Dota 2’s The International has finally arrived, and with it, a completely new hero meta. With so many players—both casual and professional—tuning in to watch the very best battle it out for the Aegis of Champions.
A certain hero pick at TI can define Dota’s meta for months after the event concludes as fans flock to the game hoping to emulate their favorite players and teams’ strategies, and there are a few heroes we believe will truly take over in Seattle over the next few weeks as we aim to crown a Dota 2 champion for 2023.
Here are our picks for which Dota 2 heroes will leave a mark at TI 2023.
Our tips for the most-picked Dota 2 heroes at TI 2023
Core: Chaos Knight
We’re looking forward to seeing a little more Chaos Knight after the hero received a significant buff to his passive Chaos Strike in Patch 7.34d last week. CK has quietly garnered a handful of buffs since 7.33’s New Frontiers patch and has climbed to the top of the charts for win rate at Immortal rank and above, according to stats site Spectral.
We’re not 100 percent sure he’ll become the carry of the tournament, but given his ability to flex into the offlane and his now ridiculous creep damage crit multiplier helping him farm, CK is sure to make a few appearances.
Core: Faceless Void
Another TI staple, Faceless Void is poised to make an impact in Seattle this week. Recording six wins from nine games at DreamLeague Season 21, Darkterror avoided any major changes after 7.34. Chronosphere is arguably one of the most powerful abilities in Dota 2, and in the right hands, can turn a game on its head immediately. Expect Void to make an impact—especially following nerfs to Phantom Assassin and Sven.
Core: Wraith King
In a world where tanky Strength carries are meta, why not pick one that can reincarnate? Wraith King is in a prime position to enter the TI meta after back-to-back buffs to the stun duration of Wraithfire Blast and huge boosts to his summoned Skeletons. All eyes will be on known WK master Héctor “K1” Rodríguez at nouns who surely will pick the carry early on. Should he succeed, many others may just follow suit.
Mid: Pangolier
Pangolier has become a staple in the pro scene and has made a tremendous impact at TI since his reveal in 2017. We don’t think a minor reduction of Swashbuckle damage via the 7.34d patch will be enough to knock Pango down given how well it combos with items like Diffusal Blade, which are incredibly handy in a “health” meta. We’ll probably see a slight drop in pick rate, but Pango should be alive and well at TI.
Mid: Huskar
Unpicked at DreamLeague but banned 13 times in Riyadh, Huskar has the opportunity to return to pro Dota at the pinnacle event this week thanks to steady buffs to his kit over the past few months. 7.34d’s recent adjustment increased the duration of his Burning Spear damage over time by another second, and coupled with his high strength gain, should make him a menace in the hands of pros in this event. A bold claim, but given his above-average win rate at high Ranked this patch, Dota’s best can’t ignore him for long.
Offlane: Nature’s Prophet
Ah, everyone’s favorite rat Nature’s Prophet. The versatility on offer with NP remains his most potent feature, but we expect he’ll be assisting via the offlane at TI. Valve definitely overbuffed Sprout in 7.34 and while they’ve nerfed it since, his ability to appear anywhere via Teleportation and his solid stat growth make him as powerful as ever. Expect NP to leave a mark on TI 2023.
Offlane: Brewmaster
Brewmaster was the most contested hero at DreamLeague Season 21 last fortnight, managing an 80 percent win rate from 10 picks if it ever got through the ban phase (which it rarely did). Fluctuating between a carry and an offlaner, we think the 7.34d nerfs to his crit multiplier and ultimate wasn’t enough to knock him out of TI contention, and will likely see him slot back into the offlane role full-time.
Support: Ancient Apparition
Ancient Apparition is also a staple of plenty of past TI’s and has really come into his own as the season has progressed. His ultimate Ice Blast is especially effective during this meta given how tanky heroes have become. Preventing the ability to heal plus effectively dealing over 10 percent of a hero’s max HP as damage thanks to his Shatter effect means this ice-cold support is bound to pop up over the coming weeks.
Support: Treant Protector
Treant Protector is the hottest commodity as far as Dota supports go this season, and after stomping over the meta at DreamLeague Season 21, this familiar treefolk is sure to make an appearance at TI. He copped a couple of Patch 7.34d nerfs but sported a remarkable 53 percent Dotabuff win rate and 75 percent win rate at DreamLeague. Rooftrellen will be sure to pop up throughout many drafts this week.
Support: Earth Spirit
Patch 7.34 was kind to Earth Spirit, who thrives in the hands of a seasoned pro. The changes to Rolling Boulder and spell damage amplification saw Kaolin’s win rate fly back up in the lead-up to the end of the pro Dota season, and he’s been a go-to pick for pro supports at many TI’s previously. Nerfs to Rolling Boulder in 7.34d won’t keep this golem down.
