After several weeks of epic battles, DreamLeague Season 26 ended, and PARIVISION won yet another event. This tournament was slightly more interesting than the previous ones because we saw 3 different patches while it was on.
It’s safe to say that the 7.39 Dota 2 patch changed the game from the ground up. Teams had to adapt fast, so we saw some exciting picks. To make everything even more interesting, the last couple of matches were played on the 7.39b, the small patch that nerfed specific heroes.
We saw numerous intriguing picks and stats, so let’s review some of the things you missed.
Contents
Shadow Shaman was on Another Level
If we analyse the most popular heroes at DreamLeague Season 26, we will see that Shadow Shaman leads the chart. The hero appeared in 96 matches, which puts him miles ahead of the 2nd-most popular hero on the list. Needless to say, SS was the go-to support at this event and even secured a 53% win rate.
The reason why Shadow Shaman was so popular was because of his CC and push potential. The hero is incredibly hard to play against because he has Hex and Shackles that allow him to control 2 opponents at the same time. On top of that, he is also great for pushing because of his ultimate.
To be fair, we expected the Spring Forward update to nerf Shadow Shaman a lot, but this was not the case. Instead, his Massive Serpent Ward facet got buffed, and the ability prioritizes heroes when they are in range. Considering the hero’s current state, we expect to keep seeing him in action.
Templar Assassin Dominated, but she is Most Likely out of the Meta
There are a couple of heroes that have been around for a couple of months, and TA is one of them. She was among the best midders/safe lane carries before the 7.39 patch, so it’s no surprise pro players picked her all the time. Sadly, it seems like her reign is over because the newest Dota 2 patch nerfed her core abilities.
Before talking about the nerfs, however, we have to mention that TA’s performance at DL S26 was impressive. The hero finished the event as the most successful name in terms of win rate (80%). Moreover, TA became the most banned hero at the tournament.
Her crazy stats and the fact that she’s been very strong in pubs have led to two substantial nerfs. 7.39 reduced Meld’s offensive capabilities, whereas 7.39b made Refraction less powerful than before. Consequently, TA’s laning stage is not as strong as before, and she will likely exit the meta. It will be interesting to follow the next big Dota 2 event.
Terrorblade Continues to be Among the Most Popular Carries
If you follow any big Dota 2 tournament, you will find many similarities in terms of popular heroes. Most names will be on and off, based on the meta, but some heroes are present all the time. It seems like Terrorblade is one of them because he became the most popular carry at DreamLeague Season 26.
Following the end of the event, we can see that Terrorblade appeared in 73 matches in total. With that said, his win rate is not that impressive because it sits at 45%, a lot lower than some of the other carries that we got the chance to see.
Due to his popularity, it is no surprise that Terrorblade received 2 nerfs in 7.39 and 7.39b. Aside from how lower base HP regen, Dark Unity, the hero’s innate ability, now has a 60% penalty instead of 50%. Considering these changes, we would not be surprised if teams decide to focus on other carries in the future. TB is just not as good as he once was, but he still offers one of the best team fight and pushing capabilities in the game.
Ember Spirit’s win Rate was Higher Than Usual
Since the 7.39 patch is relatively new, we are not 100% sure about the current meta yet. With that said, something that surprised us a lot after DreamLeague Season 26 was Ember Spirit’s win rate.
If we check the stats, we will see that Ember’s win rate was 64% and he played in 39 matches. This makes him significantly more successful than some of the top midders in the meta, such as Storm Spirit.
Going back to the current meta, Ember Spirit received a buff in 7.39. His Chaing Gang facet increases the number of bonus units from 1 to 2 and the unit count from 3 to 4. Since this change happened after Ember’s successful run at DL S26, we would not be surprised if the hero becomes the new dominating midder.
Dark Seer Could be out of the Meta
Dark Seer has been one of the stable offlane picks for some time now. Prior to the Spring Forward update, the hero worked very well alongside almost everyone. He had (still has up to a point) amazing team fight capabilities, but the last nerfs will most likely push him away from the meta.
If we check the results at DreamLeague Season 26, we will see that DS had a 57% win rate. It seems like Valve is keeping an eye on everything because DS received two nerfs in 7.39 and 7.39b. The fact that Ion Shell lasts several seconds less than before may not seem like a big nerf, but the truth is that it can be a huge problem. This decreases DS’s overall effectiveness and damage output.
Also, his ultimate has less AoE than before, making it harder for him to land his combos.
Conclusion
DreamLeague Season 26 was a unique event in many ways, but now it is time to focus on the next big tournaments. The International 2025 qualifiers are about to begin soon, and we at Blix.gg will offer you everything you need to know. We expect to see an epic battle across all regions.
