Not all of Dota 2’s 123 heroes are equally loved, that much is apparent. But there doesn’t appear to be any single reason why some heroes rise to the top while others languish. One might assume that less-picked heroes have lower winrates, while more popular picks have higher ones. But if Dotabuff is to be believed, winrate has seemingly no correlation to pickrate. Broodmother, currently the least picked hero in the game, only has a 45.74% winrate. But Chen, the second least picked hero, has a 51.90% winrate. To top it off, Elder Titan, the third least picked hero, has a 48.48% winrate. This puts him in the same spot as Broodmother, which is very different from Chen. Looking closely at these three might reveal why they are at the very bottom. Furthermore, it might reveal more as to why any character might find themselves among Dota 2’s least played heroes.
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Broodmother
One aspect that all three of the least picked heroes share is the ability to control separate units. This ability, while powerful, is notoriously difficult to manage, and can increase the skill floor of a hero drastically. Many of the least played heroes are ones with this ability, but their pickrate doesn’t directly correlate to it. Meepo, widely regarded as one of the most difficult heroes, ranks much higher than these bottom three. Clearly, there is more at play.
While Broodmother does have to manage her spiderlings, she has an additional layer of management beyond that. Her webs, which account for most of her mobility, must be placed and can be destroyed by enemies. While this form of territory management clearly appeals to some, it doesn’t stop Broodmother from coming in dead last. That’s more than likely because of the bounty the spiderlings carry. They give 9 gold each when killed, and spawn 4-6 at a time. This means that poor management of them can give enemy laners free gold.
Chen
While Broodmother might not have a huge amount of focus placed on her minions, Chen does. His W, Holy Persuasion, allows him to recruit creeps to fight on his behalf. As all his other abilities are supportive, Chen relies on his followers to protect him and deal damage. Like Broodmother, this gives him a high skill floor, but unlike her gives him a very high skill ceiling. This explains Chen’s positive winrate, as his high level players make up for the losses of less experienced ones.
Unlike many other supports, Chen only has one ability that affects enemies. Thus, he is highly dependent on his army and his team, making him a bad fit for solo queue. As most players won’t reach the level of play Chen thrives at, he sits at the second place spot.
Elder Titan
Unlike both Chen and Broodmother, Elder Titan only has one other unit to control. His Astral Spirit, though, is far more complex than the minions the other heroes use. It only lasts 10 seconds, and interacts with all of Elder Titan’s basic abilities. After that time, it goes on a long cooldown, meaning that those 10 seconds must be used well. He’s too complex to appeal to most casual players, and not powerful enough to see much pro play.
While obviously not all underplayed heroes share these mechanics, similar underlying principles still apply. Dota 2’s least played heroes typically are more difficult than they are flashy. This is why Invoker is one of the most played heroes while Meepo isn’t. While Meepo can be equally impressive, the skill it takes on him is much greater than that of Invoker. Hopefully players take a look at some of these less loved heroes, as they may find a hidden gem.
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