The Dota 2 Riyadh Masters is in full swing and while we’ve seen a few new names towards the top of the pick-ban, one offlaner continues to consume all in its wake, picking right up from where he left off at the Bali Major.
Enigma, the Consumer of Worlds himself, is currently ranked the number one hero in Riyadh, according to Dota 2 stats site Spectral. Spectral’s ranking takes into account a hero’s win rate based on their number of picks and bans, and although Enigma isn’t the most-picked hero (that would be Rubick) or has the highest win rate (Mirana) at the event, combined he stands head and shoulders above the rest.
So far, he’s backing up his Bali effort where he was the top-ranked hero across the entirety of the tournament. Finishing with a 61.7 percent win rate in Indonesia, he has come to define versatility in the patch, finding his way into drafts as both a core and support. And yet, despite this, no one wants to touch him in ranked play.
The hero sits at 88th in picks in Immortal and above for the previous month, according to matchmaking stats site OpenDota, just four percent of games. He boasts a 51 percent win rate in the same period—not terrible but nowhere close to the top.
The reason behind this is relatively simple; ranked Enigma’s have been far too greedy in their item choices. Most will rush out a Helm of the Dominator to assist with jungling before tunneling into making their almighty Black Hole as effective as possible: Blink Dagger, Black King Bar, and Aghanim’s Scepter.
But the pros are adapting Enigma based on game state. Most will build a fast Medallion of Courage and upgrade to a Solar Crest, which has proven to be just as effective when farming the jungle as the Helm of the Dominator while also increasing Enigma’s lane presence and damage output with his Eidolons.
After that, it’s purely a focus on what the enemy team is dishing out.
A position one physical damage carry is doing a little too much? Out comes Heaven’s Halberd with its Disarming active. Is a spellcasting mid-laner causing heaps of trouble? A Pipe of Insight will mitigate a chunk of their spell damage and protect allies long enough to cast an extra ability. Is a Blink Dagger not going to work? Force Staff gives Dota 2 players another out, plus it can be used on allies and enemies to assist.
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Sure, pro Enigmas are returning to Blink Daggers and Refresher Orbs later. After all, Black Hole is arguably the most powerful crowd-control ability, when used correctly. That said, with Rubick dominating support picks, Enigma players need to be careful to catch the pesky spellcaster before they get a chance to steal the ultimate for themselves.
It’s also key to pair Enigma with the right heroes, with pros at Riyadh Masters opting to pair the offlaner with heroes that can set up the Consumer of Worlds’ Black Hole with great effect. Clockwork’s Power Cogs, Snapfire’s Firesnap Cookie, Elder Titan’s Echo Stomp, and Naga Siren’s Ensnare all allow Enigma to close the gap before he picks up a mobility item of his own.
With the switch to Universal damage, constant buffs throughout Patch 7.33’s cycle, and the best ultimate in Dota, it’s safe to say Enigma isn’t going anywhere soon—barring a pre-TI nerf ahead of the pinnacle tournament in October.
In the meantime, you can catch more of the Consumer of Worlds when Riyadh Masters groups wrap up tomorrow morning, with matches kicking off at 4am CT.
