Dota 2 Heroes to Avoid In PUBs

Not all heroes are built the same in Dota 2. Here's our list of Dota 2 Heroes to Avoid In PUBs to help you climb.

Although thousands of people play Dota 2 daily, some of them only queue up with their friends to have fun. Yet, many players want to do everything in their power to gain more MMR, so they try to use the best heroes in a given patch.

Speaking of patches, the current one has been around for some time now and we already got the chance to watch a couple of big events. Everyone knows that heroes like Puck, Razor, and Pudge dominate the game because they are really strong. Sadly, not all heroes are like that because there are loads of names that are just not that good.

We know that it is important for players to know what to avoid, which is why this article will be devoted to the heroes they should avoid. The names you are about to find in this article are just not that good in the current meta.

Grimstroke

The first hero that has to be on the list actually has the worst win rate in the Divine/Immortal bracket, at least according to DotaBuff. This may not come as a surprise to some players because Grimstroke is not popular support in this patch.

This hero is notorious for his high damage, the ability to stun, and one of the most dangerous ultimates. In fact, some people used him a lot in combination with Doom before. Sadly, it seems like those days are gone because Grimstroke has the lowest win rate right now.

One of the reasons why this hero is no longer a part of the meta is because other supports do a better role. Heroes like Dazzle are powerful right now, so it shouldn’t be surprising that people prefer picking them.

Anti-Mage

The second hero on the list may surprise some of you, but those with more experience probably expected it. Anti-Mage is one of the strongest late-game carries in Dota 2 and one of the fastest-farming heroes. However, he is among the worst heroes for the early and mid-game because he is very squishy. 

This might not seem like a big problem, but in reality, it makes AM one of the worst heroes in the game right now. Picking this hero in your PUB will almost always end in a loss because it will be really hard to secure yourself enough space to farm. Anti-Mage requires a lot of attention, and he can easily be shut down.

Although AM’s win rate is low, people who know how to utilize the hero could make him work. With that said, most people do not want to take unnecessary risks, which is why they prefer to pick other late-game monsters.

Snapfire

Snapfire is a very interesting hero that can fill in different roles. Pro players like Yopaj use him in the mid-lane, which is why some PUB players do the same. However, the hero is also a good option for the support role or even the offlane, depending on the situation.

The bad thing about Snapfire is that the hero is not that easy to master. It is definitely one of the more complex Dota 2 heros, which means that not everyone can make him work. Failing to use the hero’s abilities makes Snapfire feel useless, which is one of the reasons why this support has one of the lowest win rates. 

Phantom Assassin

Only a few heroes come close to Phantom Assassin’s popularity in pubs. This is the go-to option for all sorts of players across all skill brackets, especially the lower ones. However, the hero has one of the worst win rates at 45.31% in the Div/Immortal bracket. This means she is not as good as people think.

Phantom Assassin has similar problems to Anti-Mage. The hero can do a lot of damage and is capable of carrying the game on her own. However, she doesn’t do much early on and even in the mid-game unless she gets a couple of kills. On top of that, Phantom Assassin is very squishy, which means that every offlaner in the current meta can easily force her to go jungle.

Witch Doctor

WD is a classic Dota 2 support that always has a role in the PUB meta. The hero hasn’t been a part of the pro meta for a while, but his stun and ability to do a lot of damage makes him a preferred option for many players. 

Sadly, it seems like Witch Doctor has the same concerns as Grimstroke. Although he can work in many scenarios, other supports do a much better job at what WD’s good at. Marci is probably the first name that comes to mind because the hero deals a lot of damage and can disable her opponents.

Mars

The next hero on the list was one of the most popular offlaners in the previous match. Literally, every pro team and casual player used Mars all the time because the hero was excellent. He was able to do a lot of damage and was hard to kill, which made him an amazing option.

Sadly, the newest Dota 2 patch nerfed the hero, which is why he has slowly pushed away from the meta. Of course, many players keep spamming him daily, but he is definitely not as good as before.

Nowadays, most PUB players try to copy the pros and use carry offlaners that can actually win them the game. So, instead of Mars, we can often find things like Viper, Nature’s Prophet, and all sorts of options.

Lion

The last hero on the list is Lion, one of the go-to supports for PUBs. Aside from Crystal Maiden, this is probably the most picked support in Dota 2, regardless of the patch. 

Unsurprisingly, many people pick Lion even today, but according to the data on DotaBuff, the hero is just not that good. Sure, he has a lot of damage and can disable his targets, but it seems like the meta favors other supports.