on her shackles which can be disjointed. Meaning, when a hero blinks, shackles won't normally follow the hero and shackle it, instead, due to this change, his shackle can now be evaded. BUT, this hero is still strong because of the Aghanim's scepter buff.

Pudge - Reworked Aghanim's scepter will give you a 4-second hook cooldown plus more damage. Yes, pudge is a a grabber that works best wherever lane you put him to.

Invoker - This guy might be Icefrog's favorite, invoke at level 1? Well, it sure is a buff that made this hero more useful and powerful every game. 

Dragon Knight - A buff on his dragon blood with more HP regeneration, he was so tanky before what more now!

Bristleback - Even if you don't give this hero an Aghanim's scepter buff, this hero is too annoying and painful at the same time, although you just need Undying, LC and Magic Wand to counter this guy, still he's not to be underestimated.

Legion commander - Play her right and she will own the game big time! Even if you don't buy Aghanim's on this hero, she's still powerful and a pub-stomper, but if you want her to be a locker go for Agha!

Ursa - Aganim's scepter gives this hero's ultimate a free-activation card even when stunned, lower CD on ulti with 80% reduced damage on level 3, he's still a monster like he was before.

Ember Spirit - the so-called 1v9 hero that can own the late game by using double or single Divine Rapier.

Spectre - paired with good supports this hero will help you climb the MMR ladder since he's tanky with high Hero damage!

More heroes to come depending on the new metas we will discover! Happy gaming!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Heroes to Abuse for easy WIN at Patch 6.85


Every patch, there is always that hero who is OP (OVERPOWERED), like the previous patch where Bloodseeker, Leshrac and Lina were the thing but gone are those days because every patch comes with nerfs and balances.

Dota version 6.85 offers new nerfs and buffs to certain heroes that you can abuse in order to pubstomp enemy teams or climb your mmr easier.

So here are the list of those heroes that you can abuse pick in order to get easy wins:

  • Windranger  or so-called WINranger - At 16 minutes, if  you farm faster, could be less, you can own your enemies by buying blink dagger or go straight for Aghanim's scepter. The scepter buff on Windranger's ultimate is definitely one of the most overpowered skills in game. Aghanim's scepter is good paired with Blink dagger so you could surprise your enemies and shackle them with trees of creeps/heroes behind to have a longer stun. If you don't have a Blink Dagger, you could use Windrun ability to initiate faster, but we all know windrun is also a defensive skill you need in order to kill enemies while getting misses from physical enemies aiming you.

  • Ursa - Buying boots of speed early game and picking 3rd skill is a first-blood assurance. With boots, you get a movespeed of 360, while most heroes buy Tangoes with no boots will definitely have 350 below movespeed. In most games, people will go for bounty runes at start so take that chance to chase enemies with easy right-clicks and own the game. His ulti is also very strong that you get damage reduction by about 80% and increases your fury swipes damage. You can easily go roshan if you have level 3 Fury swipes with just a Morbid Mask (Lifesteal).

  • Bristleback - Yeah the most overlooked hero, but a very tanky hero with insane damage from first skill (Slow movespeed plus minus armor debuff) and second skill (increased stack damage). With just Vanguard and Blademail, he can tank easily with his third skill, unlike Axe, he's a hero that should not be ignored in some circumstances because he deals damage if you ignroe him too much. Unlike Axe, you can ignore him if he doesn't have berserker and can do very little damage. But Bristleback, he's too annoying and can deal too much damage because of his ultimate.

  • Undying - He was too annoying before, and now he's getting buffed. With Aghanim's scepter, he can steal 10 Strength because of Decay, this hero is really good against Strength heroes and expect Intelligence and Agility heroes to be more squishy. And here's the thing, you can heal the Tombstone with its second skill. Annoying zombies still though!

  • Warlock - Buff from this hero? Well, his Golems are now immune to Diffusal Blade! Yes, you read it right! This hero was rarely used because he was easy to counter, just two guys with Diffusal Blade and he's out in the scene. Now, you can rush with Aghanim's scepter for this hero to have two Golems and then go for refresher, put those golems down and use third skill for a very ultra slow movespeed debuff that can trap enemy heroes like Blackhole!

