We take a look at the top picks from South America’s Tour 1 in our final hero analysis from the DPC.
Many people underestimate the South American Dota 2 region. Because even the top teams have problems against the biggest names in Europe and in other regions. While it is true that most South American Dota 2 teams are yet to defeat the best in the game, the matches here are always a joy to watch. Tour 1 of 2021/2022 DPC was no exception because Division I and Division II were terrific.
One of the things that will be really interesting to see is whether Thunder Predator can continue to dominate. Some people expected beastcoast and Infamous to dominate the region, but this was not the case. Even though the two teams finished in second and third place respectively, they were no match for TP. The latter won all of their games and lost only one map.
Division II was also fun because Infinity and Balrogs did not give their opponents any chances of winning. David “Parker” Nicho Chote and the rest of his team finished without losing a single game, whereas Balrogs lost only one match.
The top teams in Division I and II dominated the rest, thanks to picking some of the hottest heroes in the meta. Naturally, most of the options were picked in other regions as well. In other words, this article won’t focus on Bane, QoP, Snapfire, Spirit Breaker, and the usual suspects. Instead, it will highlight a few names that appeared more often in South America than in other regions.
Invoker
Invoker is probably one of the most distinguishable heroes in Dota 2 because of his unique skills. This is a mid laner capable of defeating almost everyone. Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that he is among the top picks in pubs.
Although the hero is not that popular in professional games unless he is in the meta, Invoker appeared in 31 games in SA. The teams that picked him won 16 matches, which means Invoker has around a 52% win rating. This is not that impressive, but it is higher than QoP’s, a hero that was also picked in 31 games.
The current meta allows Invoker players to utilize the Exort build because it allows them to do a lot of damage. Nevertheless, some teams use the hero for this Quas/Wex capabilities.
Void Spirit
Void Spirit is a hero that continues to play an essential role for many teams. He has been in the meta for months now, but some teams still haven’t learned how to cope with him. It seems like this is true in South America because VS is one of the most popular mid laners in the region.
The hero had the chance to shine in 29 games. Although he is not as successful as Invoker or QoP (Void Spirit only has a 44% win rating), we had the chance to watch him dominate the opposing mid laner in several matches, especially in Division I. We don’t know whether Valve will nerf the hero in the future, but he is definitely one of the best right now, so we expect to see some changes once the new patch arrives. Speaking of the devil, this should happen a few days from now.
Hoodwink
One of the most fascinating heroes on this list is Hoodwink. This is one of the heroes that rarely shows up in other regions, such as Europe, but plays a vital role in South America. One of the newest heroes in the game has nearly a 56% win rating, which is a lot, especially compared to other names on this list. Some teams use him as a core, whereas others try to put him in the support role.
Since this is one of the newest heroes in Dota 2, we will most likely see him a lot more often in the future. It will be interesting to see whether Hoodwink can establish itself in other regions and become among the preferred options for some positions.
Medusa
After pointing out some of the mid laners, it is time to take a look at a hero that is also a popular carry. Medusa is one of the names in Dota 2 that is often considered to be the strongest late game hero. If she gets several items, she can easily rip through her opponents and carry her team to success.
While it is true that Medusa is also popular in other regions, she shines in South America. As a result, the hero has a 58% win rating from 26 games, which is impressive. Most teams in the region use her as a position 1, but she can be an excellent mid laner. Thanks to Mystic Snake, the hero can easily dominate against most common mid laners, including the likes of Invoker.
Treant Protector
This used to be one of the most annoying support heroes in Dota 2 a couple of patches ago. Although Treant Protector might not seem reasonable on paper, the hero can work in many scenarios. As a result, he is often among the most popular options in professional Dota 2.
The hero is notorious for having the highest start base damage. This allows him to harras the enemy’s offlaner and prevents him from securing last hits. Needless to say, he can also provide vision and Living Armor, one of the best spells from a support hero in the game. Besides the fact that it can save many of Treant’s allies, it can also be used on towers. This makes the task of every team that has to go against Trent a living hell.
Legion Commander
The last hero we want to include on this list with the most popular options for South America is Legion Commanded. It is important to point out that the hero appeared in only 20 games, which means he is not as popular as the rest. This probably won’t surprise those who keep an eye on the professional Dota 2 scene because LC is rarely among the preferred options, at least for pro games.
LC can fit in many lineups because she is diverse. The hero can be used as a core, a jungler, or even a position four support. Another thing that should be noted about LC is that she can snowball really well, thanks to Duel. The latter is one of the best ultimates in the game versus certain heroes, such as Anti-Mage or Ember Spirit.
Legion Commander only has a 40% win rating, which means that the hero only works in certain situations.
