The Ultimate Mid-Game Guide Part 4: Forcing The Dead Lane

So far, we've discussed when you should leave the safe lane, how you should transition to the off lane, what you should do after taking the enemy tier 1 tower and how to gain significant map control.

This is a process that generally requires the coordination of the team, three teammates at the minimum.

However, not every team member is equally capable or willing to work together. Sometimes, they may have a different idea of how to win the game. Sometimes, they may just be stubborn and want to play alone. That's what makes Dota 2 such a hard game to master.

To overcome that, today we're going to be talking about alternatives to the aforementioned strategy and how you can climb out of the low MMR bracket.

Playing in A low MMR bracket

The problem in low ranks starts with the safe lane. Carry players often don't know what they should do and where they should farm after the laning phase. The early-game is fairly simple, and even a bad player can learn how to get better at last hits pretty easily. But past that, they will frequently end up getting ganked in their primary jungle or while farming the safe lane. This is because the enemy heroes have a wide variety of approach points to corner them.

Position 1 players at the Herald, Guardian and Crusader level will refuse to leave the safe lane far past the laning phase, even as late as the 20-minute mark. In fact, this is sometimes observed even in the Archon and Legend brackets. So instead of leaving the carry on their own and let them get ganked, it can be a good idea to stay there and push the tower. The enemy's tier 1 off lane tower (safe lane for you) doesn't give much in terms of map control. But you can try to make the best out of a bad situation.

To make the journey easier, it is recommended that you place at least a couple of observer wards along the river to spot incoming rotations. If you can manage to use smoke of deceit and plant a ward in their secondary jungle (aka triangle), then that is of great use. Not only do you see rotations coming from inside their jungle via the mid lane, but you also spot any neutral camp stacks they may have created.

Capturing the secondary jungle

Using this strategy, you can capture the enemy's secondary jungle or triangle much earlier in the game. Destroying the enemy's tier 1 tower does open up a little bit of space for you to enter their triangle. But it is always advisable to use Smoke of Deceit before entering such areas, as they are often warded.

If your previously placed observer ward does survive in the enemy's triangle area, then it can be of immense use. Because you'll know where the enemy heroes are and who to go on first. However, in the event that it doesn't survive, it's probably a good idea to take different paths on different heroes. This is so you don't stack up in a narrow area and fall prey to the enemy's AOE nukes and stunning spells.

This maneuver has its drawbacks. It allows the enemy heroes to farm freely in their primary jungle, which is larger and has more neutral camps. But it does give you the opportunity to farm their ancient camp. If it's stacked, then that's even better. Plus, you can use this area as leverage and take more objectives, like the tier 2 mid tower and opening up more parts of the map for you.

This method is recommended more when you're on the Dire side than if you're on the Radiant side. Because, as the Dire team, it allows you to stay on the top half of the map and near the Roshan pit. The Radiant triangle also has some unique and hard-to-find ward spots that you can take advantage of, but we'll reveal the secrets of warding in a different article in the future. Furthermore, since the number of neutral creep camps available to you will be minimal, this tactic is better employed by aggressive heroes that can fight in the early-to-mid game without relying on items too much.

That brings us to the end of our extended 4-part guide on the mid-game! We hope it's been of use to you. Now use it to your advantage and climb out of the MMR trench!