Dota 2
Curious to learn more about The International 12 meta? We break down the picks and win rates to see who the winners and losers were in Seattle.
The end of The International 12 means the best teams and players in the world are slowly preparing for the new season. Although we won't have a new DPC, the first big tournament post-TI12 will begin in a month for now. In other words, this month will be full of roster changes.
Usually, Valve releases a reasonably big update a few weeks after TI12 to mark the beginning of the new season. With that said, instead of speculating on what is to come, this article will focus on The International 12 meta and the things happened at our favorite tournament. Let's learn more about the winners and losers and see which heroes stood out.
The International 12 Meta-Analysis — Most Picked Hero
When discussing The International 12 Meta-Analysis, the first and most important thing to mention is the most famous heroes at the tournament. The stats may surprise some of you, especially if you followed the last big Dota 2 updates before TI12.
The first place for the most picked hero with 56 appearances goes to Muerta. Even though the hero wasn’t that big in the TI12 qualifiers and the events after, she was the go-to option at The International. According to the stats, Muerta appeared in 56 matches in the Main Tournament and secured a 50% win rate.
One of the most exciting things about the hero is that many teams used her as a support. Before now, we thought Muerta could only be played as a carry, but some of the best Dota 2 players in the world proved otherwise. Muerta is a solid lane support because of her damaged output.
TI12 Meta-Analysis - Most Successful Hero
After analyzing Muerta's strengths and weaknesses, it's time to point out the most successful hero at TI12. There are numerous heroes with a 100% win rate, but they only had the chance to play in a few matches. However, if we analyze the number of games and the win rates, we can see Dazzle gets the first place.
Dazzle is one of those heroes who is usually pickled when there is a strong carry that needs someone to protect it. Huskar is an excellent example because the Huskar and Dazzle combo has existed for years.
Although many Dota 2 teams at The International 12 used the hero in the support position, some squads used Dazzle as a core. Team Spirit is an excellent example because we saw Dazzle in the mid-lane, and he had little to no problems. The hero is incredibly versatile and can deal much damage, especially for support.
Meta-Analysis TI12 - Least Successful Hero
Image Credit: Valve
There were a lot of heroes at The International 12 who did not win a single game, but they only took part in a few games. When it comes down to the least successful hero at TI12, this title goes to Keeper of the Light. The hero only played in 15 matches, but he won 4, resulting in a 26% win rate, the lowest at TI12.
Keeper of the Light is in a weird position in the current Dota 2 meta. Earlier in 2023, he was a lot stronger in the mid-lane, and a lot of teams used him time and time again when they needed high burst damage and pushing power. However, considering he is fragile, KotL is less valuable than he once was.
Top Carry
Even though we saw a lot of interesting carry heroes at The International 12, one of them was above the rest. Chaos Knight became the most successful carry at TI12 because he appeared in 40 matches during the Main Event. What's impressive is that the hero's win rate is 67.50%, much more than the number 2 on the list.
Almost every Dota 2 team at TI12 used Chaos Knight one way or another. Of course, Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk was above the rest. Team Spirit won The International 12, and Yatoro's Chaos Knight had a crucial role in the triumph. The legendary CIS carry finished the event without losing a single map with CK, which is impressive.
Popular Heroes That Weren’t Picked
Aside from the most popular heroes at the tournament, The International 12 meta-analysis must also share a few words about the heroes who only appeared once or didn’t appear at all.
Starting with Abaddon, even the many buffs before TI12 didn’t affect his popularity because no team wanted to use him. The same applies to Mars and Meepo, two heroes who simply didn’t get the chance to shine.
Something that came as a surprise to Dota 2 fans was Anti-Mage’s lack of presence. He didn’t appear in a single game. The International 12 was full of world-class AM players, yet the hero did not get the chance to shine at all. Even more surprising was AM received substantial buffs before the tournament and even had an impressive increase in his PUB win rate.
Ursa, Timber, and Winter Wyvern also didn’t get a single pick, but these heroes weren’t strong in the meta. That said, Dota 2 fans are shocked that Lion, Drow Ranger, and Shadow Shaman didn’t get any picks either. Usually, we always see these heroes in action, but TI12 was a different story.
The last hero we could not see in a game at TI12's main event was Slardar. The latter also got a few buffs, but he has never been a popular option in the professional Dota 2 scene.
Feature Image Credit: Valve
