The best carry heroes to grind MMR in Dota 2 patch 7.33e

Picking the right carry hero is crucial to making a draft work, especially when a new update drops. Dota 2 patch 7.33e was released a week ago and the meta has begun to stabilize.

11 out of the 12 most contested heroes at the Bali Major all received significant nerfs, giving others a chance to shine in the spotlight at both the pro and pub scene.

In this article, we will be looking at the three best carry heroes to play if you want to climb the MMR ladder, as well as going over each hero's unique strengths and weaknesses.

The best carry heroes to play in Dota 2 patch 7.33e

Medusa

The commander has nothing against the Gorgon. (Source: Valve)

The Gorgon received some much-needed nerfs to her durability in the latest update, yet she remains one of the best carry heroes to pick up. Medusa is a fast-farming and tanky carry who can fight with her team early on and carry them late-game when needed.

Medusa has a simple and easy-to-follow item build. During the early game, a Magic Wand and some Mangos are enough to turn her into an unkillable tank. Later on, Manta Style, Eye of Skadi, Butterfly, and Aghanim Scepter provide an excellent mixture of damage and survivability.

Medusa’s counters are currently in a bad spot. Anti-mage isn’t very popular right now, while Nyx Assassin isn’t enough by himself to bring down a Gorgon. Diffusal Blade can shut the hero down, but unless it’s Phantom Lancer using the item, one Diffusal is little more than an annoyance for the queen.

With her insane durability, farming speed, and damage output, along with how difficult she is to shut down, Medusa is one of the best heroes to pick up right now for climbing the MMR ladder.

Naga Siren

Death by a thousand cuts. (Credit: Valve)

Medusa is a strong fish hero, but imagine someone who can summon an army of fish ladies to destroy their enemies. Enter Naga Siren.

The hero is relatively difficult to play but people who master her will be well rewarded, as she is currently the second most successful carry in the Immortal bracket, winning over 55% of the time.

The Siren’s strengths are apparent from the laning stage, as she is extremely hard to zone out if the enemy team doesn’t have any form of AOE damage. Mirror images are fairly durable and more than enough to deal with most supports, especially combined with an early level in Rip Tide. This means players don't have to rely on their hard support to ensure their farm in the laning stage, a blessing in games when that hard support is Pudge.

After winning the laning stage, Naga Siren can transition smoothly into the jungle, using Mirror Images to farm dangerous camps and push out the lane while Naga stays safe. An early Yasha helps the hero farm faster and builds into Manta Style, an excellent upgrade.

Heart, Eye of Skadi, and Bloodthorn are the standard items to get after that, giving Naga useful stats and a silence to control enemies.

Another reason Naga is doing well in the current patch is that most of her counters aren’t in the meta right now. Sand King, Axe, and Necrophos are all solid options to control the Siren at different stages of the game, yet none of them are viable, allowing Naga to dominate the pro and pub scene alike.

A strong laning stage, an easy way to farm regardless of the game state, and no hard counters all result in Naga Siren being one of the best carry heroes to play for free MMR.

Phantom Lancer

Even more death by a thousand cuts. (Credit: Valve)

If you like illusions but you're not a fan of fish, then Phantom Lancer is the perfect carry hero to pick.

Unlike Naga Siren who is fairly independent in the lane, Phantom Lancer requires help from his support in order to win the lane. The hero can still farm even in tough lanes, thanks to Spirit Lance's long cast range and Doppelganger's defensive qualities.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KiqR2_SS0yg

Once the laning stage concludes, the hero can focus on finishing his shopping list. Manta Style, Diffusal Blade, and Heart are all core items on the hero. Aghanim's Scepter is almost always worth picking up for the extra damage and illusions as well. After that players can pick up whatever they need, with the most common choices being an Eye of Skadi, Butterfly, and Disperser.

Phantom Lancer's damage is not the highest among carry heroes but it doesn't need to be. The hero is more focused on whittling down foes and burning their mana than instantly bursting them down. Meta cores like Terrorblade and Huskar have a hard time finding and hitting the real Phantom Lancer, while all cores suffer from his mana burn, especially Medusa.

What the hero lacks in damage, he more than makes up for in durability. With Manta Style, Heart, and clever use of Doppelganger, Phantom Lancer is one of the most difficult heroes to catch in the game and creative players will enjoy confusing their foes with their army of illusions.

With a solid laning stage, incredible durability, and decent damage at all stages of the game, Phantom Lancer is a fantastic carry hero to master in Dota 2 patch 7.33e.

READ MORE: The best uses of Blood Grenade in Dota 2

Featured Image sources: Valve