We take a look at how the meta around Dota 2 patch 7.35 is shaping up after the wrap up of the qualifiers for two premier tournaments.
Image: Lothrean on DeviantArt
It seems like the Dota 2 community has been hit by a lot of professional games out of nowhere after there being a dearth of games for a few weeks. The BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 qualifiers paired with the DreamLeague Season 22 qualifiers meant there would be a lot of games on display in a short window.
A total of 343 games were played across all seven Dota 2 regions for the two sets of qualifiers. These were the first professional games on Dota 2 patch 7.35 for which the players had had time to digest the patch. For ESL One Kuala Lumpur, the patch dropped in the middle of the tournament and teams were just trying stuff based on initial impressions. But in the recent qualifiers, the teams came well-prepared. So analyzing the games based on the BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 and DreamLeague Season 22 qualifiers will give us a good idea of how the meta is shaping up. All the data has been taken from datDota.
Most Picked Heroes
A look at the 15 most picked heroes from the two sets of qualifiers brings up names that haven't been heard of in a while in the competitive scene. Ember Spirit, Techies and especially Mars were missing for a while from the meta, but they have returned. Ember Spirit has returned with a new skill build than what we have been accustomed to in the last few years.
A general observation is that universal heroes are making a small comeback of sorts. Vengeful Spirit, Techies, Pangolier (will this hero ever not be in the meta?!), Magnus, Phoenix and Batrider all make an appearance in the top 10 most picked heroes of the qualifiers. Dota 2 patch 7.33 was ruled by universal heroes. But they got nerfed into oblivion in patch 7.34. It seems like universal heroes might have found a balanced middle ground in patch 7.35.
While most heroes in the most picked list have above average win rates, the three that stick out are Batrider, Magnus and Windranger, who all have win rates around the 58% mark, that too with a significant number of games to their name. All of them are universal heroes! Better keep an eye out on them in the next few weeks.
(taken from datDota)
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Most Contested Heroes
The most picked list of heroes often doesn’t unveil the complete picture. A lot of heroes get banned in the majority of the games, which is why they aren’t too high in the pick list. Looking at the most contested heroes sheds more light on which heroes the teams deem strong. In this case, Doom and Timbersaw are the names that stick out, with both heroes contested in over 85% of the games. Most of those are bans.
(taken from datDota)
Doom and Timber have always been strong and highly contested heroes in the recent past. But they got the short end of the stick in Dota 2 patch 7.34, and rightly so. But with a few buffs in patch 7.35, the two behemoths are back to terrorizing players in professional games. Timbersaw already received a nerf in patch 7.35b, and a few more might be on the horizon for these two in the next balance patches.
(taken from Dota 2 Wiki)
(taken from Dota 2 Wiki)
The heartening thing to see is that other than Doom and Timbersaw, there aren’t any other heroes above the 80% mark for contest rate. In a lot of metas, there are a bunch of heroes in that slot which get picked and banned a little too often and are seen in most games. The current meta, at least till now, has been relatively diverse.
Heroes with the Highest Win Rates (picked in at least 40 games)
Often, there are heroes that are picked in very specific circumstances, and they tend to excel there. These heroes can be found by looking at the highest win rate heroes with a certain number of games under their belt. For heroes picked in at least 40 games, some unseen names like Hoodwink, Troll Warlord and Keeper of the Light pop up. These heroes are picked only by specific teams, which is why they don’t get banned out too often. But after seeing win rates of over 60%, they will get due attention in the premier tournaments that are coming up, and we might see them contested more often.
(taken from datDota)
When the list for heroes with the highest win rates was filtered with a criterion of being picked in a minimum of 30 games, the only change was Lifestealer replacing Ember Spirit in the final slot (30 games picked, 17 wins, 56.67% win rate).
Neglected Heroes
In the 343 games played, a total of 122 heroes were picked, which shows that there is a lot of experimentation happening in the meta. But of the 124 heroes, there were 26 heroes that were picked in less than 5 games. Only two heroes were not picked even in a single game – Bristleback and Phantom Assassin.
A lot of these heroes were absolutely dominant in Dota 2 patch 7.34 and especially at TI12. Bristleback, Chaos Knight, Dazzle, Wraith King and the likes have had their fun in recent times. But a lot of others like Sand King and Shadow Fiend have been on the sidelines for a while now. These heroes could do with a few buffs in the next balance patches.
(taken from datDota)
Distribution of Games Based on Time
The average game time in the two sets of qualifiers was 38:14. If the distribution of games based on time is analyzed, it can be seen that game time has reduced for Dota 2 patch 7.35 as compared to Dota patch 7.34.
At TI12, over 54% of the games went over 40 minutes, which is a significant amount. For the BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 and DreamLeague Season 22 qualifiers, that number was slightly less than 41%. That is a sizable drop.
Even though Dota 2 patch 7.35 has been in the game for a month, it is relatively nascent. Teams are still finding the best heroes and strategies. The true colors of the patch will be on display when the best teams in the world meet in Dubai in February 2024.