  • Alchemist - Well, aside from increased gold multiply from his third skill. The coming of Octarine core made Alchemist a  rat hero, yes, seems unlikely but if you buy Radiance, Octarine Core and Manta Style with Boots of Travel, you can go anywhere in map and push easily. He's like a fat version of Naga Siren with those items. Since his ultimate is tanky with very fast HP regeneration speed, Radiance paired with Octarine core made it faster since the Core has a passive ability to heal from magic damage done. Radiance is a magical item so expect damage from Radiance will heal a portion of your health through Octarine!

  • Nature's Prophet - Some people said that this hero is buffed just for Alliance. Yes, Admiral Bulldog was dubbed a Rat God and with his Ultimate being buffed with Aghanim's scepter, every creep kills from his ulti will spawn a treant! So yeah, more creeps = more push and win. If a hero gets killed by nature's ulti, it will spawn a larger treant that has a mega-creep status! So better buy Aghanim's with Refresher and go RAT DOTA like the Alliance team! 

  • Chaos Knight - Every critical strike from his third skill, the enemy being hit will get a minus 5 armor debuff, its like a free Desolator if you ask me, just with no damage, Still a hero that went unnoticed, I'm sure some day he will be in the meta! Go play this hero paired with Armlet of Mordigan, Helm of Dominator and Manta style, easy game!

  • Tuskar - A flexible hero that can support, off-lane and carry. Annoying Ice shards that can block escaping heroes and snowball that can stun and repel damage from enemies. With a one-punch man combo that hits hard to supports with just a phase boots item.

More heroes to come in this list depending on the new meta discovered in-game. But those lists above are quite overwhelming already. So spam them and play better with those heroes and raising your MMR would be easier now! Do it before Icefrog nerfs those heroes and gone are the days of easy games!

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Secrets to Very High Skill Smufing MMR Dota

Source: Arteezy's DOTABUFF Statistics

There have been many questions by players in the past on how to achieve 4k +, 5k+, 6k + mmr on Dota 2. But there are even more players who are curious and wants to know how to achieve a Very High Skill MMR on Dota below level 13 (TBD). 

The Very High Skill (VHS) on Dotabuff means MMR above 4k. Many people have been struggling to achieve this skill bracket, but this is not that hard to achieve when you have this conditions and follow these steps.
You must be very GOOD

Very GOOD just means you play beyond average. Do you know how to play Shadow Fiend, Meepo, Storm Spirit, Tinker, Invoker well? Can you achieve a more than 500 GPM (Gold per Minute) and XPM (XP per Minute) with carries? Can you play heroes well with a good KDA (Kill Deaths Assist ratio)? If you do then you sure have the power to go to the Very High Skill bracket.

Create a new account

When you play so well but stuck on a 3k MMR because your team is trash, there's a solution BUT there is a downside of it though. Since there is a new account system by Valve that when you create a new account, it can't add any friends unless you buy games from them. But if you are not that friendly then you shouldn't mind. People can still add you though.

Easy Very High Skill bracket with this trick

After creating a new account and logged in to Dota, you will be able to select what experience you have with the game. There is "I am a Beginner", "I've played an RTS game", or "I've played Dota 2". Now, if you want easy matches, go with "I am a Beginner", with this, you will be matched with obviously new players, which means EASY KILLS, EASY GOLD and EASY WIN.

Since MMR is already calculated right after level 1, if you play very good you will be moved to another bracket. But, do not expect to be put in the Very High Skill immediately, since Valve has an algorithm that prevents smurfing, it will be normal that you will be put in the NORMAL SKILL brackets first. After you've shown Valve that you own the game so easily you will be moved to the HIGH SKILL bracket and then the VERY HIGH SKILL bracket.

Once you've proven you can own the game on the VERY HIGH SKILL brackets, you will be permanently ranked in that bracket, but do your best still so that you can go beyond 4k mmr.

To know more on how to get to the VERY HIGH SKILL, there is a very proven article on how to achieve it. This guide is just showing you how to start getting into the VERY HIGH SKILL bracket when you create an account.

Read this article for more information for more tips: Proven Dota MMR Calculation using Dotabuff statistics

Friday, August 14, 2015

Who is Icefrog?


Is this photo the real face of Icefrog?
Many DOTA fans have been asking this for ages, who is Icefrog and what is his real name? Dota has been around for so many years yet the mysterious developer behind the success of Dota (he continued developing Dota after Guinsoo and Euls, one of the creators of Dota) has not been known ever since. Although some may have claimed they have seen him in person, but those are just claims that are circulating around the internet without proof.

