In the world of Dota, a player's skill is usually attributed with his or her corresponding MMR. The higher the person's MMR is, the higher his stature within the community becomes. This is the reality that most virtual players face in most competitive games. And so, one of the most sought-after aspect of Dota is high MMR - but some players, albeit having had poured a thousand of hours playing the title, never reached their desired MMR. Why? Well, it's primarily because they're doing the same thing over and over again. In short, they're moving in circles and this pattern is never progressive - unless you're a wheel. And so how do you improve your MMR in Dota? Well, here are the broad basics of do's and don'ts to improve your chances of winning and hopefully increase your overall Matchmaking rating.
Dota 2 Guide: The Dos in Dota
Watching YOUR replays - One of the things that average players miss is that, they do not watch their own replays. Unlike professional and top tiered players, casual players usually do not watch and critique their own games. Watching your own replays drastically improve your game sense as well as letting you determine the precise weaknesses and strengths of your gameplay.
Communication - One of the concurrent issues in competitive games, not just in Dota is the lack of communication amongst teammates. Often times, people use demeaning words instead of spreading positive vibes to the entire team. Remember, the more motivated your teammates are, the most likely you're going to win the match.
Diversify - One of the problems attributed to low MMR is the limited hero pools that players are capable of. The best way to improve your chances in winning the match is to be capable of playing myriad of heroes and on different roles. Being able to play all the roles in the game enables the player to be more versatile and ironically, more consistent.
Playing the "meta" Heroes - As stated by TZJinzo, knowing the meta heroes of a specific patch gives one the edge over the others since every patch entails new types of strategies. Knowing how the meta works and the heroes that are strong in the specific update will significantly improve your winning percentage. To know the current trending heroes, simply go to Dotabuff and see what professional or top tiered players usually play in the given patch.
Dota 2 Guide: The Don'ts in Dota
Don't Pretend That You're Pro - Let's be honest, we're likely to emulate what pros are doing in a pro-scene. This simply doesn't work in casual pub games since competitive players get all of their much needed support from their team - which is less likely to happen in a non-coordinated public match. Moreover, items vary from one game to another. Although there are "standard" items for a given hero, there exist some items called "situational" items which can be more useful during certain situations.
Don't Practice New Heroes In Ranked Games - When you're about to practice new heroes to improve your hero pool, it's highly suggested that you should queue in Normal games to avoid losing your MMR as well as getting hate-shamed by everyone in the entire match. Save yourself from getting unnecessary stress and practice your new heroes without risking your MMR entirely.
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