The Dota 2 Competitive Hero Tier List for August 2019 is based on data from The International 9, for a total of 265 games. Patch 7.22f.

All heroes are arranged in five tiers based on their draft rate. The tiers are viewed as clusters of data, and each hero is placed in the one they are closer the most.
The requisites for each tier never change. The goal is offering a neutral comparison that shows how the meta evolves over time.
The win rate has no effect on the tiers, but is included for further info. The tiers depend only on drafts (picks + bans), and aren't affected either by the win rate of a hero, or by their performance in pub matches.

This tier list contains all pro matches played from August 1st to 25th during patch 7.22f, including The International 9.

Past Tier List: July 2019

More: Updated Dota 2 Hero Tier List

Quick links

Tier 1 - Tier 2 - Tier 3 - Tier 4 - Tier 5

All tables are responsive and sortable. If you are using a phone, turn it sideways for a full view. Otherwise, zoom in or click the grey area of each table to swipe and sort them.

Tier 1

Name	P+B	P+B%	Picks	Picks%	Bans	Bans%	Win%
Shadow Demon	217	81.9%	83	31.3%	134	50.6%	57.8%
Alchemist	201	75.9%	44	16.6%	157	59.3%	61.4%
Enchantress	182	68.7%	47	17.7%	135	50.9%	55.3%
Leshrac	163	61.5%	63	23.8%	100	37.7%	47.6%
Ogre Magi	151	57.0%	83	31.3%	68	25.7%	41.0%
Kunkka	149	56.2%	52	19.6%	97	36.6%	50.0%
Mirana	143	54.0%	48	18.1%	95	35.9%	54.2%
Elder Titan	138	52.1%	76	28.7%	62	23.4%	56.6%

The division in tiers is never perfect, and sometimes the heroes at the limit between the highest tiers have similar draft rates.

Tier 2

Name	P+B	P+B%	Picks	Picks%	Bans	Bans%	Win%
Outworld Devourer	127	47.9%	29	10.9%	98	37.0%	44.8%
Chen	127	47.9%	30	11.3%	97	36.6%	66.7%
Ember Spirit	123	46.4%	54	20.4%	69	26.0%	42.6%
Slark	123	46.4%	45	17.0%	78	29.4%	51.1%
Ancient Apparition	122	46.0%	54	20.4%	68	25.7%	51.9%
Lifestealer	122	46.0%	45	17.0%	77	29.1%	40.0%
Rubick	121	45.7%	69	26.0%	52	19.6%	55.1%
Centaur Warrunner	120	45.3%	44	16.6%	76	28.7%	59.1%
Omniknight	119	44.9%	32	12.1%	87	32.8%	43.8%
Gyrocopter	115	43.4%	61	23.0%	54	20.4%	59.0%

Alchemist is the most banned hero in Dota 2

Alchemist is one of the heroes who defined the meta at TI9.

His pick rate isn’t very high because he is so fearsome that the majority of the teams decided to avoid him, so he became the most banned hero of the month.

Alchemist literally changes the equilibrium of the game because he is able to create resources that are not naturally available on the map. While Hand of Midas has a similar purpose, it can’t be compared with the amount of gold provided by Greevil’s Greed.

On average, Alchemist comes out of the lane/jungle at 22 minutes with both Radiance and Black King Bar: it isn’t easy dealing with him while your cores are still building their first items.

Of course, there are several ways to counter him, but those methods work the best in pubs and in a less competitive environment. At TI, the teams picking Alchemist know how to secure his farm, so he achieved a win rate above 61% in the most skilled tournament of the year!

After a few failed attempts, it is clear that there is not a consistent strategy to deal with him at the moment, so the teams started instant-banning Alchemist in every game. Almost all the bans took place during the first phase.

Most bought items by pros

These are the most bought items on Alchemist by pro players during August:

Bracer: 65
Stout Shield: 62
Radiance: 44
Phase Boots: 42
Black King Bar: 41
Aghanim’s Scepter: 40
Assault Cuirass: 37
Blink Dagger: 34
Skull Basher: 21
Abyssal Blade: 19
Vanguard: 19
Boots of Travel: 11

The list doesn’t include consumables and basic items.

