Quinn shared tips on mid-lane play in Dota 2

The ability to win the creep wave is critically important for both sides. If you control the lane and the wave spawns on your hill, this gives you a significant advantage. Your opponent is forced to approach the creeps from lower ground, while you’re already right next to them. This gives you better timing for finishing them off and reduces the chance of making a mistake. Additionally, when the enemy tries to cast abilities on the creeps, you can pull them back by re-aggroing, forcing your opponent to chase them even further.

On the other hand, if your hero is weaker on the lane, a successful block can be a lifesaver. It allows you to take advantage of the tower’s health regeneration and armor, which is incredibly valuable. In this position, you’re attacked much less frequently: you stay in the back and only approach the creeps to land the finishing blow. By comparison, if you were standing up front and constantly running back and forth, you’d be much more vulnerable.

The main idea when finishing off creeps under an enemy tower isn’t to try to get a deny, but to prevent your opponent from landing the last hit. Often, trying not to let the creep die actually allows your opponent to finish it off.

Your goal is simply to force the enemy to make a mistake. Denai have been nerfed to the point where they no longer provide a significant advantage. The only truly meaningful benchmark is three denai over three waves, because in that case, the opponent won’t reach level three after the third wave.

At a certain stage of the game, holding the wave becomes disadvantageous. Pushing forces the enemy to react or makes the situation on your side lanes safer. Therefore, against heroes like Primal Beast or, for example, Ember Spirit—if you’re playing Huskar—holding the lane is no longer advisable—it gives them the opportunity to gank.