Some players may say that we should respect why he wants to remain in secret, but those reasons being speculated doesn't make sense at all.

Is Icefrog afraid of threats because of the game going famous?

Like the creator of the infamous game "Flappy bird", the creator deleted his game because of some threats he received, but still it was another conspiracy theory. But, when Icefrog continued to develop Dota 1 from the Warcraft III engine, it wasn't even famous that time and no one thought that it could become famous like what it is now today. So saying that the reason why Icefrog is hiding his real identity due to threats doesn't make sense at all.

Is Icefrog afraid of the spotlight?

Like the question above, who thought that his game could be famous? Most game developers show their faces, not because they want spotlight but because they want to be known. But Icefrog seems to be one of the mysterious game developers today, some people may say that he is like a "god" doing the works while being invisible.

Is Icefrog a devil/demon?
Some people claimed that Dota is a demonic game and that Icefrog doesn't want to be known because he is the devil.


Is Icefrog an idea?

Some speculated that Icefrog is a group of game developers who made Dota to what it is today. Some say Icefrog is an idea that made the game improve through the ages.

It is a mystery to all of us Dota lovers out there, we may want to know who is behind the making of Dota. But don't you think we all deserved to know the face behind the success? What are the reasons behind this secrecy? Are there conspiracies involved? For now, we don't know, but someday we will. But how Icefrog has hidden himself from the internet is something that makes it creepier and mysterious. But if you have any ideas out there, we are here to listen, just comment on the comment section below.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Recycle unused player cards to prediction charm!

Player cards, more  examples here: http://dota2.gamepedia.com/2014_Player_Card_Pack

Accounts who were active during 2013 and 2014 should be expected to have player cards, but instead of deleting/removing them, you can use the player cards to be recycled as charms. Yes, you heard it, I may not have any screen or video proofs but it is possible, all items in DotA 2 can be recycled as charms, and unused player cards are no exemption. 
I logged in to my old account this 2015 when I found out I had too much player cards that did not expire. It is a two-year old Dota 2 account and found out that it can be recycled as a charm.

If you have an account and remembered you had player cards back from The International 1 and 2 then you probably should use it and recycle, then gift the bundled items to your new account, simple, but if you have too many player cards recycled as charms, you have to play lots of games though, since 3 games won is equal to a treasure item with lots of bundled goodies in it! Good luck!

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

DotA 2 Basic Cheat Commands


If cheat mode is enabled when you create a lobby in Dota 2, then you can type these in-game:

What is Dota 2 -safe?
As far as I know, there is no cheat command like that.

Dota 2 -lvlup <x> (For ex: -lvlup 25)
Gain x levels.

-levelbots <x>
All bots gain x levels.

-gold <x>
Gain x unreliable gold.

-item <name>
Gives the player the named item. Refer to the internal item names, below.

-givebots <name>
Gives all bots the named item.

-refresh
Gives the player full health and mana, and renews cooldowns.

-respawn
Moves the player to fountain, also respawning if dead.

-startgame
Sets the timer to 0:00, creeps spawn and game starts.

-spawncreeps
Spawns creeps instantly.

-spawnneutrals
Spawns neutral camps instantly, taking into account neutral spawn blocking.

-disablecreepspawn

-enablecreepspawn

Disables / enables lane creep spawning

-spawnrune
Spawns a rune randomly at one of the two rune spots.

-killcreeps
Kills all creeps.

-killwards
Destroys all wards.

-createhero <name>
-createhero <name> neutral
-createhero <name> enemy

Creates named hero as a friendly, neutral, or enemy unit. Hero will spawn at the location of your mouse pointer. Refer to the internal hero names below. Non-hero units can also be created. For example, -createhero fountain will spawn a fountain.

-dumpbots
Displays AI status.

-wtf

-unwtf
Turn on or off "wtf" mode, where abilities have no mana cost or cooldown.

-allvision

-normalvision
Turn on or off "allvision" mode, where the player is given vision of both factions.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Year Best Brawl Guide plus Tips to Fast-picking the best hero combo!

Year Beast Brawl, New Bloom 2015 Loading Screen

Year beast brawl has been spammed with mostly these hero AoE combos:
  • Undying
  • Zeus
  • Dazzle
  • Omniknight
  • Warlock
  • Sniper
These hero combination for New Bloom 2015 has no doubt the highest win rate in this said event, but here's a little secret I would like to tell everyone, to those who do not know, on how to Fast pick those in-demand heroes in the Picking Pool.