Armlet of Mordiggian isn’t used anymore

In the past, Armlet of Mordiggian was a core item on Alchemist as it grants stats that are indispensable for his early and mid game; but in August no pro player bought it. There are two main reasons behind this trend:

It delays your new core item. Radiance became a must-have item, and its impact on the game is greater the earlier you complete it. Alchemist is also one the fastest farming heroes in the game, so he can acquire the Radiance at record speed.

According to the data, the fastest Radiance on Alchemist this month was purchased after 10 minutes, while the average time is 13.5 minutes.

Armlet of Mordiggian helps your survivability, but now there are other viable options.

Patch 7.20 reworked Phase Boots adding a 5 armor bonus, and 7.21 further buffed this amount to 6, which is a valuable defensive stats in the first 6-10 levels.
Bracer also went through several changes (+6% magic resistance in particular), so two of them greatly increase the survivability of a strength hero such as Alchemist against casters.

Loading Screen of the Boilerplate Bruiser for Alchemist - Valve

Gold and item optimization

Alchemist is one of the few heroes in Dota 2 that really doesn’t have problems accumulating money. His kit makes him one of the quickest farmers in the game, and the item build with Radiance grants an even faster gold generation.

Unfortunately, you can’t buy more item slots, so Alchemist must build expensive and efficient items to maximize his potential power. It is hard to justify a cheap 2,200-2,500 gold item on him.

Alchemist lacks armor, so Assault Cuirass helps against this vulnerability. Moreover, it doesn’t contribute only to his survivability, but also to the damage of the whole team thanks to Assault Aura.
Aghanim’s Scepter is a great deal for this hero because even if your strength reaches a cap relatively early, you can still boost your teammates by upgrading their skills.
- 7.22 also added Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade for Alchemist: for every Aghanim’s Scepter infused into an ally or himself, Alchemist permanently gains 30 attack damage and 6% spell damage amplification. The bonuses require Alchemist to have Aghanim’s Scepter equipped or infused.

Alchemist’s skill build

The image below shows the four most popular skill builds used in competitive games during August.

Unstable Concoction is completely neglected because your focus isn’t ganking, but farming, so Greevil’s Greed has the priority.
Acid Spray increases the farm speed (particularly in the jungle and when split-pushing), and it is also a solid tool in the lane to prevent fights or to contribute to them as it inflicts physical damage AoE.
Chemical Rage must be acquired as soon as possible to boost Alchemist’s survivability as his life is constantly at risk in the early game because the opponents won’t let him farm freely.

Most popular Alchemist’s skill builds in August - DatDota

How to counter Alchemist

In pubs, you still have hopes to counter Alchemist if his team is not well-coordinated.

Defeating him in the laning phase with an excellent solo or duo offlane isn’t sufficient because he will just move to the jungle, and his gold generation will grow quickly, especially if the supports also stacked camps for him.

In order to shut down Alchemist, you must overwhelm him in the laning phase, take control of the enemy jungle with wards, and continually gank or drive him away so he won’t be able to farm at all.

You want a team able to push, bring down towers, ward the map, and limit his movements by eliminating safe farming spots.

The experience in pubs

I have played several games where our supports or offlaners destroyed Alchemist in the early game, but after pushing down the safe lane tower they focused on other tasks or started farming for their own sake. If you leave Alchemist alone for even 5 minutes in an undisputed lane or jungle, you might lose the match!

Honestly, dealing with Alchemist is not fun. Beside the cores, everyone in the team must dedicate most of their early and mid game to counter him.

I believe that the hero is in a very strong position in the current patch because it is unbelievable that he can just get back into the game even after several deaths in the first 8-10 minutes. He just needs to AFK-farm in the jungle.

Suggested hero picks

Overall, what counters Alchemist isn’t an individual hero pick, but the intent of the whole team: you need the participation of several heroes in this “hunt” against the moneymaker boss.

Generally, I like picking Lifestealer because Alchemist is a strength hero with lots of HP but low armor, so you can easily exploit this weakness before he is able to farm appropriate items such as Assault Cuirass.
Timbersaw is also a great choice as he counters Alchemist at any stage of the game. He can win the lane and then punish him in his own element (the jungle). Note that you still need the help of a support for wards and disables to execute a solid offensive in the area controlled by the enemy team.

