Bristleback — Dota 2 7.41f Counters, Synergies & Win Rate
Also known as: Rigwarl, BB
Bristleback (Rigwarl, BB) in Dota 2 7.41f: win rate, pick rate, top counters and best teammates, from Batru's ranked-match pipeline.
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Bristleback by rank bracket
Bristleback is strongest in Herald & Guardian games, winning 52.20% (#21 of 127 heroes), but drops to 44.41% (#124) in Divine & Immortal.
| Bracket | Tier Rank | Win Rate | Pick Rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herald & Guardian | #21 of 127 | 52.20% | 12.27% | 17,721 |
| Crusader & Archon | #82 of 127 | 48.40% | 7.95% | 35,691 |
| Legend & Ancient | #115 of 127 | 45.53% | 4.60% | 21,212 |
| Divine & Immortal | #124 of 127 | 44.41% | 2.59% | 3,749 |
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 49.65% of 249,842 ranked matches in patch 7.41f, up 0.4pp from 7.41e.
| Patch | Win Rate | Change | Pick Rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.41f | 49.65% | ▲ +0.4pp | 7.39% | 249,842 |
| 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 | 56.70% | 22,061 |
 Beastmaster | 56.44% | 3,271 |
 Chen | 55.99% | 843 |
 Huskar | 55.28% | 6,907 |
 Shadow Demon | 55.12% | 2,834 |
 Nature's Prophet | 55.11% | 12,554 |
 Kez | 54.59% | 5,437 |
 Batrider | 54.51% | 1,741 |
Struggles against
 Slark | 42.37% | 16,617 |
 Legion Commander | 42.60% | 20,138 |
 Nyx Assassin | 43.83% | 7,409 |
 Vengeful Spirit | 45.68% | 13,510 |
 Juggernaut | 45.89% | 23,042 |
 Anti-Mage | 46.08% | 15,597 |
 Necrophos | 46.15% | 19,792 |
 Viper | 46.17% | 15,141 |
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 | 55.75% | 6,789 |
 Meepo | 54.42% | 2,411 |
 Chaos Knight | 54.10% | 2,987 |
| Legion Commander | 54.03% | 4,688 |
 Bloodseeker | 53.79% | 5,758 |
 Riki | 53.23% | 7,197 |
 Troll Warlord | 53.18% | 4,195 |
| Nyx Assassin | 53.09% | 6,562 |
Data updated Sep 23, 2026.