Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023 Meta Analysis – Top Picks, Top Bans and More

Now that the event is over, it’s time for the Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023 meta analysis.

Although Dota 2 fans from across the world expected Gaimin Gladiators to win the Riyadh Masters 2023, this was not the case. In the end, Team Spirit lifted the trophy after the squad death with none other than Team Liquid in the Grand Final. This gave the team a jaw-dropping $5M reward.

Now that the tournament is over, it’s time to take a step back and look at some of the most popular heroes at the event. Considering that the Riyadh Masters 2023 venue was the first event on patch 7.33e, we expected to see slightly different picks from the Bali Major 2023. It’s safe to say that we weren’t disappointed, so let’s look at some of the stats.

The most picked hero – Rubick

If we take a look at the stats following the end of the tournament, we can see that one hero is a lot more popular than the rest. His name is Rubick, and the hero appeared in 112 games in total, which is 20+ more games than the second name on the list. 

Even though Rubick did not receive any major changes in the 7.33e patch, overall, this is one of the best supports in the game. Rubick’s impact at all stages of the game is second to none when compared to other supports. He can harass and can counter almost any lineup that requires a big ultimate. 

Speaking of the devil, the stats show that Enigma was also fairly popular, which is one of the reasons why Rubick appeared in way more games than usual. We don’t think Valve will nerf the hero before The International, so we expect to see a meta where Rubick will be the go-to support.

The most banned hero – Broodmother

Whether you had the chance to get one of the Riyadh Masters 2023 tickets or you watched the live streams at home, you’ve probably seen that teams banned one hero time and time again. Her name is Broodmother, and she’s one of the most annoying heroes to play against in Dota 2.

Prior to patch 7.33e, Broodmother was one of the best heroes to have. Her win rate in PUB games was impressive, and she also appeared in a lot of professional games. That's one of the reasons why 7.33 nerfed her Insatiable Hunger and Silken Bola.

Although these nerfs affected her popularity and success, professional players didn’t want to see her in-game. Consequently, Broodmother received a total of 141 bans. She had the chance to play in 38 matches but only achieved a 42% win rate, meaning that teams know how to shot her down but prefer to avoid facing her in the first place.

The most successful hero (20+ games) – Legion Commander

When talking about the most successful hero at the Riyadh Masters 2023, we mean the hero with the highest win rate. Of course, a couple of names have a 100% success rate, such as Bounty Hunter, but they only appeared a couple of times (3 to be exact). That’s why we wanted to include none other than Legion Commander.

People familiar with the 7.33e meta prior to the Riyadh Masters 2023 Meta Analysis are probably not surprised by the stats because LC has been dominating the current meta. She’s one of the heroes that can make a difference in any lineup. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the hero has a 70% win rate after securing 19 victories and 8 losses.

The reason why LC is so good is because of her ability to snowball. Some people do not like the changes she got after 7.33, but the hero is a lot better than before. All she needs is a good start, and she can carry her team. 

Speaking of carrying, she can fit into different roles, including a carry/midder. However, most of the professional players use her as an offlaner.

The least successful hero (20+ games) – Chen

After taking a look at Legion Commander and the fact that she was one of the best in the game, it’s time to check the other side of the spectrum. Chen is one of those heroes that has never been a popular PUB game pick, and it seems like he never will be. However, he always had a role in professional games, especially in the hands of players like Puppey.

Unfortunately, it seems like the 7.33e meta is not good for him because the Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023 meta analysis shows that the hero only has a 23.08% win rate. He had the chance to play in 26 matches and lost 20 of them, making him the least successful hero with more than 20 games.

Silencer was also close with his 30% win rate, but Chen is in a league of his own. Even though the hero has a lot to bring to the table, it seems like professional players know how to deal with him. This is not a fast-pushing meta, so Chen is not as good as he was a couple of patches ago.

Honorable Mentions

In addition to the heroes mentioned so far, the Dota 2 Riyadh Masters venue allowed us to watch a lot of other interesting picks. Snapfire, for example, became the second-most popular pick with more than 90 matches. Interestingly, she has almost 25 more than the third hero on the list, which is Storm Spirit.

Another interesting fact is that there were 3 heroes that did not appear in a single match. Sniper, Zeus, and Viper were not present anywhere, but they were banned once (Viper got 2 bans in total). We also saw a lot of heroes that only appeared once, such as Marci, OD, Sand King, Huskar, Kunkka, and more.