The Dota 2 Competitive Hero Tier List for March 2019 includes data from DreamLeague Season 11 Major, for a total of 290 games played during patch 7.21c.

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 March 1st to 24th during patch 7.21c, including DreamLeague Season 11 Major.

“This month, the analysis is completely dedicated to Chen, a hero who (IMHO) deserves more love in pubs after the changes introduced from 7.20 onwards. I believe IceFrog tried to transform him into a more mainstream pick.”

Past Tier List: February 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%
Lifestealer	231	79.7%	59	20.3%	172	59.3%	52.5%
Chen	217	74.8%	43	14.8%	174	60.0%	58.1%
Pangolier	205	70.7%	86	29.7%	119	41.0%	51.2%
Ursa	187	64.5%	68	23.5%	119	41.0%	51.5%
Troll Warlord	181	62.4%	75	25.9%	106	36.6%	46.7%
Razor	180	62.1%	54	18.6%	126	43.5%	50.0%
Nature's Prophet	179	61.7%	60	20.7%	119	41.0%	45.0%
Viper	163	56.2%	46	15.9%	117	40.3%	56.5%
Oracle	161	55.5%	83	28.6%	78	26.9%	59.0%

Chen and the pub stigma

Chen is extremely underrated and underplayed in pubs (even at high ranks) because most players are afraid of heroes with micromanagement skills.

Generally, we think that picking heroes we can’t use at their 100% is a terrible idea. Honestly, when I find Chen in a match, my first thought is that the player may be either a pro or a big feeder, but I tend to associate the hero to a negative feeling most of the times.

During the past years, IceFrog tried his best to make Dota 2 and its mechanics as friendly as possible for the average player, which led to drastic changes and reworked heroes.

7.20 certainly affected Chen in a positive way. I understand that many veteran Chen players might miss the old Holy Persuasion (now it has a creep level cap of 4/5/6/6) because his army is not as strong as in the past in the early game, but all his other abilities improved and scale a lot better in the late game.

Chen’s skill build

The image below shows the most popular skill builds used in competitive games during March. The ability without the icon symbol is Divine Favor, the new skill that replaced Test of Faith in 7.20.

As you can see from the data, the great majority of the pro players completely ignored Penitence, invested two points into Holy Persuasion in order to have access to level 5 creeps, and prioritized Divine Favor.

Most popular Chen’s skill builds in March - DatDota

Divine Favor secures the early game, boosts your carry, and has a low skill floor

The skill floor is the minimum amount of skill required to get value out of a hero.

Holy Persuasion is one of the most difficult abilities to master in the entire game because it has an above average skill floor and a very high skill ceiling; the latter dictates how powerful a character can be in the right hands.

Divine Favor is a simple ability to learn and use properly as it is a buff with several positive effects, a long duration, and no cons:

Divine Favor gives sustainability during the laning phase. It heals over a period of time similarly to Warlock’s Shadow Word, but also provides 25% heal amplification which boosts any source of healing, including the Satyr Tormenter’s Unholy Aura.
- Unfortunately, this interaction can’t be exploited early on because you need three points into Holy Persuasion to dominate a level 6 neutral creep.
It provides an attack damage bonus, which is of great help for your core to get more last hits, fight back the opponent and trade hits successfully, and in the best scenario even score a kill.
The skill has a 26/24/22/20 seconds cooldown and a 14 seconds duration, so potentially you can keep your core under steroids for a good amount of the laning phase.
- Chen has 303 mana at level 1, and each Clarity potion grants about 2.8 uses of the spell for just 50 gold. They are definitely worth the price and repay themselves quickly because you can boost the chances of your carry to end the laning stage with a greater number of last hits.

Valve recognized immediately the strength of Divine Favor and debuffed the spell two times, in 7.21 and 7.21c. Initially, it granted a massive 80 bonus damage once maxed out, while now it has been reduced to 32.

Update: 7.21d decreased the duration of Divine Favor from 14 to 8/10/12/14. The nerf is noticeable at early levels as the uptime of the buff is reduced, but overall it isn’t a big deal because you already want to level up this skill as soon as possible.

