The Riyadh Masters has been a whirlwind, with six action-packed days of Dota 2 already behind us. The initial two days consisted of the intense play-ins, followed by four more days of thrilling group stage matches. Now, as the playoffs approach, it's time to analyze the hero statistics from the Riyadh Masters group stage and assess the impact of patch 7.33e on the teams' strategies. All the statistics mentioned here are sourced from datDota.
- Total matches played: 117
- Total number of unique heroes picked: 98
- Number of heroes left unpicked or unbanned: 19
Most picked heroes:
- Rubick: 53 games played, 24 wins, 45.28% win rate
- Snapfire: 43 games played, 23 wins, 53.43% win rate
- Storm Spirit: 39 games played, 22 wins, 56.41% win rate
Most contested heroes (picked or banned):
- Snapfire: Appeared in 102 games, 87.93% contest rate
- Timbersaw: Appeared in 93 games, 80.17% contest rate
- Undying: Appeared in 91 games, 78.45% contest rate
Most banned heroes:
- Undying: Banned in 91 games
- Broodmother: Banned in 87 games
- Bloodseeker: Banned in 82 games
Heroes with the highest win rate (played in 20 or more games):
- Keeper of the Light: 23 picks, 65.22% win rate
- Io: 20 picks, 60.00% win rate
- Ember Spirit: 21 picks, 57.14% win rate
Heroes with the lowest win rate (played in 20 or more games):
- Doom: 23 picks, 39.13% win rate
- Terrorblade: 25 picks, 40.00% win rate
- Timbersaw: 25 picks, 42.86% win rate
The top heroes from the Bali Major have taken a backseat in the Riyadh Masters. Heroes like Techies, Pugna, Morphling, and Medusa, while still picked, are no longer the preferred choices in the early phases as they were a few weeks back. Instead, we observe the continued prominence of heroes that were highly contested even before the tournament began. This lack of surprises is not unexpected since patch 7.33e did not provide significant buffs to any particular heroes. However, one hero that has clearly thrived in this environment is Snapfire, enjoying the spotlight as the most contested hero in the tournament. Teams are utilizing her in various positions, both as a core and support.
Interestingly, the list of unpicked heroes in both tournaments bears a striking resemblance. Nevertheless, there are glimmers of hope as heroes like Keeper of the Light and Razor, who didn't find much success in patch 7.33d, have now emerged as notable contenders. While they might not be numerous, we could still witness a few surprises during the playoffs.
