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Five reasons Dazzle is (still) broken right now
Since the good old days, Dazzle has been a hard hero to deal with in Dota. After patch 7.38, Dazzle received a new ultimate ability that terrifies the opposing team.
At the same time, his defensive capabilities are almost unmatched. Let's take a look at why Dazzle is a nightmare to deal with and possibly one of the most broken heroes right now.
Dazzle is the hero no one wants to deal with right now. - Credit: Steam Community (YunL)
Dazzle provides a lot of draft flexibility
Firstly, there's a problem that presents itself right at the drafting stage — Dazzle can fit into any position, which gives him a great advantage.
Lately we've seen BZM, ATF, Fly and many other pro players testing the waters. When this hero is picked, it provides little to no information about the team's strategy. It’s hard to prepare for a hero that can play any position.
A terrifying laning presence
The second reason for Dazzle's dominance is his laning stage. His abilities make him durable while sabotaging his enemies. Healing himself and damaging adversaries give him a big edge to work with.
Laning against Dazzle is difficult no matter what. If you try to close the distance, he uses Shallow Grave. If you try to keep your distance, he harasses with Poison Touch and the eventual Healing Wave.
There’s no safe range against Dazzle, and a skilled player will make sure you know that. His one glaring weakness is his dependence on mana. But even if you succeed in draining him dry, it might already be too late.
Focus on offensive item builds
Due to the nature of his abilities, Dazzle pulls no punches. Whether as a core or a support, he will hit hard whenever he has the chance. If you don’t pay attention, Poison Touch alone can kill you.
On the other hand, his item builds are also quite aggressive. The current standard is to start with a Null Talisman or Iron Branches, get Power Treads and a Bottle, then rush Aghanim’s Scepter.
These items provide everything he needs for the laning stage. Afterward, most players focus on attack speed and armor reduction. Desolator, Assault Cuirass, and Mjollnir are all strong options.
At the same time, Hurricane Pike is also a valuable pickup. Not only does it give extra attack range, but the Force Staff active is also useful. It might provide the extra hit needed while being pulled back by the Nothl Projection.
If you want to deviate a little bit, the new Revenant's Brooch also looks very popular. It's mostly just like Bloodthorn but with a different spin to it and no silence.
Keeps everyone else alive
Inching closer to the end of our list, we have Dazzle's incredible support capabilities. Unless there’s an Axe on the enemy team, glass cannon heroes last much longer.
Shallow Grave not only keeps Dazzle alive but also ensures that his cores stay in the fight. This is especially powerful when combined with strong carries such as Ursa or Phantom Assassin.
It’s also important to remember that while healing his allies, Dazzle simultaneously harms his enemies. Every ability stacks his innate passive, either removing armor or providing additional healing to his teammates.
Recent nerfs weren't enough
Despite being slightly nerfed in patch 7.38b, the changes were insignificant. The Poison Touch nerf only affected early levels, and the ultimate cooldown reduction wasn’t impactful enough.
Additionally, Dazzle received a slight buff to the Nothl Boon facet. While he was converted into a Universal hero in 7.38, this wasn’t a major nerf, considering most of his damage comes from stacks rather than base stats.
How to deal with Dazzle
The best way to deal with Dazzle is through high mobility. Whether offensively or defensively, escaping his Poison Touch stacks is crucial. If you have a Blink or any kind of escape ability, Dazzle has no natural way to lock you down.
Similarly, if you can jump in and burst him, he becomes very vulnerable — especially if you stun his real body or silence him. With that in mind, consider whether Orchid Malevolence is a viable item for your hero.
Surprisingly, right now, Dazzle has two wins and four losses in the FISSURE Universe Episode 4. However, anyone who has played against him in pubs can vouch for how broken he feels.
Either way, it's a good idea to understand the hero and prepare for trouble, no matter which side he lands on.
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Feature image credit: Steam Community (YunL)
