How Axe and Witch Doctor perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Axe and Witch Doctor win 52.38% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 4,166 matches.
Locking down multiple heroes with Berserker's Call creates the perfect window for Witch Doctor to do his job. A well-placed Maledict followed by a full Death Ward will melt anyone Axe manages to taunt, as they can't run away or interrupt the channel. Paralyzing Cask can even catch stragglers on the edge of the fight. Axe provides the reliable, area-of-effect control that turns Witch Doctor’s channeled ultimate from a risky play into a devastating source of damage.
From the mid-game onward, the enemy team is forced to play spread out and respect Axe's initiation range. Any clumped-up push or objective attempt can be punished instantly. The main counterplay involves trying to stun Witch Doctor immediately or using mobility items to save a core caught in the Call. Success hinges on coordination: Axe needs a good Blink timing to catch key targets, and Witch Doctor needs to position where he can safely channel without being the enemy’s primary focus.
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 | 57.95% | 1,936 |
| Crusader & Archon | 54.88% | 5,640 |
| Legend & Ancient | 52.73% | 3,880 |
| Divine & Immortal | 52.35% | 980 |
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 | 52.38% | ▼ -2.5pp | 4,166 |
| 7.41d | 54.85% | ▼ -0.6pp | 423,978 |
| 7.41c | 55.42% | ▲ +0.8pp | 240,974 |
| 7.41b | 54.58% | — | 209,508 |
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Data updated Aug 11, 2026.