How Axe and Bristleback perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Axe and Bristleback win 48.10% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 3,191 matches.
Facing down both Axe and Bristleback creates a messy situation for the enemy team. Axe's Berserker's Call forces everyone nearby to hit him, which is exactly the opening Bristleback wants. While your team is taunted and unable to act, Bristleback can freely build up his Warpath stacks and cover everyone in Quill Sprays. This splits the enemy's focus in a difficult way. Dealing with Axe is mandatory because of the Call, but leaving Bristleback unchecked allows his damage to ramp up to dangerous levels. One hero holds you in place while the other slowly grinds you down.
This pairing tends to apply a lot of mid-game pressure. Axe can find an initiation with Blink Dagger, and Bristleback provides the relentless follow-up, creating a durable wall that's hard to break. The plan works best when the opposing team lacks the tools to disengage or kite. If enemies can split them up or have enough single-target burst to eliminate one of them before the other can do their job, the whole thing falls apart. The duo forces a specific type of fight, and if the other team can't answer it, they can get run over.
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 | 55.56% | 378 |
| Crusader & Archon | 50.00% | 412 |
| Legend & Ancient | 42.11% | 266 |
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 | 48.10% | ▼ -2.9pp | 3,191 |
| 7.41d | 51.04% | ▼ -1.4pp | 45,222 |
| 7.41c | 52.39% | ▼ -0.9pp | 23,678 |
| 7.41b | 53.27% | — | 25,457 |
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Data updated Aug 17, 2026.