With every season of RD2L, players new and old have amazing seasons, some sticking in the minds of the community, others being overlooked with everyone focusing on their own teams. In an attempt to spotlight some of the breakout players of season 16, I’ll be looking over some of the surprises, overperformers, and high value picks throughout the season who should be on everyone’s minds going into the draft for season 17.
In compiling this list, I’ve looked at Dotabuffs, season reviews and talked to the captains to unearth the hidden gems.
Disclaimer: The players are listed in no particular order. Also, some of the names will be well known veterans, but their inclusion is less to do with having a breakout season as much as putting in consistent performances and positively surprising their captains.
The Honorable Mentions
The 10 players who made their presence known
pHow (Tuturu)
A fresh, unknown face going into the season, pHow ended up being the support for Tuturu’s team, which despite an unfortunate run, showed us that pHow is a very threatening player on Rubick and Oracle. Knowing what to expect from him means pHow will definitely be looked at in more detail in future drafts.
EmmHaych (Haraway)
A high Ancient core player, EmmHaych delivered exceedingly stable performances in the safelane for this team, and has earned his first season being described as a breakout season, sporting an overall 70% winrate in Season 16 across two divisions, two roles and a very impressive hero pool. EmmHaych is definitely one of the standout cores to show their ability in this season.
Den’den (Cory/Madsen)
With Denden we have a veteran who might require some stretching of the criteria for inclusion here, considering Denden has won multiple seasons of RD2L and is generally very well regarded as an elite carry player. My inclusion of Denden on this list, however, boils down to two things. The first is the adaptability shown, adjusting to multiple teams after his original one disbanded, especially impressive considering the perception of Denden as a one trick pony. The second, and perhaps more crucial aspect, is that Denden is showing us that he’s still a relevant name in the discussion and can still keep up and perform at a high level, no matter how much the game changes.
The Real Roo (Mugen)
Another RD2L veteran, Roo has never been brought up as one of the most significant names in a season, mostly being noted for his Dark Seer play. However, this season Roo has been quite explosive, with excellent games on a wide variety of offlaners as he and his team plow through opponents. With his most impressive season (at least since I joined RD2L), Roo earns a spot on the list.
PantherLily (Melalez)
PantherLily was a name noted by a fair few captains on the signup sheet, with a very nice looking Dotabuff, and their performances throughout their first season were quite promising despite a low amount of games. While perhaps not as notable as some other names on the list, my inclusion of PantherLily here hinges on my expectation that the promise shown so far will definitely pay off for future captains.
mitsu (Haraway)
Mitsu has already been noticed by many people for his consistent support play, but this season confirmed what everyone suspected from the IHL — mitsu is pretty damn good for his MMR. Mitsu has a solid understanding of the game and is an active team member, contributing to the team’s preparation and always open to learn, which is a key strength of his that future captains should be aware of.
Banebu (T.O.P)
Another solid and stable support player, of which we’ve luckily gotten multiple in the last season, Banebu is included in this list for some great Oracle performances and contributions to his team, in the form of detailed scouting and pregame preparation. A great help to captains, Banebu — and all stable and committed support players — deserve to enjoy some limelight for their dedication.
Muffinsan (Mugen)
While one might say that Muffinsan’s performances might seem insignificant since his other core is Mugen, there is something to be said for being able to play around a star player, adjusting to them and complementing their play, and Muffinsan’s strong Jugg games suggest that this is another solid carry to keep an eye out for in future seasons.
Harbinger (Amos)
Harbinger has always been regarded as a decent player, but he seems to have really found his footing this season, hopping from team to team before eventually settling down with Amos, winning games all throughout on his extremely potent Viper. This is the season where Harbinger establishes himself as a strong, stable RD2L mid, which in some respects have been missing for a while.
Kuroame (Nibbles)
Kuroame had a unique situation, with his two highest MMR teammates taking up support roles; this left Kuro with the task of carrying the games from the core role, and I think it’s fair to say that he put in some great performances considering the state of things. The big conclusion to draw from this is Kuro’s potential, and it’s hard to expect anything but great things if Kuro is to be put into a team where the weight on his shoulders is at least a bit lighter.
The Shining Stars
The 15 breakout players whose performance defined the season
Lokie (Madsen)
Lokie is a god. This is something agreed upon by me as his current captain, his previous teammates, and even his opponents. An elite shotcaller, rare in RD2L, Lokie is very capable of solo winning games by orchestrating his team’s movements and actions and turning a rag tag band into a cohesive unit. His ability to do this was previously limited by being shoehorned into a core role, but taking up his natural position 4 role in season 16 has shown just how good he really is.
Ruskomsnusk (Waloo)
I’ve considered Ruskom a top tier player for a while now, as I was very impressed by his play in season 15, when he was an offlaner for one of the only teams who stood up to mine back then. A very skilled offlaner, what seals Ruskom’s inclusion on this list for me is his flexibility, shown in his excellent performances on the support role in this season on Waloo’s team. I’ve rated him for a while, but I think after this season, Ruskom will be on a lot more radars than just mine.
