How Has The Meta Shifted At The International 12?

The “Road To The International,” which includes the Group Stage and the Playoffs, has ended. Only eight teams remain, and a new TI champion will be crowned by the end of the week. 

With so many matches played in the past two weeks, only the most potent teams could understand and adapt to the meta. In this article, we’ll discuss how the meta has shifted and evolved throughout The International so far.

Group Stage

In the Group Stage, Vengeful Spirit was the most popular hero. Though she wasn’t picked too often in previous tournaments, she has made several appearances in the tournament's first phase. Vengeful Spirit was picked 30 times but could only post a win rate of 40%. 

The second most-picked hero was Bristleback, who appeared in 29 games. Though he seemed like a powerful hero, he could only convert a win rate of 51.7%. In third place is Muerta, a hero that can be flexed from Positions 1 and 4. She appeared in 27 maps, with a respectable win rate of 59.2%.

Top ten heroes picked in the Group Stage:

• Vengeful Spirit, 30 maps - 40% win rate
• Bristleback, 29 maps - 51.7% win rate
• Muerta, 27 maps - 59.2% win rate
• Grimstroke, 26 maps - 46.1% win rate
• Kunkka, 26 maps - 46.1% win rate
• Spirit Breaker, 25 maps - 60% win rate
• Dark Willow, 25 maps - 52% win rate
• Chaos Knight, 24 maps - 66.6% win rate
• Phoenix, 24 maps - 54.1% win rate
• Earth Spirit, 24 maps - 45.8% win rate

Regarding the most successful heroes picked more than ten times, Spectre had the highest win rate under this criteria. She boasted a whopping 80% win rate in groups. Second came Primal Beast (70% win rate), Dazzle (69.2% win rate), and finally, Chaos Knight (66.6% win rate).

Playoffs

Compared to the Group Stage, teams began noticeably changing up their drafts. Spirit Breaker and Chaos Knight were banned more often, which is why we only saw them in 6 and 5 maps, respectively. 

Interestingly, Treant Protector became the most-picked hero in the Playoffs. Treant was picked 12 times but only had a win rate of 41.67%. Again, the highest win rate goes to Spectre (among heroes who were picked more than 5 times), who has an 83.3% win rate in 6 games. 

Top ten heroes picked in the Playoffs:

• Treant Protector, 12 maps - 41.67% win rate
• Dark Willow, 10 maps - 50% win rate
• Muerta, 10 maps - 50% win rate
• Dawnbreaker, 9 maps - 66.67% win rate
• Ancient Apparition, 8 maps - 75% win rate
• Grimstroke, 8 maps  - 62.5% win rate
• Invoker, 8 maps - 62.5% win rate
• Bristleback, 8 maps - 50% win rate
• Tusk, 7 maps – 57.14% win rate
• Spectre, 6 maps - 83.3% win rate

In the Playoffs stage, teams have practically stopped picking Kunkka, Phoenix, Vengeful Spirit, and Earth Spirit. Invoker, Ancient Apparition, Tusk, Dawnbreaker, Treant, and Spectre were responsible for taking their places. 

Only Bristleback, stable supports, Muerta, and Dark Willow, have maintained their podium sports as some of the most picked heroes, sparkling new colors at this stage.

One of the most exciting parts about Dark Willow is her transition to the Carry role. Many professional players have tried her as Carry in pubs, but LGD Gaming was the first to show it on the main stage. Shiro picked Dark Willow in their first map against 9 Pandas. Though it was a hard-fought game, the Carry Willow got the job done. 

Now, only eight teams remain. Surely, these top teams have prepared many surprises for us. Make sure to join our Telegram channel to receive live updates on the remaining matches!