Dota 2’s The International 2019 group stage
The group stage of Dota 2’s The International 2019 has begun. On the first day, all 18 teams played a series of two matches, totaling 40 games.
Throughout these 40 games, players chose 95 out of the 117 available heroes in the Dota 2 roster. This accounts for 81% of all heroes.
Only 22 heroes were left unpicked throughout the day. Among them, Batrider was the most banned hero, being banned in 18 out of 40 matches. Techies followed with only three bans.
This indicates that the current Dota 2 meta allows for more diverse team compositions and hero picks compared to League of Legends. In the most recent international League tournament, players picked only 56% of the game’s roster.
Some heroes, such as Alchemist, appeared in over 30 matches as either picks or bans. Alchemist was picked in eight matches and banned in 29 matches.
Teams will have another 40 games on the second day of The International 2019 to showcase unique strategies in their drafts.
( Dota 2, The International 2019, group stage, heroes, picks and bans, meta, League of Legends)