Prospect of the Progenitor's Gaze loading screen for Chen - Valve

Penitence is a team fight oriented skill

Divine Favor is also the prioritized ability in pub games: it is not a surprise considering all the benefits it brings to your early game.

According to Dotabuff, there are also skill builds that completely neglect Holy Persuasion and prefer Penitence as the secondary skill. Those are probably used by players who do not love the creep-control aspect of Chen.

Overall, Penitence is not a game-changer in the lane stage:

Damage-wise, Penitence brings more DPS than Divine Favor because the buff is applied to anyone attacking the target, so in an aggressive trilane it might be useful as an harassing tool (Chen has a solid 48-58 damage at level 1) and to score skills.
- It is more effective in team fights as your entire squad can focus fire the enemy affected and enjoy the extra attack speed. The movement speed slow debuff also helps when ganking.
In the early game, it will deplete your mana at a quick rate if you want to spam it to torment the lane opponent.
- This tactic will fail if the offlaner has enough sustainability to survive and you aren’t able to get kills or drive him away from the experience zone for a long period of time.
Once maxed out, the ability gives 120 attack speed. As a comparison, the Moonshard (4,000 gold cost) gives 140 attack speed to a single hero.

The top cores benefit from Divine Favor and Penitence

The offensive buffs provided by Divine Favor and Penitence (damage and attack speed) enhance the actual meta carriers.

Looking at the top auto-attackers in the tier list, we find Lifestealer, Ursa, and Troll. They all have passives abilities that proc on hit, so the extra attack speed boosts them: Feast, Fury Swipes, and Fervor.

Slightly below we also find Phantom Assassin. Of course, the 7.20 Divine Favor helped her more because of the huge 80 bonus damage to improve her critical hits, but the actual bonuses are still helpful for her playstyle and skillset.

Chen is also a solid partner for Juggernaut. 7.20 changed Omnislash, and now Juggernaut performs full real attacks that can proc your crits and items, so he can make a good use of the extra damage brought by Divine Favor.

Loading Screen of the Imperious Command for Troll Warlord - Valve

Holy Persuasion is a flexible ability

I believe that right now - if your carry knows how to play - you can pretty much win the lane just spamming Divine Favor.

Chen is not forced to focus on creeps anymore, so even players who are less skilled in micromanagement can be successful with him (at most ranks). That said, there are actions you can perform that require almost no effort:

I suggest using the creeps to stack camps in the jungle: it is simple and immensely helpful for your core, and with some practice you will be able to stack multiple camps at the same time.
If you want to use the neutrals in the lane, but you are not used to manage them aggressively, do not forget that there are several auras which are of great help at all stages of the game; such creep usage requires almost no micro work.

Chen has been a tier 1 pick a multitude of times since the release of Dota 2 because of the versatility granted by Holy Persuasion, so if you want to master this hero, someday you will have to learn micromanagement and how to use each neutral depending on the situation.

Holy Persuasion is an unique and amazing ability, do not miss the fun! Thanks to the neutrals Chen has access to a considerable number of buffs (armor, health and mana regeneration, movement speed, etc.), nukes, stuns, and even utility spells such as the Satyr Banisher’s Purge.

Holy Persuasion also provides mobility

The ability can be a game-changer in the late game because starting from 7.20 it has a global cast range when targeting allies, and it teleports them to Chen instead of the fountain.

If an ally is split-pushing on the other side of the map and a fight suddenly explodes, or if he died just before or during a team fight and he has the buyback available, Chen can quickly teleport him and potentially change the fate of the battle. It is pretty much the same utility achieved with the Boots of Travel, but for free.

