The International 2025 (TI14) is officially over, with Team Falcons lifting the Aegis for the first time. After analyzing the stats, we noticed something surprising — a number of Dota 2 TI14 unpicked heroes. In this article, we’ll highlight the 5 biggest names among the Dota 2 heroes not picked at TI 2025 and explain why they were ignored.
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All 18 Unpicked Heroes at The International 2025 (TI14 Hero Stats)
With 126 heroes available in Dota 2, we saw nearly everyone in action — but 18 were ignored entirely. Here’s the full list of the least picked heroes at TI14, many of which fans expected to appear.
- Arc Warden
- Drow Ranger
- Legion Commander
- Lich
- Jakiro
- Viper
- Omniknight
- Lina
- Outworld Destroyer
- Phantom Assassin
- Riki
- Skywrath Mage
- Techies
- Treant Protector
- Venomancer
- Visage
- Wraith King
- Witch Doctor
Dota 2 fans who’ve been following the professional scene in 2025 are probably not surprised by some of the names on the list. However, there are several heroes that we definitely expected to be among the TI14 hero bans and picks. Let’s take a look at each one and analyze the reasons why they did not get a single pick.
Jakiro – Too Slow for the Meta
Many of you are probably asking yourselves why Jakiro was unpicked at TI14, and we are with you. If we take a look at some of the earlier events of 2025, such as the DreamLeague Season 25, we can see that he was the most popular hero. Jakiro was the most dominant support in the meta known for his utility-heavy support, but the patches after that made him irrelevant.
Nowadays, Jakiro lacks the mobility and tempo, which prevents him from working in the meta. After checking the TI14 Meta, we can clearly see teams favour the likes of Disruptor, Snapfire and Bane. They are not necessarily more mobile but their abilities are just better suited for the current meta.
This shows why Jakiro became one of the least picked heroes at TI14, despite earlier dominance in the Dota 2 meta 2025
Although Jakiro has the capabilities of disabling enemies, he is not as efficient as Disruptor, for example. He can also do a lot of damage but due to how his abilities work, Snapfire simply does a better job at it. Jakiro shines in prolonged engagements but since The International 2025 was all about fast fights, the hero was just not worth it.
Drow Ranger – Outscaled
If we check the Dota 2 The International 2025 hero stats, we will see that Drow Ranger did not appear in the game. Some people expected her to be among the most picked heroes at TI14 because she has (historically) been a solid option in pro games. However, this did not happen at this year’s TI.
If you’ve watched enough Dota 2, you know that Drow shines when the entire draft is based around her. This works well on paper, but the current TI 2025 meta did not allow it to happen.
Drow Ranger is highly dependent on her positioning and can be easily killed when playing against heroes that can close the gap. Considering that heroes like Sven were very popular, it’s no surprise Drow was not among the strongest heroes at TI14.
Another reason why Drow did not appear at all was her lack of mobility. When you also add the weak laning stage, you can see why there were no Drow Ranger picks at TI14. We wouldn’t be surprised if Valve decides to buff her in the next patch.
Her weak laning and lack of mobility perfectly illustrate why these Dota 2 heroes were ignored at TI14.
Witch Doctor – Outclassed
One of the things that will shock you if you do a Dota 2 TI14 meta analysis is the absence of Witch Doctor. Like Jakiro, WD used to be among the most popular picks in early 2025. His impressive laning stage presence and kill potential made him a solid choice. Sadly, he became one of the most ignored heroes at TI14.
Witch Doctor has a similar issue to Jakiro in terms of his mobility and team-fight position. While his damage output can be impressive, Death Ward is easy to interrupt via silence, stun, and so on. On top of that, Witch Doctor is very fragile and does not work well against the aggressive carries in the meta. Considering that Ursa and Sven are top picks, some are not surprised by the Witch Doctor TI14 stats.
We expect to see meaningful reworks to some of WD’s abilities so that he becomes a better late-game option.
Wraith King – Predictable and Outpaced
The next name that surprised us with the TI14 Hero Pick Rates was Wraith King. Even though he remains one of the strongest PUB carries in terms of win rate, he was among the least popular heroes at TI14.
Wraith King did not appear in a single match because his strengths no longer align with the meta. Most teams prefer explosive carries like Ursa and Sven because they can snowball. WK, on the other hand, is too predictable because he focuses on his ultimate and plays around it. This makes him similar to Terrorblade in a way, but the latter farms faster.
Lina – The Forgotten Star
Lina has always been one of the hot picks in the professional meta. That’s why fans were surprised when they did not see her in the pro Dota 2 drafting stage at TI14.
To be fair, Lina has never been among the Dota 2 meta heroes 2025. It is true that some teams tried using her as a mid-laner/support but it never worked out.
Nowadays, Lina is experiencing an “identity crisis” because she lacks the durability and scalability of similar midders, such as Queen of Pain and Leshrac. As for her support role, she is just too fragile and is outclassed by supports that are more efficient and easier to play.
Conclusion – What’s Next for TI 2025 Unpicked Heroes?
Jakiro, Witch Doctor, Drow Ranger, Wraith King, and Lina are just some of the heroes absent from The International 2025. Although they have proven themselves countless times, each hero fell victim to faster, stronger, and overall better alternatives. Their absence highlights the evolution of the Dota 2 meta 2025. These stats are a reminder of why these Dota 2 heroes were ignored in favor of more flexible and aggressive choices in the TI14 hero stats breakdown.
We expect to see substantial buffs and nerfs once Dota 2’s latest patch arrives soon, and we will most likely see changes to each hero that did not appear at The International 2025.
