Welcome to This Week in HoN! This feature talks about what is hot and what is not in the competitive HoN scene.
HOT
1. Valkyrie
- Whether it is Trixi on MSI owning it up, or various other members of high level teams, Valkyrie is finally getting the attention that PotM always got in DotA. If you're in a game with Valkyrie player these days, keep your eyes peeled for the craziness that she can bring to the field.
2. KDE
- If you haven't seen KDE dismantle tXL in the Dreamhack semifinals yet, go and watch it now.
(http://hon.esportmedia.com/video/2010/06/21/dreamhack-day-2-kde-vs-txl-game-1/progressive/) Spoilers; they won the series using only 4 players.
3. RAMPAGE?
- The next patch features a remake of the hero Rampage that some people have been quoted as calling "Competitively Viable." Seeing as Rampage is often relegated to the APEM 1000 NOOBS ONLY tier, it would be a treat to see him relevant in competitive play.
4. Dota Ports
- First Beastmaster was ported, after that Kunkka and Furion were confirmed. The most recent rumors indicate that Stormspirit will be ported after Kunkka. Seeing all these great DotA heroes is a sure reason to at least come back and give HoN another chance if you're a DotA diehard.
NOT
1. Ophelia
- Shortly after the mega-nerfs to Ophelia she was still being used a few times and even occasionally banned. Now it seems she has fallen to the never going to see tier, surely S2 will buff this hero back to some form of playability in order for us to see some more crazy ganking from the jungle.
2. Team Loaded
- Warden and Chu have both apparently left competitive HoN, and I think it is safe to assume that Team Loaded as it was known is dead. Hopefully the remaining members of Loaded will find the same success they found in a recent Alienware match against Team 5.
(http://replays.heroesofnewerth.com/match_replay.php?mid=5267451) It's a very strange situation for the once top team to have a few of their players leave without saying anything, but I wish all of them the best of luck in their future endeavors.
3. Post Haste (Travel Boots)
- I finally saw a Travel boots in a competitive game recently on a Soulstealer and I realized it was the first time I had ever seen them used effectively in competitive HoN. I understand they offer a powerful effect but I think the item needs some sort of rework in order for it to be as viable as the other 4 types of boots. (Normal, Phased, Steam, Plated)
4. Original Heroes
- So Project DREAM came out when the game was launched and it basically seems like it's just a webpage that keeps kids happy and away from the forums. Not one hero has been implemented from the DREAM page, and with the focus all on porting the best DotA heroes, the question is begged; When will we see some more original content in HoN?