If you are a part of five or solo, the best way to fast pick heroes like Undying, Zeus, and Warlock are, to play BOT (AI). Why?

Do you notice that after you played a game with a hero (for example: Sniper) and when you are now in your next game picking phase, you noticed that the default hero selection is Sniper right?

So in your party, play a BOT match while you are waiting, pick the hero which you are assigned to, then leave the game. And when the year beast brawl starts and you are now in the picking phase, the hero you are assigned to will be the default one in your screen, so it will be an automatic select hero that requires no fast-hands moves!

Try it now!

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

2015 Year Beast Brawl Counters, Best Hero Line-Ups and Combos

The Year Best, New Bloom 2015

UPDATED (March 3, 2015) - How to win the Year Beast Brawl depends on hero picks and strategies. Me and my friends have played the year beast brawl more then 10 times and found out a decent combo to win the game.

Year Best Upgrade Path:
  • 2 Combat paths: For bashing your year beast's targets.
  • 3 Support paths: A game with support is an advantage.
New Meta for the best path for the Year beast: (Updated)
  • 2 Combat paths
  • 1 support path: Damage between the attacks are too great that support paths are almost useless
  • 2 speed paths: Very good attack speed from beast, a counter for the enemy beast and heroes
Another meta for the best beast build path: (The most effective year beast counter)
  • 2 Combat paths
  • 3 Speed paths - more speed with combat damage is like troll warlord's bash. The best year beast counter.
So, here are the list of hero combinations to get an advantage in the Year Beast Brawl:

New LATEST best hero for year beast line-up combo:

(Note: This is not a 5-man combo, you can add one of these heroes in your favorite line-ups):

  • Tinker - with march of machines, this is definitely an anti-push hero that can counter enemy pics like Undying
  • Earthshaker - we all know this can block
  • Witch doctor - the casket plus the death ward is obviously best for this since most year beast plays are stick with team, just make sure you won't get stunned
  • Sniper - for late game if you think it is hard to win early. One of the beast heroes against beasts.
  • Drow Ranger - a push strat hero, even with less items, because of the Ultimate, this hero can push really fast. One of the beast heroes against beasts.
  • Ancient Apparition - if enemies have abbadon, this will counter his ulti. Ancient Apparition ulti is very good to keep enemies from healing.
  • Queen of Pain - burst damage, build aghanim's scepter first so the ulti will have a very low cooldown!
  • Pugna - Since most picks are skill type heroes that uses amount of mana, Pugna's nether ward is one of the best counter for these heroes. Add this to the list of 2015 Year Beast's best heroes.

Rush Combo:
  • Zeus - the damage, no doubt.
  • Undying - the tombstone and decay, very very very annoying.
  • Warlock - the Golems and the AoE stun, more push strat.
  • Omniknight - for the Guardian and repel!
  • Death Prophet - Rush push and insane ulti damage for beast and players.
Beast support and rush defensive:
  • Wex Invoker - to support beast's attack speed (Alacrity) and EMP, Tornado and Deafening blasts to counter enemies.
  • Undying
  • Warlock
  • Zeus
  • Abbadon / Omniknight - the shield and the tankiness for front line face smash
 Vanguard:
  • Axe / Bristleback - tank and damage is very useful here
  • Dazzle - grave on the year beast? How nice
  • Sniper - for the safe range free shot
  • Undying - this is really one of the most-used hero during the year beast brawl with higher win rate.
  • Zeus - god of thunder for the beast, yeah
Counter-measure:
  • Razor - will suck the damage out of the year beast.
  • Omniknight - must keep the team alive of course
  • Undying
  • Necrophos - support heals plus heartstopper and repear's scythe.
  • Witch doctor - counter intiation plus the death ward is no question for damage
There are common strategies on the year beast brawl:
  • #1 - Protect the beast at all cost, support heroes are really find with this.
  • #2 - Beast will segway (side lane) push and heroes will bombard mid
Here are additional tips from DotA 2 gamepedia:

