Kez, Dota 2’s newest hero, has officially entered Captain’s Mode, joining the pool of heroes eligible for professional play. Though it’s early days for the hero, with him only being picked eight times in pro matches, I’m not convinced the hero is ready to make an impact – at least not yet.
Kez Hit With Nerfs Right Before His Debut
Before Kez even had the chance to shine in pro play, Valve decided to tone him down in the recent 7.39e patch, right before his Captain’s Mode debut. Four of his spells were hit with number nerfs, and it seems like the changes have taken a toll on his overall win rate.
In the past week, Kez’s win rate in pubs dropped from an already worrying 47.69% down to 45.19%. That places him among the seven worst-performing heroes in all brackets, which is a brutal sign for a newcomer who has just entered the professional pool.
However, Kez is definitely one of the harder heroes to master, so it’s not too surprising to see lower-ranked players struggle to find success compared to pros. Still, his win rate in high-MMR pubs remains at 46%, which isn’t too far off from the global average.
Early Results in Pro Play Don’t Look Great
We’ve seen Kez in action a few times now – mostly in qualifier games and and Tier 2 tournaments – but the results speak for themselves. Out of eight appearances at the time of writing, Kez has only managed three wins and a 37.5% win rate.
I’ve watched MidOne play the hero in the mid-lane, and though he had some flashy moments, Kez still looked awkward in prolonged fights, especially in the very late stages of the game. He ended up losing the game after 61 minutes.
The Good Side: There’s Still Potential
That said, it’s far too early to write Kez off completely. He can be played in the carry or mid-lane role, meaning teams can run him on multiple roles. This sort of flexibility gives a decent drafting advantage, which can be valuable for some teams.
We haven’t seen Tier 1 teams compete since the player break, so it’ll be interesting to see whether any top teams have come up with some fresh ideas to make him work.
He’s also one of the most mechanically demanding heroes in the game right now, even for pros. This could mean that only a handful of players might be able to unlock his full potential. It wouldn’t be surprising if some Tier 1 teams are developing Kez specialists behind the scenes who could eventually redefine how the hero is played.
Once a “proper” way to play him has been figured out, the best players can quickly adapt to the playstyle and make the hero work.
My Take: Kez Needs Time and the Right Hands
From what I’ve seen so far, I think Kez is one of those specialist heroes who looks mediocre in most hands, but terrifying in the right ones – something like a kiyotaka Tinker or Ghost Lone Druid.
His damage output is definitely there, but he lacks hard disables to dish it out reliably, requiring reliance on teammates to provide the lockdown for him. Kez also isn’t the tankiest hero out there, and he can evaporate if he expends his hit kit without getting enough kills.
That said, we don’t even know whether Kez is best played as a carry or mid-laner yet. It feels like he’s missing that one breakthrough moment – a top team or player who figures him out, and everyone follows that style. Until then, he’s likely to stay a niche pick rather than a reliable meta hero.
