Kings of Shadows: Clavision Masters 2025 Dota 2 Meta Recap

After a busy week of exciting matches, Clavision Masters 2025 is over, and it’s time for a new Dota 2 meta recap. This tournament marked the final Tier 1 event before The International 2025 and featured the unusual absence of both Team Spirit and Team Liquid.

In this recap, we’ll review the most popular heroes, explore how the so-called “Shadow Meta” is in the sinister hands of a Shadow Lord, and examine the performance of Chinese teams — and what it all means going forward.

Clavision Masters 2025 Dota 2 Meta Recap

Shadow Shaman: Consistently on Top

Let’s begin with the Top 5 most popular heroes, starting with Shadow Shaman. This support has remained dominant for a while now and once again took the crown as the most-picked hero. His 59.09% win rate closely matched Bane’s impressive 60%, landing both supports firmly in the top tier.

Puck performed well as the best midlaner among the Top 5, posting a 59.26% win rate. Queen of Pain was the second most-picked midlaner, but struggled, recording the lowest win rate of the group at 42.86% across 28 matches. Lastly, Undying was the only offlaner in the top 5 and had a solid 54.17% win rate.

He was slightly nerfed in Patch 7.39d, but it shouldn't affect his performance much. — Credit: Steam Community (Tidal Craftsman)

Shadow Fiend: A Perfect Fit for the Shadow Meta

Moving deeper into the so-called Shadow Meta, we arrive at Shadow Fiend, who posted an unbelievable 90.91% win rate — winning 10 out of 11 games. Clearly, the Shadow Family is thriving, with heroes flexing their dominance at every turn.

Dark Willow, another Shadow-themed hero, participated in over 10% of the tournament’s 85 matches and achieved a win rate of over 70%—making her a major threat. Meanwhile, Nature’s Prophet, though still considered powerful, had a more modest 52.17% win rate—perhaps suggesting he’s less effective among top-tier teams despite his strong pub presence.

This is definitely one of the heroes that will be heavily contested at TI. — Credit: Valve

Chinese Dota: Peaking at the Right Time

Since the Clavision Masters 2025 was hosted in China, let’s take a closer look at how Chinese teams performed. Team Tidebound emerged as the tournament champions after defeating Tundra Esports, confirming their status as China’s best hope for TI.

Meanwhile, Tundra has declined slightly since their BLAST Slam III title. For Tidebound to lift the Aegis at The International, they’ll need to find answers for both Team Spirit and Team Liquid , who were absent from this event.

Will Tidebound find a way to overcome the TI favorites? — Credit: Twitter (@TeamTidebound)

It’s unlikely these teams will clash before TI, so Tidebound’s best bet is to scrim with Spirit and Liquid as much as possible while studying how to counter heroes like Nature’s Prophet and Magnus, which Team Spirit plays to perfection.

Looking Ahead: The International 2025

Despite the challenges ahead, Team Tidebound has a few aces up their sleeve. They showed the best results with Shadow Shaman and Bane, two key heroes of this event’s meta. These supports excel when paired with Terrorblade and Primal Beast, respectively.

The best strategy for Tidebound may be to pair Bane with Primal Beast, capitalizing on their own strength while also denying Primal Beast from Collapse — the Team Spirit offlaner who once stole the Aegis twice in a single match using this very same hero.

Play to your strengths while denying your rival’s power picks. — Credit: Steam Community

Pairing Shadow Shaman with Terrorblade is also a powerful combo, though less feasible, as Shaman is frequently contested. Ultimately, what we can conclude from this meta recap is that Nature’s Prophet continues to favor Spirit and Liquid, while Shadow Shaman remains a reliable, first-phase hero across the board.

Final Thoughts

The Clavision Masters 2025 not only delivered top-tier competition — it also gave us valuable insights into the evolving Dota 2 meta before The International 2025. While Team Tidebound looks strong, they still have hurdles to clear. Shadow heroes are rising in popularity, Nature’s Prophet remains a high-value pick, and there’s a lot left to play for.

If you want to stay updated on hero trends, tournament coverage, guides, and everything leading up to TI, check out the news section on the Strafe website!

Featured Image Source: Steam Community