2 heroes are popping off at DreamLeague 20 despite subpar performance in Dota 2 ranked matches

Dota 2 fans have been witnessing the rise of Batrider and Timbersaw at DreamLeague Season 20. These two heroes are known for their lackluster performance in ranked matches, as both average almost 50 percent win rates.

However, after DreamLeague Season 20 kicked off on June 11, the two heroes surged in popularity, becoming the most contested heroes at the tournament.

While Batrider has a pick and ban (P+B) ratio of 98 percent, Timbersaw has an 87 percent P+B ratio, according to Dotabuff. This means that fans can see these heroes either picked or banned in almost every match in DreamLeague Season 20.

Batrider has been heavily favored due to the overall variety it provides in a draft. Picking the hero early in the draft stage doesn’t corner a team since Batrider can be played as position three or four, depending on the situation.

Timbersaw, on the other hand, has been one of the primary counters against Universal heroes in Dota 2. When affected by Whirling Death, Universal heroes lose five percent of each attribute. With Universal heroes rising to the occasion after Lina carry got nerfed into the ground, their natural counters have become more popular, especially in tournaments.

Despite performing exceptionally well at DreamLeague Season 20, Batrider and Timbersaw aren’t doing that well in ranked matches. In matches ranked Divine and above, Batrider averages a 50 percent win rate with an almost 13 percent pick rate.

Timbersaw trails Batrider with a 10 percent pick rate and a 47 percent win rate. Though the two heroes have above-average pick rates for public games, they don’t seem that overpowered outside of pro matches based on numbers. 

This can be explained by their reliance on their allies and team compositions. Batrider, especially, is a hero that requires a lot of communication since he has one of the more unique initiation tools in the game, Flaming Lasso.

Just remember: If you want to play these heroes like the pros in your ranked matches, you have to communicate like them, too.