Dota 2
The group stage of The International 2026 offered an early look at the tournament's evolving meta, with several heroes standing out as the most successful picks.
According to Dotabuff, Treant Protector finished the group stage with the highest win rate among heroes picked at least five times, winning an impressive 87.5% of his games. Close behind were Nature's Prophet, Snapfire, and Clinkz, each posting a win rate above 70%.
While some heroes achieved high percentages with relatively few appearances, others combined strong win rates with much heavier usage. Earth Spirit, for example, was selected 38 times, the most among the top-performing heroes, while still maintaining a 65.79% win rate.
The tournament also highlighted the heroes teams valued the most during the draft phase. Hoodwink, Mirana, and Centaur Warrunner were the three most-picked heroes of the group stage, showing their versatility across multiple strategies.
On the other side of the draft, Treant Protector, Keeper of the Light, and Largo drew the most respect from opponents, finishing as the most frequently banned heroes.
Highest win rate heroes at the TI 2026 group stage
Hero | Win Rate | Picks |
|---|---|---|
Treant Protector | 87.5% | 8 |
Nature's Prophet | 76.92% | 13 |
Snapfire | 72.73% | 11 |
Clinkz | 71.43% | 7 |
Terrorblade | 66.67% | 6 |
Earth Spirit | 65.79% | 38 |
Kez | 65.22% | 23 |
Lion | 62.5% | 8 |
Bounty Hunter | 62.5% | 8 |
Pangolier | 61.9% | 21 |
As the tournament moves into the playoff stage, it will be interesting to see whether these heroes continue to dominate or if teams begin adapting with new strategies and priority picks.
