The Best 3 Hard Supports Of Dota 2 Patch 7.41a

Our series on the best heroes in patch 7.41 is coming to an end, and as usual, we finish with the best heroes to play as hard support. The role has been firmly dominated by Jakiro and Shadow Shaman for at least the past few months.

To shake things up, we bring you some contenders that were buffed in patch 7.41 and avoided the nerf wave of the balancing update released last week. Let’s take a look at which heroes delivered the best post-patch performances.

The Best 3 Hard Supports Of Dota 2 Patch 7.41a

Silencer

You Will Suffer in Silence

Our list starts with Silencer and his new innate ability, Suffer in Silence. This "new" innate inherits the mechanic of dealing increased damage to, and taking reduced damage from silenced heroes, starting at a base value of 5% and scaling by an additional 0.5% per hero level.

On top of that, the innate also retains his passive Intelligence-stealing mechanic. It allows him to steal 1 Intelligence from enemy heroes that die within a 925 radius, or globally if they are affected by his abilities. He also gains an additional 1 Intelligence if the target is silenced.

As mentioned earlier, Silencer did not receive any nerfs in patch 7.41a. However, his Arcane Curse was adjusted in the original patch and no longer has the 1.25x slow and damage multiplier against silenced enemies.

Rubick

The Grand Magus Might Be Back

Rubick has long been a staple hard support and may be returning to the meta after receiving a new innate ability. Curiosity grants Rubick 1 stack per level. Each stack provides +1 base damage, +0.3% buff/debuff duration, and +2 area-of-effect bonus.

The ability also features a secondary mechanic: if Rubick witnesses an enemy hero casting a spell within 1200 range, he gains 2 temporary Curiosity stacks for 20 seconds. If an enemy providing temporary Curiosity dies within 3 seconds of taking damage from Rubick, he converts 1 of those stacks into a permanent one.

This is yet another scaling mechanic that rewards long games or dominant performances. The additional AoE, in particular, opens up strong synergy with stolen spells and items such as Meteor Hammer.

Crystal Maiden

Another Classic Getting the Upper Hand

To conclude our list of buffed hard supports, Crystal Maiden saw a generally positive outcome from patch 7.41. She now has a new innate ability that incorporates one of her former facets, converting a percentage of the mana she spends on abilities into a physical damage barrier lasting 8 seconds.

These barriers stack in value but not in duration, making it more difficult to maintain constant protection. The conversion rate is 30% of mana spent, plus an additional 2% per level. This means that it approaches 100% efficiency at level 30 and can exceed it with her new level 20 talent.

Crystal Maiden’s Arcane Aura also received a buff and now provides 20% mana regeneration amplification per level to herself. The global mana regeneration bonus for allies, as well as the increased regeneration for allies within a 1200 radius, remains unchanged.

READ MORE: The Best 3 Soft Supports Of Dota 2 Patch 7.41a

Featured Image Source: Valve