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Five Reasons You Should Pick Slardar in Dota 2
Slardar is one of the most successful heroes in Dota 2 patch 7.34e. He is standing at a 56% win rate across all brackets, the highest in the game. Innovative pros such as Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk and Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen have been spamming the hero to grind MMR.
But what is it about Slardar that has gotten everyone's attention?
In this article, we will list the many strengths of the hero and why YOU should be picking him up right now
Five reasons Slardar is dominating Dota 2 patch 7.34e
Slardar can play almost all roles
During the Pinnacle Cup 25-year anniversary, Topson stood in for Alliance and showcased a new way of playing Slardar. Putting him in the mid-lane and focusing on the hero's durability, he was able to withstand all the punishment from Nemiga and secure the victory for his team.
In his pub matches, two-time International winner Yatoro has picked the hero several times as a carry, with an astoundingly high win rate.
In high MMR pubs, the hero has even been played as a roaming support. This amazing flexibility makes it incredibly difficult for enemies to shut Slardar down during the laning stage, as he can simply move to another lane or even role if he has a bad matchup (which doesn't exist).
We expect to see the hero's versatility showcased in the upcoming ESL Kuala Lumpur event, as pros will likely first pick Slardar and then slow him into whatever role they want.
Slardar is incredibly durable
Starting off with nearly six armor, along with 3.6 strength gain and 2.4 agility growth makes Slardar one of the best heroes at shrugging off physical damage. But wait, there's more!
As if his impressive stat growth isn't enough, Guardian Sprint provides the hero with bonus armor and health regeneration. But you know, I feel like the hero needs just a bit more. How about some status resistance as well?
With an Aghanim's Scepter, Slardar now has 40% status resistance in puddles oh even MORE health regeneration and armor.
This makes the hero very difficult to kill with physical damage and control with disables. It's common to see Slardar players siege high ground while standing in puddles they make, often with no counterplay possible by their opponents.
Flexible itemization
Tune into five different pros playing Slardar and you'll see five different item builds for the hero. This freedom in itemizing allows players to adapt to any situation.
Want to tank hits? get a Scepter, Heart, and Black King Bar and nobody can hurt you. Initiation is a problem? well, that's what Blink Dagger is for. Lacking damage? well, that's what Harpoon and Assault Cuirass are for.
Even starting item builds vary for the hero, as some players rush Mask of Madness for attack speed while others prefer Hand of Midas.
In short, you have true creative freedom to build the hero however you wish, so long as you don't buy Dagon 5, that's bad and you should feel bad for even thinking about it.
Slardar crushes magic immune targets
Image Source: Reddit
If there is one item in Dota 2 that the game is balanced around, it's Black King Bar. It offers immunity to disables and enormous resistance to magic damage.
Most heroes struggle to deal with an enemy once they use Black King Bar. But you know one hero who completely ignores magic immunity?
That's right, Phantom Assassin. Oh, and Slardar too I guess.
Corrosive Haze ignores magic immunity completely and reduces the target's armor by up to 20 at max level. It's pretty good, and combined with Bash of the Deep, Slardar can go toe-to-toe with an enemy and bring them down alone.
Enemies will take greatly increased physical damage while being permanently stunned (as long as you have 620 attack speed or more). This makes the Slithereen Guard one of the best heroes when dealing with magic-immune targets.
Amazing physical damage
I know we just talked about Corrosive Haze but it really deserves its own point. Reducing a target's armor is an amazing way to reduce their survivability.
Not only is all of Slardar's damage physical (Slitheren Crush included) but it also amplifies the damage of allies. This turns a weak Crystal Maiden into.... well let's not get ahead of ourselves, her right clicks still suck.
This ability to shred an enemy's armor makes Slardar one of the best heroes in the game at taking down Roshan, as well as taking down Tormentors with ease.
And there you have it, five reasons to pick the most broken hero in Dota 2 right now. Get your MMR while it's still fresh, cause we expect the hero to take some hits in the next patch.
READ MORE: ESL One Kuala Lumpur Preview: Underdogs and Dark Horses
Featured Image Source: Valve
