With all the teams qualified and confirmed for this year’s The International, the teams will be trying to figure out the meta and which heroes will lead them to the coveted Aegis.
These heroes are usually ahead of the curve and if used properly, can decide a match on their own. Due to their power level, these heroes are prioritised during the drafting stage where teams get to pick or ban these heroes.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at 7 heroes that we will most likely see make waves in this year’s International in Singapore! Also, if you’re looking to purchase this year’s Battle Pass, be sure to get it using our Steam Wallet Codes here!
1. Dawnbreaker
Arguably the queen of the current meta. Dawnbreaker has almost everything a hero needs in her arsenal. Control, damage, tankiness, you name it. Long story short, Dawnbreaker is very broken.
Capable of playing any role, Dawnbreaker presence is relevant through the early to late game stages. With minimal items like a Desolator and Shard, she can contribute so much in team fights and skirmishes.
Her ultimate skill, Solar Guardian, allows her to teleport her to a friendly ally, and while she lands, she will stun the enemies around her. This alone makes her a threat wherever she is on the map as she can join a fight almost immediately.
2. Faceless Void
Faceless Void has always been a top-tier Carry hero, but because of his Shard upgrade and synergy with other meta heroes, he is as strong as he has ever been.
His Shard upgrade basically grants FV a poor man’s Time Lapse, which means he can zip in and out of tight situations with minimal risk. This is extremely annoying to deal with and can even bait out the valuable BKB activation from enemies.
Plus, his ultimate ability, Chronosphere, is a huge crowd-controlling skill that can be synergised with many other heroes’ abilities. To name a few, Invoker’s Cataclysm, Skywrath Mage’s Mystic Flare and Lich’s Chain Frost.
3. Marci
In the anime, Marci is already seen as a pretty strong character. Guess what? She is even more absurdly strong in the game itself!
She is so powerful that even IceFrog had given her a couple of nerfs which included a slight change in her abilities. Even with the nerfs, Marci is a force to be reckoned with. Her normal ability, Dispose which is able to reposition opponents is still one of the best skills in the game.
Aside from her exceptional ganking and laning prowess, Marci’s can even pick-off other supports easily if she is equipped with just a Basher. All in all, Marci is an all-rounder and we’ll surely see a lot of her on the main stage.
4. Io
Honestly, Io will never be out of the meta. It will be either picked or banned a lot due to the nature of the hero. Its ability to turn any character from zero to hero is sought after by many.
Essentially, Io has almost everything a Support hero needs, barring a disable. However, when it comes to enabling and powering up a hero, there is no hero close to Io’s level. When facing an Io, you can assume that the hero it is linking has a power spike of an extra item.
Luckily, Io is rarely picked in public matches due to its difficulty and dependency on teamwork. That said, pro players with practice will sure unleash this little ball’s full potential.
5. Undying
Undying is one of that really safe and cheap Support you can choose to have a good chance at dominating your lane. When it comes to melee hero punishes, Undying is the king of the hill. Laning against Decay and Tombstone is torturous for any Carry players.
Not only that, Undying is a huge asset in team fights. If he is able to hit his Decay skill on more than 2 enemies, Undying will gain a good amount of Strength stat. This will make him very beefy while also making his victim very feeble.
Even so, Undying greatest strength is his Tombstone skill. If left unattended, the enemy is not winning any fight. This is because the longer the Tombstone stays alive, the zombies will spawn beside all enemy units, slowing and damaging them. It is super annoying and hard to deal with.
6. Chen
Like with Io, Chen will forever be present in the meta but is still rarely seen in casual matches because of its intricacy.
In good hands, Chen can set the tempo of the match on its own. Chen’s signature ability, Holy Persuasion, allows him to convert neutral creep to his side, where he gets to control all its abilities and passives. These all might sound insignificant, but once Chen managed to gain an army of neutral creeps, you’re basically gaining or fighting against an army.
Additionally, Chen can also amp up your team’s snowballing potential with his Shard upgrade. This upgrade allows him to not only control jungle creeps but also Ancients. If you’re able to get this upgrade as early as possible, there’s almost nothing stopping you from death-pushing.
7. Tiny
Although Tiny might not be as ridiculously overpowered in the previous TI, he is still a very strong and versatile pick for many lineups.
Tiny is one of those heroes who can essentially play any role as he will do well in almost all lanes. As a Carry, Tiny can deal godly damage with his Shard upgrade that gives him a permanent Tree Grab.
If you are playing him as a Roamer/Support, he can be more of a nuking hero with his stun-toss combo which will almost one-shot enemies in the early game. As such, expect to see Tiny a lot in both casual and pro matches.
Well, that pretty much ties up our list of meta heroes in DOTA 2 going into The International 2022. Also, we need to advise readers that the list is very subjective and the meta shifts are common, especially when pro players discover a new strategy to abuse. Do take this list with a grain of salt.