Myst (Omegasaw)
I didn’t expect much from Myst when I saw him picked by Omegasaw, but he has proven me very wrong, as he transitioned seamlessly from a support role to a core in season 16, delivering consistent and stable performances — something that eludes many natural core players.
Waloo (Waloo)
Holding one of the best KDA’s in the league this season, Waloo has swiftly disproved his doubters, delivering strong mid games throughout the season which put him with people well above his MMR. The true testament to his performances, however, is the fact that Waloo’s team is in the final four, despite not looking extremely strong on paper, and I would attribute this in large part to Waloo himself.
Bekabow (Haraway)
An unknown face who many doubted going into the season, Bekabow has been a dominant core player, playing arguably above his MMR, with the distinct quality of communicating well and leading his team with the knowledge he possesses, in contrast to some comparable higher MMR core players in RD2L historically.
Zechamp (Waterfalls)
Coming into a team with most of the players above your 4k-ish MMR can be daunting, but playing above your MMR and occasionally being the deciding factor in that team winning games is outstanding, and it’s exactly what Zechamp managed to accomplish from the offlane.
Timitson (Mewes)
A lower MMR player, Timitson still managed to be a crucial cog in a team with the experienced likes of Glete, KTZ, Mewes and Mav, adding to the team’s communication and putting in very solid position 5 performances, sometimes popping off on heroes like Witch Doctor. Listening to your experienced teammates is one thing, but being able to apply what they tell you and being an effective and efficient communicator is crucial for the success of relatively lower MMR players in RD2L, and it’s exactly what earns Timitson a place on this list.
Boelens (Holy Harry)
Now, Boelens is good. We all know that. But what earns Boelens a spot on a list of breakout players for season 16 is constant and consistent improvement despite already being a high MMR player, and Boelens’ performances with an ever expanding hero pool make this a very impressive season, especially in the team’s group stage run, met with acclaim from many staunch sceptics.
Borninbronx (Haraway)
Borninbronx is a very low MMR player who easily plays above that MMR. He does all the classic things I talk about low MMR players needing to do, boiling down to, essentially, good communication. What makes me put a spotlight on borninbronx is his impact on a team’s atmosphere, and he is one of the few extremely low MMR players that swap in for much higher MMR teammates without issue.
Mav (Mewes)
A reliable and trusted position 5 player, Mav transitioned extremely well into a higher farm priority role as the 4 position on Mewes’ team. Consistent timings, amazing scorelines, high impact in very many games and commonly overtaking his offlaner earn Mav a spot on this list as he played out of his mind, off role, and I would very much consider this one of his best, if not the best, season of RD2L he’s played, despite his veteran status.
Revenger (Waterfalls)
I’ll be very honest in saying that I winced at Revenger’s signup comment stating that he “plays above his MMR” as a 1–2k player, but as it turns out, he might’ve been telling the truth. With solid performances, well above his MMR, Revenger did what low MMR players in RD2L need to do — communicate, listen, apply what is told; he did all of this, with the added bonus of making the occasional play himself, which is pretty impressive when playing in a team where everyone is atleast 3k MMR higher than you.
Haraway (Haraway)
One of the many players from this team on the list, the captain Haraway earns himself a spot as well. It figures that a team of fresh faces who performed well would be solid shouts for a list like this, but Haraway put in consistent games on a wide variety of offlane heroes, drafting and shotcalling for his team, and this is all without mentioning the player draft put together by him. Overall, definitely what I would consider a breakout season put in by Haraway, for multiple reasons.
a34fsd (Holy Harry)
A34 definitely shut up some of his critics this season, playing above his MMR quite often and being praised heavily by his teammates as he put in solid and consistent performances on a wide array of cores. A34’s flexibility is definitely a crucial part of his gameplay, and he’s shown that he’s just as good, if not better, at core as he is on his support.
eXceL (eXceL)
A first timer in RD2L, Excel took up the role of captain in order to avoid risking being cut off, and while his team underperformed somewhat, it would be hard to attribute this to Excel’s play. A high MMR player, it was to be expected that he would be good, but Excel put in many great performances from the midlane, despite being a carry player, and he will definitely be a hot pick in future seasons.
Adoro (Amos)
Another low MMR player, Adoro was someone I had on my shortlist in the preseason, and his performance on Amos’ team justify that. Considering his low MMR, his reliability and consistence in the support role has been very crucial for this team, and he has been a cornerstone putting in great work on Sven, CM, Jakiro and the likes.
With that, my list of 25 standout players enjoying their breakout RD2L season concludes. Do you feel like I missed someone? Let me know on Discord or in the comments. In any case, thank you for reading, and here’s hoping we see all of these players come back next season to continue what they’ve done so far.