  • Necrophos can kill the Year Beast quickly with Reaper's Scythe, but you really shouldn't.
  • Omniknight can make the Year Beast magic immune with Repel.
  • Magnus can make the Year Beast attacks do cleave damage with Empower.
  • Razor can steal the Year Beast's attack damage with Static Link. This is a very effective Year Beast counter.
  • Techies can kill the Year Beast quickly with Land Mines.
  • Io can increase the Year Beast's attack speed and survivability with Tether and Overcharge.
  • Bloodseeker can increase the Year Beast's damage and damage taken with Bloodrage. This also heals the Year Beast when it gets kills/last hits.
  • Invoker can use Alacrity  Alacrity to give Year Beast more attack speed and damage.
  • Lich can use Ice Armor to increase the Year Beast's armor and slow enemies attacking it.
  • Ogre Magi can use Bloodlust  to increase Year Beast's attack speed and movement speed.
  • Troll Warlord can greatly increase the Year Beast's attack speed with Battle Trance.
  • Dazzle can greatly increase the Year Beast's armor with Weave and save Year Beast with Shallow Grave.

Have fun and play well!

Friday, February 13, 2015

9999 MMR Bug in DotA

dota mmr bug
Source: http://imgur.com/jbTIDNZ
Happening now - During the opening season of the New Bloom in DotA there has been a crazed all over the community about the 9999 mmr in Solo and Party ranks. No one knows that cause of it yet and no action at the moment has been taken into action by Valve.

There are many claims that after the update, players were in the low priority pool. Because of this bug some players can't queue and play rank. In that case, they can't gain the New bloom points because of the inability to play on rank. Although players can get points on regular matchmaking, some people just want to do it on rank.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

New Bloom Festival 2015 is Coming to Dota 2!

New bloom art image. Source: dota2.com
The final day of DAC also held a surprise for the Dota2 fans around the world, as a cinematic trailer was shown about the upcoming New Bloom event. According to the trailer, the Year Beast will be making a comeback, and it will most likely bring the next DotA2 hero with it - Winter Wyvern.

The exciting DAC may have concluded, but Valve has already given us a new reason to be excited. During the intriguing final day of the tournament, the spectators all around the world had the chance to watch a trailer for the New Bloom 2015 festival, which is expected to arrive later this month. Despite the trailer's short duration, Valve offered a lot of information about the next big patch of Dota2, raising the hype for the yearly event.

Through the trailer, we learn that the primary antagonist of last year's New Bloom festival, the Year Beast will return to Dota2. Unlike 2014, the players will get to "tame" the beast, meaning that the upcoming event mode will have a new objective. Those not interested in the Chinese New Year festivities, have no fear - the trailer clearly shows a blue wyvern flying over the Year Beast, and it is almost certain that this will be the new Dota2 hero - the Winter Wyvern. This tricky INT hero will enter the Dota2 battlefield two years after its creation, and she will be voiced by Merle Danrdige. - Gosugamers

Here is the trailer for the New Bloom Festival 2015, Copyright by Valve:


The Ultimate Guide in dealing with Pinoys in DotA 2


Pinoys (dubbed as peenoise, peenoisy) in the world of DotA 2 is a Southeast Asian nation that has a very large population in the DotA 2 SEA Server. They are the so-called Russians in SEA DotA because of the rudeness of their attitude.

Peenoise is now a term used to describe a player who is stupid and talks too much in-game, if you're not a pinoy and does this, you will fall into that category.

But first, let us find out the cause of inappropriate behavior shown by Filipinos in DotA 2:
  • Most pinoy gamers are elementary to high school students, because most college students focus on their studies while some already graduated and retired playing DotA. Underage players tend to be more aggressive and rude in-game because of their lack of self-discipline.
  • Cursing words like, "BOBO" (Idiot/Stupid), "POTANG INA NYO"(You son of a !@#$), "TANG INA", "TAE"(Sh*t) is a habit of most pinoy gamers, they do not say this to insult you but its their habit of saying when you commit your mistakes or feed.
  • It is also a friendly sarcasm - Pinoys say those bad words to their friends who play DotA 2, it's their way of insulting their friend, as like some other people call their friends noob just to make fun of them.
  • Most pinoys play in Cafes - Internet Cafes and Pisonet computer shops are their beehive. Most of them were influenced by people in the Cafes in using those curse words, because it is also a word to brag to people around them.
  • They're making fun of the players - If you think they curse you because they hate you, it's not mostly the case, some of them just want to make fun of you by making you mad in-game. There is a Filipino saying that, "The one who gets mad losses".
 The Ultimate Guide in dealing with them:

I am a Pinoy myself, but I belong to those who doesn't say "BOBO" in all games because there's no sense in it, all you can hear from me when I play is, "We need wards!", "Push!", "Care please.", "Missing!", "wp wp", and "ty". 

