“Rough start”: Dota 2 players struggle with complex new hero Kez

Excitement among the Dota 2 community peaked this week following the long-awaited release of Kez. However, those hoping to dive in and own the server with the bird samurai might need to study up first. Otherwise, you'll risk adding to Kez's abysmal early win rate.

Kez currently holds a roster-low 41.27% win rate according to Dotabuff, but as players revealed shortly after release, the new Agility carry's Dota 2 win rate started horribly at just 29% after a couple of days. Even at the highest level, Dota 2 veterans struggle to come to grips with Kez.

This is far from the norm of recent. Newer Dota 2 heroes like Primal Beast, Ringmaster, and Dawnbreaker all survived their first weeks in the MOBA respectively. Most copped quick nerfs as Valve adjusted their power levels and players learned how to play. Kez is an anomaly, however, and it's clear to see why.

Kez is the most complex hero released in Dota in years. He has two sets of abilities that players can switch between thanks to his Innate "passive." Players are encouraged to combo these skills together to deal damage, stun enemies, or escape a losing battle. When used correctly, Kez is an absolute menace and can easily take on multiple heroes at once.

Take away these combos and you're left with a very squishy melee Agility carry — an archetype that has fallen out of favor these past few months as the rise of Gleipnir and Universal carries has made the former obsolete.

We're only just seeing the likes of Medusa and Spectre return to the meta, but many Agility heroes remain by the wayside with their Universal and Strength-stat peers topping the charts.

As a result, Valve gave Kez the high complexity designation. It's a tough list to crack, with the likes of Earth Spirit, Invoker, and Meepo all classed as some of the hardest Dota 2 heroes to play. "I'm not saying he is [at] Invoker complexity level but imagine if Invoker was released today, everyone would suck at him first day," one player surmised on Reddit.

Even worse for Kez this week is the players trying him out in multiple other positions. By nature, he's designed to be your position one carry. You might be able to get away with him in the mid-lane, but he requires a little farm and a lot of XP to get ahead, something you won't always get as an off-laner or support.

All of this combined means Kez's super-low Dota 2 win rate isn't the most shocking thing to see. That said, once players learn to master the Kazumi, it'll be interesting to see where the hero lands. Should his win rate skyrocket, we'll likely see quick nerfs.

For now, train hard in the practice tool and get Kez's ability combos right before taking him into ranked! For more Dota 2 news and guides check out esports.gg.