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Dota 2: How did the GAMERS GALAXY Invitational shape the new 7.31 patch's metagame?

The GAMERS GALAXY: Dota 2 Invitational Series Dubai 2022 recently concluded with Southeast Asian juggernauts BOOM Esports taking the championship with a 3-2 victory over Tundra Esports in the grand finals.

Aside from being the first LAN of the year, the GAMERS GALAXY Invitational was also the first major competition to be played in the 7.31 update.

It was an eye-opening experience that showed us how the best teams are digesting the new metagame and preparing for the upcoming Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Spring Tour.

Here's what the metagame in the GAMERS GALAXY Invitational tells us about the shape of pro Dota 2 in 7.31 moving forward:

Tiny and Io are the most contested heroes right now

(Photos: Valve Software)
(Photos: Valve Software)

Tiny received massive buffs in the 7.31 update and made our list of the biggest winners of the patch.

He deals more nuke damage, flash-farms earlier in the game, and scales well later on. Put it simply, the stone giant is the perfect carry for the brawl-heavy meta Dota 2 is in right now.

Whenever Tiny shoots up in popularity, Io is never far behind.

Io and Tiny have been best friends since players discovered the combo and that remained true in the Dubai Invitational, as both heroes were picked or banned in 37 games.

Invoker comes in third place, being contested 35 times during the tournament. Both OG and Nigma Galaxy are known for their Invoker players, and it made sense that teams would prioritize either picking or banning this hero against incredible midlaners like Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barkawi and Bozhidar "bzm" Bogdanov.

Templar Assassin is fourth on the list, being contested across 34 games. While Templar Assassin doesn’t provide as much early game presence as other more active mid heroes, she can flash farm very early and hits a big power spike with Black King Bar, Desolator, and Blink Dagger.

The fifth most contested hero is a tie between Ember Spirit and Mars.

Arguably the best Spirit brother right now, Ember Spirit is in a good spot this meta with his ability to take over the map and deny enemies access to their jungle camps.

Mars has been a contested hero since his introduction to Captain’s Mode, and the new update hasn't moved the God of War from his place in middle of the battlefield.

Snapfire and Invoker were the most successful heroes in Dubai

(Photos: Valve Software)
(Photos: Valve Software)

Apart from being very old in the lore, Invoker and Snapfire don’t have much in common.

That is, until they both showed up big time in the GAMERS GALAXY Invitational.

Snapfire was the most successful hero with at least five appearances, winning five of her six games. Similar to Mars, Snapfire has always been a popular hero due to her versatile and high damage kit.

Invoker is slightly more perplexing. Unlike Snapfire, the Arsenal Mage was seldom seen in the DPC's Winter Tour, and that made it unclear how strong the hero was.

Invoker then received interesting balance changes in the 7.31 update, and in the hands of some of the best players in the world, he looked very impressive as he won 11 out of his 15 appearances, a 73% win rate.

Queen of Pain isn’t the hero she used to be

(Photo: Valve Software)
(Photo: Valve Software)

Late in the previous patch, Queen of Pain emerged as one of the best heroes in the mid lane.

Then the new update hit and she took several nerfs, including losing damage on both her Sonic Wave ultimate and her Aghanim's Shard upgrade.

The result of those nerfs is that Queen of Pain only won one of her seven matches at the GALAXY GAMERS Invitational.

Out of all the heroes with a minimum of 10 appearances, Mars had the worst performance.

As mentioned before, Mars has been a popular pick since his introduction into the game, but at this point it seems IceFrog is tired of the hero’s constant presence in the pro scene.

Following all his nerfs in 7.31, Mars only won five out of his 12 games in Dubai.

With the upcoming DPC Spring Tour, it will be fascinating to see how different regions approach the meta, and which heroes will rise and which will falter in the new 7.31 metagame.

Otomo is a long-time gaming enthusiast and caster. He has been playing games since he was 10 and is the biggest Dota 2 fan.

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