Alright, so today I actually spent some time trying to put together my own Dota 2 tier list. Felt like doing it, you know? Been playing a bunch lately, seeing all sorts of heroes picked, some working out, some just… not.
First thing, I just opened up a blank document. Didn’t want to get too fancy. Started thinking about the heroes that feel really strong right now. Like, the ones you see and just kinda sigh, knowing it’s gonna be a tough game. Or the ones you pick and feel like you’ve got a good shot right from the start.
So, I just started typing names. Didn’t really have strict tiers at first, more like groups. ‘Definitely Good’, ‘Seems Okay’, ‘Kinda Meh’, and ‘Please Don’t Pick This’. Real scientific, I know.
Then I tried to make actual tiers, like S, A, B, C, D. This is where it got messy. Dragging names up and down. Is this guy really S-tier, or just strong A-tier? What about that hero everyone complains about? Are they actually that good, or just annoying?
Sorting it Out
I spent a while just staring at the list. Moved Anti-Mage up, then down, then back up again. He feels strong if the game goes late, but getting there… tricky. Then there’s supports. Putting supports on the same list as carries feels weird sometimes. A good Crystal Maiden can win you the lane, but is she ‘S-tier’ like a farmed Faceless Void? Different jobs, right?
I mostly went with my gut feeling, based on games I’ve played recently. Not just win rates, ’cause honestly, some high win rate heroes feel awful to play, or only work in specific lineups. I thought about:
- How easy is it to have impact with the hero?
- How annoying are they to play against?
- Do they feel strong at most stages of the game?
- How often do I see them actually winning games?
Had a game yesterday where a Dazzle just kept saving everyone. Felt impossible to kill anyone. So, yeah, Dazzle went up a bit on my list after that. Personal bias? Probably, but hey, it’s my list.
Then I looked at the bottom. The D-tier guys. Heroes I haven’t seen win in ages, or heroes that just feel like they need way too much effort to do anything useful. Some heroes are probably fine, just nobody’s figured them out yet in this patch, maybe.
The ‘Final’ List (For Now)
After a lot of fiddling, moving names around, second-guessing myself, I got something that looks kinda reasonable to me. It’s definitely not perfect. Next week, a patch could drop and mess it all up anyway. That’s just Dota.
But yeah, that was the process. Just me, a document, and a whole lot of opinions based on playing the game. Felt good to get it written down, even if it’s just my own take. Now I gotta actually play some games and see how wrong I am.
