Snake-headed lady for the win.
Strong, overpowered, heroes shift with every new patch. During the first Tour of 2023, Lina was the feared, fiery, hero. But following the massive Patch 7.33 update, she has completely vanished. Nerfed to oblivion, Lina is now abandoned during the Berlin Major. But one hero rose to prominence from rock bottom, and she's spooking everyone to the bones. Medusa, the lady with living, venomous, snakes on her head is completely broken.
(Medusa is) probably top 2 or top 3 most broken heroes Dota has had since I've played this game. I think (Medusa) is worse (than Lina).
Berlin Major is becoming the Medusa Major
The ongoing ESL One Berlin Major presents a fresh Dota 2 meta that has been exciting to watch. New heroes like Alchemist and Crystal Maiden rise to the top, and old favorites, Razor and Nature's Prophet are completely gone.
But the state of Medusa right now is particularly scary, especially after the last-minute Patch 7.33b changes. She was buffed and her Mana Shield is now stronger than ever. Because of her powerful presence, a lot of people are calling Berlin Major the Medusa Major.
For an in-depth breakdown of why Medusa is broken, you can click below!
With Medusa becoming the talk of Dota town, the panel discussed her overpowered presence. Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann, who was on the panel during the Berlin Major gave his thoughts on the hero. The former player and coach puts Medusa on a higher pedestal than Lina, who was absolutely broken during the Lima Major.
I think Medusa is a pretty dumb hero. It's probably top 2 or top 3 more broken heroes Dota has had since I've played this game. (BSJ: What's worse Medusa or Lina?) I think this is worse. Lina - sure she farms fast, but if you jump (on) her, if (she) is out of position for 1-2 seconds, (she)'s dead.
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Lina vs Medusa - A comparison
At the Lima Major, Lina was insanely popular. In a total of 193 matches played, Lina was either picked or banned 188 times. She basically appeared in 97% of the total games, just two times behind the formidable Broodmother. But most of her appearances were instant bans.
Lina was banned 134 times, mainly during the first stage of drafting. She escaped the ban prison a lot of times as well, as teams picked her up 54 times throughout the tournament. But it's clear that she held a great advantage as Lina boasted a 61% win rate. The Lima Major became the Lina Major.
But how does Medusa's current stats at the Berlin Major compare to Lina's?
Medusa is not one of the top heroes to be first-picked or first-banned. She's not even among the most popular core heroes. Medusa barely appears with a 34% contest rate out of 170 games. But when she does pull up in the game, she scorches earth.
Medusa has been picked 22 times and the hero has won 17 of the games. This boasts an incredible 76% win rate! So far, most of her appearance at the Berlin Major has been bans, which shows her overpowered abilities. But these are only pre-mature stats as the Major is still ongoing. Teams are likely still figuring out the hero and there are chances of her dropping off or spiking up by the end of the tournament.
*Stats by Spectral Stats.
Medusa in Dota 2 has been dead for ages, but it's finally time - Berlin Major is her tournament to shine. Keep track of more Berlin Major coverage and general Dota 2 news on Esports.gg!
