Surviving 3k MMR in DOTA 2: tips, tricks, strategies and help

Surviving 3k MMR is a community effort and this is just my contribution to it. These are the tips, tricks, strategies, and help I offer to you. If you want to discuss a certain topic, would like my opinion on how to handle different situations, or just want more posts based on my experience, please let me know by commenting on this post.

Just Arriving - a short list of things to do - and not do - after making it to 3k MMR

Encouraging allies to pick around you - a strategy to ensure you have good team composition

Just counterpick them already - heroes have natural counter so pick them

What to work on to make sure you survive - what to work on to ensure that you can hack it in the 3k MMR Bracket

Making the best of your teams picks by predicting enemy lanes - strategies and tips to apply during the laning stage to put you in the best position to win this phase of the game.

Actively Thinking about what's going on in the game - tips to keep you focused

Finding a Niche - identifying the the hero that needs to be picked and picking it

Don't play a worse something else - thinking critically about what hero would be the best pick for your situation will help you gain MMR

An introduction to carrying - playing the 1 position carry is difficult and requires sound judgement. Use this guide to gain insight into playing this role.