Which heroes are no longer picked after TI15: key changes to the meta at PGL Wallachia Season 9

The group stage of PGL Wallachia Season 9 has come to an end, giving us a clear picture of which heroes are currently strong and which are underperforming in the current meta. In this article, we’ll analyze the changes on the pro scene following patch 7.41f and compare them with statistics from The International 2026.

Firstly, it’s worth highlighting Treant Protector, who had a 100% contest rate at TI15 but was picked and banned only twice each at PGL Wallachia: the hero received significant nerfs in the recent update. Centaur Warrunner also lost his top spot in pick rate following weakening in 7.41f. However, Hoodwink and Mirana remain among the most popular heroes, despite the nerfs.

A similar situation has arisen with heroes that teams prefer to keep in the ban. Bounty Hunter and Earth Spirit, which had excellent stats at TI, were banned most frequently, despite significant nerfs. Lone Druid was also frequently banned at The International, but in the 17 games played at TI, his win rate was only 41%, whereas at PGL Wallachia he appeared on 15 maps with a 66% win rate.

It’s also worth noting the significant increase in win rates for Timbersaw and Ember Spirit: 44% over 18 matches and 56% over 41 matches at The International, compared to 70% over 17 maps and 70% over 27 maps at PGL Wallachia, respectively.

It is noteworthy that the characters with the lowest win rates across more than 10 matches were those that were not changed at all in Patch 7.41f: Pangolier, Dark Seer, and Witch Doctor. At TI, Pangolier ranked in the top 2 for win rate (68% over 28 games), while DS and WD each had 50%; however, at the LAN tournament in Bucharest, all three heroes had win rates below 30%.

Twenty-five heroes were ignored at PGL Wallachia Season 9. None of them received nerfs in 7.41f, while Broodmother and Chen were even buffed, but that didn’t help them return to the meta. Additionally, some heroes with excellent matchmaking stats aren’t in demand on the pro scene, such as Anti-Mage, Pudge, Primal Beast, Kunkka, Meepo, Leshrac, and Oracle.

PGL Wallachia Season 9 is taking place from 19.09.2026 to 27.09.2026 in Bucharest, Romania. Sixteen teams are competing for a prize pool of $1,000,000. You can follow the competition in detail in the coverage.

Earlier, CyberScore presented a meta report and the biggest changes to win rates in Patch 7.41f.