ESL One Bangkok Meta: What Heroes Will Get Picked?

We’re touching down on the final tournament of the 2024 Dota 2 season, with ESL One Bangkok 2024 starting very soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some out there who are a little behind on the meta so here’s everything you need to know!

ESL One Bangkok 2024 will be played in the 7.37e patch, which is the same patch played in the previous BLAST Slam I tournament. Though we won’t see too many things change, there has been a little development in the pub world, so we might see a few new heroes out on the field. 

How Is The Meta Shaping Up?

Before diving into the list of names, let’s quickly understand what to expect from how the meta is played.

With the map being more extensive and the nature of some of the most popular picks in the current meta, we are shifting to a slower pace of gameplay. This means there is a lot of stalling, wave clearing, and Roshans. 

BLAST Slam I featured one of the longest average game times we’ve seen in a while – 41:06 minutes. To put this into perspective, TI13’s average was 38:17, and DreamLeague Season 24’s was 39:23. 

That being said, the heroes that we’ll see are likely involved in heroes that check the following boxes:

• Heroes that are good enough in lane to prevent a 20-minute stomp.
• Ability to stack camps and clear them, especially Ancients.
• Late-game scaling potential, even for supports.
• Heroes that have the ability to clear and cut waves.

Heroes We’ll See in the ESL One Bangkok Meta

Without further ado, I will highlight some of the most popular meta heroes we’re likely to see at ESL One Bangkok based on their contention rate at BLAST Slam I and their popularity in professional-level pubs. I’ve also played several heroes in my games to get a good feel for them. 

Alchemist 

Everybody loves – or hates, Alchemist, as he has been picked or banned in 40 out of 43 games at Copenhagen, meaning he is riding with an 89% contention rate.

This hero is an incredibly stable laner, and even if he finds trouble, he can always recover in the jungle, even starting at Level 4. With the map being so large, Alchemist has tons of areas to fall back to, and also does well with clearing Ancients once he has Chemical Rage online. 

The best part about him is that he will ALWAYS recover, given the nature of the hero. Though Alchemist falls off in ultra-late games against other carries, he peaks at the 35 – 45 minute mark, which is when games are usually ending. 

I’ve seen Crystallis play some of his best Dota on this hero, as PARIVISION loves this “win lane win game” style, which bodes well with Alchemist, who comes online early. 

Dragon Knight 

Davion is just as popular as Alchemist, boasting an 89% contention rate with 30 bans and 10 picks. So, we might not see him too often, but when we did at BLAST Slam I, he boasted an 80% win rate. 

It is almost impossible to shut him down in lane due to Dragon Blood, and his Fire Dragon facet gives him a Battle Fury one minute into the game. Combine that with a Mask of Madness and an Armlet, and you’ll have Sven and Medusa combined into one hero in terms of farming. 

Not only can he farm at Alchemist speeds, but Dragon Knight is also a hero who comes online relatively quickly and can help the team take early objectives to take control of the map.

Team Liquid’s miCKe loves running Dragon Knight, as he is known for joining early engagements and securing his team’s late-game. 

Naga Siren 

We might not actually see Naga Siren often, as she has been banned 36 times and only touched the battlefield 4 times. 

Why? She’s simply super annoying. Naga does relatively well in lane, especially when paired with a ranged hero or one with kill potential. However, her mid to late-game prowess is the primary reason.

She can shove waves with illusions, even without any damage items, which is one criterion we are looking for, and let’s not get started with Song of the Siren. This is just a “cheat” spell that resets fights at will. If you have noticed, many heroes on this list are also cooldown-dependent. 

I think Tundra is a team that would love to get their hands on this hero, with Whitemon at the helm, due to their ratty style of play. 

Magnus 

Magnus has constantly been getting more and more love as the patch goes by. With an 84% contention rate and being one of the most-played heroes in pro-level pubs, we are bound to see some Reverse Polarities in Bangkok. 

Heroes with flexibility potential are always popular in professional play, as they provide a considerable draft advantage. Some heroes can be played in the mid or offlane, while some heroes like Magnus can be… played as positions 1, 2, 3, and even 4.

We’ve seen Magnus carry on players like Yuma, mid on Malr1ne of consistent grand finalists Team Falcons, off lane on MieRo, and position four on Saksa. This hero checks all boxes in terms of laning and scaling, and nothing is stronger than an AoE BKB-piercing stun going into the late game. 

MieRo plays an excellent Magnus, which fits his team’s style since the BetBoom Team thrives in late-game fights with their superior mechanical skills. 

Shadow Demon 

Shadow Demon is always a reliable pick for a support, as heroes with a saving spell like Disruption are always excellent prospects coming into games that often go late. 

This hero does relatively well in lane, but works exceptionally well as a position four due to the stacking potential he offers, allowing teammates like Alchemist and Dragon Knight to thrive.

However, with most games going to three Roshans, getting a free Aghanim’s Scepter on Shadow Demon would be a dream, as the ability to break popular heroes like Dragon Knight, Timbersaw, and Bristleback would be game-changing. 

I love watching Tundra run Shadow Demon, as both their support players are exceptional at running this strategy. It also fits their style of stacking early on and delaying games. 

Pugna 

Pugna, at the moment, is hands-down one of the strongest supports in lane. His attack range is insane, and he has quick feet with his movement speed that allows him to stack the Triangle every minute easily. 

However, in a meta where games are mostly stale, a support Pugna can spend their time nuking waves behind trees and applying pressure to towers. 

Of course, Pugna offers a lot in fights, from Nether Ward to a potential saving spell, which is always appreciated, even coming into the late game.

I’ll be keeping an eye out on Save if he plays this hero, as he is probably the best Pugna player in the world. 

Monkey King 

We won’t see Monkey King being picked too often, but when he is, we’re in for a good game. Wukong was only picked 6 times at BLAST Slam 1 but boasts an 83.33% win rate.

Why? It’s because the most popular mid laners are melee heroes, and he can be picked very late into the draft to destroy his counterpart in lane and propel his own game with an early Gleipnir. He also works well in the meta as he scales very well into the late game, and his mobility with Siaman Stride allows him to navigate through this huge Dota map we have. 

Players like Malr1ne even enjoy picking Monkey King into Storm Spirit, so you can imagine how well it’d do against melee counterparts as well. Of course, he can also be transitioned into a carry, offering great flex potential. 

This style of play fits Team Falcons, as both Malr1ne and skiter love this hero. Monkey King on skiter also works since he is more of a lane-dominating and aggressive-styled carry player who loves to skirmish. 

Muerta

Muerta is a support hero who pretty much checks most boxes. She is a strong laner with a remarkable ability to trade and has two disabling spells in the form of a fear that does significant damage in the early game and a devastating silence with a massive AoE. 

She loves to buy a Rod of Atos in the mid-game to set up for kills, but this item can also be upgraded to a Gelipnir later on to scale, which Muerta’s ultimate helps her do. 

Overall, she is just a great hero in all stages of the game, and we’ve definitely seen some support Muerta players taking advantage of her in the ESL One Bangkok meta. 

BetBoom’s Save played Muerta in three games at the BLAST Slam 1 Grand Final, and won them all. The only game he lost was when he wasn’t on her. He went for the same build, Atos into Boots of Bearing into Gleipnir.