Gorgon’s Grasp: Medusa’s New Ability transforms the Dreaded Beauty

As an ardent admirer of Dota 2, I can confidently say that Medusa is undoubtedly one of the toughest carries in this epic game. She’s a hero with unparalleled courage who can single-handedly take on five enemies and hold her ground in combat. However, over the past few years, she’s been subjected to numerous balance adjustments, which have made her early game quite challenging.

What is Gorgon’s Grasp in Dota 2?

In Dota 2, Medusa now possesses a fresh fundamental skill known as Gorgon’s Grasp. Previously, Mana Shield was a skill that could be enhanced, but it has been replaced with a passive ability for Medusa instead.

Medusa launches a series of arrow barrages vertically, splitting into three distinct rows, with each successive row being wider than the one before. Any adversaries hit by an arrow cluster receive varying amounts of physical damage (30, 70, 110, or 150), get rooted, become immobile, and endure additional physical damage over time (100 per second for 0.8, 1.2, 1.6, or 2 seconds).

Medusa’s Gorgon’s Grasp is an exceptional skill, making her more agile during the middle phase of a game. This skill inflicts heavy physical damage on opponents and locks them in position. Being able to anchor enemies where they stand offers significant tactical advantages for the team.

Medusa, often celebrated as a hero, truly shines in the late stages of the game. To maximize her potential, she requires a six-item backpack. This setup allows her to withstand considerable damage and dish out impressive stuns using her Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard. Her unique ability, when activated, can turn enemies into stone if they gaze into her eyes. While petrified, these opponents sustain extra damage from physical attacks.

Medusa: The new Superstar?

Before the recent update, Medusa wasn’t a popular choice among players, with only a 4% pick rate. Many gamers found her unattractive due to her low starting HP, making it difficult for her to contribute significantly during the early and mid-game stages. In fact, most games primarily revolved around her survival rather than making an impact.

Nevertheless, since the 7.37 update, there’s been a noticeable increase in popularity among Dota 2 players for the character Medusa. In fact, within mere hours after the patch was released, the hero saw a spike in selection frequency.

Concurrently, the protagonist’s victory rate has experienced an increase. As we’re just getting started, it’ll be intriguing to watch how this classic hero adapts within the game’s meta, considering it hasn’t significantly changed in almost a decade.