Lil about patch 7.10

Lil shared his opinion on patch 7.10!

Our  Ilya "Lil" Ilyuk spoke on the latest update to the Dota 2 client. He answered a handful of questions about the patch and shared his thoughts as to what the game lacks at the moment.

— 7.10's most interesting update is probably the introduction of Dark Willow to Captain’s Mode. You've mentioned several times that you play this hero frequently, will we see DW in your matches?

— I think she'll be removed from all games at the Bucharest Major. The tournament is literally three days away, and it's quite unlikely that anyone will want to try her out and drastically alter the things they practiced before this change. And as for whether we'll pick this character, yes, after some time, but now it's very unlikely.

— What role can Dark Willow work best on?

— As a 3, 4, or 5 position. Perhaps, she can work as position 2, but there are some heroes that are stronger on many fronts.

— Why do you think IceFrog decided to add DW in Captain’s Mode, with Pangolier still out? Plus, there haven't been any changes to this hero.

— I've got no idea. Both of these heroes are to some extent broken and imbalanced, so for me personally, the very addition of Dark Willow with no fixes came as a big surprise.

— How will the fact that bounty runes don't give XP anymore affect the game? What's your opinion on that as a support?

— We'll have to stay in lanes, leeching experience from cores, and get runes when we can to earn some gold.

— Why do you think the price of Boots of Speed has been increased? IceFrog almost recovered the 6.76 version of the item.

— Looking at all the changes introduced to Dota 2 over the past three years, you can say they're cyclic. Some items are added and then removed; heroes' skills are changed several times and then get back to the initial version.

As for the price of the Boots of Speed and some other changes, like no XP to bounty runes and mid lane towers being moved, it seems like Dota 2 is heading back to 2007, where we bought regeneration/stat items and went for 2-1-2 lanes. Roaming is getting far less viable.

— This patch has seen many talent changes, which ones can you note?

— Warlock's +60 % experience is a fun one. Treant Protector's talents are quite strong. Lion's 90 damage is imbalanced.

— Are there any heroes that have the potential to break into the competitive scene and become meta with those talents?

— Lion. Also, Treant Protector, but it's less likely.

— Don't you think that IceFrog went too far in some aspects? Like Ancient Apparition's level 25 talent, which gives Cold Feet the radius of 900.

— We don't usually see level 25 AAs in competitive games. But when it happens, I think it will look super spectacular.

— Now, as Monkey King's talents have been buffed, will he be picked again?

— It's possible. Lots of Chinese teams pick him for position 4/5. He can be used in some drafts because now it makes sense to stay in the lane, and MK is one of the strongest supports for that. Also, scout heroes have always been a viable choice.

— How do you like the new Morphling? Can this hero be used as a support?

— I don't think so.

— Is Naga Siren + Meteor Hammer combo now officially dead?

— Only against the heroes with a blink or escape spells like Puck's. But it still works quite well with Ensnare. Plus, the combos of Naga Siren + Jakiro/Disruptor/Enigma are still strong.

— What's your opinion on Treant Protector's changes? Will he appear more often in your drafts?

— I think yes. And the teams like  OG should pick him even more often. But, again, we'll need some time to figure out what he's like and what we should do with him.

— And now to your signature Visage, do you like the tweaks?

— The new ability making the nearest familiar use Stone Form looks controversial. I'm not sure how it can be used in practice. I still think it makes more sense to pick the familiars that you want to use Storm Form manually or with TAB.

— What does Dota 2 lack? What would you like to add?

— A good ranking system, where you can search by roles. And, perhaps, some in-game amateur competitions with prizes.