ESTNN breaks down the details of the drafts through the Upper Division of Season 2's DPC.
With DPC Season 2 all wrapped up ESTNN takes a look at the most successful heroes played in the Upper Division and spotlights the ones we think will hold a tremendous amount of potential for the upcoming WePlay AniMajor. The top 18 teams commence their battle on June 2 and they'll be looking closely at what could work against them in patch 7.29.
10 Most Picked Heroes across all Regions - Win Rate
It's easy to see the supports with the most pick rates as they're not prioritized to ban.
Even though Wraith King is rank 10 among the most picked heroes, he's the only position one hero to reach the list. With a win rate of 57%, it's a safe bet Wraith King will be a favorite with teams at the AniMajor. Snapfire should also see some attention; thanks to her amazing attributes such as long-distance AOE nuke damage, durability, AOE disability and helping an ally hero escape death. Last but not least, Nyx Assassin holds the highest win rate in the list, with 66.9%, making Nyx a hero worthy of attention.
10 Most Contested Heroes across all Regions - Win Rate
The most banned heroes are likely to miss the chance to shine during the Major. But if they've made it to this list, then they truly deserve attention. Tallying up the most picked and banned heroes we find Puck is ahead of the rest of the group by a huge margin. The pesky fairy dragon leads the list by 50, with a total of 341 picks/bans in Season 2. And there's a good reason too. Puck not only helps in crowd control but also helps in controlling the map.
Alongside Puck, Beastmaster was highly contested at the beginning of patch 7.29. But he's been consistently losing popularity after receiving a few nerfs in the subsequent balance patches. As the trend of taking a durable offlane pick carries on, we're expecting to see more of Centaur, Timbersaw and Mars during the Major.
Roster Diversity, K/D/A and Farm
Diversity in the draft not only brings about an understanding of the synergy between heroes, it also shows how confidently the players can execute less-picked and unorthodox heroes. Among the teams that qualified for the Major, Team Secret has the most unique heroes played, with a total of 73. BOOM ID lead the way in diverse drafts, with 74 heroes picked. But unfortunately, we won't be seeing them on the AniMajor stage.
When it comes to ruthless fighting and aggression, kills and deaths shoot up. And that is where Quincy Crew shines the brightest, leading the pack with a KDA of 7.36.
But it's Vici Gaming who are the kings of the farm, earning almost 40 GPM more than other DPC teams. Consistency in farming, map control and the ability to throw fights less all impact a team's farming rate and that’s where one of Vici Gaming's strengths lies.
Most Successful Hero Picked Against Qualified Teams
Data like this is crucial to a team's success. Of course teams will ban their most hated heroes. But these are the heroes who slip through the ban phase and who seem to hurt the most when they do. For Secret, Spirit and Quincy Crew, Puck has been the biggest pain.
Meanwhile, Ogre, Faceless Void, Void Spirit, and Centaur also caused major problems for each of our region's top seeds during the season.
3 Most Picked and Banned Heroes by Qualified Teams
The heroes picked most by our qualified teams during Season 2 are Lion, Centaur Warrunner and Snapfiire.
Centaur has been a favorite pick for many teams. Unsurprising as he provides plenty of durability, plus the ability to allow allies to reposition themselves during a team fight. And, even though Lion and Snapfire have a low win rate, the disables and nuke damage they provide are dangerous weapons when used correctly.
When it comes to most banned heroes, Centaur Warrunner makes another appearance. This time alongside Puck, Timbersaw. Most of our teams have become so comfortable playing with durable heroes like Timbersaw and Centaur their opponents feel it necessary to ban them straight out. If they're not able to take them for themselves that is.
So far it looks like T1 are the only team still worried about Io, despite the hero's nerfs. Io holds a win rate of 33% across all the regions and was picked only 36 times in Season 2.
Invictus Gaming has banned Broodmother a lot. But statistically, this hero hasn't proven to be that strong. Broodmother has a 40% win rate after being picked 29 times total this season.
Banning heroes out of meta shows that for whatever reason, the team feels that hero is something to fear. This can sometimes be a weakness that teams willing to play unique heroes can often take advantage of.
And that's a wrap for the Season 2 stats. Don't forget the WePlay AniMajor begins June 2!
