The 5 Dota 2 heroes who could define the metagame in the Bali Major
As the last opportunity for teams to earn DPC points, competition in the Bali Major is sure to be fierce. Here are the heroes we think will play a large role.
The Dota 2 Bali Major, the third and final Major of the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season, is almost upon us. From 29 June to 9 July, 18 teams of the best teams in the circuit will be fighting for their cut of the US$500,000 prize pool and 3,500 DPC point pool.
While the skill of the competing players and teams will largely determine the ultimate victor, their drafts, strategies, and understanding of the metagame will also undoubtedly play a large part.
With that, let's take a look at the five heroes that we think will define the meta for the Bali Major.
Our data was gathered from DreamLeague Season 20, the most recent tier 1 tournament that preceded the Major:
Techies
DreamLeague Season 20 stats:
Picked: 83 games, Bans: 102, Win rate: 54.22%
Techies has emerged as THE hero of the current 7.33d patch, thanks in large part to their ability to outright win lanes as a support and control huge swathes of the map.
Because of this, the explosive trio was the most contested hero in DreamLeague Season 20, getting picked or banned in a whopping 93% of the games in that tournament.
Techies has been growing in popularity ever since the release of the massive 7.33 update, which greatly expanded the map and added a bevy of new objectives for teams to control.
The hero's Proximity Mines are especially potent at controlling the Twin Gates and Tormentors, letting his team exert map control and snowball whatever advantage they have built.
As if that didn't make Techies strong enough already, he also boasts stuns, disarms, and massive magic damage output that also scales.
When played right, this hero can outright win lanes in the early game and dominate teamfights in the mid to late game.
We expect Techies to remain the most contested hero in the pro scene for much of the Bali Major. For what he brings to the table, he is simply too good to be ignored.
Morphling
DreamLeague Season 20 stats:
Picked: 68 games, Bans: 107, Win rate: 50%
Morphling has once again taken the mantle of the top carry in the game following the 7.33 update. The reason is simple: he massively counters the newly-added Universal-type heroes.
Universal heroes like Void Spirit and Windranger have been top picks ever since they were re-classified to this new hero type, which gains damage for every stat point they have.
Morphling counters these heroes once he gets Aghanim's Scepter, which lets him steal 20% of a targeted hero's stats when using Replicate.
Losing so much of their stats will weaken any hero, especially Universal ones, not to mention it will empower Morphling himself.
On top of his ability to counter Universal heroes, Morphling has been dominant in the current meta because he remains a hard-hitting carry that can tank everything the enemy team throws at him in a pinch.
As a result, teams have been confident enough to draft him in the first phase if he wasn't banned, knowing he can either counter or draw whatever carry matchup he may have.
With that said, we don't expect Morphling's place atop the meta to remain for much of the Major.
Teams are more inclined to pick counters to the opposing carry instead of a support like Techies, so Morphling should get figured out the longer the tournament drags on.
Timbersaw
DreamLeague Season 20 stats:
Picked: 52 games, Bans: 131, Win rate: 51.92%
Apart from his new Aghanim's Scepter upgrade, which gives Reactive Armor an active component that creates a barrier that explodes after its duration, not much has changed for Timbersaw.
The hero is still the same lane dominator that can snowball out of control, and that's what makes him such a strong pick in the current metagame.
With the increased importance placed on the sidelanes since 7.33 dropped, Timbersaw's ability to win his lane, push out the opposing towers, and demand attention from the enemy (thereby creating space for his other cores) makes him a big problem for the enemy drafter.
That's why he was both the most banned and most contested hero in DreamLeague Season 20.
We expect much of the same in the Bali Major. While Timbersaw is traditionally an offlaner, the hero can also be a strong midlaner in the right draft.
Expect teams picking Timbersaw to mix things up like that in response to any counters offered by the enemy.
Spirit Breaker
DreamLeague Season 20 stats:
Picked: 43 games, Bans: 36, Win rate: 55.81%
Spirit Breaker has quietly charged his way up the meta since 7.33 dropped, first being a sleeper pick during the DPC regional leagues before proving himself as first phase material in DreamLeague Season 20.
One of the reasons why Spirit Breaker has been so good is his versatility, able to take on both support and core roles as the draft demands.
With the hero's ability to set up ganks from across the (now much bigger) map, tank through disables, and bash poor supports to oblivion, the space cow is primed for big performances in the Bali Major.
With that said, Spirit Breaker does have his weaknesses. The hero needs to snowball to remain effective in the late game, so teams picking him can't afford to play slow lest he becomes fodder later on, especially if he's relegated to support.
Because of that, we don't expect Spirit Breaker to have the same impact as the three heroes listed above.
However, teams will be rightfully afraid of the space cow charging them from the shadows if he ever does appear in games.
Rubick
DreamLeague Season 20 stats:
Picked: 65 games, Bans: 27, Win rate: 55.38%
Rubick is one of those heroes who will always be relevant in any meta due to his ability to steal enemy spells and use it against them, only he can cast it farther and faster while also dealing more damage with it.
On top of his strong skillset, what makes the Grand Magus a reliable support pick in the current meta are all the new support items he can play around with.
Rubick can reliably build items like Pavise, Force Staff, Glimmer Cape, and the like that helps with his own survivability as well as that of his teammates.
More than that, Rubick is also a support teams can pick early in drafts without giving away too much information about what strategy they will be trying to run.
Whether it's a fast-paced draft designed to win the midgame or a slow-burn strategy that will take things late, Rubick is a viable support that can the job done.
Much like Spirit Breaker, we don't expect Rubick to be as impactful meta-wise as the likes of Techies or Timbersaw in the Bali Major. He'll be one of those heroes you'll see in almost every game quietly doing his job, with a few standout performances here and there.
The Bali Major will take place from 29 June to 9 July and features 18 of the best teams in the DPC fighting for their cut of the US$500,000 prize pool and 3,500 DPC point pool.
For everything you need to know about the Bali Major, check here.
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