The best heroes of The International 2023 (so far)

William Davis Published 18/10/2023

The International is always defined by its best heroes, and the 2023 edition is no different.

For esports enjoyers, The International is where all of the year’s biggest storylines resolve with a rightful champion taking home the Aegis of Champions. However, for casual players, it’s the best time of the year to jack strats from the pros.

With so much prestige and a decent chunk of change on the line, teams are playing dirty with the most broken and imbalanced heroes on the pick screen. With the group stage over and playoffs drawn, these are the best heroes of The International 2023 so far.

As with every tournament, there will always be a few heroes that appear for just one or two matches and earn a 100% win rate. Our analysis discounts those heroes in favor of which ones are consistently picked and consistently win.

The best heroes in each role at The International 2023

Spectre

In the safe lane, Spectre is head and shoulders above the competition with an 80% win rate at ten games played. Seven different teams have picked it, with Virtus.pro being the biggest fan at three matches.

The build is effectively unified, starting with an early Blade Mail into Radiance and Manta Style. Extension items vary greatly, with Skadi, Bloodthorn, Abyssal Blade, and Scepter as the most popular.

Primal Beast

While originally played almost exclusively as an offlaner, Primal Beast has stolen the spotlight as one of the best mid heroes of The International 2023. The pick sports a 75% win rate when played as a Position 2, as the hero perfectly fits the Blade Mail into Heart of Tarrasque meta.

The pick boasts a much better matchup spread than it first appears, and his natural mobility and tankiness tick all the boxes for what mids want in 7.34d.

Brewmaster

The offlane is one of the least-defined roles at The International 2023, with several heroes being quite popular. While not as successful as the above picks at 58% win rate, Brewmaster is by far the most contested offlaner at the event thanks to his massive level six power spike and scaling potential.

The first Primal Split is usually used to force the carry out and take the tier one while items like Spirit Vessel and Radiance make him a late-game powerhouse. 

Skywrath Mage

Of all the heroes on this list popping off at The International, it’s the least clear why Skywrath Mage is the best in his role. The soft support staple offers very little utility outside of his insane damage output, but it appears that many teams are picking him as a response to squishy agility carries.

Mystic Flare is an amazing pickoff tool, which has helped teams like 9Pandas, Team Spirit, and Keyd Stars achieve an overall 63.16% win rate.

Treant Protector

Despite being nerfed in multiple letter patches, Treant Protector is still the king of the forest. He’s one of few melee supports to pair up well with melee cores thanks to recent buffs to Leech Seed and powerful harass potential.

Teams like Tundra, Azure Ray, and Virtus.pro especially love pairing him up with Spectre for a top-tier safe lane combo. His strong laning, global presence, and versatile item build have earned Treant a 54.17% win rate, the highest of any popular position five.

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