Tier 3

Name	P+B	P+B%	Picks	Picks%	Bans	Bans%	Win%
Magnus	103	38.9%	23	8.7%	80	30.2%	43.5%
Tiny	103	38.9%	70	26.4%	33	12.5%	50.0%
Crystal Maiden	97	36.6%	74	27.9%	23	8.7%	58.1%
Broodmother	96	36.2%	20	7.6%	76	28.7%	30.0%
Naga Siren	95	35.9%	20	7.6%	75	28.3%	55.0%
Sand King	91	34.3%	52	19.6%	39	14.7%	51.9%
Io	90	34.0%	23	8.7%	67	25.3%	60.9%
Faceless Void	89	33.6%	42	15.9%	47	17.7%	61.9%
Tidehunter	89	33.6%	53	20.0%	36	13.6%	64.2%
Lina	85	32.1%	39	14.7%	46	17.4%	46.2%
Dark Willow	74	27.9%	36	13.6%	38	14.3%	47.2%
Sven	74	27.9%	43	16.2%	31	11.7%	48.8%
Treant Protector	66	24.9%	13	4.9%	53	20.0%	69.2%
Grimstroke	65	24.5%	49	18.5%	16	6.0%	38.8%
Earthshaker	63	23.8%	48	18.1%	15	5.7%	52.1%
Batrider	62	23.4%	15	5.7%	47	17.7%	46.7%
Juggernaut	62	23.4%	29	10.9%	33	12.5%	37.9%
Wraith King	61	23.0%	43	16.2%	18	6.8%	53.5%
Silencer	60	22.6%	31	11.7%	29	10.9%	48.4%
Invoker	59	22.3%	37	14.0%	22	8.3%	56.8%
Beastmaster	58	21.9%	24	9.1%	34	12.8%	41.7%

Tier 4

Name	P+B	P+B%	Picks	Picks%	Bans	Bans%	Win%
Axe	55	20.8%	32	12.1%	23	8.7%	46.9%
Storm Spirit	54	20.4%	28	10.6%	26	9.8%	53.6%
Oracle	53	20.0%	27	10.2%	26	9.8%	63.0%
Mars	52	19.6%	23	8.7%	29	10.9%	43.5%
Enigma	51	19.3%	19	7.2%	32	12.1%	52.6%
Shadow Shaman	48	18.1%	35	13.2%	13	4.9%	48.6%
Timbersaw	47	17.7%	19	7.2%	28	10.6%	42.1%
Warlock	45	17.0%	31	11.7%	14	5.3%	48.4%
Morphling	45	17.0%	15	5.7%	30	11.3%	40.0%
Meepo	41	15.5%	12	4.5%	29	10.9%	66.7%
Razor	38	14.3%	16	6.0%	22	8.3%	43.8%
Anti-Mage	37	14.0%	12	4.5%	25	9.4%	58.3%
Legion Commander	35	13.2%	19	7.2%	16	6.0%	42.1%
Lone Druid	35	13.2%	13	4.9%	22	8.3%	23.1%
Templar Assassin	34	12.8%	21	7.9%	13	4.9%	66.7%
Death Prophet	34	12.8%	17	6.4%	17	6.4%	35.3%
Queen of Pain	34	12.8%	16	6.0%	18	6.8%	50.0%
Nyx Assassin	30	11.3%	13	4.9%	17	6.4%	38.5%
Pugna	30	11.3%	12	4.5%	18	6.8%	33.3%
Troll Warlord	28	10.6%	19	7.2%	9	3.4%	42.1%
Spectre	28	10.6%	11	4.2%	17	6.4%	45.5%
Abaddon	27	10.2%	22	8.3%	5	1.9%	63.6%
Bristleback	27	10.2%	15	5.7%	12	4.5%	46.7%
Lich	27	10.2%	18	6.8%	9	3.4%	44.4%
Bane	27	10.2%	15	5.7%	12	4.5%	40.0%
Earth Spirit	26	9.8%	21	7.9%	5	1.9%	57.1%
Tinker	25	9.4%	9	3.4%	16	6.0%	66.7%
Medusa	24	9.1%	13	4.9%	11	4.2%	46.2%
Pangolier	23	8.7%	16	6.0%	7	2.6%	37.5%
Arc Warden	23	8.7%	10	3.8%	13	4.9%	40.0%
Jakiro	22	8.3%	21	7.9%	1	0.4%	33.3%
Shadow Fiend	22	8.3%	15	5.7%	7	2.6%	46.7%
Windranger	21	7.9%	18	6.8%	3	1.1%	66.7%
Lion	20	7.6%	17	6.4%	3	1.1%	52.9%
Monkey King	19	7.2%	11	4.2%	8	3.0%	45.5%
Phoenix	19	7.2%	10	3.8%	9	3.4%	50.0%
Dazzle	19	7.2%	8	3.0%	11	4.2%	50.0%
Phantom Assassin	19	7.2%	14	5.3%	5	1.9%	42.9%
Venomancer	18	6.8%	6	2.3%	12	4.5%	50.0%
Witch Doctor	17	6.4%	17	6.4%	0	0.0%	47.1%
Bloodseeker	17	6.4%	6	2.3%	11	4.2%	50.0%
Brewmaster	16	6.0%	9	3.4%	7	2.6%	22.2%
Dragon Knight	16	6.0%	12	4.5%	4	1.5%	58.3%
Sniper	16	6.0%	7	2.6%	9	3.4%	42.9%
Spirit Breaker	15	5.7%	10	3.8%	5	1.9%	40.0%
Necrophos	15	5.7%	10	3.8%	5	1.9%	60.0%
Zeus	15	5.7%	13	4.9%	2	0.8%	38.5%
Puck	15	5.7%	5	1.9%	10	3.8%	20.0%

