Metagame

Have you ever heard the word "metagame"? It is one of those complex words pro-gamers use, so let's define it first:

METAGAME - is a broad term usually used to define any strategy, action or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. In other words, sometimes using out-of-game information, or resources, to affect one's in-game decisions.

Every game has its own metagame. (even sports alike). For me metagame is simply the "best strategy available that can help you achieve victory". In our own common terms - "diskarteng malupit". Back when the Chicago bulls used the "triangle offense" it was one of its kind, and it was the metagame of that time. But when Shaquille O'neal entered the NBA, suddenly teams are finding ways to stop him, because he became the metagame itself. Metagame changes through time. When I was playing Warcaft 3 a year ago, everybody is using Night Elf with Beastmaster as their first hero, because it was the ultimate combination and nobody wants to waste time figuring out a way to defeat it (because there's no way..). So if you can't beat them, then join them. And for the next few months every tournament finals is a NE mirror match. Until Blizzard decided to "nerf" the race and thats where the metagame drastically change. There can be multiple metagame in any environment. In the world of Magic: The Gathering, predicting the metagame is one of the most important preparations you must undertake (next to playtesting). If you can predict it (and yes you can!) then you can design your deck to be resilient or at least play around the metagame. The beauty in Magic is that it has more than one metagame in any given format. For example there are 3 metagame decks players can use right now (they can only choose one), these 3 deck are equally powerful and they cancels each other like a "rock, paper, scissors" analogy. This is what we call a "healthy metagame" because players have more options, unlike my warcraft example above where in players have no choice but to play the same race. Metagame is not a complex term afterall. Just remember that its form varies on what game you are playing.

In light of the upcoming Paradigm tournament I would like to share some facts from the ongoing Asian Dota Championship '08. Unlike any other game, the metagame in Dota is so vast, but still you can extract relevant data that can help you build your most formidable line-ups.

Most Banned Heroes : (in order of priorty)

NERUBIAN ASSASSIN
BEASTMASTER
PUCK
CHEN
DRAGON KNIGHT
OMNIKNIGHT
TERRORBLADE
WARLOCK
SKELETON KING
TREANT
ZUES
VISAGE
EARTHSHAKER
BROOD MOTHER
LICH

Most Picked Heroes : (in order of priority)

POTM
QUEEN OF PAIN
ZUES
LICH
EARTHSHAKER
TIDEHUNTER
LION
DRAGON KNIGHT
WARLOCK
PUCK
SHADOWFIEND
SPECTRE
LESHRAC
VISAGE
SHADOW PRIEST

Heroes with the most Wins: (in order of priority)

POTM
QUEEN OF PAIN
ZUES
LICH
EARTHSHAKER
TIDEHUNTER
LION
WARLOCK
DRAGON KNIGHT
PUCK
SHADOWFIEND
SPECTRE
LESHRAC
OGRE MAGI
VISAGE