Why Slardar is a great hero in Dota 2 patch 7.34

Slardar used to be played a lot some years ago, usually in combination with heroes like Templar Assassin, Terrorblade, or Shadow Fiend. His ability to lower a target’s armor by an enormous amount and keep track of it is extremely valuable throughout the entire duration of the game.

Then came a time when Slardar fell into disfavor and other offlaners entered the meta. Winning games revolved more around auras than offensive spells. But after the release of Dota 2 patch 7.34, Slardar has become popular again. His pick rate is now 8.5% and his win rate is above 54%.

Slardar’s strengths

Slardar should be played in an aggressive way because his toolbox allows him to be almost as strong as a carry. His Guardian Spirit guarantees that he moves at maximum speed if you buy some basic mobility items and his Slithereen Crush makes it impossible for your enemies to escape.

In its current form, this ability slows movement speed by 35% for 6 seconds and creates a puddle that lasts for 7 seconds. While inside this puddle, Slardar gains increased movement speed and damage. Because of that, there’s no way for enemies to run away, unless they have blinking abilities.

Slardar’s Bash is activated every 3 seconds. It deals 200 damage and stuns the target for 1.1s. This means that when you play the hero, you don’t need to build additional damage. Instead, you should build attack speed. The best option is Assault Cuirras because it also gives you armor while stealing armor from the enemy.

But if you want to use something that’s hiper-aggressive, you could buy a Moon Shard.

Slardar’s ultimate lowers armor by 10 – 20, which is an enormous amount. Most heroes don’t have more than 10 armor in the early game, so you’re essentially forcing them to buy lots of armor just to stay alive.

If you buy yourself a Medallion and an Orb of Corrosion, you’re essentially upgrading your ultimate by 2 levels with just 2000 gold. So imagine you are level 6 and can lower the armor of any target by 19. That is absolutely devastating. Most heroes will die in just 3-5 hits.

And keep in mind that the debuff lasts for 18s, while the cooldown is just 5s. This makes you terrifying in team fights.

Everything about Slardar is designed to make him a carry.

Header: Valve Corporation