How Ancient Apparition and Lich perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Ancient Apparition and Lich win 53.79% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 5,077 matches.
Trying to walk away from this lane feels impossible. Ancient Apparition and Lich can stack so many slows that it becomes trivial to land a full-duration Cold Feet for a stun. This lockdown gives Lich a free setup for his own spells, and the pain doesn't stop there. AA's Ice Vortex applies a magic resistance reduction that directly amplifies the damage from both Frost Blast and a bouncing Chain Frost, making their combined harassment a serious problem for anyone caught out.
This pairing often creates a fragile backline that needs protection. While their laning presence is strong, both heroes are vulnerable if jumped on. Their teamfight contribution hinges on landing their ultimates well; a good Ice Blast followed by a Chain Frost on the slowed, non-healing targets can be effective. However, the combo relies heavily on enemy positioning and can be played around. If other cores can't create a strong frontline or initiation, both heroes can find themselves focused down before they can make an impact.
How this pairing performs across skill brackets — the duo's team win rate in recent ranked matches, split by average match rank. Ranks with too few recent matches are omitted. These rows use the last 30 days of quality-filtered ranked matches, all patches in that span combined — a wider window than the patch-scoped count above, so the per-rank match totals can exceed it.
| Rank | Team win rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Herald & Guardian | 56.25% | 288 |
| Crusader & Archon | 53.59% | 752 |
| Legend & Ancient | 52.88% | 573 |
| Divine & Immortal | 47.32% | 112 |
This duo's team win rate in each recent balance patch — whether the pairing is trending up or down. Patches without enough matches are omitted.
| Patch | Team win rate | Change | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.41e | 53.79% | ▲ +1.4pp | 5,077 |
| 7.41d | 52.41% | ▲ +0.3pp | 54,838 |
| 7.41c | 52.15% | ▲ +2.2pp | 24,322 |
| 7.41b | 49.96% | — | 25,466 |
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Data updated Aug 17, 2026.