Only 12 Dota 2 heroes weren’t picked at Riyadh Masters, including 3 that crush in pubs

Of all the 124 heroes on the Dota 2 roster, 12 weren’t picked at the Riyadh Masters last month, including three that came as a surprise considering they’ve been faring well in public matches. Those heroes were Wraith King, Omniknight, and Sniper—all of which have win rates above 50 percent in all ranks across the board.

Wraith King was perhaps the most shocking omission. The imposing carry hero whose ultimate grants him a second life has the highest win rate of them all at 52.46 percent, according to DotaBuff. He only made a single appearance at the Bali Major too, so it seems like the pros don’t rate him too highly at the moment despite his ability to push, initiate, and carry. It’s most likely because Reincarnation’s maxed-out cooldown was increased by 40 seconds, which makes him less viable in the late game.

Omniknight’s absence at the event was also a little odd. The tanky frontliner is a force to be reckoned with in this patch. He’s not as overpowered as he was when the patch first dropped, but his win rate is still sitting at a solid 52.38 percent. Still, that wasn’t enough to entice anyone to pick him at the Riyadh Masters. Like Wraith King, he was barely picked at the Bali Major too. The likeliest explanation is his playstyle doesn’t offer as much as other offlaners right now.

Related: This Dota 2 hero is dominating the pick-bans at Bali Major, Riyadh Masters—but not ranked

It’s rare to see an event that doesn’t feature Sniper at least a few times given how capable he is in all brackets, but the long-ranged midlaner was a no-show at the Riyadh Masters too. His win rate in the past month is sitting at a lukewarm 50.46 percent, but his pick rate is an insane 18.74 percent—the sixth-highest of any hero on the roster. It seems like pros just aren’t fond of his static playstyle in the midlane at the moment, opting for things like Ember Spirit and Storm Spirit instead.

The nine other heroes that weren’t picked include:

• Abaddon: The tanky support hero has a mediocre 49 percent win rate in public matches at the moment. His lack of stuns has seen him fall down the pecking order.
• Centaur Warrunner: This burly offlaner has plummeted in efficiency, dropping down to a lowly 48.5 percent win rate. He has a stun, lots of health, and a fight-turning ultimate, but he offers less than meta offlaners right now like Dark Seer.
• Dazzle: This life-saving healer probably needs to cast Shallow Grave on himself right now. His pick rate is sitting at a miserable 47.8 percent, probably because he needs a few key items to really make a difference, including Aghanim’s Shard to hex.
• Grimstroke: Despite having a decent win rate of about 50 percent in public matches, it’s dropped to as low as 42 percent and 40 percent this week depending on the role. Grimstroke lacks a lot at the moment to make him worthwhile in high-level matches.
• Phantom Assassin: Don’t let the 15 percent pick-rate fool you. Phantom Assassin is not a strong carry right now despite traditionally being one of the most imposing. Her win rate has dropped to 47 percent, likely due to other carries being more survivable.
• Slardar: Slardar’s win rate isn’t bad, and he’s a decent initiator with an excellent stun to boot, but he seems to be too one-dimensional and lackluster compared to other offlaners. 
• Treant Protector: Treant Protector has a slow, heal, and team-fight turning root ultimate, so he seems like the perfect fit for the meta right now. His win rate is above 50 percent, too. But for some reason, nobody wanted to pick him at the Riyadh Masters. Sometimes, luck isn’t on your side.
• Viper: The toxic serpent hero isn’t particularly good right now, nor is it bad, but it is a slow, lumbering one—especially far as midlaners go—and it seems like that’s put pros off.  
• Zeus: Zeus is actually pretty decent right now, but he hasn’t been picked much at any event this year, and that trend continued at the Riyadh Masters, where he bottomed out.

The Dota 2 meta is always evolving. What works at one tournament doesn’t work in others, and that means heroes sometimes miss out on making an appearance on the big stage because the winners are too busy capitalizing on what works. The Riyadh Masters was no exception, and it’s fun to speculate why some were overlooked.