52% win rate for the Forces of Light and 17 overlooked heroes—statistics from The International 2026
At The International 2026, 17 heroes never appeared in matches, and wins were split with a slight edge for the Forces of Light: 52% versus 48% for the Forces of Darkness. The tournament statistics were compiled by analyst Ilya “Leamare” Silakov-Volynsky and the DOTABUFF portal.
A total of 147 maps were played during the stage. Players placed 6,300 wards, killed 463 Roshans, 586 couriers, and over 490,000 creeps, as well as performed 721 buybacks and recorded 5 rampages.
The average duration of a single map was 46 minutes and 47 seconds.
The most-picked heroes were Mirana (73 picks), Hoodwink (72), and Centaur Warrunner (58). Among the most frequently banned heroes were Treant Protector (139 bans), Keeper of the Light (98), and Earth Spirit (92). Looking at heroes with more than 10 matches played, the most successful were Bounty Hunter (73.33% win rate), Pangolier (67.86%), and Earth Spirit (65.91%).
The following heroes proved to be completely unpopular: Abaddon, Anti-Mage, Bristleback, Broodmother, Chen, Lich, Medusa, Meepo, Nyx Assassin, Omniknight, Phantom Assassin, Silencer, Skywrath Mage, Venomancer, Visage, Warlock, and Wraith King.
Key Metrics
- Teams with the most picks — Team Spirit (29 picks, 65.52% win rate);
- The team with the widest hero pool — Team Spirit (49 heroes);
- Team with the smallest hero pool — HULIGANI (28 heroes);
- The longest game of the tournament — Team Falcons vs. PARIVISION (TEAM VISION) (1 hour, 34 minutes, 38 seconds);
- The shortest game of the championship — Team Resilience vs. Team Yandex (18 minutes 22 seconds).
The International 2026 took place from August 13 to 23 in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. Team Spirit emerged as the tournament champion, defeating PARIVISION (TEAM VISION) 3–2 in the finals. At the time of publication, the prize pool for the year’s main championship totaled over $3,453,199.
Photo: Valve.
