
Team Liquid’s Technical Director Ben “Noxville” Stenheizen took to his personal X page to call on developers to rework neutral items in the next patch.
Now that The International is over, we can all start making our crazy wish lists for post-TI changes!
I’d like to see a rework of neutral items. There’s always been too much randomness in which options you get. The rework of the charms was a step in the right direction, but the range of available options still seems too wide.
I also think some items should be significantly nerfed or even removed. It used to feel like heroes were more unique, and the draft had a greater impact on the game. But over the past few years, it’s started to feel like items almost always let you fix problems that arose from the draft.
Statistics for The International 2026 were previously released, showing that 17 heroes did not appear in a single map, and the Forces of Light held the edge in wins—52% to 48% for the Forces of Darkness. A total of 147 maps were played, and the average game duration was 46 minutes and 47 seconds.
Photo by Ben “Noxville” Stenheisen.