5 most unpicked heroes in Dota 2 The International 2023

Dota 2 The International 2023 (TI12) event concluded after a total of 150 games, but it was notably deprived of certain powerful heroes. These heroes had been drafted in previous Majors and DreamLeague tournaments, yet surprisingly, they remained unpicked in The International 2023.

We've shortlisted five heroes who were entirely overlooked in TI12. Interestingly, these heroes are used in every day matches, especially by lower MMR players. Additionally, they weren't even nerfed to the ground like certain Dota 2 heroes. Read on to discover more about the five heroes that failed to gain the professionals' attention in this year's TI.

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Drow Ranger, Lion, Shadow Shaman, and 2 more heroes that were completely ignored in Dota 2 The International 2023

1) Drow Ranger

Drow Ranger's Wyvern Skin (Image via Dota 2)

Traxex, also known as Drow Ranger, holds a prominent position as one of the most-played safelaners in Dota 2. This agility-based ranged hero excels in dealing physical damage to her enemies.

Drow Ranger's Aghanim's Shard buff will give her a new ability called Glacier. When activated, this spell summons an ice hill that grants Drow Ranger and her allies extra attack range, along with bonus arrows for her Multishot ability.

While her Aghanim's Scepter will enhance her Frost Arrows and applies 'Hypothermia' to the affected units. This upgrade doesn't pierce spell immunity, but is quite strong against tanks and strength heroes in general who skip BKB.

This tournament saw tanky heroes throughout the end, so the omission of Drow Ranger is a surprise.

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2) Lion

Lion's Gruesome Embrace skin (Image via Dota 2)

Lion is a go-to support hero, especially for lower-ranked players, due to the simple spell usage and gameplay. He excels as a stun-based hero and can disrupt enemy lanes by draining their mana with Mana Drain.

Additionally, his ultimate, Finger of Death, deals burst damage, and the damage itself increases through stacks gained after each kill using Finger of Death. Lion's Aghanim's Shard is also pretty broken, granting him 80% spell resistance when using Mana Drain.

His recent rework allows him to use Mana Drain on allies, providing bonus move speed and mana restoration. The absence of Lion in TI12 was unexpected, as he is one of the heroes capable of helping you chain-stun your enemies effectively.

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3) Shadow Shaman

Shadow Shaman's Bantam Blaze skin (Image via Dota 2)

Shadow Shaman is another usual pick for lower-ranked players in both ranked and unranked games. This hero is very easy to use and can disable enemy heroes during laning stage and teamfights. His ultimate Serpent Wards can be used to take down towers.

However, his Aghanim's Scepter and Shard upgrades didn't receive much changes. And yet, Shaman can be very dangerous especially during late-game as he can simply get Scepter and Refresher Orb and rat the enemy's base.

We saw several late-game matches in Dota 2 TI12, so Shaman's absence felt a little off.

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4) Abaddon

Abaddon's Arsenal of the Demonic Vessel skin (Image via Dota 2)

Abaddon is one of the very few heroes who have a strong dispel as part of their spells. His Aphotic Shield can be used to aid dying allies, and it has the potential to turn the tide of battle. Additionally, his ultimate is one of the most powerful abilities in the entire game, as incoming damage converts into newly gained HP for the Lord of Avernus.

The lack of reworks and buffs may explain why this hero was completely overlooked in The International 2023. His Scepter upgrade enhances Borrowed Time (ultimate), causing it to fire Mist Coil at nearby allies when Abaddon takes over 525 damage.

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5) Winter Wyvern

Winter Wyvern's Secrets of the Katekhein (Image via Dota 2)

Winter Wyvern is an Intelligence-based support hero. Its spells revolve around healing allies with Cold Embrace, and damage spells that can be used to clear creep waves as well. Winter's Curse can be used on BKB-popped targets and can entirely change a losing teamfight if used at the right time. Additionally, this hero has a dangerous ultimate that can turn the tables.

Wyvern's Shard and Scepter didn't get any massive upgrades or buffs. As a result, this hero wasn't picked in The International 2023.

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