Dota 2: Nature's Prophet, Ancient Apparition dominate ESL One Raleigh metagame

If you're following the Dota 2 pro metagame to help you improve in pubs, then read on as we break down the recently-concluded ESL One Raleigh meta.

ESL One Raleigh 2025 wrapped up on Monday (14 April) with PARIVISION hoisting the trophy in front of the North Carolina crowd, reigning over regional rivals Team Spirit. As the biggest Dota 2 LAN event of the year so far, ESL One Raleigh shaped the early competitive meta, with teams bringing out their best cards to get an edge. 

A total of 90 games were played over seven days, featuring 96 out of 125 available heroes. So, which heroes stood out the most? We've identified the top picks of the tournament, ones you're likely to keep seeing not just in pro matches but also in your everyday pub games. 

While the tournament's overall metagame unfolded similarly to that of the Group Stage meta, there were a few twists that kept things interesting. We’ve broken down all the essential stats and trends for you below.

Most Popular Heroes

There were several standout heroes at ESL One Raleigh, but none quite reached the impact of Ancient Apparition (AA). The support hero dominated the tournament with an incredible 76% win rate, appearing in 29 games and receiving 57 bans, the best overall performance of any hero. It’s no surprise that AA was the go-to pick for champions PARIVISION, who played the hero 10 times, while most other teams picked him no more than three times.

If it weren’t for the sheer power of bans, we might have seen a very different hero dominate the meta. Nature’s Prophet (NP) was simply too strong to be let loose on the battlefield, leading most teams to remove him during the first-phase bans. He ended up being the most banned hero of ESL One Raleigh, banned in 82 out of 90 games and contested in 99% of matches.

When it comes to raw pick numbers, Tiny takes the crown as the most picked hero, appearing in 41 games. He was closely followed by the typically reliable support pick, Jakiro, with 40 picks. However, Tiny had the upper hand in performance, boasting a 56% win rate. The hero was a common pick for top teams like PARIVISION (seven picks), Team Liquid (seven picks), and BetBoom Team (five picks), showing his flexibility in filling in roles regardless of the team’s respective strategies.

Here are the five most contested heroes, including their picks, bans, and win rate:

Top Heroes By Role

Let’s break down the best-performing and most popular hero picks by role at ESL One Raleigh. While some of these heroes may not dominate the overall meta, they’ve proven to be highly effective within their specific positions.

We may have highlighted Sven and Gyrocopter as the best carry heroes during the Group Stage, but Templar Assassin surged in pick rate and performance throughout the Playoffs, earning her the crown instead. While she was the second most-picked carry hero with 19 picks, just behind Phantom Assassin’s 22, Templar Assassin's impact was more evident, especially in the hands of top-tier players. 

The top carry heroes of ESL One Raleigh:

Notably, Team Spirit’s Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk and PARIVISION’s Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov each played the hero to perfection, with two and four picks respectively, and both maintaining a flawless 100% win rate on her. Despite Phantom Assassin having a strong 63% win rate, it’s Templar Assassin’s better win rate that earns her the spotlight.

The top mid lane heroes of ESL One Raleigh:

The mid lane at ESL One Raleigh was led in popularity by Storm Spirit, who saw the highest number of picks at 26. However, in terms of performance, he fell short compared to the two standout mids that followed, Tiny and Ember Spirit. Both heroes delivered better results, with Tiny achieving a 56% win rate across 22 picks, while Ember Spirit impressed with a remarkable 74% win rate from 19 games.

The top offlane heroes of ESL One Raleigh:

The offlane pool at ESL One Raleigh lacked standout performers, as expected, as the meta had gradually shifted away from dominant offlane picks. The most commonly picked offlaners were Centaur Warrunner (18 picks), Dark Seer (18 picks), and Sand King (17 picks). However, all three had relatively lackluster win rates, with only Sand King barely breaking even at a 52% win rate. Surprisingly, the most effective offlaner turned out to be Bristleback, who not only saw 14 picks but also achieved an impressive 64% win rate.

The top position 4 support heroes of ESL One Raleigh:

As is often the case, support heroes are frequently interchangeable between positions 4 and 5, so overlap is expected. However, when focusing on pure position 4 picks, Ringmaster edged out Keeper of the Light in terms of impact. While both heroes yielded identical stats, with 27 picks and a 59% win rate, Ringmaster seemed more influential in the Playoffs, even making it into PARIVISION's final drafts and ultimately proving instrumental in their victory.

The top position 5 support heroes of ESL One Raleigh:

Meanwhile, the position 5 meta remained largely unchanged, with AA holding the top spot at 22 picks and a dominant 77% win rate. As AA was often banned, teams frequently turned to Jakiro, who remained a reliable fallback with 25 picks and a respectable 50% win rate.

ESL One Raleigh 2025 took place from 7 to 13 April in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was the first ESL One event to be hosted in the United States since ESL One New York in 2015. The final three days of the tournament were played in front of a live crowd in the Raleigh Convention Center.

For Dota 2 match results and updates on the go, don't forget to check out our Telegram channel.