In tier 4 and 5 we find all the situational heroes. They are strong when paired with others, or against specific lineups. These heroes aren't bad, they just don't work in every game, so the pick and ban rates aren't outstanding.

Tier 5

Name	P+B	P+B%	Picks	Picks%	Bans	Bans%	Win%
Winter Wyvern	14	5.3%	9	3.4%	5	1.9%	66.7%
Weaver	13	4.9%	8	3.0%	5	1.9%	37.5%
Dark Seer	13	4.9%	5	1.9%	8	3.0%	80.0%
Terrorblade	12	4.5%	9	3.4%	3	1.1%	33.3%
Tusk	12	4.5%	10	3.8%	2	0.8%	60.0%
Pudge	12	4.5%	9	3.4%	3	1.1%	22.2%
Nature's Prophet	11	4.2%	6	2.3%	5	1.9%	50.0%
Underlord	10	3.8%	10	3.8%	0	0.0%	60.0%
Viper	10	3.8%	5	1.9%	5	1.9%	40.0%
Visage	9	3.4%	5	1.9%	4	1.5%	60.0%
Techies	8	3.0%	2	0.8%	6	2.3%	0.0%
Disruptor	8	3.0%	8	3.0%	0	0.0%	12.5%
Ursa	8	3.0%	4	1.5%	4	1.5%	25.0%
Slardar	8	3.0%	7	2.6%	1	0.4%	57.1%
Vengeful Spirit	8	3.0%	8	3.0%	0	0.0%	12.5%
Doom	7	2.6%	5	1.9%	2	0.8%	60.0%
Huskar	7	2.6%	3	1.1%	4	1.5%	33.3%
Phantom Lancer	7	2.6%	6	2.3%	1	0.4%	33.3%
Night Stalker	6	2.3%	3	1.1%	3	1.1%	33.3%
Riki	6	2.3%	4	1.5%	2	0.8%	50.0%
Skywrath Mage	5	1.9%	5	1.9%	0	0.0%	40.0%
Lycan	5	1.9%	1	0.4%	4	1.5%	0.0%
Bounty Hunter	4	1.5%	3	1.1%	1	0.4%	33.3%
Drow Ranger	4	1.5%	4	1.5%	0	0.0%	0.0%
Chaos Knight	3	1.1%	2	0.8%	1	0.4%	50.0%
Luna	3	1.1%	3	1.1%	0	0.0%	33.3%
Keeper of the Light	2	0.8%	1	0.4%	1	0.4%	100%
Undying	2	0.8%	2	0.8%	0	0.0%	50.0%
Clockwerk	2	0.8%	1	0.4%	1	0.4%	100%
Clinkz	1	0.4%	1	0.4%	0	0.0%	0.0%

Heroes not drafted

All the heroes were picked or banned!

Next Tier List: September 2019

Header image (Convicts' Trophies Loading Screen for Alchemist) and hero icons: Valve - Statistics: DatDota