Invoker & Pudge have the highest Grandmaster tier players in Dota 2

There were more than 820,000 concurrent Dota 2 players in December 2022. Valve’s MOBA might have been out for more than a decade but it continues to attract players from all over the world. A recent statistic released by Stratz.gg highlighted how there are at least six Heroes with more than 1000 Grandmaster players.

In December 2020, Valve introduced the Grandmaster Tier for Dota 2 Heroes. Players could take their favorite Heroes up to level 30, which would give them access to an exclusive Chat Wheel Voice Line. Nearly two years later, there are at least six Heroes with more than 1000 players who have reached Grandmaster. All Dota 2 Heroes have at least one Grandmaster player, including Primal Beast which was released in February 2022. The Stratz.gg data is based on Dota 2 profiles which are publicly sharing their data. So the actual numbers might be much higher than mentioned in this article. 

With at least 3762 players, Invoker leads the charge when it comes to players spamming the Hero. Invoker is one of the more versatile Heroes in the game, which can be played as a damage dealer or as a disruptive force in teamfights. While the meta often dictates the Mage’s popularity, Invoker is a Hero that is often meta-proof. 

A Hero that has been immortalized in Dota 2 popularity charts since the earliest TIs, Pudge, comes in next with at least 2,668 Dota 2 Grandmasters on the Hero. Pudge is one of the unique Heroes in the game and he can displace enemy units, often bringing them into a 1v5 situation. With abilities that make him extremely tanky and give him ally-saving skills, Pudge is a Hero that is definitely one of the most sought-after. 

Rounding out the top five are Juggernaut, Witch Doctor, and Rubick. Witch Doctor, in particular, is a surprise entry on the list as the support Hero is not quite as popular in pro games. But the Hero’s Aghanim’s Scepter and Aghanim’s Upgrade, both of which provide extremely high survivability and damage, make the Doctor an all-time favorite.

A surprise entry in the top ten is Techies. The often-vilified Hero ranks 7th in the list, with at least 999 Grandmaster tier players. The community often vilifies Techies players with thousands of players complaining about the int Hero’s skill-set. But it seems the Hero has a dedicated player base, who often only play Techies and have fun in the game. After all, Dota 2 is a video game and the basic concept behind this MOBA is for players to have fun.

P.S. The data in this article is as of January 28, 2023. The number of Grandmaster Tier players in Dota 2 might not be the same in the future.

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