WE FIRST met Marci as Mirana’s adorable mute steward in Netflix’s Dota 2 anime, Dragon's Blood, which dropped early this year.
Before Dawnbreaker was actually released, the fans were hoping that Fymryn (the blonde Elven assassin with a dark past) or Marci (who had so many memorable moments in the series) would get added into the game of Dota 2 that we all love and hate. Finally, in The International 10, Valve finally announced that Marci would be the next hero coming to Dota 2. Fans rejoiced for the small, mute girl with the strength that could move mountains.
Devs announced that Marci would be arriving in "fall", but in Valve time that could easily have been winter of 2022. Everyone was surprised when Valve was actually on schedule for once.
In the short time she's been around, Valve has already bonked her hard with the nerf hammer, because she was already too much in pubs. Let's take a look at how to play as Marci in Dota 2.
In Dota 2, Marci is a worthy sidekick
At an initial glance, Marci’s kit shows that she can be a very flexible hero. She has a buff that provides an Attack Bonus and Lifesteal. She has excellent mobility, thanks to her Rebound, which becomes so much better with her level 15 Talent getting it an effective 400 extra range boost. Her first skill is a close target stun, which is basically a much better version of Magnus’ Horn Toss. Her Ultimate is what makes her a strong contender in the core role. Finally, Unleash grants her consecutive attacks kind of like Ursa’s Overpower.
Her 3.3 Strength gain per level is actually on the high side, putting her alongside the lines of Legion Comamnder and Ogre Magi. Her 310 movement speed will allow her to catch up to other heroes early for a high kill potential with Dispose.
For the 4 or 5 role, her low Base armor of 3 might and average base 2.5 base HP regeneration affect her effectiveness as a lane bully. On the flipside, very low mana costs for her spells and a default 0.9 mana regeneration mean that she doesn't really need to worry about mana throughout the game. She even gets a +2 mana regeneration talent at level 10.
The best items for Dota 2's Marci
What are the best ways to itemize Marci?
In the core role, Marci can be considered a similar archetype to Ursa or Phantom Assassin — a hero that can naturally deal burst physical damage. Common items picked up for her are Phase Boots, for the extra movement speed and the bonus armor which helps her a lot, and Black King Bar, which allows her to proc the bonuses from Unleash a lot more consistently.
A Skull Basher also makes full use of her Unleash to help allow her control enemy opponents long enough to burst them down. Other items useful items for Marci include Echo Sabre, which could help her get to the Unleash proc faster, and Armlet of Mordiggian, to let her get more from her Lifesteal with Sidekick.
In more of a utility role, Marci players can decide to just rush Blink Dagger to further amplify her catch and initiation potential. After that, she just has to tank up, so a Black King Bar, an Assault Cuirass or even a Heart of Tarrasque will go a long way.
It still remains to be seen if Marci can indeed be a good support with her subpar regen and base armor in the laning stage.
While she can be an effective buffer and initiator, she needs way too much experience and items to be truly effective in the support role. She can help buff allies and even reposition teammates with Dispose, but that alone can be pretty underwhelming and there are many more options at the support role.
If you manage to get her to Level 20 for the Sidekick 1.5 second spell immunity, and then pick up a few good utility items like Blink Dagger and some aura items that can really buff up your team, then she can indeed be a good side kick for your carry.
Marci is an open book for now. You can really play her however you want. Her kit is very solid and she will surely bring an interesting new layer to Dota 2, especially with her interesting vector targeting mechanics.
It will take a few months before Valve allows her in Captain’s Mode, so we will have to wait how she fares in the competitive environment of the Dota Pro Circuit. But I already can’t wait to see what’s in store for dear little Marci and her smile worth protecting.
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