How Bristleback and Tusk perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Bristleback and Tusk win 44.54% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 4,398 matches.
Saving a Bristleback with Snowball can be a source of friction for this pair. Tusk's ability is a great tool for pulling an ally from danger, but Bristleback often wants to be on the edge of death, baiting enemies to hit his back while he spams Quill Spray. Pulling him out of the fight resets his positioning and can interrupt the flow of his damage. Tusk's lockdown from Ice Shards is also better suited for a hero who can deliver their damage instantly, whereas Bristleback needs a longer engagement to wear opponents down.
This difference in tempo affects their game plan. Tusk is strongest when setting up quick pickoffs on a single hero, but Bristleback thrives in messy, drawn-out brawls where he can stack spells on multiple targets. They simply don't enable each other's ideal scenarios. Tusk would prefer an ally with more burst damage to capitalize on his initiation, while Bristleback pairs better with heroes who offer longer-duration control or can amplify the chaos he creates in a teamfight.
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 | 46.44% | 267 |
| Crusader & Archon | 45.29% | 711 |
| Legend & Ancient | 40.96% | 564 |
| Divine & Immortal | 42.06% | 214 |
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 | 44.54% | ▼ -1.3pp | 4,398 |
| 7.41d | 45.85% | ▼ -0.9pp | 53,292 |
| 7.41c | 46.70% | ▼ -1.4pp | 27,306 |
| 7.41b | 48.10% | — | 32,974 |
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Data updated Aug 17, 2026.