The 7.29b patch in Dota 2
Only a week has passed since the release of the 7.29 patch. But the 7.29b fix has already been released in the game. The new patch focuses exclusively on heroes' changes. About 40 characters were weakened and strengthened.
In this article, we highlight the most significant changes in the patch. The full list of changes can be found on the official Dota 2 website - Patch 7.29b.
Phantom Lancer
The 7.29 patch gave Phantom Lancer only one major boost: when using Aghanim's Shard, the bonus damage of his illusions increased from 30% to 50%. It was enough for his popularity to grow both in the professional and ranked matches.
The key nerf of the 7.29b patch is the change in his Level 10 Talent. +16% Evasion was changed to +150 Health. It should significantly weaken the hero in the early game.
Huskar
Another popular hero of the 7.29 patch was Huskar. After the release of the patch, the hero was picked 5% more often than before in ranked games. In the professional Dota 2, the hero was regularly banned.
The nerf of the 7.29b patch significantly reduced the hero's agility stat, weakened his regen from Berserker's Blood, and increased the cooldown on Life Break. But even with such a list of nerfs, the hero still remains strong.
Lina
Lina's enhancements in the 7.29 patch had little to no effect on her popularity. In ranked matches, the character was picked less often by 3%. In the last week, she was selected only 6 times in professional matches.
In the 7.29b patch, Lina received an agility increase, the same Light Strike Array radius as it was before, and an additional 2 seconds to the Fiery Soul passive ability. Given the gains from the 7.29 patch, she may well enter the current meta. If we consider the nature of these changes, then it is likely that soon, we could see the hero even in the carry position.