Although BLAST Slam IV is still ongoing, the current pause in matches lets us review some of the most popular hero choices and bans we’ve seen at the Dota 2 tournament so far.
BLAST Slam IV is showcasing some unexpected hero choices, potentially shaping the future of Dota 2’s competitive scene. We’ve seen Kez played in Captains Mode for the first time, and the tournament is featuring several unusual picks after the recent changes from The International. As the tournament pauses before resuming on November 7th, we’re taking a look at the most popular heroes so far and predicting how the meta might evolve through 2025 if Valve doesn’t release a new update.
It’s not all about picks at BLAST Slam IV
At BLAST Slam IV, Marci is drawing a lot of attention – and not for good reasons. She’s been banned an incredible 71 times so far in the tournament. Interestingly, Naga Siren is the next most banned hero, close behind Marci. Both heroes were recently weakened in the 7.39e update, but they’ve still emerged as strong picks at this major event following The International 2025.
Both have been significantly reduced in number due to recent restrictions, but when allowed to thrive, they’ve been very productive. This leads us to our next topic: Kez.
What the Kez?
When Kez was first released, players thought it would quickly become a top hero in both professional matches and casual games. But that hasn’t happened. Its win rate has stayed below 50%, currently around 45%. What makes Kez stand out is its ability to play effectively in multiple lanes, so the low pick rate seen at BLAST Slam IV is surprising. Many teams seem to be avoiding playing against it, not prioritizing banning or countering it.
Kez has a perfect win record with just three picks, but remains a relatively unknown hero. While Bane and Abaddon are strong contenders, it’s possible teams haven’t fully explored the potential of Flutter or Shadowhawk. Whether Kez will become a consistently chosen hero at BLAST Slam IV remains to be seen.
Top picks at BLAST Slam IV
The data from BLAST Slam IV regarding hero picks isn’t entirely reliable. This is mainly because the early Group Stage featured a large number of single-game matches – 66 in total before the Play-Ins began. Despite this, a clear pattern of preferred and banned heroes did emerge. Banning strategies were significant, as seen with Naga and Marci often targeted against Alpha Wolves, but certain heroes still performed exceptionally well.
Hoodwink
Hoodwink is proving to be a consistently strong hero, even before The International 2025. At BLAST Slam IV, she’s been picked 37 times and banned 15 times, maintaining a solid 56.76% win rate. With the playoffs still ahead, we’ll likely see her chosen frequently. She’s particularly effective as a position 4 player, excelling at punishing opponents who move around the map.
And, with that said, that is exactly why it is the top-picked hero at BLAST Slam IV.
Abaddon
Abaddon is proving to be a valuable hero at BLAST Slam IV, maintaining a 50% win rate across 28 matches. A recent update to his ‘Borrowed Time’ ability hasn’t altered his core strengths, and he’s frequently chosen as a primary carry. His ‘The Quickening’ Facet is consistently demonstrating its effectiveness.
This character is still very popular and frequently banned. But, we might see some incredibly strong Abaddon players towards the end of the tournament.
Jakiro
At the beginning of 2025, Jakiro was considered overpowered and in need of significant adjustments. He was dominating both professional games and regular matches. Recently, improvements to his Liquid Frost ability have made him popular again, though he never truly faded away. Now functioning well as a strong support player, Jakiro excels at protecting his team’s Safelane. With 24 selections and a 58% win rate, he’s a hero you can expect to see played frequently.
An honourable (skipped over) mention and how the picks of BLAST Slam IV influence 7.39e
Snapfire was the third most popular hero chosen at BLAST Slam IV. Despite being known as a strong hero, its performance at the event hasn’t been great. With 28 selections and 20 bans, Snapfire currently has a 35% win rate. While many teams are trying to play as or against Snapfire, it’s not quite delivering the results expected. However, professional players are skilled at adapting, so they’ll likely figure out how to maximize Snapfire’s potential as the tournament continues.
Honestly, watching the hero picks and bans, things haven’t changed that much from TI 2025. You still see the same strong heroes popping up all the time – Disruptor and Mars are always a pain to deal with! But it feels like patch 7.39e is still settling, so we need to watch some more tournaments to get a real feel for what’s strong. I’ve already noticed Gyrocopter is a really solid carry right now, but Earthshaker as a support? Nobody seems to be picking him!
Honestly, the favorites at BLAST Slam IV aren’t a huge shock. Looking ahead to the next couple of months, things are going to shift a lot, and it doesn’t seem like we’ll get a new update before 2026. I’m bracing for a wild ride!
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2025-10-25 06:41