Journey to Immortal: My approach to improving at Dota 2.

Hello there,

I hope my post can help improve your ranked games and motivate you if you have the same insecurities as me. I've been playing this game since 2009, before Dota 2 was even announced. I used to be a shooter player until my friends introduced me to this gem, which I still play today. However, I've always been mediocre when it comes to mechanics, even though I managed to achieve a solid Gold rank in Starcraft II thanks to my micro skills. Despite this, I've always had a strong desire to improve.

I'm the kind of player who likes to formulate a plan before taking action, even if it's not always correct. I prefer to spend my time watching guides and learning from every resource I can find online, rather than just playing the game. My best friend, who introduced me to Dota, was the complete opposite. He learned by watching other players in pubs and forming his own hero builds through trial and error. He brute-forced his way to Immortal and then quit playing.

On the other hand, I've never reached Immortal even after spending countless hours playing the game. Every time I reach a new peak in performance, life gets in the way and I have to take a break for several months. So, every time I come back to the game, it feels like I have to start learning everything all over again. However, I was only one game away from Immortal at my highest.

I mentioned my friend's learning style because I recently came back to Dota about six months ago and I'm currently Divine I but underperforming. As a result, I started taking coaching sessions, talking to a lot of people, and watching guides again. For the first time in this game, I found myself being carried by my team, which reminded me of my friend and made me realize that not all players learn the game the same way. So, I learned that we shouldn't blame others for their performance because everyone is trying to adapt to a jungle.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Despite having played for so many hours and reached this rank, I believe that the fault lies with me and no one else. There are some fundamental issues that need to be addressed. I've been deceiving myself for a long time, making excuses for losing matches and often having a superior attitude towards my teammates, acting like I know all the secrets to the perfect game. While there may be instances where I do, that doesn't give me the right to blame others for having a different vision.

Right now, my focus is on improving my gameplay and achieving my original goal in this game, which is to reach Immortal. To achieve this, I'm working on several aspects of my gameplay, including improving my communication skills by being less passive-aggressive and explaining the reasoning behind my thoughts.

I'm also trying to decide whether to climb the ranks with a small hero pool or always try to pick the perfect hero for the situation. I'm practicing matchups and theorycrafting for my preferred lane (mid) and watching the pro scene to understand their ideas and playstyle, especially from the perspective of the player that I'm focusing on.

In addition, I'm watching my own replays and analyzing where I could have played better. I'm adapting to my team's playstyle and making the right item choices even when playing in an off-position. I'm also seeking out streams and YouTube videos to gain more knowledge about the game.

To make consistent progress, I'm working on fixing one mechanic at a time. For example, for the next ten games, I'll focus on improving my creep wave management. After that, I'll concentrate on moving the minimap better during team fights and so on.

If you have any other tips or suggestions for me on how to improve, please share them in the comments. Additionally, if anyone is interested in practicing 1v1 matches with me, please let me know.

Thank you!

This is my Dota friend ID: 56886559