There have been countless flaws with the infamous Dota 2 Immortal Draft system, and Valve is finally doing something about it. However, apart from solving its problems, the new update poses new problems for the wider Dota 2 community. Though the top 0.1% might have gotten the changes they wanted, the remaining 99.9% of players are now left with unexpected consequences, mainly those who rely on public match data to track the meta.
Immortal Draft Dota 2 Update
What Are The Immortal Draft Changes?
The Immortal Draft system had long-standing issues, including win trading, unbalanced team MMRs, and party abuse. Valve attempted to make major adjustments, and here are the changes they’ve come up with:
- Immortal Draft rules will now be used if any player is above 8500 MMR. (Previously, the cutoff was 6500 MMR)
- Immortal Draft games do not show up in public match history. Replay access is restricted to game participants, and these games are not listed in Web APIs.
- Players who are above 8500 MMR are now required to register an official name to queue for ranked. This name cannot be changed and will be displayed during the pre-game player draft phase of Immortal Draft games.
- Players above 8500 MMR who are guaranteed to play an Immortal Draft game may not queue for ranked as a party. Unranked is unchanged.
- Changed the way MMR gain/loss works in Immortal Draft games to better take into consideration the possible outcomes based on player draft choices.
Valve did a stellar job of fixing Immortal Draft’s biggest problems. Win trading will be significantly reduced, and the MMR gain/loss was improved. However, one of the five changes is doing more harm than good.
Immortal Draft in Dota 2
How Do These Changes Affect Tracking Websites?
The most damaging change is the removal of Immortal Draft matches from public match history. This change means the general public can no longer access match data history unless they were part of the game.
Tracking websites such as Dota2ProTracker and Dotabuff rely on public match history APIs to gather data from pro-level pubs. However, with Immortal Draft games now being private, these websites lose access to high-ranked games. This means:
- No more tracking of pro-player hero picks, win rates, and item builds.
- The public can no longer see meta shifts at the highest level.
- Guide makers and analysts lose a major research tool.
Losing access to matches also means players cannot download pub replays, as the entire match data is not accessible in the first place.
I’m guessing the reason for private match data is to counter professional players from smurfing. Many professionals are using smurf accounts to hide what they are practicing from their competitors. With this change, there is less incentive for professionals to be playing on smurf accounts.
Rest In Peace Dota2ProTracker?
This change entirely defeats the purpose of Dota2ProTracker, as the website focuses on collecting data from matches from 8000 MMR and above.
For years, Dota2ProTracker has allowed casual players to learn from the best by following professional trends to improve their own gameplay. The entire system collapses, as players can no longer learn from the best.
the only reason i EVER managed to climb mmr to 7k+ is because i was able to access replays of pro pubs and watch them to get better
websites like dota2protracker are a staple that i point learning players towards all the time
this change is a spit in the face to non-pros
— Reya (@sheepsticked) March 19, 2025
The Overall Impact Of This Update
With pro-level pub matches hidden, the meta might get confusing for the majority of the player base. Here is what is likely to happen following the new update.
Casuals Make The Meta?
This update could leave casual players confused about the meta, making it much harder to determine which heroes are strong and which item builds are optimal. Without access to such data, regular players may be forced to develop their own meta, which could potentially lead to outdated strategies due to the lack of professional insight.
Sure, we can always watch professional matches, but due to the nature of the drafting system, some of the strongest heroes in the pro meta will likely frequently be banned. As a result, we may never get to see them in action, making it difficult to determine the best item builds and strategies for such heroes.
A Shake-Up For The Professional Scene?
Team Liquid’s Dota 2 analyst, Mathis “Jabbz” Friesel, is also scratching his head about how he would do his job anymore. It is now impossible for him to review replays and stay updated on what other professional players are doing without the help of his players.
oh hell nah how am i gonna do my job
— jabbz (@jabbz1301) March 19, 2025
However, this change could spark changes to the professional scene. Players and teams may gain a new advantage – the ability to hide their strategies before major tournaments. With data locked away, teams can experiment in secret without having their strategies exposed to the public.
Though professional players will definitely match against each other in pubs, it still makes it harder for analysts such as Jabbz to prepare material for their opponents. Teams might have to rely more on guesswork and internal scrims, so it’ll be interesting to see how tournament preparation is approached.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, Valve’s Immortal Draft update successfully tackles some of the issues in pro-level pubs. However, the decision to hide match data is a huge sting to the community. This change effectively kills stat-tracking websites, leaving regular players in the dark without a clear way to follow the evolving meta.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the community and professional scene deals with it. Will websites like Dota2ProTracker approach manual data collection, and how will professional teams conceal their strategies in ranked matches?