Dota 2 ESL One Raleigh 2025: The best heroes of the Group Stage

Looking to grind some MMR based on the latest meta heroes in professional Dota? We got you covered.

The Group Stage of ESL One Raleigh 2025 has wrapped up, with eight out of the 12 participating teams advancing into the Playoffs. This tournament marks the second major Dota 2 event played on the latest patch, 7.38c, with the first being FISSURE Universe: Episode 4. With more than two weeks since the update’s release, teams have likely had ample time to experiment and refine their strategies, and indeed, the hero meta has ripened compared to what we saw during FISSURE Universe.

Among the 60 total games played, there were plenty of repetitive picks and bans, which easily defined the meta. However, 32 more heroes remain uncontested, which includes some formerly popular heroes like Faceless Void and Weaver. 

If you're looking to grind some MMR based on the latest meta heroes in professional Dota, then here is the Group Stage meta for ESL One Raleigh in a nutshell:

Most picked heroes

Two heroes share the spotlight as the most-picked during ESL One Raleigh’s Group Stage. Jakiro and Tiny both saw 28 picks, with Jakiro edging slightly ahead in bans at 25 compared to Tiny’s 24.

Jakiro, primarily played as a hard support, brings strong laning presence and impactful teamfight potential thanks to his heavy magic damage and AoE abilities. He’s a dependable pick in the support role and serves as an effective counter to many of the current meta core heroes.

With a modest 50% win rate, Jakiro has found more success when played with the Twin Terror Facet. Every team in the tournament picked Jakiro at least once—except for Team Spirit and Nigma Galaxy. BetBoom Team’s Vladislav “Kataomi`” Semenov led the charge with five Jakiro picks.

On the other hand, Tiny’s popularity comes as no surprise. Known to endure patches and updates, Tiny remains a safe and flexible choice across multiple roles. While not necessarily overpowered, his versatility makes him a go-to for many drafts. Interestingly, Spirit is the only team that hasn’t picked Tiny so far in the tournament.

Here are the five most-picked heroes in the ESL One Raleigh Group Stage:

Most banned heroes

Just like in the previous Tier 1 event, FISSURE Universe: Episode 4, Nature’s Prophet continues to be a dominant force in the meta, spending most of ESL One Raleigh behind the ban wall. With a staggering 52 bans, Nature's Prophet became the most banned hero of the tournament. He only slipped through into seven games, winning six of them. Out of all 60 games played so far, Nature’s Prophet was missing in just one, making him not only the most banned, but also the most contested hero of the event.

What makes this hero so powerful? Nature's Prophet packs a punch with a damage-boosting Innate paired with the Ironwood Treant Facet. He’s extremely versatile, has global presence, and is THE hero to rat towers with. Whether he's played in the mid lane or as a carry, he’s arguably the strongest core hero in the current patch. Because of how threatening he is, Nature's Prophet is almost always banned in the first phase–so if you’re hoping to see him in action, good luck!

Here are the five most-banned heroes in ESL One Raleigh:

Highest win rate heroes

Win rate can be a tricky metric to evaluate. Heroes with fewer appearances often show high win rates, sometimes due to anomalies. That said, when filtering for an overall impact, Ancient Apparition stands out as the clear winner. With 19 games played and a strong 79% win rate, he’s proven to be the most successful hero in the current meta.

The icy hero has a powerful spell kit, with magical damage, slows, stuns, and most importantly, its deathblow ultimate that also efficiently provides vision. The hero directly counters paper cores and those with lifesteals and HP-regen dependent nature like Monkey King and Phantom Assassin. It also functions as an anti-tank with its Bone Chill Facet that massively reduces enemy’s Strength, making it a great pick for heroes like Bristleback and Centaur Warruner.

It’s also worth pointing out Ember Spirit’s 80% win rate in 10 games and Nature’s Prophet’s 86% win rate in 7 games. 

Here are the five heroes with the highest win rate (+10 picks) in the ESL One Raleigh Group Stage:

Best heroes in each role

Several other heroes are thriving in the current meta, often excelling in specific roles. In the carry position, Sven stands out with 12 picks and six bans, along with a respectable 58% win rate. Meanwhile, Phantom Assassin holds the title for the most-picked carry with 13 appearances, but her 33% win rate is far less encouraging.

While Tiny has been flexed into multiple roles, mid lane has proven to be his strongest. He was picked 15 times in the mid role, boasting a solid 60% win rate. In contrast, his performance in other roles falls flat, with win rates dipping below 30%.

The offlane features tighter competition, but Sand King claims the spotlight when looking at both popularity and performance. He was picked 11 times with a 55% win rate. Bristleback is another offlaner worth mentioning. He may not have the same number of picks, but his 67% win rate across nine games holds weight.

When it comes to support heroes, plenty are doing well, but Keeper of the Light stands out as a top-performing position 4. With his already strong kit amplified by the Recall Facet, Keeper of the Light became a highly contested pick; 18 times selected, 22 times banned, and delivered a strong 72% win rate. 

The top spot for position 5 belongs to Ancient Apparition. As previously mentioned, his impact on the game is massive, thanks to his ability to shut down several of the most popular core heroes in the current meta. 

ESL One Raleigh continues its Playoffs round today (April 10). We can expect the meta to evolve or perhaps, even remain the same, as teams strategise and adjust. 

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