The Best Carry Heroes in Patch 7.34d

Safe lane heroes to expect in the TI 2023 Group Stage

It’s been a few days since patch 7.34d came out. And we only have a few days more before TI 2023 kicks off with the Group Stage. The International 2023 meta may evolve as the tournament goes on, but will depend entirely on this patch.

Let’s take a look at the best carry heroes in the new patch.

Chaos Knight

CK is sporting an incredible 59.4% win rate in Divine and Immortal pubs right now, with a significant 5.1% increase since patch 7.34d.

The buff in patch 7.34d, an increase in creep damage multiplier for Chaos Strike from 1.6 to 1.9, may not seem like much. But this is only the latest after a series of buffs in patch 7.34, 7.33c, and 7.33, all of which have added up to make Chaos Knight a serious force in the pub meta.

The hero benefits from being a flex pick, fitting the off lane or safe lane core role. Also, he is a decent counter to Faceless Void and has strong synergy with IO, both of whom are in the meta.

Notable Chaos Knight players at TI 2023:

LGD Gaming — Shiro
BetBoom — Nightfall
TSM — Timado
Virtus.pro — Kiritych

Spectre

Spectre’s biggest buff was her lowered cooldown on Shadow Step. It is only 60 seconds at level 1, which allows her to participate in pick-offs globally, return to safety and continue to farm.

The swap of her Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade with her previous ultimate Haunt was a clever buff that fits her early-to-mid-game playstyle.

She has one of the highest win rates and pick rates in high MMR public matchmaking right now, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if pro players picked up on the trend.

Notable Spectre players at TI 2023:

Talon Esports — 23savage
Virtus.pro — Kiritych
Team Spirit — Yatoro

Lifestealer

Lifestealer got a few steady buffs over the last couple of patches. He is a strong counter to Spectre, another strong carry in the current patch.

The hero’s win rate may not have increased much in 7.34d, but it stands at a respectable 51.6%. His built-in debuff immunity helps against a ton of different heroes, particularly Kunkka in the off lane, making him very difficult to gank.

Some of the top carry players from the best teams in the world have been practicing this hero in the lead-up to the TI 2023 Group Stage. Only time will tell how Lifestealer shapes up in professional play.

Notable Lifestealer players at TI 2023:

Tundra Esports — Skiter
Talon Esports — 23savage
LGD Gaming — Shiro

Muerta

Muerta has been largely ignored in the professional scene since her release. This may have been because her addition to Captain’s Mode came with several nerfs.

Not a lot of carry players were even willing to play her until Arteezy of Shopify Rebellion started the trend. Of course, the buffs in patch 7.34c didn’t hurt.

What separates Muerta from most carry heroes right now is her ability to be a flex pick. She is fairly popular even as a support in public matchmaking, owing to her spell ‘The Calling’, which is very strong in lane.

Notable Muerta players at TI 2023:

Shopify Rebellion — Arteezy
beastcoast — Parker

Slark

Slark received a slight nerf to his level 25 talent in patch 7.34d. In fact, most of his recent changes have been nerfs. But that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the most picked and most successful heroes in Divine and Immortal pubs.

His strength in professional play comes from being an unusual flex pick, sometimes as an off lane, and sometimes even in the support role.

His Aghanim’s Shard upgrade gives him the utility to be a team player, and pros love to abuse it.

Notable Slark players at TI 2023:

Tundra Esports — Skiter
Team SMG — MidOne
9Pandas — Kiyotaka

Looks like we’ll have a fairly fresh batch of carry heroes in the meta now that Gyrocopter and Phantom Assassin’s reign is over!

Who will you be spamming in your pubs?

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Thanks for reading!

Anomaluna