TI10 Group Stage: Most picked and banned heroes include Tiny, IO and MK

It has been four action-packed days into The International 10 (TI10) and after a total of 144 games, the Group Stage has finally come to an end. The Group Stage revealed to us a lot of interesting strategies and peculiar drafts.

From a position one Dawnbreaker to a position five Legion Commander, the participants of TI brought to us many surprises. But all these teams are likely to settle on a meta-centric hero pool that is strong and flexible. Here are the most picked and banned heroes of TI10 Group Stage.

This support hero comes heavy during TI seasons and this time is no different. Elder Titan has a great crowd control ability. His Astral Spirit can give a vision advantage, he is amazing to lane with, he can deal massive AoE stun and damage; there is just too much this single hero can give for teams to ignore. This time around, ET was picked 52 times and banned 35 times. He has a sizeable 61.5% winrate throughout the Group Stage.

Elder Titan is also PSG.LGD's favorite pick, appearing in its drafts 5 times so far.

The Tidehunter has been a favorite pick for the offlanes in TI10 Group Stage. He is not only very tanky and hard to kill, he also can farm efficiently with his Anchor Smash. A cherry on top is definitely his Ravage, which is a great teamfight tool to initiate or counter fights. Throughout the Group Stage, he was picked 51 times and banned 56 times. Tidehunter’s winrate during the Dota 2 TI10 so far is 54.9%.

Team Spirit picked Tidehunter in 5 matches throughout the Group Stage and the squad had a great run with it, achieving 100% winrate so far.

The wisp is a traditional hero during TIs so it is no surprise to see it rises once again. The hero has a valuable set of skills that can heal and save its allies. Among other extremely useful abilities, IO can use Relocate to bring its core into ganks and boost the team’s mobility. The Group Stage of TI10 witnessed 49 IO picks and 89 bans. However, it has a below average winrate of 40.8%.

Both of these support heroes have similar numbers coming out of the Group Stage. Recently Earthshaker has been seen in a lot of offlane positions and Snapfire on the other hand, usually plays the position four or five. Both these heroes have a great set of of skills that can either stun, slow, and deal a ton of AoE damage. ES and Snapfire were both picked 47 times throughout Group Stage.

Both T1and OG picked Snapfire 5 times so far. Virtus.Pro also picked Earthshaker in 5 of its games.

Tiny, another flexible hero, hit the TI10 Group Stage by storm. The hero received a lot of attention due to its emergence as a carry hero while also suitable to be played as a support. The current patch awards Tiny with a significant right-click scaling. Combined with its tanky self and burst ability, Tiny is a great package to bring in drafts. In the 144 games of TI10 so far, he was contested in 137. He was picked 44 times and the winrate of the hero is a great 56.8%.

Team Secret had utilized Tiny in 4 games and they won 100% of the matches as of yet.

This slippery hero is seen in a ton of matches throughout the Group Stage. Due to the meta being centered on aggressive and less farming carry heroes, Weaver is now a popular choice for the role. It has great damage, a good teamfight ability, and an escape mechanism. It is also flexible enough to fit other roles. Weaver was picked 43 times and banned 57 times. So far, it has a 51.2% winrate.

Vici Gaming consistently picked Weaver in a lot of its games and from the 7 times Weaver was played, it won 86% of them.

Monkey King is no doubt the most popular hero of the tournament. Pre-TI, we have already seen surges of MK picks throughout pubs and other tournaments, both as a support and core. During the Group Stage, this hero was banned 110 times and only picked 31 times. This means throughout the event so far, Monkey King wasn’t contested in only 3 games.

The Stone Giant once again appears, now as one of the most banned heroes. Throughout Group Stage we almost always witnessed Tiny being a first stage ban and there’s no doubt a lot of teams dislike playing against this hero. Tiny has been banned 93 times in TI10 so far.

Again, the Wisp, is such a high-value hero, especially during TIs. It is also the most banned hero of all time at The International and it speaks volumes of the hero’s potential. So far at TI10, IO was banned 89 times. 

Well, Invoker.. is Invoker. He has the most versatile set of spells. Name one thing you need during a teamfight and this hero will provide. Stun? Damage? Mana burn? This hero is a full package and that’s enough reason why teams don’t want this hero on the opposite team. Close to IO, Invoker had 85 bans throughout TI10 Group Stage.

It is not always fun going against a Morphling. Killing this hero is not plain ABC and if not executed properly, can possibly endanger your own team. This hero can also combo with a lot of heroes due to its Morph ability and Aghanim Scepter’s upgrade. Throughout the Group Stage, this slippery core was banned 68 times.

This mid hero is scary when he thrives. Storm Spirit is a traditional mid-pick that can lane well, have a great ganking potential, and is also extremely mobile. We have witnessed many Storm plays during TI10 Group Stage that turned the tides of games, especially with its Aghanim Scepter’s upgrade. So far, the hero was banned 61 times throughout the event.

In the 144 matches that occurred, there are still several heroes that haven't made a single appearance. Here are the 8 uncontested heroes of the Group Stage:

The Group Stages finalized on 10th October and the Playoffs bracket was also announced directly after. Fans and players are now taking a one-day break before TI10 proceeds to the Main Stage. More exciting hero drafts may be coming our way so look forward to the Dota 2 TI10 Playoffs this 12th October.

*All information referred from Spectral Stats.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Dota 2 news and updates.