The International 2026: Team With the Shallowest Hero Pool
- Will HULIGANI have the shallowest hero pool at the International 2026?>99¢
- Will A have the shallowest hero pool at the International 2026?<1¢
- Will B have the shallowest hero pool at the International 2026?<1¢
- Will C have the shallowest hero pool at the International 2026?<1¢
- Will another team have the shallowest hero pool at the International 2026?<1¢
- Will D have the shallowest hero pool at the International 2026?<1¢
- Will Nigma Galaxy have the shallowest hero pool at the International 2026?<1¢
This market will resolve to the team that uses the fewest unique heroes across The International 2026 (TI 2026) Dota 2 tournament, held August 13–23, 2026 in Shanghai, China. A team's "hero pool" is the set of distinct heroes that team drafts and plays across all of its completed official games at TI 2026. A hero counts once toward a team's pool no matter how many times that team picks it, and regardless of which player on the team plays it. Only completed official games count (group stage, playoff/main event, and any tiebreaker games). Heroes picked in a game that is remade or not completed do not count from that game, but count if picked by the team in any other completed game. Regional and open qualifier games played prior to the main tournament do not count. If two or more teams are tied for the fewest unique heroes, the market resolves to the tied team that played the greater number of total games at the tournament. If a tie still persists, the market resolves to the tied team with the higher final tournament placement. If a tie still persists, the market will resolve to the team that comes first alphabetically. If the tournament is cancelled, postponed past September 6, 2026, 11:59 PM ET, or the results are not determined within that timeframe, this market will also resolve to "Other." The primary resolution source for this market will be Datdota (https://www.datdota.com). A consensus of credible reporting may also be used.
HULIGANI's overwhelming 99.5% implied probability stems from their early 0-4 group stage exit at The International 2026, where repeated drafts revealed extreme predictability limited to late-game carries like Centaur Warrunner, Drow Ranger, and Sven alongside occasional cheese options such as Alchemist. This narrow approach contrasts sharply with broader pools demonstrated by surviving teams, reflecting consistent reliance on tempo-agnostic scaling strategies that stronger opponents exploited through superior laning and mid-game pressure. Their performance across multiple Bo3 series locked in the shallowest observed hero diversity. While an upset from another squad with similarly rigid drafting in remaining playoff matches could shift the outcome, HULIGANI's documented limitations make any reversal unlikely absent major reevaluation of pool metrics.