
Also known as: Rigwarl, BB
Bristleback (Rigwarl, BB) in Dota 2 7.41: win rate, pick rate, the heroes Bristleback counters and struggles against, and its best teammates — from recent ranked matches by Batru's AI win-prediction pipeline.
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 (57.1%), Chen (56.4%) and Nature's Prophet (56.4%) lose the attrition fight. Bristleback is countered by armor-shred, break, and burst that beat his passives: Slark (42.4%) shreds his armor and bursts him, Legion Commander (44.4%) duels him, and Primal Beast (45.3%) / Nyx Assassin (46.0%) 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.
| Hero | Win Rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| 57.10% | 21,612 | |
| 56.42% | 4,002 | |
| 56.36% | 43,322 | |
| 56.17% | 42,427 | |
| 55.79% | 19,640 | |
| 55.68% | 17,699 | |
| 55.63% | 7,293 | |
| 55.56% | 45,056 |
| Hero | Win Rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| 42.40% | 94,097 | |
| 44.35% | 104,312 | |
| 45.31% | 23,092 | |
| 45.97% | 35,404 | |
| 46.40% | 79,851 | |
| 46.75% | 59,919 | |
| 47.39% | 62,779 | |
| 47.60% | 49,768 |
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 (56.4%) and Wraith King (55.5%) scale safely behind his durable front line, while Naga Siren (55.4%) 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.
| Hero | Win Rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| 56.35% | 45,201 | |
| 55.53% | 37,303 | |
| 55.37% | 13,770 | |
| 54.99% | 22,604 | |
| 54.99% | 26,962 | |
| 54.88% | 14,547 | |
| 54.58% | 29,282 | |
| 54.35% | 5,314 |