Welcome to the thrilling recap of the International Group Stage! The unexpected results, the return of China’s glory, and the dominance of EEU made for an exciting Group Stage. But the Road to TI has just begun, and teams now have several days to re-evaluate their understanding of the meta and adapt to playoffs.
Most Contested
The current patch seems decently balanced, as no hero has over a 90% contest rate. The top three most coveted heroes are Treant Protector, Dazzle, and Pangolier, followed closely by Kunkka and Invoker.
Interestingly, while Dazzle, Treant, Pango, and Invoker are also the top 4 most banned heroes of the Group Stage, Kunkka is often let through, though his win rate isn’t particularly impressive: 43% across 28 games.
In fact, out of the top 5 most contested heroes, only two have a positive win rate. Treant Protector is at a very comfortable 54%, while Dazzle is approaching 70%, though the sample size is very small, with only 13 games. The hero is absolutely worth paying attention to, and he will probably get nerfed after the International.
Overrated Heroes
As mentioned previously, Pangolier isn’t particularly successful, with a 31% win rate across 26 games. Teams will probably re-evaluate this hero, and he is unlikely to be prioritized early in the draft as much.
There is also a save support duo of Vengeful Spirit and Shadow Demon, who aren’t doing too hot. Venge and her 39.4% win rate will probably remain popular, and it doesn’t feel like the hero is weak by any means. Her sub-40% win rate is a bit concerning, but she is still an excellent early stage pick with many bases covered.
Shadow Demon, on the other hand, looks and feels bad. A 28% win rate across 25 games is very telling. The hero is good against self-buff type of heroes, sure, and he can also be powerful in the late game against heroes who rely on passive effects, but for the most part, he just doesn’t get to this point. We fully expect teams to give up on SD and only pick him in some very niche scenarios.
Meta Staples
Several picks really stand out in terms of their popularity and success. The first one should have been obvious for most of our readers: we’ve been hyping up Ancient Apparition ever since the Ice Vortex rework and the professional scene finally caught up to high-level pubs, it seems.
Another standout character is Primal Beast.