So here are the lists:

  • Ignore them - If you catch their bait, your done. When you get insulted when they say you are stupid, trust me, if you fight back, you won't win. For them, words are useless, you may say that they are Sh*tty peenoise but for them, behind their computers, they are laughing that you are mad of what they have said.
  • Have a good playstyle in-game - Do you own your lanes? Are you beyond killing spree with 0 deaths? Do you farm fast? Are you a good support? If you have a decent playstyle, peenoise won't insult you, they will even listen to what you will say. (Note: Say it nicely, if you're 'pro' and you say rude things to them, you're also a lost cause)
  • Don't talk too much - Pinoys don't like the idea when you complain too much, there are pinoys who will say sorry most of the time but they're 3 out of 10. Mind your own business, play your own game and be good at it, if you have something to kill, give a signal.
  • Laugh with it - When you get mad when pinoys cursed you, they won't stop until you cry and rage in your computer.  Just laugh or chuckle or type a smiley, then they will ignore you if you ignore them. Some of them wont stop when you just smile but still ignore them. Their words can't win you the game.
  • Use 'Mute All Chat' option in your chat panel - IF you think you don't need communication in-game and you play well without being told, use this option and then you will be stress-free.

Pinoy Psychology in-game:

When you're very good in-game, there's a chance that a peenoise will idolize you and even add you as their friend. When this happen, they can't insult you and if ever you play again in-game and you curse them, trust me, they won't fight because they know you're good. You will become their master.

If you admit to yourself that you suck in DotA and they say you're stupid, don't get insulted because you know to yourself that it is true. Instead, just say sorry and try your best to improve. Once you've played SEA doto for more than a year, you will get used to the peenoisy attitude.

Try your best to be better, the higher your MMR, the lesser the immature peenoise will occur at you in-game. Pinoys with high MMR tend to be more humble and fun to be with, these kind of pinoys are mature in every game scene.

If you're not a stereotype player, you will know that there are pinoy players that you liked to play with, whether you're a pinoy or not.

Proven Dota 2 MMR Calculation using DOTABUFF Statistics

DotA 2 MMR leaderboards. Source: blog.dota2.com
LATEST AND UPDATED (Still working for year 2017 and year 2018. Although you won't get the number MMR anymore, smurfing still works and this method is still applicable for the new matchmaking system, which is the medal system) - Many players are struggling to get the high MMR (Matchmaking Rating) that they have wanted. Most of them searched online for answers, "How to get 4k MMR? How to get 5k MMR?" This is the most common question to those who want to get on the list.

For a more updated version of this guide, visit this article: Dota 2 MMR Calculation For Ranking Calibration

There are 'superstitious' articles online about getting a very high MMR after TBD (To be determined) calibration (Like spam Nature's Prophet and Zeus heroes). Most of the people who followed those articles ended up being disappointed in their MMR. After months of observing player matches through DOTABUFF, I think I have theoretically found the correct calculation of MMR.

Here we are my friends, the Secret to get High MMR on DotA 2:

Using DOTABUFF statistics, we can calculate how much MMR we will get after TBD. Click to go full size.
There is truth in articles saying that MMR is determined not in the TBD stage but calculation of your MMR started when you create your Dota 2 account, meaning, you have a hidden MMR with you when you are Level 1. This is the reason why there are speculations to why some players get a very low MMR although they had most wins than losses during their TBD MMR games and why their friend has higher MMR rating after TBD when he had more losses than wins. Most accounts I have seen from their first matches always start at the Normal Skill Bracket, maybe around 2,500 MMR*.

What the skill brackets in DOTABUFF mean?
  • Normal Skill - around 2,500 to 3,000 MMR*
  • High Skill - around 3,000 MMR to 3,500 MMR*
  • Very High Skill - 3,500 + MMR*

Using the image above we will use it as our basis:

