The strongest meta pick of Riyadh Masters 2025: Undying build for easy wins in pubs

Undying has become the biggest surprise of Riyadh Masters 2025 — not as a support, but as a full-fledged midlaner. Inspired by NAVI’s Niku, who was the first to pick Undying mid on the pro scene and secure a victory, professional players began heavily banning the hero. Despite being picked only 6 times, Undying was banned 22 times during the early days of the tournament.

Why Undying is so strong in mid right now:

• Dominant laning. Thanks to Decay, Undying easily controls the lane, constantly stealing Strength and preventing the enemy from securing last hits.

• Farming potential. The low cooldown on Decay allows Undying to clear creep waves quickly and build an economic lead.

• Survivability. With stolen Strength and Soul Rip, he becomes a tanky, self-sustaining force in fights, putting constant pressure on the enemy.

Build and gameplay:

Undying thrives in prolonged teamfights. His item build focuses on damage and control. Core items include:

• Bloodthorn – amplifies attack damage, especially when combined with Flesh Golem.

• Nullifier – crucial against heroes with strong save mechanics.

• Scythe Of Vyse – addresses the hero’s main weakness: lack of hard crowd control.

• Octarine Core – reduces Decay cooldown, boosting his Strength-stealing potential even further.

Undying is particularly effective against early-game mid heroes who lack mobility, but he struggles against those with disables and kiting potential. Notable counters include Legion Commander, Silencer, and Huskar, as well as items like Lotus Orb and Black King Bar.

Undying is a great pick for players who want to dominate the lane quickly and snowball through macro play and extended fights. The tournament meta has already proven his strength — now the hero is quickly gaining popularity in Dota 2 matchmaking.

As a reminder, test servers were recently activated on Dota 2’s anniversary, possibly hinting at a major upcoming update from Valve.