DOTAFire Blogs

It as been a long time since my last pathetic pub experience, but with these lessened occasions comes a downside. The ones that DO show up are considerably worse.

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Beginning the game:
My teammates were a 4 stack. Normally I do not mind this, but when all four of them are insisting I play a hero I said I couldn't play all that well, I find myself hating it.

For example, the team wanted their team to look like this:
- Tiny
- Io
- Brewmaster
- Nature's Prophet
- Juggernaut
They all wanted me to be the wisp, because of course none of them want to support, let's make the random guy do it, even if he INSISTS that he cannot support, much less a hero like wisp!

So instead I pick a support i'm more comfortable with: Shadow Demon.

Take one guess as to the kind of things they began saying to me. Here's a hint.

"Wtf why are you ruining the strat?"
"You lost us the game. GG."

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I think one particular moment is best described with a Pokémon battle.

*A wild enemy Pudge appears*
*Tiny used Avala…
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Since a lot of people seem to get confused by my unique brand of emoticons...and I'm bored atm, I figured I might as well take the time to explain them in all their hairy glory!

Some of them are pretty easy to guess, they're the same as other smileys but with an "8" for eyes instead of ":" + a moustache, represented by "{" or "}"

8{) == :)
8{( == :(
8{0 == :O
8{D == :D
X{D == XD
<}3 == <3 - it's hairy love baby!

D{8 == Horror 'Stache - I am deeply surprised/upset/confused about what I am seeing

Why would you buy Shadow Blade on Riki? D{8

>8{D == Raised Eyebrow 'Stache - for when I'm making fun of someone/something or am deeply aroused

Peppo, y u so n00b >8{D

8{3 == Kappa 'Stache - because why doesn't Kappa have facial hair? 8{3

Sando's Sacred Arrows are pretty good, Roshan just too pr0! 8{3

B(D == Shades 'n' Stache - because the only way to make moustaches cooler is to add sunglasses B{)

Played Roaming Support Mirana today, went 3-0-4 in 6 minutes! B{D

<|8{D == Mathmagic…
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Finally got my laptop in college, m back friends :D
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A few of you seemed to like the last little video, so I've banged up another one on Youtube from a game I played earlier. This is a demo of what I consider a "sub-optimal" lane, and how to deal with that.

Basically, one guy randomed a SK early on, and I offered to swap. He said ok, and I asked him what he wanted "random" he said...and I got an SD. We agreed not to swap as his SD was even worse! Luckily, this turned out ok for the lanes they picked, but meant that I ended up dual laning with Faceless Void... a lane with almost zero kill potential until level 6...so how do we deal with that?
Play Video …
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Hey guys,

I played an interesting game early on with some good examples of early Sand King support play, with various bits and pieces I wanted to talk about. It takes you through the first 8 minutes of that game with a bit of stunningly good voice over work to explain some of the decisions and actions taken.

(note, this could be total lies)

Hope it's helpful! Play Video

…
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This one isn't gonna be long; I just have a few things to say and ask.

So the backstory: I made a Puck guide, which was the one I mentioned in my first post ("My First Guide"). Today, when I came to check on it, all the votes were reset and it was marked as new. The strange thing is it still had all the comments and the information and the views. Just no votes.

Is this normal? Is this a glitch? Has anyone ever experienced this before?
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This might just be me, but...
are online single matches lasting for less time?

Of course, there is a possibility that it's just the matches I've been having lately are shorter by coincidence. However, I really feel (and can see) a difference!


Well, yes they do, but when a match used to be 45-65 minutes, and now it's 30-40 (and I am using the game timer as a reference), there's something going on.

There are some theories for why this is happening that I can think of at the moment:

1. People think the game is won when the first tower is down and get discouraged easily. This corresponds (but is not for sure connected to) me growing in skill level and being matched with more experienced players. What it might mean is that players (after playing for some time) have grown used to giving up early, which newer players might not do because they aren't familiar with when the game is lost. This isn't to say that the game is lost that early.
2. The multi-c

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Oh, god, where do I begin?

So I had been working on a Puck guide for quite some time, then I decided to finish it off and publish it earlier today. I didn't have any experience with this kind of stuff, so I did my best. In the process, I got some...blunt...criticism to say the least. It wasn't derogatory, but I was (at first) a bit discouraged to continue at all. Sure, I had said that feedback was appreciated, but it was a bit of a shock to me.

The thing is, I'm grateful for is that the feedback proved helpful! After toning down the colors a bunch, as well as adding some items, the guide started receiving better feedback. I have to give my thanks to the original...advisers, since they actually made it better, so thanks!

Anyways, I have a long way to go before I become any good at this, but I think it's an okay start at the moment.
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For those of you who may stumble upon my profile, I recommend you check out my new guide on playing the hero Visage. I'd appreciate feedback as I am constantly adapting how I play this hero.

The guide can be found here: http://www.dotafire.com/dota-2/guide/how-to-dominate-with-visage-9804
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