Dota 2 top meta heroes at EWC 2025

Team Spirit took home the trophy for Dota 2 at the Esports World Cup 2025. This victory marks their second EWC trophy in just three years. The Eastern European powerhouse delivered a dominant performance throughout the entire tournament run. In the grand finals, they took a clean sweep against Team Falcons. If you’re looking for top meta heroes of EWC Dota 2, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s take a look at them together.

Players are afraid of Naga Siren

The top contested Dota 2 hero at EWC 2025 was Naga Siren. At the highest level of play, what Naga offers is immeasurable. She can push out the waves with her illusions, reset fights mid-skirmish with her ultimate.

Siren rises from the deeps.

Even as a support, she provides a solid laning phase to her core thanks to her facets and can also scout with her illusions. The hero was only let out in eight matches; she has a 62.50% win rate.

At EWC 2025, a total of 89 matches were played for Dota 2, and Batrider was contested in 87 of them, making him one of the top-meta heroes of the tournament. By reworking his facets, Patch 7.39 breathed new life into Batrider.

If you don't ride into battle, you don't ride at all.

Thus, he remains as a solid pick despite receiving minor nerfs in Patch 7.39c. His Arsonist facet makes him a potent late game threat. Moreover, he can be flexed between support and an offlane, offering some perks such as initiating on the crucial target as the game progresses. His Firefly can be used to push out waves or clear stacks efficiently. Batrider had a 70% win rate in 20 matches he got through.

Thanks to his facets, Shadow Shaman was among the top meta heroes at EWC 2025 for Dota 2. His Chicken Fingers facet allows him to outtrade his opponents during the laning stage. With his Massive Serpent Ward facet, Shadow Shaman has unprecedented pushing power and can even solo the opponent's cores. In the tournament, Shadow Shaman had a 76.40% contest rate across 68 matches. He was picked in 39 matches where he had a 51.28% win rate.

Queen of Pain reigns the midlane

Queen of Pain stood out as one of the top meta heroes at EWC 2025 for Dota 2. Although she had not received buffs directly since Patch 7.39, by way of itemisation, QOP has gained a resurgence in the meta. Her Bondage facet, in synergy with Blade Mail, allows her to be a viable pick in Patch 7.39c.

Make way for your Queen.

By acquring Blade Mail as soon as the laning stage ends, QOP cannot get easily punished for intiating with her Blink. This allows her to play aggressively. Moreover, by picking up items like Sange and Kaya, Aghanim’s Scepter and Shiva’s Guard, she can dish out heavy magic damage during skirmishes. QOP had a 67.42% contest rate in 60 matches. She had a 50% win rate in the 26 matches where she was picked.

Monkey King was also one of the top meta heroes at EWC 2025 for Dota 2. Thanks to his Jingu Mastery, MK can win lanes easily, and his Tree Dance allows him to swiftly rotate the lanes.

None can stand against Sun Wukong.

With early Diffusal Blade, MK has an early power spike. He also scales well as the game progresses. In late-game skirmishes, his ultimate Wukong’s Command forced the opponents to reconsider their approach. Across 68 matches, MK had a 76.40% contest rate. He had a 62.50% win rate in the 24 matches where he got through.

As a midlaner, Puck was the most highly sought-after hero at EWC 2025. Naturally, the hero comes with an impressive toolkit – built-in wave clear and silence, and a strong crowd control with her ultimate, Dream Coil. Puck is also an extremely elusive hero thanks to her third ability.

While these qualities are extremely reliable in pub games, in the highest level of coordinated play, it’s an entirely different story. It’s evident at EWC 2025 where Puck had an 86.52% contest rate across 77 matches. However, in the 32 matches where Puck got through, she only had a 40.63% win rate.

Nature’s Prophet is still a viable pick

Nature’s Prophet has remained as the top safelaner in the meta for quite some time now. Despite the nerfs and reworks, this hero continues to find his footing. At EWC 2025, he was one of the Dota 2 top meta safelane heroes. What makes NP remarkable is his ability to effortlessly join skirmishes from across the map thanks to his second ability, Teleport.

I summon the forces of nature.

Subsequently, this ability allows him to join fights without sacrificing his farm. With his facet, Soothing Saplings, NP also has an enhanced healing, giving him a fantastic laning stage. NP had a 74.16% contest rate in 66 matches, and a 75% win rate in the 24 matches where he got through.

Templar Assassin was the second most contested Dota 2 hero at EWC 2025 following NP. Her itemisation, which includes Desolator, allows her to come online easily. As the game progresses, thanks to some buffs she received a few patches ago, she becomes extremely hard to bring down. It also allows her to have a much stronger laning stage. As a result, she snowballs into the mid-game where she hits her power spikes.

They'll never find your grave.

Additionally, her innate ability lets her team know the exact time Roshan will respawn. The Aegis that Roshan drops upon his death is a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of the game in the highest level of play. TA had the same contest rate with Nature’s Prophet, but she had less matches where she got through the banning phase. When she was let out, TA had a 64.71% win rate in 17 matches.

Shadow Fiend transitioned as one of the most contested Dota 2 safelane heroes at EWC 2025. Both facets of the hero really come in handy as the game progresses. Moreover, the Lasting Presence facet allows Shadow Fiend and his team to snowball in skirmishes. SF’s itemisation is also a big part of his resurgence; it’s extremely simple – Dragon Lance, BKB, Daedalus, Satanic.

He doesn’t have to worry about his damage output thanks to his innate ability, Necromastery, and his third ability, Presence of the Dark Lord, that reduces the armor of his opponents. SF had a 74.16% contest rate in 66 matches. He had a 52.00% win rate in the 25 matches where he got through.

Dawnbreaker shines in the offlane

In the offlane role, Dawnbreaker was a consistent sighting, making her the top offlaner in Dota 2 at EWC 2025. The hero was contested in 62 matches, and had a 69.66% contest rate.

Darkness flees before me.

Dawnbreaker’s return can be attributed to her Innate ability rework in Patch 7.39. Thanks to her new innate, when the morning hits, Dawn receives a 25% bonus base damage and a 20% bonus vision, which gradually decreases throughout the day. It allows Dawnbreaker’s team to have a natural advantage during skirmishes at daytime, and it also gives her a much easier time for securing last hits during the laning stage.

Dawn can also push out waves and join skirmishes on the other side of the map thanks to her ultimate, Solar Guardian. The ability is also upgradable by Aghanim’s Scepter, which players often get as first or second item on her. The ability’s healing effect lingers after she lands when he had an Aghs, offering sustain for skirmishes. Dawn’s unparalleled presence for skirmishes and the return of Blade Mail make her one of the favourites at the top level of play. At EWC, she was only let through in 22 matches but had a 54.55% win rate.

That’s all for now, folks. There’s one thing you need to remember before you rush to pubs with these new meta heroes – they are the best at the highest level of coordinated play. So, they might not work well in your average-level pubs. That said, always remember it’s not the hero – it’s the player behind it! Till we meet again next time.