With DreamLeague Season 21 done and dusted, we take a look at the team and hero statistics for the 86 games played.
The International 2023 (TI12) is less than three weeks away, and the final premier tournament before the battle for the Aegis has ended. DreamLeague Season 21 was just a week long ordeal, but it was a week of amazing Dota 2 action, which gave us an idea of what to expect in Seattle at TI12. Even though there might be a small balance patch before the tournament begins, a good chunk of the meta will stay the same.
A total of 86 games were played at DreamLeague Season 21. The reason this tournament is indicative of what to expect at TI12 is that the best teams in the world played for the $1,000,000 prize pool. Let’s take a look at the team and hero statistics for DreamLeague Season 21.
DreamLeague Season 21 Team Statistics
DreamLeague Season 21 Hero Statistics
Total games played: 86
Total heroes picked: 102
Number of heroes unpicked or unbanned: 19
Most picked heroes:
1) Vengeful Spirit (35 games, 19 wins, 54.29% win rate)
2) Shadow Demon (31 games, 11 wins, 35.48% win rate)
3) Warlock (30 games, 15 wins, 50.00% win rate)
Most contested heroes:
1) Pangolier (Picked or banned 95 games 98.84% contest rate)
2) Brewmaster (Picked or banned 95 games 98.84% contest rate)
3) Invoker (Picked or banned 94 games 97.67% contest rate)
4) Sven (Picked or banned 94 games 97.67% contest rate)
Most banned heroes:
1) Invoker (banned in 76 games)
2) Brewmaster (banned in 75 games)
3) Pangolier (banned in 68 games)
Heroes with the highest win rate (15 games or more):
1) Treant Protector (20 picks, 75.00% win rate)
2) Sven (18 picks, 72.22% win rate)
3) Enchantress (15 picks, 66.67% win rate)
Heroes with lowest win rate (15 games or more):
1) Phoenix (20 picks, 35.00% win rate)
2) Shadow Demon (31 picks, 35.48% win rate)
3) Gyrocopter (19 picks, 36.84% win rate)
A total of 102 heroes were picked in the 86 games, which is a sizable number for a tournament this small (in terms of duration and number of games). There were four heroes with insanely high contest rates – Pangolier, Brewmaster, Invoker and Sven. All of them were contested in over 97% of the games, and if a balance patch does arrive, will be the prime candidates for a nerf. Sven had a win rate of over 72% in the 18 games he was picked, which shows why he is such a highly contested hero. The only other carry that comes close to matching the Rogue Knight is Phantom Assassin. In other positions, Treant Protector is turning out to be an insanely strong support, and Pangolier continues to be one of the most sought after mid heroes even after a series of nerfs. All three most picked heroes – Vengeful Spirit, Shadow Demon and Warlock – are names that haven't been popular in the recent metas of the past, and it is heartening to see some new heroes in the mix.
Team Spirit have hit their peak at the right time in the season, winning DreamLeague Season 21, which is a follow up to their triumph at the Riyadh Masters last month. Going to TI12, they will be one of the favourites along with Gaimin Gladiators, who dominated the season up to the Riyadh Masters. Other teams to watch out for in Seattle include BetBoom Team and a surprise contender in Shopify Rebellion, who seemed to have found their groove in the last few weeks. Dota 2 patch 7.34 seems like a relatively diverse patch, and it should make for a fitting TI patch when The International 2023 begins in Seattle on the 12th of October.
