Oracle: The Rise of False Promise

The hard support hero, Oracle, has been out of active gameplay for some time. The hero struggled to find his footing in the recent metas. His abilities were unique, but on the other hand, it wasn’t sufficient for the hero to be a viable pick as other heroes offer much better than Oracles. However, when patch 7.33 arrives, the hero’s ability receives some reworks making the dead hero likely again.

The Reworks

In Patch 7.33, Oracle’s Aghanim ability, Rain Of Destiny, was switched to an Aghanim Shard upgrade, unlocking Oracle’s effectiveness in team fights. Moreover, his newly upgraded Aghanims now buffs his ultimate ability, False Promise, granting allies 25% bonus spell damage and reduced base attack time. This makes the hero compatible with most meta hard-carry heroes like Terrorblade, Muerta and Alchemist.

The hero’s second ability, Fate Edict, also received some rework. Fate Edict used to disarm any hero regardless of the heroes’ team. However, after patch 7.33, Fate Edict doesn’t disarm the ally hero, and with heavy-hitting heroes becoming meta, more options for combo picks become available for Oracle due to Fate Edict’s recent changes.

The Problems

Even though Oracle has become a reliable pick in this meta, there are some other problems that the hero has despite its buffs. Oracle is a high-skill-ceiling hero. Oracle is one of the hard heroes for newcomers to the game. Its abilities, when used correctly, are overpowered. However, the same overpowered skills can also demolish its team if incorrectly used, making Oracle a double-edged sword. The hero also relies heavily on positioning in team fights. Players will have to learn these fundamentals first if they want to play Oracle to its full potential.

Despite Oracle being one of the hardest Dota 2 heroes, some players have mastered it. Team Liquid’s captain, Aydin "iNSaNiA" Sarkohi, has become synonymous with the hero.

The Counters

Like most support heroes, Oracle is prone to instant burst damage. Hard carry heroes like Phantom Assasin, Spectre, Faceless Void, and Anti Mage are a perfect counter against Oracle. Support heroes like Ancient Apparition, Rubick and Silencer also causes problems for the hero.