If you happen to’ve performed Dota at a excessive sufficient degree, you’ve most likely seen apparent account consumers. Questionable match historical past, excessive win price, suspicious hero choice on the account and absolute cluelessness in the course of the match. These days, it’s a lot rarer than it was once, however every such encounter left me with a single, lingering thought: “what precisely are you making an attempt to realize right here?”.
Successful a recreation as somebody far beneath the foyer’s common is basically out of the query. There isn’t loads of enjoyable in dying repeatedly both. The one pseudo-positive I can personally consider is that increased degree lobbies expedite the training course of. Although, to be trustworthy, there isn’t a complete lot of studying occurring for the account purchaser, in my view. Normally, the distinction within the understanding of Dota is large enough to make studying any kind of classes just about unimaginable.
That is the elemental situation with studying Dota generally: as it’s an extremely complicated and deep recreation, there are such a lot of transferring components to maintain observe and pay attention to, that the majority people will probably be overwhelmed if they fight to soak up all of it on the identical time.
That is the rationale stats web sites like Dotabuff exist. They mixture info from tons of varied matches to present a fast overview of what we find yourself calling “the meta”. Nevertheless, utilizing this info properly and really bettering via it’s a studying course of by itself.
One of many large, current occasions within the Dota-world was that stats web sites misplaced entry to the best degree information. The data from the highest 0.5% participant lobbies is not out there to us and irrespective of the way you spin it, it’s an info loss.
Whether or not this info was in any manner related to the overwhelming majority of the playerbase is a unique query altogether. For my part, copying the highest degree builds and hero picks was not essentially useful when it got here to studying Dota and generally even detrimental to the method.
When a median participant takes a shortcut by copying a ability or merchandise construct from the skilled scene, there’s a excessive probability they inadvertently exhibit the identical behaviour, because the aforementioned account purchaser. They don’t totally perceive why it really works, and why it may be crucial for the gamers within the excessive degree lobbies to make decisions they make, they merely copy the builds, anticipating constructive outcomes.
Typically it really works, reinforcing their perception within the power of this method. And when it doesn’t, there are all the time teammates guilty: in spite of everything, you’re enjoying a top-level construct that wins 55% of the sport in 10k lobbies, absolutely you possibly can’t be the issue in a 3k common recreation, proper?
Right here lies the issue: 1k common, 3k common, 5k common and 10k common gamers are enjoying basically totally different video games. As a broad stroke instance: a 
Magnus in 1k must be preoccupied with merely executing a good Blink + Reverse Polarity combo onto a number of targets. A 3k one can begin studying the 
Harpoon + Skewer combo. At 5k they need to pay attention to immediate hexes or silences on the enemy staff and preemptively begin utilizing 
Black King Bar if crucial, earlier than leaping in, because the enemies are more likely to react in time or pre-cast their disables if Magnus is in imaginative and prescient.
In 10k+ this could all mix into a lovely package deal the place a Magnus can leap into one group of enemies, Horn Toss and Skewer them into one other group of enemies for a large RP, beginning off with 
Shadow Blade off-screen to stop pre-casting hex potential and utilizing BKB in the course of the Horn Toss animation on the enemy CC heroes, whereas they’re nonetheless within the air, to maximise BKB effectiveness with out getting disabled. Then do the identical factor once more after utilizing 
Refresher Orb.
Striving to do this in 1k common foyer can be admirable, however there’s a excessive probability executing this entire sequence is already going to be overwhelming to a brand new participant. Furthermore, there are going to be loads of redundancies by way of construct as properly: this Magnus in 1k doesn’t want Shadow Blade, since it’s unlikely the enemy goes to pre-hex them and even have imaginative and prescient. They received’t must press BKB earlier than leaping in, as enemies are unlikely to react in the course of the Reverse Polarity forged level. They most likely received’t want a second spherical of spells, because the enemies are going to be clumped up regardless. And there are various, many extra such small intricacies I’m personally not conscious of, since I’m not a 10k Magnus participant myself.
The principle level nonetheless stands, although: merely copying a excessive degree construct in your common recreation will lead to pointless, pricey inefficiencies. And they’ll value you video games in consequence. Taking a look at what works greatest at your specific degree, understanding why it really works and what the potential counterplays are, is what’s going to make you a greater, extra educated participant. Once you begin gaining MMR, utilizing this data to adapt to more and more tougher circumstances will probably be a lot simpler as properly.
Copying builds is, by definition, a really inflexible method. There are undoubtedly key gadgets on sure heroes which might be just too good of a match, however even they aren’t necessary, if the a bizarre recreation you end up in is looking for one thing totally different.
People are additionally extremely various and in a multi-faceted recreation of Dota, this implies there are various totally different, profitable methods of self-expression. Forcing your self to repeat particular playstyles goes to stifle your individual progress, whereas doubtlessly decreasing your enjoyment of the sport.
On the highest degree of play the decision-space is actually extra restricted, as some small construct inefficiencies and excessive ranges of greed are very punishable, however even then, there’s room for creativity. Most of us will bear in mind Topson constructing 
Diffusal Blade on 
Gyrocopter in TI Grand Finals and this kind of determination isn’t made by statistics and copying the preferred builds, it’s made by having a really strong, deep understanding of Dota.
Most of us don’t have time to take a seat and experiment for the entire day, however all of us wish to win and have our MMR go up. Statistics can assist us determine tendencies and provides a fast overview of what typically works within the present meta, however it might probably’t win you video games. Bettering as a participant is the one strategy to get a better ranking. And bettering as a participant means analysing your individual errors, being sensible in regards to the degree you’re enjoying at and figuring out what could be finished to win extra video games in your specific circumstances; not by copying what works for gamers who’re enjoying a really totally different recreation.
Copying “what works” is not the identical as understanding “why it really works”. That does not imply it’s best to go utterly off-meta: every patch will certainly have its share of stronger than common heroes and gadgets, however even when choosing a “robust meta hero” ensure you are actively analysing why they’re robust in your bracket and what limitations they may have if you end up in a better one. You shouldn’t use statistics to seek out definitive solutions. You must use statistics to ask the proper questions.
