BLAST Slam VI is over, and DreamLeague Season 28 is about to begin today (February 16). After we saw how Team Liquid dismantled Natus Vincere in the Grand Final, it’s time for our first BLAST Slam VI meta recap. This article will go over the top picks and bans, the most and least successful heroes, and the names we did not see in action.
Across dozens of matches featuring 12 top-tier teams from multiple regions, the event offered one of the clearest looks yet at how Patch 7.40c is shaping the competitive landscape. With DreamLeague Season 28 set to be played on the same patch, these trends could directly influence one of the most important tournaments of the season.
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Biggest Meta Trends at BLAST Slam VI
Before diving deep into the top picks, bans, and success rate of the heroes in this Dota 2 Patch 7.40c meta analysis, there are a few key aspects to address. Now that BLAST Slam VI is over, these are the meta trends to keep in mind:
- Teams tend to prioritise tempo supports
- Zoo offlaners are in decline
- There is not that much priority on hard scaling carries
- Roshan control is a key
Most Picked Heroes at BLAST Slam VI
| Hero | Picks | Win Rate |
| Tiny | 39 | 38.46% |
| Jakiro | 38 | 52.63% |
| Mars | 33 | 48.48% |
| Shadow Demon | 28 | 50% |
| Largo | 28 | 46.43% |
Starting with the top BLAST Slam VI picks, Tiny is leading the way with 39 pick rate. The hero was a constant threat to everyone, as teams used him in the position 4 role. With that said, Tiny’s win rate is not impressive at all because the hero managed only a 39% win rate with 15 victories and 24 losses. He was a popular pick because of his early skirmish power, flex potential and strong burst damage.
Number two on the list is Jakiro, and he had just 1 fewer pick rate (38 matches). Unlike Tiny, however, this soft support got a 52.63% win rate, making him one of the most successful picks. Jakiro proved to be an excellent choice for teams that value pushing and team fights.
The third-most-popular pick at BLAST Slam VI was Mars, who played in 33 matches. Mars has been in the meta for several months now, but it seems like most teams are aware of how to deal with him because of his stats. Mars only secured a 48.48% win rate, but he remains a solid choice for the offlane.
Least Picked and Unpicked Heroes at BLAST Slam VI
Most big Dota 2 tournaments let us see almost all the heroes in action. Well, it seems like BLAST Slam VI was different because there were a total of 34 heroes that did not receive a single pick. Some of them include Medusa, Oracle, Wraith King, and Witch Doctor.
Aside from that jaw-dropping number, there are loads of others that received between 1 and 3 picks. Some of them include Pangolier, Sniper, Pugna and Lina. Interestingly, the latter won all of their games, so we wouldn’t be surprised if we see them at the upcoming DreamLeague Season 28.
Highest Win Rate Heroes at BLAST Slam VI (5+ Games Played)
| Hero | Picks | Win Rate |
| Earth Spirit | 6 | 83.33% |
| Treant Protector | 13 | 76.92% |
| Dark Seer | 8 | 75% |
| Underlord | 22 | 72.73% |
| Slardar | 8 | 72.73% |
Before sharing the names of the heroes that impressed us with their results, know that you will only see heroes with 5 or more picks. As mentioned, there are a handful of heroes with a 100% win rate, but they only appeared in a few games.
The first name on the list is Earth Spirit and his jaw-dropping 83.33% win rate. Even though we only saw him in 6 matches, ES seems to slowly creep into the meta, so we think we’ll see more of him.
Next on the list is Treant Protector and his 76.92% out of 13 games. Treant is one of the classic position 5 heroes that can be extremely annoying to play against, and it seems like the current Dota 2 meta suits him well.
Dark Seer is the third name we will include with his 75% win rate out of 8 games. It’s been a while since we saw DS in action in the professional Dota 2 scene, but it’s still early to tell if he is truly back. We’ll have to wait and see.
Other honorable mentions here include Underlord (72.73%), Slardar (72.73%) and Batrider (68.42%).
Lowest Win Rate Heroes at BLAST Slam VI
| Hero | Picks | Win Rate |
| Timbersaw | 13 | 23.08% |
| Beastmaster | 19 | 26.32% |
| Ancient Apparition | 11 | 27.27% |
| Brewmaster | 17 | 29.41% |
| Dark Willow | 15 | 33.33% |
After checking some of the hottest picks at BLAST Slam VI, it’s time to see the names that underperformed. The first one on the list is Timbersaw, and it’s safe to say that he was a huge disappointment. The hero appeared in 13 games and only won 3 of them, meaning his current win rate was 23.08%.
Surprisingly, Beastmaster is next on the list with his 26.32% win rate out of 19 games. It seems like we are finally at a point where BM will leave the offlane as the most dominant hero and give way to heroes like Dark Seer.
Lastly, we have Ancient Apparition with his 27.27% win rate out of 11 matches. AA is among those heroes that are mostly situational, so most people are probably not surprised his stats were not that impressive.
DreamLeague Season 28 Meta Predictions
Since DreamLeague Season 28 starts on February 16 and will be on the same patch, we expect to see similar picks and bans. That said, DL S28 is a much larger tournament that will include more teams from around the world. As you well know, each region has its meta, so we can’t wait to see what everything will look like.
Heroes like Pugna, Lina, and Dark Seer are likely to rise in popularity. Tiny, on the other hand, may not be as popular as he was here because of his win rate. More and more teams seem to figure out how to prevent him from utilizing his power.
