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Imagine being so good at your job that 92.7% of your potential employers actively refuse to let you show up to work. That’s essentially what happened to Treant Protector at The International 2026, where the hero was banned in 101 out of 109 matches played during Dota 2’s premier world championship in Shanghai.
And when teams did let the tree through? It won 7 of those 8 games, posting an 88% win rate that makes the ban rate look entirely rational.
A tree grows in Shanghai (when you let it)
Treant Protector achieved something genuinely rare in competitive Dota 2: a 100% contest rate across the entire Group Stage and Elimination Stage of TI2026. Every single match, without exception, featured the hero in either the ban phase or the pick phase. No other hero came close to that level of universal respect.
The hero’s toolkit reads like a wish list for competitive support players. Strong laning presence gives teams an early advantage. Living Armor provides global healing, letting Treant influence fights and tower defense across the entire map without leaving lane. A stealth ability offers unique vision and positioning options. A root that pierces BKB, one of the game’s most important defensive items, means even farmed carry heroes can’t simply buy their way out of trouble.
On top of all that, Treant clears waves effectively enough to create map pressure.
The rest of the meta
Earth Spirit claimed the second-most-contested spot, appearing in 99 of 109 matches with 61 bans. That’s a significant presence, but the gap between Earth Spirit’s 61 bans and Treant’s 101 tells the story of how far ahead the tree stood in terms of draft priority.
Hoodwink led all heroes in actual picks, being selected 55 times out of 94 total contests.
Meanwhile, 22 heroes sat on the bench entirely, going uncontested throughout the tournament.
The tournament ran on Patch 7.41e, which had already attempted to nerf Treant Protector heading into TI. A similar pattern played out at the 2026 Esports World Cup earlier in the season, where Treant competed with Lone Druid for banning priority before Lone Druid received its own downward adjustment.
TI2026 by the numbers
The International 2026 is being hosted at Shanghai’s Oriental Sports Center, running from August 13 through August 23. Valve and PGL are organizing the event with a total prize pool of $3 million, split between a guaranteed base of $1.6 million and additional funding from Compendium purchases by the community.
The Group Stage wrapped up with eight teams punching their tickets to the playoff bracket, which kicks off on August 20. Team Spirit, Team Falcons, and Team Liquid are among the squads still competing for the Aegis of Champions.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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