Treant Protector banned in 101 of 109 matches at The International 2026, setting a new standard for hero dominance

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 def...