Dota 2: Meta Heroes — Riki Carry

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Dota 2: Meta Heroes — Riki Carry

Here is a little bit of information about this pesky Dota 2 hero.


Every meta in Dota 2 introduces new heroes that suddenly become very popular. This was especially true a couple of years ago when every new patch features drastic gameplay changes. However, ever since Valve decided to change their update policy (now, the updates are not as drastic but more frequent), some heroes have been in the meta for a long time.

Having said that, the hero that we will take a look at today doesn’t really fit in this category. Riki is one of those heroes that you can see in most pub games. Nevertheless, when it comes down to Pro Dota, he wasn’t really all that popular. While it’s true that he can do a lot of damage, he can also easily be countered, which is why many teams didn’t really want to pick him at all.

However, this changed when patch 7.23 was released. Currently, a few small updates later, Riki is one of the most popular carry heroes in Dota 2. Let’s take a look and see more about the nature of this little, but deadly, guy.

Changes after patch 7.23

Prior to this update, Riki wasn’t really a well-established hero. Many people picked him as a support, although he was a little bit too greedy for that role. However, after the changes. the ability Cloak and Dagger (the invisible skill) was changed to be his ultimate as it was many years ago. As a result, Riki became a lot less effective as support, especially early on. Before that, he was able to kill couriers and gank effectively but not anymore.

Many people thought that this was the end for the hero and that he will be long forgotten. Nonetheless, this didn’t happen. Instead, players started to play on the lane with him and discovered that he is actually a pretty powerful right-clicking monster.

Gameplay

Riki is one of those heroes that can go “in and out” whenever he feels like it. He has a blink that allows him to quickly jump in fights and escape them if needed.

While it’s true that he is very squishy in comparison to other Dota 2 heroes, he has the ability to make up for it. In addition to Blink, Tricks of the Trade is now an ability that he can whenever he feels like it. Apart from doing damage, this skill can also be used defensively and dodge a lot of the incoming damage. Of course, you can also buy some defensive items, such as a Black King Bar and become even harder to kill.

If you’re going to play as a carry, there isn’t really much to do during the early game other than farm. You have to try and get as many last hits as possible because Riki is not really the fastest farmer in the game. In fact, this might be one of the biggest issues that you have to face when you pick him. If things don’t go well in the beginning, it could be pretty hard to recover, so keep that in mind.

Once the laning stages is over, you should have at least one big item (in most cases Diffisual Blade), so this is when you have to start making plays around the map. Riki is not one of those heroes that you can AFK farm with and expect to win the game. On the contrary, he is strong when he snowballs by taking advantage of the weak supports.

If your mid-game goes OK, you should have at least a couple of items and venture into the late game (unless you’ve won by now). Here, every single mistake can be crucial, so think twice before you blink in for the kill.

Items

It’s pretty hard to mess up your item build as Riki, especially if you’re a carry. The first and most important item that you NEED to buy is a Diffusal Blade. It completely changes the way you play the game because it allows you to secure kills alone.

The second trendy item now is either a Skill Basher or Sange and Yasha/Manta Style. It’s even advisable to purchase both the Basher and either Manta or SNY because those items give Riki a lot of damage. Also, Manta Style can provide yet another few seconds in which you can escape, so it’s definitely something to take into account.

Of course, let’s also not forget about a Black King Bar. This is an item that every core hero has to buy at some point, and Riki is no exception here.

In terms of luxury items, things such as an Abyssal Blade, Butterfly, and Eye of Skadi are very popular options. However, you will most likely get those items very late in the game, so keep that in mind.

Dota 2: Meta Heroes — Riki Carry
Zlosterr
Zlosterr has been a fan of esports for many years and mainly focuses on Dota 2. He has more than five years of experience writing Dota 2 content for numerous platforms. Besides being a passionate fan of the game, he's also played for various amateur teams.