Trench Warfare: 1k Edition

So, I've been toying with the idea of starting back up on the old mmr quest. Currently, I'm sitting at 1047 mmr, basically in the gutter. So, I'm curious as to what advice do you people have for me?

-What sort of goals should I set?
-What heroes should I generally utilize?
-How frequently should I try ranked matches?

Any sort of pointers would be greatly appreciated before I begin battling my way through the 1k trench.

when to: your peak time.

for me that is between 4-7pm
reasons:
- timezone differences means less outside zone players
- more people on that speak your language
- most have mics

stop searching after 3mins
restart search after three minutes.
always.

goals

per week +100 mmr
per month +400 mmr

either pick first or pick last

if your picking first pick a strong support someone who is good at all stages of the game

venge lion silencer sky ogre witch cm

if your picking last

pick hero that is the best counter possible whiile staying within a relativly decent team composition

if thats a support

support

if its a carry

carry.




HELPFUL TIPS from someone that increased is MMR by nearly 3k points.

1. dont flame...seriously even if they ****ing feed ... dont flame. ever. never. ever.
2. buy wards, no one buying wards and your carry with only 300 gold till a core item. doesnt matter buy those wards and place them. that 150 gold will save u from a gank.
3. play slowly. dont ping then go in. communicate WELL WELL WELL before doing anything hey guys rosh in 10 minutes? im going to push top in 10... 5 4 3 2 1 minute.
4. everyone is stupid except you. be nice DONT BE HELPFUL... stupid people take helping as criticism so just dont do it, they do something stupid dont point it out. only say something when they do something good.
5. NEVER RESPOND TO FLAME.... ever.
6. focus on WINNING over kills you want those points? who cares if your 0-30-0 as long as their ancient is being butt raped ... who cares.... YOU WON.
7. re stressing last point again. play objective based gaming. go for wins not kills.
8. be nice
9. be nice
10. be nice


* 11. and the most important one..... gloat when u win because hey ... YOU WON ... gloat like u just won lotto :D

NEVER EVER GLOAT BEFORE YOU HAVE WON .... because when u lose ... that bad taste in your mouth is called embarrassment and it tastes like ****.

I find during low MMR pub games, PLaying heroes who can support, and carry fairly well are the best. The best examples i can think of are Windranger, Mirana and Skywrath Mage. You can support if your carry is doing fine, and you are winning. And if your team is losing badly, you can play semi-carry semi-support. Buy wards, but play as if you are going to carry, and get carry/support items

For example, if your playing Mirana buy a Drum of Endurance, a Yasha, a Force Staff and a Eul's Scepter of Divinity. If you're supports are buying wards, than dont worry about it, but other whise, be sure to buy them. Don't constantly nag your teammates to buy wards, like smuggels said, that 150 wont effect you that much.

Goals:
- Get better at Dota! That is of course the goal. (Practice last hitting and lane control, first of all.)
- Don't take Dota more seriously than the game that it is :)

Heroes:
- Anyone! Everyone! Literally any hero can win you the game if you play well. However, those who are non-reliant on teamwork, semi-reliant on farm, and a lot more reliant on your personal skill are probably best. OR, like many suggests, those who excel at keeping your team alive and well! Some examples (but play others as well!):

Spirits! Ember Spirit, Earth Spirit, Storm Spirit;
Pushers! Tiny, Death Prophet, Nature's Prophet;
Snowballers! Shadow Fiend, Troll, Juggernaut, Slark;
Healers! Omniknight, Dazzle, Abaddon, KotL, Necrophos (also snowballer)

Play Ranked games:
-Whenever! But, best: when you feel good, alert and ready! And use heroes you know. Practice new ones in bot or un-ranked matches. Don't play ranked at 1 pm with 1 st time Meepo for example.

Biggest thing is being able to last hit.
At low MMR (where I sit comfortably) if you get 50lh in the first 10min, you will be miles ahead of everyone else, who would be on about 25 max.
Keep that up, use HOD to stack camps, don't feed, and you'll outlevel everyone.
gl :)