Some people just DotA for fun. Others play to hone a skill set valued by league clans and the challenge of mastering the game. I consider myself more in the second category right now. Sure, it’s fun to pick Rikimaru and tear up an APEM game, but that isn’t really quality practice. Fortunately, there are many variables within your control that can make your pickup DotA pubs more relevant. Here are several that I have found:
Join RD pub games. No EM. No AR. No AP. The random draft game mode most closely resembles the captain’s mode game used in league play, in a “pub fiendly” fashion. The problem with EM (easy mode) is that the income for a player is so different. Consider a league player who kills 1 creep per minute in the first 30 minutes of the game. 1 minute of laning gets him 50 gold for the creep, and roughly 50 gold from the clock for a total of 100 gold. Time spent dead means his income is cut in half (without even considering gold lost from death). An EM player who can also farm 1 creep per minute will only be making 33% of his gold from creeping. He can run around or sit dead at the fountain and make almost the same amount of gold. A player who can farm twice as good will see an even bigger difference in regular mode.
Pick a hero that has a synergy with your teamates. Rikimaru, Clinkz, and Luna do not have a synergy. Tidehunter, Lich, and Sand King have a synergy. The most enjoyable and rewarding pub games I ever happen into have this feature in common: both sides have a strong hero synergy and work together to complete objectives. Every game, we always have the choice. Pick our favorite carry, or pick a hero that would look good on a clan match roster. Make your practice games about getting more comfortable with the synergy heroes. If you want fresh ideas, watch more league replays.
Buy observer wards. Even if you only do it once per game. After a couple weeks you will be used to ear-marking gold for wards and it won’t be so painful to do in league games. This also has the added benefit of making you the popular guy on your team! You’ll soon become comfortable with how and when you place your wards affects the game, and learn to do it better.
Time the runes. Every 2 minutes by the game clock, a rune will appear in the river, alternating between top and bottom, unless nobody picks it up. Develop an intuition for when and where the rune will appear so that you’re aware of it at all times. You’ll be amazed at how this changes the way you play!
Make it a point to be in every hero fight. If you die first, run back there if the fight is still happening. So many games are won simply by the team who had constant reinforcements at the battleground when their opponents did not. Over time you learn the ability to anticipate the fights by watching friends and foes move around on the minimap, and what has recently happened. Here’s an example: your team just scored 3 kills and was then repelled at the enemy base tower. They are all 5 together again, and fresh too. It’s a safe bet that they will counter right back up middle hoping that your team has scattered to farm, buy, and heal. Don’t let your team scatter when this happens!
