The dust is settling in each region’s Dota Pro Circuit Tour Three, with the top teams from Division I preparing to embark for Indonesia ahead of June 28’s Bali Major. And in all but one region, one mine-setting, explosion-loving hero is taking the meta by storm.
Love them or hate them, Techies looks to be here to stay, with the hero most picked across all but one region in Division I this season—and Dota 2 ranked play is starting to see more of the troublesome trio, too.
The Eastern European tour saw the highest Techies pick rate, with the hero present in over 60 percent of Division I matches according to esports tracking website Liquipedia. Outside of North America, which saw Void Spirit edge out the goblin trio for total picks, Techies was pro Dota’s go-to hero for Tour Three.
Throw in a 50 percent win rate minimum—peaking at over 71 percent in South-East Asia—and on most occasions left unbanned until the latter phase of the draft, and you’ve got a contested hero that has all but dominated Dota 2 in the past month.
This all comes after the hero was left virtually untouched in Tour Two and at the Berlin Major, with only Talon, 9Pandas, and Team Liquid finding any early success with Techies. Teams like OG and Shopify Rebellion did test out the hero but were very unsuccessful in their endeavors, winning just a single game each.
The ranked player base has taken a little longer to get behind Techies, but changes brought about by 7.33’s New Frontiers patch are starting to make their mark. In the past month, Techies has seen a rise in pick rate by over six percent and has returned to the top 10 for most picked heroes in Dota, according to hero stats site Dotabuff.
Gone are the days of prolonged Dota matches whereby a Techies player delays the game as an opposition team struggles to navigate a massive minefield. Instead, the modern-day Techies takes on a more active role with abilities like Reactive Tazer and Blast Off! reworked.
Blast Off! in particular is of note. After a switch from a long silence to a stun on impact, and following the 7.33 changes to total stun duration in Dota, the ability is now one of the best for locking down opponents and dealing heavy burst damage.
Related: Here are the full Dota 2 New Frontiers 7.33 patch notes
The switch away from the Intelligence main stat to Universal hit Techies’ total mana stocks heavily, but without needing to spend the match solely planting mines, the nerf is easily manageable with items like Aether Lens and Arcane Boots.
The pros have cycled Techies into a position four support, with the hero riding the return of classic support items such as Mekanism and Guardian Greaves, along with a Force Staff for extra mobility. You’ll also see an Aghanim’s Shard picked up where possible for the hero, with Reactive Tazer’s aura utility for disarming enemies now applicable to teammates as opposed to just on Techies itself.
In a position five case where a Techies is hard supporting, the hero is utilizing the benefits of Solar Crest and Pavise, providing Armor, Evasion, and a Shield to allies alongside the Reactive Tazer aura and the Blast Off! initiation stun. A Sticky Bomb to follow up keeps enemies slowed for the position one carry to remain within striking distance.
Look for Techies to continue to be a menace ahead of the Bali Major, which is set to begin on June 29. Otherwise, give the powerful Dota hero a go in your next ranked game—just don’t spend the whole match mining your base.
