With the TI12 qualifiers done and dusted, we take a look at how the meta around Dota 2 patch 7.34 is shaping up.

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We are on the road to TI12, and the with the distance of the qualifiers traversed, are now on the final stretch for The International 2023 (TI12). Dota 2 patch 7.33 brought massive changes to the way the game is played, and about a month ago, patch 7.34 was released to freshen things up for the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year. This will most probably be the patch on which TI12 is played.

Patch 7.34 has definitely shaken things up quite a bit, and balance patch 7.34b has helped with stabilizing the new meta. Across the six Dota 2 regions (North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, China), a total of 263 games were played on the new patch. Here, we analyze those games to see which heroes are making a mark in the new meta and which ones could maybe use a little help in the next balance patch to be viable. All data has been taken from datDota.

Most picked heroes from the TI12 qualifiers

A look at the 15 most picked heroes from the TI12 qualifiers sheds light on the fact that there are a lot of new heroes gaining popularity in the professional scene. While heroes like Ember Spirit, Rubick and Pangolier have been a mainstay because they are comfort picks for a lot of teams, most of the others are fresh additions.

Amongst carries, Gyrocopter and Sven are the two new flavors of the meta, and both have been performing spectacularly with over 60% win rates! Gyrocopter’s Side Gunner target with Flack Cannon active makes him an even faster farmer, and is basically a better version of Muerta’s Gunslinger in team fights. With Sven, one of the major factors is God’s Strength now providing slow resistance, which has made it difficult to kite him with his ultimate on. And the Rogue Knight is also one of the best wielders of Harpoon, which was introduced to the game in patch 7.33.

Vengeful Spirit, Dawnbreaker, Lion and Phoenix have been picked a lot too, but with not so good win rates. The other two heroes to make waves are Treant Protector and Earthshaker, with Earthshaker topping the win rate in the most picked list with 68.63%! It has often been speculated that IceFrog and Valve buff Earthshaker close to TI for his hype potential, and that seems to be the case this year as well.

Most contested from the TI12 qualifiers

While the most picked heroes do tell a story, the complete picture is uncovered by pairing that story with the most contested heroes. The name that sticks out in the most contested heroes is Nature’s Prophet, who was the most contested hero in the qualifiers and did not make the most played list due to being banned in 200 of the 263 games. This is the result of Sprout now doing damage, which has made him one of the strongest laners in the game. In the 37 games he was picked, Furion’s win rate was over 62%, which probably justifies all the bans against him.

Other notable absentees from the most picked list are Beastmaster, Primal Beast and Naga Siren, who all have bans around the 100 game mark.

Highest win rate heroes from the TI12 qualifiers (picked in at least 20 games)

There are few heroes who slip through the cracks when looking at quantity – heroes that might not have too many games to their name but do exceedingly well in favorable circumstances. A look at the highest win rate heroes shows that Legion Commander is commanding her way to the top as the highest win rate hero of the TI12 qualifiers with a 70% win rate. Heroes like LC, Warlock and Elder Titan are on the brink of being extremely popular meta heroes.

Ignored heroes from the TI12 qualifiers (picked in less than 5 games)

As a new meta brings certain heroes to the surface, there are others who sink to the bottom. But the heart goes out to those heroes that have been at bottom for a long time now. Heroes like Bane, Dazzle, Lone Druid, Omniknight and Slardar have been largely ignored in the professional scene for a long time now, although some of them seem to do well in pubs. Hopefully, at least a few of them will be buffed in the next balance patch.

Dota 2 patch 7.34 has definitely been a breath of fresh air. Even though patch 7.33 brought new terrain with it, a lot of the old heroes continued to be top dogs. Patch 7.34 has changed that, and as we continue on the Road to TI, the balance patches should make things even better for some amazing Dota 2 action in Seattle in October 2023!

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