Lina is dominating the Dota 2 meta

Dota 2

13h

Otomo

Lina has emerged as the queen of the mid lane, following the buffs she received in Dota 2 patch 7.37e. While she isn't first pick material just yet, her 70% win rate in ESL Bangkok speaks volumes of the hero's strength.

In this article we will look into what makes the Slayer such a dominant force, as well as provide advice for how you can use the hero to grind MMR.

Four reasons Lina is the best mid laner in Dota 2 patch 7.37e

It all boils down to Magic Damage in the end. (Credit: Valve).

Lina packs a massive (magical) punch

The most obvious reason to pick Lina is her incredible burst magic damage. The latest patch buffed her Aghanim's Shard. She now gains 25 extra magic damage to her spells for each stack of Fiery Souls. A level 12 Lina deals 1375 magic damage against enemies with 25% magic resistance. Of course this assumes players take Thermal Runaway as their facet.

Pro players are doubling down on the hero's damage potential. Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan's shopping list include Aghanim's Scepter, Yasha and Kaya, and Ethereal Blade. That combination of items dealt an whopping 3800 points of magic damage. And that's without neutral items.

In short, Lina's burst allows her to instantly kill enemies at all stages of the game, provided she isn't behind on farm.

Lina's item build provides great mobility

Someone turn up the heat? (Credit: Valve).

While all mid players who play Slayer focus on being active and making space on the map, some take it a step further. Zhang "Paparazi灬" Chengjun often rushes Boots of Travel, allowing him to appear anywhere on the map and catch enemies off-guard.

Lina's low cooldown items and frequent use of Boots of Travel along with Shadow Blade provides her with great mobility. That forces teams to stick together or risk feeding kills to a snowballing core.

The slayer provides drafting flexibility

You'll (mostly) never know what role I'll play. (Credit: Valve).

Primarily played as a core, there is some draft flexibility for Lina. Andreas "Cr1t-" Nielsen plays the hero as a support more than his mid teammate does. The hero comes with above average attack range (670 to the standard 600). This makes her an excellent harasser.

If you're thinking of playing her as support, it's better to pick up Slow Burn as your facet. It's less damage upfront but more overall. Cr1t- focused on mobility when playing Lina, buying Force Staff, Eul's Scepter, Aether Lens, and Blink Dagger. In general, focus on staying alive and getting your spells out and buy items that help you do that.

Lina is a strong laner

The burn starts early. Make sure to check with your doctor.

We touched on it briefly before that Lina is a strong laner in Dota 2 patch 7.37e, whether it's as a support or mid.

For mid players, most forgo invest in Light Strike Array. Instead, players focus on maxing out Dragon Slave and two points in Fiery Souls in the laning stage. This provides the hero with incredible harassing and last hitting ability.

For supports, Cr1t- puts his first point in Light Strike Array and then maxes out Dragon Slave with a point in Fiery Souls. Regardless of which role she's in, all Lina players go for the -3.5 Dragon Slave cooldown, +150 Light Strike Array Damage, and -25 Laguna Blade cooldown talent.

Lina is too good to ignore right now and we highly recommend taking the time to practice with the hero. As a support or a core, she provides unparalleled magic damage, enough to burn your enemies and get you that much deserved MMR.