The best and worst heroes at TI 2024

The Dota 2 meta changes by the day as-is, but when a tournament like The International comes around, the event develops its own bubble where some of the best heroes in ranked don’t even get a look or an untouched pick at Divine becomes a TI-defining hero.

2024’s edition of the pinnacle tournament is no different. Here’s a look at the best and worst Dota 2 heroes of TI 2024 so far, as well as a list of those who are yet to be picked or banned.

Best heroes at TI 2024

5. Monkey King

He’s not just the top mid-laner at TI; Monkey King is also enjoying a great stint as a position one as well. Buffs over the last few patches plus a very safe attack range and a powerful facet in Simian Stride make Wukong a very desirable hero in Dota 2 right now.

He currently holds a 62 percent win rate and is well-contested, so if we don’t see him in the first round of bans, expect a Monkey King to show up very early in the pick phase.

4. Mirana

Over the years Mirana has popped up in every TI draft in every position imaginable. This year, she’s back as a position one carry, and she’s doing a pretty good job of it, too, but in classic Mirana fashion she’s proving her adaptable best across the board.

Like our top hero, she’s at a 66 percent win rate with matches in every position apart from the mid-lane. I wonder who will pick her up as a two next!

3. Naga Siren

Naga Siren’s remarkable 77 percent win rate puts her second on the list, but she’s only been picked in nine games. That’s because she rarely makes it past the opening bans—she’s the most contested hero at the tournament right now, but in every veto, she’s almost immediately banned.

When she does make it through, however, she’s proving to be a potent force thanks to her Deluge facet that reduces status resistance.

2. Mars

Our highest win-rate hero of the tournament with at least 10 matches, Mars is cruising with a ridiculous 80 percent win rate. He’s also barely been banned, so expect to see more of him during the main bracket.

The ability to jump in with a Blink Dagger and drop the Arena of Blood to lock down a hero or two makes him incredibly effective and powerful as an initiator.

1. Kunkka

What a difference a year makes! Kunkka was listed as one of our worst heroes at the pinnacle Dota tournament last year but right now he’s riding the high seas on top of the world. Naga Siren’s 77 percent win rate may be higher, but Kunkka’s played nearly three times the number of matches with those picking the salty sea captain winning two-thirds of the time.

It’s clear this is in response to the changes to his Rum and the use of the Grog Blossom facet allowing the Rum’s damage delay effects to apply to allies, but we’re also seeing plenty of pro Kunkka players taking High Tide too. As long as you’re taking the Admiral to the offlane, you’re bound to find some success right now.

Worst heroes at TI 2024

Sniper

The group stage hasn’t entirely wrapped yet but I think it’s about time we put the support Sniper experiment to bed. He’s one of the highest-contested heroes at TI so far, recording 24 picks and bans, but when let through he’s having minimal success—a dismal 29 percent win rate.

Scattershot is a fun perk and a great concept for a support Sniper build but if only ponlo and tOfu are making it work and everyone else is struggling to record wins, perhaps it’s a switch to the one—or out of the meta entirely—that pros need to do to make Sniper work.

Pangolier

It’s been a harsh fall from grace for Pango. He’s commonly one of the most-picked and contested at a tournament, especially TI, but this year he’s currently holding an awful 20 percent win rate from 10 picks. Only NothingToSay and CHIRA have found success in the mid-lane with Pango right now.

It doesn’t help that his best partner, Shadow Demon, just can’t crack the pick stage at the moment as he’s constantly banned in the opening round. There’s still time for the hero to shine on the main stage, but it’s not looking great so far for a perennial TI favorite.

Sven

Every year we reserve a spot on the list for a hero that records zero wins. Most of these heroes are picked quite rarely, but Sven’s seen a little more action this year and is yet to trouble the scorers—the knight is zero from five picks so far this TI.

Only 1win’s Munkushi dared to take the easily-kited Sven as a position one, otherwise attempts to make the hero work as a roaming four have failed. We’ll undoubtedly see more Sven in the event—the question is how long will it take for him to win?

Timbersaw

There’s just no consistency with Timbersaw at TI 2024 right now. He’s recorded wins as a mid-laner, an off-laner, and support—but combined he’s only clocking in a 33 percent win rate from 15 picks.

It takes a special hero to transcend positions at TI and find great success, so perhaps Timber’s best path forward remains as an off-laner with more of a focus on tanking up.

Clockwerk

Clock’s in a similar boat as Pangolier, recording just a 30 percent win rate primarily as a position four or five. He’s relying on a heavy follow-up from his position one, but right now only Morphling really fits the bill while other top carry picks like Lina and Dragon Knight aren’t covering the gap after a successful Hookshot fast enough.

Clock also just doesn’t scale into the late game right now, so once the clock hits 30 minutes, he falls off a cliff and it’s tough to remain relevant when the opposition group up.

Uncontested heroes at TI 2024

There are currently 28 heroes that remain uncontested at TI 2024. They include:

There are certainly some surprises here: Witch Doctor and Ogre Magi have been quite prevalent in the meta in general recently, while Lifestealer and Clinkz have seen several buffs over the last few months yet the pros don’t seem interested whatsoever.

We saw the likes of Bloodseeker and Warlock make waves at Riyadh Masters just a month ago while no one has even considered the pair for TI 2024 so far, so it goes to show just how quickly the Dota meta changes in the pro scene. That said, we’ve seen teams adapt to the meta during TI, so check back regularly as we’ll keep this piece updated throughout the tournament.