Legends: KDA - Kills/Deaths/Assists

  • Green #1 - The first game every played was Tinker, with a good amount of KDA (17/1/10) or 27.00 KDA Ratio.
  • Blue # 2 A - Because of the good KDA ratio of the first game with a won match, the player's bracket was moved to a High Skill (Around 3,000 MMR)
  • Blue # 2 B- The second Tinker's KDA ratio (12/9/9) wasn't that good enough compared to the previous game, although the match was won, the Ember Spirit game was still on High Skill.
  • Green # 3 - Due to the loss of Ember Spirit and very bad KDA ratio (5/11/15) the next game was moved down to the Normal Skill bracket (2,500 MMR). This time, the Tinker got a very decent KDA of 17/0/9 with a won match.
  • Blue # 4 -  The decent stats of the Tinker got the player back into the High Skill bracket. But the Templar Assassin got a very bad KDA and the match was lost.
  • Green # 5  - The lost and bad KDA of the Templar game got the player back again to the Normal Skill bracket. The match was lost with quite a good Tinker KDA.
  •  
  • Blue # 6 A -  The good Tinker KDA moved the player back to the High Skill bracket again. A won match with a Juggernaut but not quite the good KDA.
  • Blue # 6 B - Another Juggernaut game with a better KDA than the previous game.
  • Blue # 6 C - A Tinker with a better KDA ratio than the previous Juggernaut.
  • Red # 7 - Because of the improving statistics on the three games from Blue # 6 A to C with won matches, the player was now moved to the Very High Skill bracket. A very disappointing loss with a the very worst KDA of Silencer (0/7/0).
  • Blue # 8 - The disappointing Silencer on a Very High Skill bracket dragged the player back to the High Skill bracket. This time, a Queen of Pain with a decent KDA.
  • Red # 9 - The player has proven himself once again by doing a good KDA of Queen of Pain with a won match, because of this the bracket got moved to the Very High Skill again. A juggernaut with a good KDA on a won match under 30 minutes was listed on the bracket. The next match, which is not shown will still be on the Very High Skill bracket.
Using the illustration as the evidence, what is my conclusion?

Well, I guess Valve has changed their calculation on determining the player's MMR. I've known some people who uses the old strategy to get promising MMRs (4.5k +) using Nature Prophet on every game or Zeus but they were disappointed.

Because of this change, it is a good determiner, the player's MMR is now based on his gameplay, which can be affected by factors such as:

  • KDA ratio (the higher the better)
  • GPM (Gold per minute) and XPM (EXP per minute)
  • Win rate
  • Hero damage
Here are some heroes that you could master and use to get a very high MMR above 3.5k or more depending on how well you play:

  • Queen of Pain - High Hero damage, KDA and GPM if played well.
  • Tinker - High hero damage, KDA and GPM, we all know that.
  • Spectre - High hero damage, KDA and GPM (with Hand of Midas and use ulti every clash and try to kill soft heroes)
  • Storm Spirit - High hero damage, KDA and GPM
  • Invoker - this hero needs skill in order to master
  • Meepo - requires skill to master with high damage, KDA and GPM
  • For August, use those insane heroes that are OP today
  • Carry-type heroes can reach you 5k MMR after TBD

Remember, these heroes above are useless if you don't know how to play them, spam picking these heroes will not do you any good since MMR calibration after TBD will not be determined by you heroes but how good your stats are.
To be precise, the calculation is now really based on how well you play the game.

  • What to do if you have a very low MMR? Try your best to win and improve.
  • What to do if you are now on a Very High Skill bracket? Keep doing what you're doing and do your best on winning the game. 
Remember, the early stage (below Level 13) is one of the most crucial in determining your MMR, if you win you will gradually be rewarded with a hundred or thousand MMR. This is the reason why it will only take 1 game to get from Normal to High skill bracket and High skill to Very High skill.

Unlike if you get your MMR after TBD, you will only be rewarded with 25 MMR points if you'll win, and a minus  < 20 if you'll lose. So make sure to play very good before the TBD stage because it will greatly impact on determining your true MMR. Remember, MMR calculation uses numbers, so you cannot trick it. The only way to get a promising MMR is to play the game with your best heroes.

I hope this has helped all of you.

NOTE: Even if you're stuck in High Skill bracket, you can still get into VERY HIGH SKILL bracket with more than 4.2k mmr by spamming heroes that does insane Hero damage and game impact in the game (Like Invoker). In the TBD stage, wins dont matter much actually, it just depends on the stats of your gameplay. All factors will affect how well you play, if your stats (Hero damage, GPM, XPM, Tower Damage) are greater than most of the players in the game it will be a huge MMR boost! In short, you can't trick this new MMR system, you just have to play good and the calculations will do it for you! Good luck!

Read: Secrets to VERY HIGH SKILL MMR on DOTA
    ©2015 Game Monk, all rights reserved. For permission to re-print this article contact technurvuz@gmail.com , or the respective author.