How Bristleback and Phantom Lancer perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Bristleback and Phantom Lancer win 49.64% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 1,517 matches.
Pushing for objectives becomes a massive problem for the other team. Bristleback naturally wants to run at the enemy, drawing attention and forcing them to deal with his constant Quill Sprays. This creates the perfect chaotic frontline for Phantom Lancer to operate behind. While opponents are busy trying to kite or burst the Bristleback, they have fewer resources to find and lock down the real PL among his illusions. Committing area-of-effect spells to clear the illusions leaves them vulnerable to Bristleback, while focusing Bristleback lets Phantom Lancer's army run wild. This split pressure on the enemy team makes it very difficult for them to handle either threat effectively.
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 | 54.56% | 953 |
| Crusader & Archon | 49.39% | 1,547 |
| Legend & Ancient | 43.49% | 745 |
| Divine & Immortal | 53.64% | 220 |
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 | 49.64% | ▼ -2.8pp | 1,517 |
| 7.41d | 52.46% | ▼ -0.8pp | 127,767 |
| 7.41c | 53.25% | ▼ -0.7pp | 66,081 |
| 7.41b | 53.92% | — | 67,557 |
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Data updated Aug 12, 2026.