Tier 2

Name	P+B	P+B%	Picks	Picks%	Bans	Bans%	Win%
Magnus	149	51.4%	35	12.1%	114	39.3%	42.9%
Batrider	148	51.0%	40	13.8%	108	37.2%	50.0%
Leshrac	144	49.7%	69	23.8%	75	25.9%	50.7%
Shadow Shaman	141	48.6%	91	31.4%	50	17.2%	52.8%
Outworld Devourer	133	45.9%	47	16.2%	86	29.7%	59.6%
Phantom Assassin	133	45.9%	80	27.6%	53	18.3%	57.5%
Ember Spirit	128	44.1%	72	24.8%	56	19.3%	36.1%
Earth Spirit	127	43.8%	52	17.9%	75	25.9%	48.1%
Keeper of the Light	127	43.8%	52	17.9%	75	25.9%	32.7%
Rubick	124	42.8%	72	24.8%	52	17.9%	51.4%
Juggernaut	123	42.4%	56	19.3%	67	23.1%	55.4%
Brewmaster	121	41.7%	60	20.7%	61	21.0%	51.7%
Doom	117	40.3%	56	19.3%	61	21.0%	42.9%

Tier 3

Name	P+B	P+B%	Picks	Picks%	Bans	Bans%	Win%
Puck	110	37.9%	43	14.8%	67	23.1%	69.8%
Monkey King	107	36.9%	41	14.1%	66	22.8%	48.8%
Bane	106	36.6%	62	21.4%	44	15.2%	51.6%
Nyx Assassin	105	36.2%	47	16.2%	58	20.0%	59.6%
Enigma	100	34.5%	46	15.9%	54	18.6%	47.8%
Pugna	92	31.7%	23	7.9%	69	23.8%	43.5%
Bounty Hunter	86	29.7%	34	11.7%	52	17.9%	35.3%
Tiny	86	29.7%	58	20.0%	28	9.7%	32.8%
Morphling	84	29.0%	35	12.1%	49	16.9%	51.4%
Lone Druid	79	27.2%	15	5.2%	64	22.1%	40.0%
Elder Titan	78	26.9%	30	10.3%	48	16.6%	50.0%
Shadow Fiend	73	25.2%	40	13.8%	33	11.4%	52.5%
Undying	70	24.1%	31	10.7%	39	13.5%	41.9%
Shadow Demon	66	22.8%	35	12.1%	31	10.7%	60.0%
Dark Seer	65	22.4%	28	9.7%	37	12.8%	67.9%

Tier 4

Name	P+B	P+B%	Picks	Picks%	Bans	Bans%	Win%
Sven	60	20.7%	41	14.1%	19	6.6%	58.5%
Lich	59	20.3%	42	14.5%	17	5.9%	42.9%
Terrorblade	58	20.0%	32	11.0%	26	9.0%	56.3%
Grimstroke	57	19.7%	33	11.4%	24	8.3%	33.3%
Slardar	56	19.3%	30	10.3%	26	9.0%	53.3%
Kunkka	56	19.3%	29	10.0%	27	9.3%	48.3%
Tusk	55	19.0%	32	11.0%	23	7.9%	50.0%
Lycan	55	19.0%	21	7.2%	34	11.7%	33.3%
Night Stalker	49	16.9%	22	7.6%	27	9.3%	54.6%
Vengeful Spirit	49	16.9%	37	12.8%	12	4.1%	64.9%
Tidehunter	48	16.6%	21	7.2%	27	9.3%	52.4%
Weaver	44	15.2%	24	8.3%	20	6.9%	54.2%
Spectre	42	14.5%	22	7.6%	20	6.9%	50.0%
Lion	41	14.1%	36	12.4%	5	1.7%	61.1%
Timbersaw	39	13.5%	17	5.9%	22	7.6%	58.8%
Necrophos	38	13.1%	22	7.6%	16	5.5%	54.6%
Dark Willow	35	12.1%	24	8.3%	11	3.8%	45.8%
Venomancer	35	12.1%	19	6.6%	16	5.5%	42.1%
Beastmaster	35	12.1%	17	5.9%	18	6.2%	35.3%
Queen of Pain	34	11.7%	20	6.9%	14	4.8%	35.0%
Disruptor	30	10.3%	26	9.0%	4	1.4%	46.2%
Witch Doctor	30	10.3%	28	9.7%	2	0.7%	57.1%
Lina	30	10.3%	20	6.9%	10	3.5%	35.0%
Anti-Mage	30	10.3%	17	5.9%	13	4.5%	41.2%
Centaur Warrunner	26	9.0%	14	4.8%	12	4.1%	42.9%
Jakiro	26	9.0%	23	7.9%	3	1.0%	52.2%
Phantom Lancer	26	9.0%	13	4.5%	13	4.5%	53.9%
Death Prophet	25	8.6%	11	3.8%	14	4.8%	54.6%
Winter Wyvern	24	8.3%	19	6.6%	5	1.7%	57.9%
Naga Siren	24	8.3%	5	1.7%	19	6.6%	60.0%
Huskar	24	8.3%	1	0.3%	23	7.9%	0.0%
Dragon Knight	24	8.3%	13	4.5%	11	3.8%	30.8%
Chaos Knight	22	7.6%	12	4.1%	10	3.5%	33.3%
Medusa	21	7.2%	10	3.5%	11	3.8%	70.0%
Templar Assassin	21	7.2%	9	3.1%	12	4.1%	44.4%
Abaddon	20	6.9%	11	3.8%	9	3.1%	54.6%
Alchemist	20	6.9%	15	5.2%	5	1.7%	40.0%
Clockwerk	18	6.2%	13	4.5%	5	1.7%	46.2%
Faceless Void	18	6.2%	12	4.1%	6	2.1%	41.7%
Enchantress	17	5.9%	10	3.5%	7	2.4%	30.0%
Tinker	17	5.9%	8	2.8%	9	3.1%	37.5%
Phoenix	16	5.5%	12	4.1%	4	1.4%	33.3%

