Bristleback — Dota 2 7.41f Counters, Synergies & Win Rate
Also known as: BB, Rigwarl
Bristleback (BB) in Dota 2 7.41f: win rate, pick rate, top counters and best teammates, from Batru's ranked-match pipeline.
Early vs late game: in ranked games that end before 34 minutes, Bristleback's team wins 48.2%; in games of 47+ minutes, 49.6% (+1.5 pp, #49 of 127 by late-game edge; 27% of Bristleback games last 47+ minutes; model estimate). Late & early game heroes →
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Bristleback by rank bracket
Bristleback is strongest in Herald & Guardian games, winning 50.82% (#41 of 126 heroes), but drops to 45.73% (#117) in Divine & Immortal.
| Bracket | Tier Rank | Win Rate | Pick Rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herald & Guardian | #41 of 126 | 50.82% | 13.45% | 5,112 |
| Crusader & Archon | #75 of 127 | 48.81% | 8.76% | 14,000 |
| Legend & Ancient | #109 of 127 | 46.69% | 4.90% | 10,100 |
| Divine & Immortal | #117 of 127 | 45.73% | 2.63% | 1,603 |
Recent ranked matches split by average match rank — the same data behind the per-rank tier lists each bracket links to.
Bristleback win rate by patch
Bristleback is winning 49.36% of 1,790,182 ranked matches in patch 7.41f, up 0.1pp from 7.41e.
| Patch | Win Rate | Change | Pick Rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.41f | 49.36% | ▲ +0.1pp | 7.03% | 1,790,182 |
| 7.41e | 49.24% | ▼ -0.2pp | 7.35% | 2,187,123 |
| 7.41d | 49.47% | ▼ -0.3pp | 9.06% | 2,687,509 |
| 7.41c | 49.78% | ▼ -1.2pp | 9.66% | 1,324,210 |
| 7.41b | 51.01% | ▲ +0.3pp | 10.48% | 1,476,047 |
| 7.41a | 50.67% | — | 8.79% | 502,572 |
Win rate and pick rate per patch window over all quality-filtered ranked matches; the newest patch accumulates matches for days after release — its row shows the current sample size.
Bristleback counters & matchups
Bristleback is a tanky offlane core who takes reduced damage from behind, stacks Quill Spray for escalating AoE, and becomes nearly unkillable mid-game. He's strong into AoE-light, immobile heroes his quills grind: Gyrocopter, Chen and Nature's Prophet lose the attrition fight. Bristleback is countered by armor-shred, break, and burst that beat his passives: Slark shreds his armor and bursts him, Legion Commander duels him, and Primal Beast or Nyx Assassin punch through. Draft tip: Bristleback is a brutal frontliner into right-click and low-burst drafts; he's countered by armor reduction, break, and high magic burst.
Strong against
 Shadow Fiend | 56.52% | 112,521 |
 Beastmaster | 55.90% | 22,366 |
 Nature's Prophet | 55.62% | 87,921 |
 Shadow Demon | 55.28% | 19,151 |
 Chen | 55.17% | 5,081 |
 Tiny | 54.98% | 48,194 |
 Huskar | 54.84% | 53,008 |
 Batrider | 54.60% | 11,975 |
Struggles against
 Slark | 42.63% | 132,903 |
 Legion Commander | 42.86% | 153,190 |
 Nyx Assassin | 43.58% | 69,902 |
 Necrophos | 45.24% | 142,374 |
 Juggernaut | 45.48% | 162,519 |
 Anti-Mage | 45.57% | 125,449 |
 Ancient Apparition | 45.58% | 64,998 |
 Dragon Knight | 45.62% | 101,378 |
Bristleback synergies
Bristleback is a self-sufficient tank who soaks damage and out-sustains fights — he wants a carry to farm behind him and a healer to make him unkillable. He pairs best with hard-carries and sustain: Spectre and Wraith King scale safely behind his durable front line, while Naga Siren provides the AoE control to fight. Give Bristleback a scaling core and a heal, and he becomes an immovable wall the enemy can't kill or ignore.
Best teammates
 Wraith King | 54.80% | 49,893 |
 Meepo | 53.70% | 17,386 |
 Bloodseeker | 53.34% | 41,893 |
 Troll Warlord | 52.82% | 30,627 |
 Riki | 52.65% | 54,031 |
| Legion Commander | 52.62% | 36,123 |
 Vengeful Spirit | 52.59% | 82,625 |
 Spirit Breaker | 52.28% | 117,351 |
Data updated Nov 7, 2026.