This article offers tested and proven tips that can help you in boosting your own Dota 2 MMR. You need to recognize that low-MMR trench (or low-ELO hell) is a mere myth. Start your climb up the Dota 2 ladder, take ownership of your own MMR and we will see you at the top.
Lessons from the Dota 2 MMR Master: Spam a Hero
Miracle- has played significantly more games as Invoker, than other heroes
Take the one of the highest MMR players in the World, Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi, for example. He plays way more invoker than any of his other heroes. In fact, he has played ~200 more invoker games than his next most-used hero, Shadow Fiend.
Dota 2 patches over the long run have seen the game become increasingly more balanced. It is rare to find a patch where there is a stupidly overpowered hero that screams ‘nerf me’. Take advantage of this trend, spam pick the hero (or heroes) that you can play best for every game. Boredom of playing the same hero might set in, but this is the price to pay for boosting your own Dota 2 MMR.
Be prepared for a long grind, but have faith it will eventually pay off.
Master the Current Meta
Dota 2 is a game that is always in flux due to patch changes, but that should never influence your Dota 2 MMR as long as you stay on top of things. Watch competitive Dota 2 games to understand the metagame whenever new patches are launched.
For example, post 7.05, offlane tanky heroes are especially in vogue. Heroes like Bristleback and Clockwerk, scale well in the offlane against meta-popular carries such as Lifestealer and the recent resurging Lycan. Patch 7.05 also places heavy emphasis on winning the middle lane, as the additional creeps in the early game offers for good early experience leads.
Remember, boosting your own Dota 2 MMR is all about ensuring you have a higher than 50% win rate. Exploit meta changes to the best of your abilities. This is one way to increase your win rate meaningfully.
Bite the Bullet: Play Supports If You Must
Most new Dota 2 players who are looking to climb the MMR ladder often think that picking support is the least efficient way to win games. They would very much rather play mid heroes, or carries, thinking that those heroes can influence the outcome of the game to a greater extent.
Recognize that supports are just as critical in a well-balanced team, and could also play a huge impact in the early game. For example, Treant Protector can still enemy Bounty Runes with ease even at minute 0. He can influence the early game to a huge degree due to his versatility. He can go on the offensive (stunning out of invis), or play defensive (healing towers and teammates). On top of that he scales well into the late-game, granting your team vision with his Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade.
Outsmart and Outwit
Dota is not just about mechanical mastery of the game. It is also equally important to think and plan ahead.
If you are a well-rounded player who does not have any particular hero that you excel at, you can try your hand at counterpicking. As soon as the game has loaded, and other players start picking heroes, you should start predicting lanes of enemy heroes. Think about what combos your opponent can execute, and what hero could potentially dominate your opponents in lane, as well as disrupt their abilities to pull off certain combos.
If your opponent has multiple invisible gankers, instead of waiting for your allies to purchase sentries or a gem, take the initiative to purchase them yourself.
Smoke ganks are not frequently used in the low MMR brackets. You can use this to your advantage by springing a surprise gank – a single pickoff in a lategame scenario could very well lead to a victory. Most players in the lower MMR tiers will not be expecting such plays, exploit this as much as you can.
Use the Mute button
Some people reading this article might disagree, but the majority of players concur that muting toxic players improves personal performance in the long run. Never let smack talk affect your personal game, focus on playing every game to the best of your ability and avoid any form of thrash talking.
