It's not for everybody, but I like it because of the amount of strategy that's involved. You kind of portray the importance of the picking phase as a bad thing, but to me it's actually one of the coolest things about the game, and an advantage it has over other MOBAs. I can get a massive advantage over my opponents before the game even starts.
For example:
Are you playing with a friend?
If yes - Create a really powerful and fun duo lane which scales well into the lategame and wreck face.
If no -
Do you need a jungler?
If yes -
Do they a lot of squishy heroes? Pick Axe.
Do they have a lot of carries/little anti-push? Pick Lycan.
Does your team have a powerful teamfight/aoe composition? Pick Enigma.
If no -
Do you need a solo offlaner?
If yes -
Do you need strong teamfight potential? Pick Tidehunter.
Do you need a strong single target disable? Pick Beastmaster.
Do you need a powerful escape mechanism? Pick Windrunner.
And on and on and on.
Literally with my pick, I can change the entire course of the game because I'm simultaneously countering them and complementing my team to a high degree.
In the other MOBAs, from what I've experienced, this just isn't possible. I mean it's nice in Strife to just be able to pick whatever the hell you want, but it also takes a lot of the strategy out of the game as well. In fact, in most MOBAs it's just a case of picking "x hero for x role". It's really as shallow as that. There may be some soft counters, but nothing to the extent in which counters can affect the game in DotA.
I can understand how overwhelming all of this may be for a person who has little familiarity with the entire roster of ~100 heroes, but for someone who has played the game extensively, it's quite enjoyable.
In terms of the fight pacing, I have to agree with you there. DotA fights can be over within a matter of seconds. Then again, it's the only game I know of in which fights can last upwards of 5 minutes as well. Because of the built-in buyback and TP mechanics, you can have a battle that just rages on and on and on, which is absolutely hilarious to watch and participate in. I've never really seen this kind of opportunity in the other game.
Another aspect of DotA's "high lethality" mechanics is the psychological mind games that go along with that. For example, over a period of 10 years, I've recognized that one of the most important aspects of playing the game has nothing to do with your technical skill at all, but the ability to get into your opponent's mind. Certain actions, positions, and behavior will, depending on the hero, make the average player consider you more of a threat than others. Once you learn how the enemy thinks, you can exploit this kind of psychology to your own advantage. DotA spells may be lethal, but they aren't infinite. In the end, both sides have to pick "high priority" targets to shoot the first volley at, then wait again until their spells recharge to do it again. Usually somebody (or somebodies) will die in that initial burst, leaving the remaining players to finish the battle.
Ensuring that you don't die in that initial burst, by making yourself seem like a less important target, and by having great positioning, can improve your ability to contribute to any given game. On the flip side, if it's a game in which you are doing well, your opponents will begin to fear you. In this scenario, they are often afraid to provoke you or focus you, in the fear that it will be a waste of time or that you will attack them first! It's two sides of the same coin. Use your situation to have a psychological advantage over your opponent and exploit it to the fullest.
Conversely, some heroes WANT to be attacked. When I pick Axe, sure, I may jump in and be bursted into oblivion, but with my trust Blademail activated, and my Counter Helix spinning at full speed, the enemy team will have maimed themselves in the process, leaving my team the opportunity to clean up the mess. Pugna loves the initial burst. Let me lay down my Nether Ward and watch the fireworks as your own spells turn against you.
I just don't find this level of strategy or psychological warfare in the other games. Perhaps it's just because I'm less familiar with them, but I also think that the added complexity of DotA, as frustrating as it may be for beginners, offers more to those who have the patience to stick with it.
