It’s almost time for the biggest event in DOTA 2 again. The International 2023 is dawning upon us and we’re sure players and pros are trying to figure out what are the best heroes in the current patch.
Of course, this is not set in stone because the patch and meta shifts constantly so there are no true answers for this. That said, we’ll try our best to figure out what heroes will be contested and usually, these heroes are really strong at the moment and can help you rise up the ranks.
And if you want to know what the previous meta heroes for last year’s International, check out our article here!
Now that we’ve got that covered, let’s begin!
1. Io
Io will probably always be contested in major tournaments for what it provides. You might not see him often in public matches because he is just so complex and hard to use. However, if he is in the hands of a pro, he can turn any hero into a monster.
Capable of pairing up with most cores like Leshrac and Gyrocopter, Io is a very powerful support that can save allies and accelerate their power to insane heights. Loved by pros and always picked or banned in drafts.
2. Leshrac
Often nicknamed the Disco Pony, Leshrac is a very dangerous hero if let him stays too long in team fights. His primary gameplay is to turn on his Ultimate and round around and you’ll see enemy heroes drop like flies.
We’ve seen many pro teams favour the Io+Leshrac duo a lot because they offer so much when it comes to fighting and pushing. With the right items like Bloodstone and Kaya and Sange, Leshrac is a fearsome foe and a reliable ally.
3. Undying
Arguably the strongest early-game laner as a support. Undying will demolish most lane matchups, especially if its opponent is a melee hero. His Decay skill is super annoying to deal with and Tombstone can win a team fight on its own.
With the new shard change on Undying, he can even save his ally with his Tombstone during clutch situations. This capability is very strong in the late game because being able to save a core from being bursted down can mean a whole lot of difference.
4. Rubick
Similar to Io, Rubick will forever be a ‘meta’ hero because of his skill set. Most of Rubick’s abilities have a super-low cast time. This means a lot of his spells are instant so reacting to them is nigh impossible.
Plus, combined with Arcane Supremacy, his stolen spells will deal a ton of damage. His amazing punish for heroes like Lion, Earthshaker and to a certain extent Undying, makes him a favourite pick for a lot of pro teams.
5. Dark Seer
Dark Seer is another lane dominator who can crush a lot of matchups with his ultra-annoying Ion Shell skill. No matter how bad his lane goes, he will always be able to find gold with ease.
Shining the brightest through team fights, Dark Seer’s entire skill set complements each other so well that if played correctly, you can create massive havoc with Vacuum and Wall of Replica. Dark Seer’s Normal Punch ability is also a great anti-carry tool where it creates a replica of the targeted hero which will damage the target.
6. Beastmaster
Another hero that you won’t often see in low-level pubs but is always picked in tournaments. Beastmaster is a push-oriented hero who by building the right items, can walk down a lane a take away towers in a flash.
Most of the time, you’ll see BMs build Helm of the Overlord where he will control an Ancient creep to bolster his pushing potential. He is relatively tanky and hard to take down so he will always be a nuisance when it comes to aggressive pushing.
Additionally, he has a very nice matchup against cheese heroes like Phantom Lancer where he can opt for a Drums of Sloms build instead.
7. Snapfire
Powerful in lane and relevant throughout any stage of the game—it is all you can ask for a meta hero to be in the meta.
Snapfire burst potential is up there with the very best. Scatterblast allows her to contest a lot of unobtainable last hits with ease. It is a very powerful nuke that can even slow enemy heroes. But her strongest point is where she is Level 20 where most cores will choose the ‘Lil Shredder talent to deal absurd damage.
Right now, you don’t even necessarily have to build damage items on Snapfire because she is a Universal hero. You can mostly get away with utility tools like Gleipnir and BKB early because your damage scales too well into the late game.
8. Medusa
Medusa is one of the heroes who benefited a lot from the major patch. She is arguably the tankiest Carry in the game, especially if enemies do not have a solid counter for her.
With Split Shot, she can farm the camps and Ancients very effectively and this is a huge plus for a carry hero. Sustainability is also off the roof with Medusa because you can always recover some form of Mana with her Mystic Snake.
She also has a panic ability in Stone Gaze when in trouble, she can open it and prevent enemies from facing or else they are turned into statues. All in all, a very safe and reliable carry.
9. Naga Siren
Back in the day, Naga Siren was a very hard hero to use due to its demanding micromanagement. For some reason, she is now relatively easy to use because her Riptide skill is not passive and you won’t need to cast it yourself.
This is also considering the fact that the new patch has added a lot of new camps also equates to better farming potential for illusion-based heroes and Naga fits right into that category. No longer building Radiance, Naga Siren can come online real quick with items like Diffusal Blade and Orchid Malevolence. A true menace and a hassle to deal with.
10. Terrorblade
Terrorblade has most of the benefits of Naga where the extra creep camps help him farm way faster with Conjure Image. Boasting some of the best stats in the game, Terrorblade scales crazily well into the late-game.
During his Metamorphosis form, Terrorblade is most likely the strongest hero on the map and can delete heroes in a matter of seconds. His Ultimate, Sunder also allows him to have a fail-safe where during dire situations, he can flip it in an instant, swapping health with the targeted heroes.
There are many pro players that specialise in playing TB but overall, he is a very stable and strong hero that will most likely see a lot of play in this year’s TI.
Final Thoughts
Again, we would like to stress that these heroes aren’t set in stone and there are a lot more heroes that will see a lot of play in the International like Faceless Void, Broodmother and Visage. So, there’s nothing guaranteed in DOTA 2 and that is the fun of it—its unpredictability!
Also, if you need extra assistance when it comes to your DOTA 2 gameplay, you can purchase DOTA Plus to help you out using OffGamers’ cheap Steam Wallet Codes!
For more news and the best promotions from OffGamers, be sure to also sign-up as an OffGamers member using the ‘REGISTER NOW’ button below!
