Does Skill Matter? (Part 3)

In the previous installment of “Does Skill Matter”, I broke down what I see as the basics of skill in DotA.

Even at the highest level of DotA though, not many players are able to master one, let alone most or even all of “the basics” that I have listed. Most DotA players though, don’t need to. The best farmers in DotA are those that master map awareness and last hitting. The best supporters have mastered mind games and map awareness, and the best engagement controllers must master decision making and timing. Then there are some who have mastered or at least have a good grasp of every other facet of “the basics” listed. These are the best of the best.

Advanced Roles

And then, even amongst the best of the best, there are some roles that can only be taken on by few players. These players perform roles that so few can do well, and impact the game so much, that having these players in a team raises the chance of victory significantly.

These are roles that require a good grasp of every aspect of individual skill, and then some. These are roles that are easy to try out and take for most good DotA players, but simply impossible for most people to use to their maximum potential.

The Commander
Make no mistake. DotA is a team game. Yet with only 5 players, a good commander plays a crucial role in coordinating a DotA team.

It is difficult to be a good commander, and it is even more difficult to find one. The thing about the commander is that his influence is rarely ever felt by the people who are not in his team, and so many good commanders will never receive the recognition they deserve.

It’s easy as heck to tell your teammates what to do. The problem is that most of the time, you’re wrong. Good commanders have to master decision making and map awareness so thoroughly that they can make decisions for every single player (though this is unrealistic, but simply commanding one other player is enough). The commander amplifies his team’s actions. One player walking into a warded area is a waste of time, but an entire team camping in full view of the enemy is an utter disaster. Conversely, one player’s mind games can kill heroes, but an entire team’s mind games… well… also kills heroes, just much more effectively.

The commander can have such a great impact on his team because he can make up for everything his team lacks. One good commander with good decision making is enough to make up for the rest of his teammates not being able to make decisions at all. The key is communication and confidence, two aspects that many commanders seem to lack. One good commander with map awareness is enough map awareness for his entire team. Coordination of key pushes, key team maneuvers, and key catches, is what wins games, and these must be initiated by the commander.

Here’s the thing – the best commanders are also damn good players. Commands are short and cannot cover everything, so the commander himself must be able to control the game with his hero. It is truly difficult to explain in theory what separates the best commanders from wannabes, and giving examples only exposes one small facet about commanding.

HYHY from Aeon is one great commander that I know of, and the reasons can be found here, in this article about him.

The Bait
I’m not joking when I say that the best players in DotA are those who have mastered the art of baiting. Baiting is a simple in theory, but extremely difficult to execute well.

There are many good players in DotA, but none can stand against the master baiter.

I just had to use that line.

Baiting is definitely the act with the most reward. Your opponents lose out and you don’t – if performed successfully, of course.

There are many levels of baiting. The most basic is that of spells. Baiting opponents to cast spells in lane and then dodging them. Even this, most people will never try, because in the event that the bait fails, the bait usually ends up dead, and that is too big a risk for most people.

Most people, but not the expert baiter. The expert baiter is fully confident in his ability to survive, and is well aware of the rewards of a successful bait. Baiting, even at the most basic level requires a mastery of mind games and a bucketful of confidence.

Some spells, such as POTM’s arrow, are easy to bait as they are easy to avoid. Others like Impale or Burrowstrike are harder to bait, and attempts to bait them are rare. Spells like Storm Bolt and Fissure are impossible to dodge, but can be baited into being fired at the wrong moment.

Then there is engagement baiting, that is, forcing a team of opponents to jump into an engagement at the wrong time. This is much more difficult, as it is a split second game of crucial items and spells. For example, casting BKB just as opponents blink in to start an engagement, or casting global silence in the same instance.

Then there is catch baiting, the hardest of all. Many people are familiar with the concept of standing around looking vulnerable, only to have an entire team waiting behind. This might work, but it doesn’t take much individual skill, and isn’t all that game affecting because most smart teams would never fall for it. Baiting a catch as an individual can be the most profound plan that one can ever pull off. To be able to turn the tide of the game as bait, one must survive as much as possible with as little as possible.

Someone who farms a lane and backs off when opponents try to backstab him displays high levels of map awareness and intuition, as if that isn’t enough. The expert bait however lets his opponents get as close to him as possible, sometimes even letting them unleash all their spells, only to run away safely. This is a hugely beneficial act. If his team is with him, they get to turn the tide against a spent opponent. If his team is not with him, they play against an opponent that has spent much time and many heroes on the other side of the map.

The expert bait must master all the basics, and must outplay all his opponents. A failed baiter is a feeder. The expert bait alone, practicing all forms of baiting, can control the game. He wins his lane, he draws attention to himself and makes life easy for his team, and he wins engagements.

The thing about a good baiter is that he is useful even if the enemy knows not to go for him. The baiter does not go out with a plan to bait the enemy; baiting is merely his secondary objective, a weapon he must have in his arsenal. Baiters are rare these days. How many would really dare try to outthink and outplay his opponent when they are accomplished and competent DotA players?

One example of the few master baiters out there in the world is iceiceice. The article about him can be found here.

The master of baiting himself, iceiceice

The Speedy Farmer
I’m kidding. Farming is a result of skill, not something to focus on. In fact, some farmers, no matter how many creeps they take, are useless to their team, but that is another issue altogether. This article discusses skill, not how useful someone is to the team, and the speedy farmer is definitely not an “advanced role”.

The most skilled players are above the rest for a reason - because almost everyone else either does not know what to do or doesn't know how to improve. Now that you're hopefully more enlightened about knowing what you can improve on, perhaps it'll be easier for people to attempt to reach the higher levels of skill in dota.


Pictures courtesy of DotaSG (www.dotasg.com)