Dota 2’s The International 2023 is over, and though fans got to watch a variety of heroes in action, seven of them missed the entire event as they weren’t picked or banned.
Dot Esports has been closely following the hero contest rates, and in our last report, nine Dota 2 heroes were yet to be seen at TI 2023. The number eventually reduced to seven, with Tinker and Dragon Knight finally getting their chance in the final days.
With the Tinker and Dragon Knight gone, Abaddon, Lion, Meepo, Shadow Shaman, Slardar, Timbersaw, and Winter Wyvern ended TI 2023 with zero minutes of playtime.
Tinker’s saving grace came from LGD Gaming as the team chose the hero for its mid lane against Team Spirit in the upper bracket finals. Despite putting on a resistant game, Tinker failed to keep up with Spirit’s catch potential, and LGD lost the game in 76 minutes.
Dragon Knight, however, hit the ground running in an elimination match between BetBoom Team and Azure Ray. BetBoom selected the Dota 2 hero for the mid lane, and Dragon Knight went on to put up a flawless performance on the main stage, playing a crucial part in BetBoom’s victory and tying the series.
Out of the remaining seven, fans have been secretly wishing for Meepo to return, an infamous hero associated with smurfs. Meepo’s unique abilities make him a joy to watch in professional matches, but he turns into a ranked match nightmare whenever he’s overpowered. Mainly for this reason, Meepo has been one of the silent heroes in the last couple of patches with not much hope in sight.
The other surprising name on the list is Lion, a TI staple due to his kit filled with disabling spells. While Lion is more or less the same, his spells cost more mana and have longer cooldowns compared to his rivals, making Lion a weakling in the laning stage.
With TI 2023 in the books, Dota 2’s TI Compendium finally has an end date, and its rotation out of the game is likely to be with a gameplay update that may breathe some life into the completely ignored heroes at this year’s TI.
