Dota 2 MDL Chengdu Meta Analysis

The first Dota Pro Circuit tournament after TI 9 came to an end and – for the first time in years – Invictus Gaming was able to take the trophy home. The Chinese powerhouse ripped through the competition at the Summit 11 Minor, but now they have to prepare for MDL Chengdu, the first Major of the 2019-2020 DPC.

With the Major starting just two days from now, let’s take a look back at the top heroes of the Summit 11 Minor. These are the heroes that will most likely make an impact once again at the Major, if their Summit performance showed us anything.

Top Picks for mdl chengdu

Ogre Magi

Ogre has been one of the most popular heroes in this meta and it is for a reason. The two-headed support is one of the tankiest brutes early on, allowing him to be super aggressive in every lane. Also, let’s not forget that he works wonders when paired with a strong melee carry. After all, Bloodlust is one of the strongest buffs in Dota 2.

Ogre made 18 appearances in the main event and also has around 58% win rating. By the looks of it, he will continue to be one of the go-to picks at MDL Chengdu.

Rubick

The second hero on our list is yet another support. With over 56% win rating, Rubick is currently one of the hottest heroes to have in your draft.

Historically speaking, he always had a place in pretty much every meta. In fact, when the hero was first introduced, he was even played mid. Danil “Dendi” Ushutin is one of the most famous mid-Rubick players in the world. Of course, the current meta is a little different, even though we see the hero going mid from time to time. Still, Dendi made it work when he had the chance.

Rubick is an absolute pain to deal with whenever there are heroes with AoE spells. That’s why he is often banned early on, especially if a team wants to pick Enigma or Tidehunter.

Lich

Despite having just a 40% win rating, Lich was still one of the most favored heroes at the Minor. It seems like the teams started to lean towards Lich again after the initial hype when his third skill was reworked. Even today, Sinister Gaze is still one of the most broken spells in professional Dota. Even though it might seem “unreliable,” it can do wonders against certain heroes such as Bristleback. In addition, when you combine it with Aether Lens – along with the range talent – things get pretty scary.

Of course, Frost Shield is also a very useful spell versus melee carries. However, it seems like it’s just not as effective as it once was. Still, if the Minor showed us anything, it's that that doesn’t mean that it’s not working.

Gyrocopter

Gyrocopter has been on and off meta in the last couple of years. Even though he is not as strong as he used to be a couple of years ago, he is still one of the best carries right now. Apart from flash farming, Gyro is an awesome teamfight carry, something that’s very important nowadays.

He was picked 14 times and has 64% win rating, which is not bad at all. Needless to say, he will most likely be the top carry of the Major as well. That said, there will be a lot of new teams there so we might see some interesting and less expected decisions.

Leshrac

The disco pony has been in the meta again for some time now. Even though he is not the fierce mid laner he once was back at TI 5, he is still one of the heroes that do the most damage in Dota 2. However, most teams lean towards playing him as support. This isn’t really something new because this hero works very well with a couple of position fives.

Leshrac has a total of 53% win rating out of 17 games – not too shabby. We are yet to see if that percentage will get higher once MDL Chengdu begins.

If you missed any of the action at The Summit 11, be sure to check our recaps. Of course, we will also cover the Major so be sure to follow us in our social media.