🧙 Dota 2: Best Heroes to Climb Ranked in Patch 7.35 (April 2025)

Updated: April 12, 2025

Patch 7.35 has shaken up the Dota 2 ranked meta in a big way. While some heroes were nerfed into obscurity, others rose to dominate pubs at every MMR bracket. Whether you're grinding to Divine or climbing out of Archon, picking the right heroes can make all the difference.

Here’s your go-to tier list and breakdown of the best heroes to spam if you want to gain MMR fast in 7.35.

🔥 S-Tier Heroes (Patch 7.35)

🐉 Dragon Knight (Mid or Offlane)

Why It Works: DK thrives in the tanky, sustain-heavy meta. His natural bulk, reliable stun, and tower pressure make him a top pick at all skill levels. With Blink and BKB, he becomes an unkillable frontline initiator.
Build: Blink → BKB → AC/Heart
Win Rate: 54.3% (All brackets)

🔹 Pro Tip: Max Breathe Fire to reduce enemy damage output and win early trades.

🐵 Monkey King (Safe Lane Carry)

Why It Works: Strong laner, high mobility, and scales incredibly well. In a meta full of teamfights and skirmishes, his ultimate can single-handedly turn fights around.
Build: Echo Sabre → BKB → Aghanim’s Scepter
Win Rate: 52.7%

🔹 Pro Tip: Use Tree Dance to scout vision and bait rotations. Early Orchid build is popular in higher MMR.

🪄 Dark Willow (Position 4)

Why It Works: One of the best roamers in 7.35. Huge magic burst, fear utility, and scaling disable. Pair her with a strong offlaner for deadly lane pressure.
Build: Tranquil Boots → Eul’s → Aether Lens → Shard
Win Rate: 53.9%

🔹 Pro Tip: Bramble Maze into Cursed Crown combo is nearly guaranteed lockdown — perfect for ganks.

🧛 Night Stalker (Offlane)

Why It Works: With the night-time vision buff in 7.35 and BKB still being strong, NS is a monstrous tempo offlaner. His silence and flying vision make him a nightmare for supports.
Build: Phase → Echo Sabre → BKB → Blink
Win Rate: 54.0%

🔹 Pro Tip: Take fights only during night — you're a completely different hero once the sun sets.

🏹 Drow Ranger (Safe Lane Carry)

Why It Works: Excellent ranged DPS that fits the “stand and shoot” late-game meta. With support-heavy lineups, Drow is a scaling machine.
Build: Dragon Lance → Hurricane Pike → Manta → Butterfly
Win Rate: 52.4%

🔹 Pro Tip: Pair her with an offlaner who can create space — Mars or Centaur works great.

🧠 A-Tier Heroes Worth Spamming

• Invoker (Mid): High skill cap, but strong if mastered.
• Centaur Warrunner (Offlane): Great for teamfight initiation and soaking.
• Lion (Support): Consistent pick with disables and burst.
• Sniper (Mid/Carry): Pub destroyer if left unchecked.
• Viper (Mid/Off): Lane dominator, good against tanky cores.

❌ Heroes to Avoid (Low Win Rates)

• Meepo: Too niche and punishing unless you're a Meepo god.
• Techies: Nerfed utility and situational value.
• Alchemist (Core): Struggles with tempo in this patch.
• Nature’s Prophet: Overnerfed after being top pick for months.

🎯 Climbing Tips for Patch 7.35

• Pick comfort heroes that align with the meta.
• Don’t flex too much – having a tight pool of 3–4 spam heroes is more efficient for climbing.
• Draft to counter: If the enemy first-picks AM, grab Bloodseeker or Slark.
• Play fast: Tempo and tower pressure still win games under 35 minutes.
• Communicate: Use voice or chat — one well-timed smoke or Roshan call can flip games.

🏆 Final Thoughts

The 7.35 meta is balanced but punishing. The right heroes — when played confidently and with decent itemization — can carry you straight through the ranks. From durable initiators like Dragon Knight to pub-stomping damage dealers like Monkey King, mastering these meta heroes is your ticket to ranked success in April 2025.

So queue up, pick smart, and climb hard. The Ancients await.