Dota 2 compendium fantasy guide: how to maximize your points
With the release of the The International 2026 Compendium, Valve introduced a major overhaul to the Dota 2 Fantasy system. Players must now build their Fantasy lineup under a new set of rules, choosing emblems, prefixes, and suffixes to earn as many points as possible.
In this guide, we'll cover the main changes, explain which bonuses are the most valuable, and highlight what you should focus on when building your Fantasy team.
How fantasy works in the Dota 2 Compendium
During each stage of The International, selected players earn Fantasy points based on their in-game performance. Once a stage is completed, score is compared with other participants, and your final reward depends on your percentile ranking.
Fantasy is divided into two stages: the Group Stage and the Main Event. After the Group Stage ends, players receive new tokens to reroll their cards, so there is no reason to save your current resources.
The biggest change introduced in 2026 is the new Fantasy roster format. Now need to select:
- Two Core players
- One Mid player
- Two Support players.
Valve has also completely redesigned the title system. The old bonuses have been replaced with Prefixes and Suffixes, which grant additional Fantasy points when specific conditions are met.
Which prefixes and suffixes should to choose
Among all available prefixes, Heroic is the most versatile choice. It includes a large pool of popular meta heroes, making it much more likely that you'll receive its bonus.
Cerulean and Crimson are also solid options, although they cover a smaller selection of heroes.
When it comes to suffixes, prioritize those that are triggered regularly in professional matches. Bonuses for winning the final possible game of a series and First Blood occurring after the 10-minute mark are among the strongest choices. Less valuable are suffixes tied to rare events, such as winning a game in under 25 minutes or dying to Tormentor.
Which emblems should be used
Emblems remain one of the most important parts of Fantasy cards.
For Core players, the most valuable stats are:
- Gold Per Minute
- Last Hits
- Kills.
For Mid players, Rune bonuses are also worth prioritizing, while Stuns and Teamfight Participation remain the strongest green emblems.
For Supports, the most valuable stats are:
- Observer Wards
- Camps stacked
- Watchers
- Stuns
- Teamfight Participation.
These metrics consistently provide the highest Fantasy point potential.
Which card traits are best?
The higher the card quality, the larger the bonus percentage it grants.
Among the available traits, Friendly and Vampiric are generally the strongest choices. Whenever possible, try to stack multiple copies of the same trait, as the combined bonus is significantly more valuable.
How to choose players
When selecting your lineup, you should prioritize teams that are likely to play the most matches rather than simply picking your favorite players.
Individual playstyle also matters. Carries and mid laners with high Gold Per Minute usually score Fantasy points consistently, while supports benefit more from placing Observer Wards, controlling the map, and participating in teamfights.
If you're unsure which players to choose, you can use a Fantasy calculator.
The tool lets you select stats for each role, assign emblem multipliers, and view rankings of the best players based on your chosen criteria. For example, you can rank carries by Gold Per Minute, Teamfight Participation, or Deaths, while supports can be compared using Observer Wards, Watchers, and other statistics.
Keep in mind that the calculator does not take card quality, prefixes, suffixes, traits, or tournament context into account. Because of this, it should be used as a supporting tool rather than a complete solution.
Conclusion
To maximize your Fantasy score in the Dota 2 Compendium, it's important not only to choose the right players but also to optimize prefixes, suffixes, emblems, and card traits. There's no reason to save your upgrade tokens, as Valve will provide new ones after the Group Stage.
Following these recommendations will help you build the strongest possible Fantasy lineup and greatly improve your chances of finishing in a high percentile at The International 2026.
by CyberScore