Defense of the Ancients/YMMV


 * Abridged Arena Array/Adaptation Displacement: Many people play Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne just for DotA. World of Warcraft notwithstanding.
 * Also, this wasn't the very first DotA version ever made - it's just the most popular (and most frequently updated). As to comparing it with other versions of DotA.
 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: This is a MOBA.
 * Base Breaker: Deny. Either part of the metagame that people should do, or a Scrappy Mechanic that encourages the "Make the game as unfair as possible for the other team" mentality.
 * There are *lots* of mechanics that fit into this category, usually mechanics similar to denials that were either bugs, or unintentional side-effects of the Warcraft 3 engine. Most of them are kept in because the devs and lots of players believe it adds skill, but many still believe they're arbitrary.
 * Catharsis Factor: Got trashed in a legit match? Start a single-player game in a bot-available version, select the heroes that just kicked your (team's) ass, turn on God Mode and kick THEIR asses.
 * Complacent Gaming Syndrome: To the point where some skilled  DotA: Allstars  players have some degree of difficulty playing in Ladder.
 * This picture best illustrates this phenomenon within DotA: All-stars itself. (NSFW)
 * Crowning Music of Awesome: as of version 6.60, "-music special".
 * Ear Worm: That Scandinavian DotA song.
 * This one too, if you can understand it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U Gl JICZ 35 ks&fmt=18
 * It's actually a song about how someone loves DotA more than his significant other.
 * Fan Dumb: This is a MOBA.
 * Game Breaker: Item pooling. Recently nerfed. Also backdooring (no, not THAT backdooring) and cutting off your opponent's supply of creeps (the latter is debatable). The Fun Tavern (only available in versions where you can team up with and battle the AI) reveals that some heroes of past versions were even more broken.
 * Backdooring was never a gamebreaker. People just didn't like it.
 * A lot of items can be game breakers if you manage to get them early enough in the game before everyone else is buff enough to handle them; some particularly nasty examples are the Armlet of Mordiggian, Diffusal Blade, Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse, and the newly buffed Agahnim's Scepter.
 * And, historically, a number of heroes have been this, due to the honest mistake of being overpowered when they were introduced. This Troper can only remember the Moon Rider (whose Beam Spam has already been described) and the Sand King (who, come to think of it, can still stun you / slow you / shove his tail up your bum for the win, just not as quickly), but undoubtedly there have been others both before and since.
 * Also just recently, the Tauren Chieftain and the Batrider with Radiance... and a little before that, Kunkka.
 * Germans Love David Hasselhoff: This is the biggest multiplayer game in the Philippines, much like how Starcraft is popular in Korea.
 * See Ear Worm above - they even made a song based on DotA. You know Basshunter? That was one of his first hits.
 * Good Bad Bugs: DotA 2 Beta once had a bug that allow spectator to control bots. Thankfully Valve fixed this.
 * Hell Is That Noise: "FOR KHAZ MODAN!" is either this, or Most Wonderful Sound, depending on whether or not the source is on your side or not.
 * The distinctive roar of a Mask of Madness being activated after being charged by a Spiritbreaker.
 * "OUR BRETHREN'S TOWN IS UNDER ATTACK"
 * The sounds of any enemy windwalk.
 * And more recently "THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS."
 * AHHHHHHHH FRESH MEAT!
 * In DotA 2, SILENCE! SI-SI-SI-SILENCE!
 * Griefer: DotA 2 has a terrible problem with people who leave the game. It's slightly nullified in that if someone leaves, the game declared unfair and lets other players leave without penalty, but in this usually just makes the situation for a losing team worse.
 * Paranoia Fuel: The Night Stalker's story indicates that he is supposed to inspire this in others. On the meta level, a good ganking team can make the other side afraid to leave their base for fear of death, allowing the carry to farm in peace.
 * Of particular note is the Stealth Assassin. Have sharp eyes, because he has an Invisibility Cloak and more often than not can Back Stab you to death in under three seconds (So does any other hero with an invisibility ability).
 * Miss mid/nh nh nh nh nh nh nh nh nh nh...
 * Bloodseeker.
 * Scrappy Mechanic: Same Hero, Only Mid, and the server chooses Lord of Olympia / Warlock / Goblin Techies. What fun.
 * Also add All Random and No Powerups, among others. The former is usually only played with friends; anyone playing the latter is "automatically" a Scrub.
 * What happens if someone leaves? They trash the whole game.
 * Scrub: Most players starting out play like this: either their attitude improves or they get worse.
 * Usually they get worse first, due to finding some league/tournament rules, afterwards some of them get the attitude improvement.
 * "Stop Having Fun!" Guys: This is a MOBA.
 * Suffers Newbies Poorly: Both in terms of the gameplay AND the player base. It doesn't help that if you play poorly, you will bring your team down by giving lots of gold and XP to your foes. If you do, expect cries of 'noob' and people demanding you to kill yourself.
 * They Changed It, Now It Sucks: (Almost) Anytime a remake of a skill or hero occurs, even one that allows the "victim" to become competitively viable, someone somewhere will cry foul.
 * There's still some noise being made over Valve's remake as well.