The qualifiers for TI13 have just concluded. Let's take a look at the current Dota 2 meta through the lens of the 232 games played during the TI13 qualifiers.
The 2023-2024 Dota 2 season feels like Pangolier’s ultimate – it is rolling by! We have two major Dota 2 tournaments this season: the Riyadh Masters in a few weeks and The International 2024 (TI13) in September in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Before the Riyadh Masters, the TI13 qualifiers took place. The final set of qualifiers ended on June 23rd, with Southeast Asia and Western Europe finalizing the teams that will represent their regions in the fight for the Aegis. Across all six regions (yes, Valve still recognizes six regions, although most tournament organizers consider seven), a total of 232 games were played. This provided the first major dataset on Dota 2 patch 7.36 and offers a good idea of what the meta looks like. After the introduction of innate abilities and facets in patch 7.36, there has been a significant shift in hero preferences, which was evident in the TI13 qualifiers.
Most Picked Heroes from the TI13 Qualifiers
The 15 most picked heroes of the TI13 qualifiers are shown below. This list is quite different from what we saw a few weeks ago, primarily due to the introduction of innate abilities and facets. Facets offer two different pathways to play a hero, and those that can adapt to the game based on the draft are preferred. Alternatively, it could be that one facet is extremely strong.
Dark Willow and Weaver are the two heroes breaking into the three-digit pick club, but many heroes have over 50 picks in the TI13 qualifiers, accounting for more than 20% of the games. It's encouraging to see a mix of heroes from various positions, indicating a balanced meta. Most of these highly picked heroes have win rates above 50%. Pangolier, a long-time meta hero, continues to be highly picked, but apart from him and perhaps Rubick, most heroes have not been seen much in the first half of this season.
Most Contested Heroes from the TI13 Qualifiers
The most played list often tells only half the story. Some heroes don’t make it onto the list because they are banned in the majority of games. In the TI13 qualifiers, these include Templar Assassin, Witch Doctor, and Shadow Fiend. All these heroes have been banned in more than 70% of the games, with Templar Assassin having an astounding contest rate of 98.28% and a ban rate of 91.14%. These are clearly heroes no one wants to play against, meaning they might be worth trying in your pubs if you know how to play them. If there is a balance patch before the Riyadh Masters, the heroes with a contest rate over 70% are probably first in line for nerfs.
Heroes with the Highest Win Rates from the TI13 Qualifiers (at least 20 games)
Certain heroes don’t see many picks but deliver big results when picked in the right circumstances. The list below shows the 10 heroes with the highest win rates, with the sole criterion being that the hero must have been picked in at least 20 games.
There are some impressive win rates here, with six heroes having win rates of 60% or higher. Most of them have over 30 games, with Storm Spirit picked in 55 games. It is refreshing to see typically unseen heroes like Elder Titan, Shadow Fiend, Pudge, Centaur Warrunner, and Dark Seer make this list. The usual suspects like Lifestealer, Razor, and Enchantress need to be nerfed to keep them out of the professional meta for a while.
Neglected Heroes from the TI13 Qualifiers (picked in less than 5 games)
Thirty-three heroes were picked in less than 5 games across all six regions in the TI13 qualifiers. These heroes could use a few buffs, depending on their performance in pubs. Overall, the TI13 qualifiers treated us to a diverse set of games, with 122 heroes picked and only two heroes – Omniknight and Riki – not being picked at all.
Distribution of Games Based on Duration
The distribution of game durations highlights a main issue with the current Dota 2 meta. There is a heavy concentration of games ending between 30 and 50 minutes. While these time brackets typically encompass most games, the balance is usually more even. Dota 2 patch 7.36 is fascinating due to the new abilities it introduced, but the gold and experience formulas remain unchanged, so the gameplay pace hasn't altered much. The current game dynamic favors a 40-minute finish, with high ground still being an extremely challenging task. If IceFrog and Valve can tweak mechanics to make early and late-game strategies more viable, tournaments would become even more enjoyable.
It has been fascinating to witness professional games on Dota 2 patch 7.36, with all the new innate abilities and facets at play at the highest level. The Riyadh Masters begins on July 4th, where we will see the full depths of the new meta explored, with some innovative strategies on display.