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%
Techies	15	5.2%	4	1.4%	11	3.8%	50.0%
Invoker	14	4.8%	8	2.8%	6	2.1%	50.0%
Crystal Maiden	14	4.8%	12	4.1%	2	0.7%	33.3%
Legion Commander	11	3.8%	8	2.8%	3	1.0%	50.0%
Mirana	11	3.8%	9	3.1%	2	0.7%	55.6%
Meepo	10	3.5%	2	0.7%	8	2.8%	50.0%
Luna	10	3.5%	6	2.1%	4	1.4%	50.0%
Warlock	10	3.5%	8	2.8%	2	0.7%	25.0%
Earthshaker	10	3.5%	10	3.5%	0	0.0%	20.0%
Slark	9	3.1%	6	2.1%	3	1.0%	83.3%
Drow Ranger	8	2.8%	5	1.7%	3	1.0%	20.0%
Omniknight	7	2.4%	6	2.1%	1	0.3%	33.3%
Underlord	5	1.7%	4	1.4%	1	0.3%	0.0%
Spirit Breaker	5	1.7%	1	0.3%	4	1.4%	100%
Windranger	5	1.7%	5	1.7%	0	0.0%	60.0%
Sand King	5	1.7%	4	1.4%	1	0.3%	50.0%
Bloodseeker	5	1.7%	3	1.0%	2	0.7%	100%
Arc Warden	4	1.4%	2	0.7%	2	0.7%	50.0%
Skywrath Mage	4	1.4%	3	1.0%	1	0.3%	66.7%
Bristleback	4	1.4%	3	1.0%	1	0.3%	33.3%
Visage	4	1.4%	1	0.3%	3	1.0%	0.0%
Gyrocopter	4	1.4%	4	1.4%	0	0.0%	0.0%
Ancient Apparition	4	1.4%	1	0.3%	3	1.0%	100%
Storm Spirit	4	1.4%	4	1.4%	0	0.0%	50.0%
Dazzle	3	1.0%	2	0.7%	1	0.3%	50.0%
Broodmother	2	0.7%	1	0.3%	1	0.3%	100%
Clinkz	2	0.7%	2	0.7%	0	0.0%	50.0%
Sniper	2	0.7%	1	0.3%	1	0.3%	100%
Pudge	2	0.7%	2	0.7%	0	0.0%	50.0%
Axe	2	0.7%	2	0.7%	0	0.0%	0.0%
Ogre Magi	1	0.3%	1	0.3%	0	0.0%	100%
Silencer	1	0.3%	1	0.3%	0	0.0%	0.0%
Wraith King	1	0.3%	1	0.3%	0	0.0%	0.0%
Zeus	1	0.3%	1	0.3%	0	0.0%	0.0%