Blast Slam IV’s top picks tell an interesting tale

BLAST Slam IV has seen some interesting picks to create a new Dota 2 meta. While Kez has finally made an appearance in Captains Mode, alongside some big changes following The International, the tournament has seen a few outliers in its opening stages. While the event itself takes a break before the teams return on November 7 to wrap things up, we look at the BLAST Slam IV top hero picks. And break down what could become the meta through the remainder of 2025 if Valve does not give us a new patch.

There is one hero that is getting a lot of attention at BLAST Slam IV, but it’s not in the best way. Marci has seen an insane 71 bans over the tournament so far. Oddly enough, the next highest ban, Naga Siren, follows in a very close way to Marci. Both heroes, having seen pretty sizeable nerfs in 7.39e, have come up as strong contenders in the first major event following The International 2025.

While both have been cut down in the ban phase, when let through, they have been rather prolific. Which links indirectly to our next talking point, Kez.

As it came into CM, many expected to see Kez dominate both professionally and in pub games. However, that has not been the case at all. The hero has remained under the 50% win-rate mark, now steady around 45%. However, Kez’s multi-lane proficiency is what makes it strong, which is why the current stats from BLAST Slam IV regarding its pick rate feel odd. Without being focused, many teams have chosen to avoid the newest addition.

With only 3 picks, albeit with a 100% win rate, Kez is (Raptor) dancing under the radar. However, with the strength of Bane and Abaddon, the hero choice is definitely a tough one. It could just be that teams have yet to really experiment with either Flutter or Shadowhawk, the two Facets. But time will tell if Kez finally becomes a core pick at BLAST Slam IV.

Much of the data from BLAST Slam IV could be seen as skewed when it comes to picks. The main reason for this is the insane number of best-of-one series that we saw in the initial Group Stage. 66 best-of-one games took us through to the Play-Ins. However, that is not to say that there was not a distinct meta formed. As mentioned previously, banning played a huge part in this, with Naga and Marci thrown to the Alpha Wolves. But some heroes have flourished.

Even before TI 2025, Hoodwink quickly became a favoured pick, and BLAST Slam IV has not changed that. With 37 picks and 15 bans, the hero is holding up strong with a 56,76% win rate in the tournament. With a weekend of playoff action still to come, we can expect to see Hoodwink pop up many more times in the event. Played mostly as the position 4 role, with the ease of punishing roaming potential, Hoodwink is a menace.

And, with that said, that is exactly why it is the top-picked hero at BLAST Slam IV.

While holding on to a 50% win rate with 28 picks at BLAST Slam IV, Abaddon has quickly become a prized possession. After a small tweak to Borrowed Time in the latest patch, the hero’s strengths have not changed. Being picked as position 1 in most situations in the event, Abaddon’s “The Quickening” Facet is proving its worth consistently.

The hero remains highly contested, with a high ban rate, too. However, we could see some monstrous Abaddons in the closing days of the tournament.

Early in 2025, Jakiro was a hero in desperate need of a massive nerf. The twin-headed dragon controlled almost every game, from pro-play to our pubs. A rather beefy buff to Liquid Frost has now brought the hero back into the spotlight – although it never really left. As a solid position 5 support, Jakiro has a kit that is able to keep the Safelane… safe. And with 24 picks and a 58% win rate so far, expect to see much more of it.

Snapfire actually holds the spot for the third most picked hero at BLAST Slam IV. Although the strength of the hero is widely renowned, the hero is not faring as well as expected. With 28 picks and 20 bans at BLAST Slam IV, Snapfire has slumped into a 35% win rate. While highly contested, the hero does not seem to be hitting the mark just yet. But the pro-players and teams know best, and they are likely to make it work when the tournament returns.

From the current picks (and bans), it is not such a big change from TI 2025. Many of the same heroes, such as Disruptor and Mars, remain an ever-present threat. However, it seems as though 7.39e could still be evolving, and we will need to look to other tournaments to really figure it out. We have already seen Gyrocopter making a big showing as a strong carry, while Earthshaker has been almost forgotten in the support role.

All-in-all, the top picks at BLAST Slam IV are not extremely surprising. As we head into a packed final 2 months of 2025, we are bound to see much more change, with the unlikelihood of a patch to take us into the new year.