How Bristleback and Witch Doctor perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Bristleback and Witch Doctor win 50.36% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 16,660 matches.
A common thought is that Bristleback’s durability provides a perfect shield for Witch Doctor's ultimate. The problem is that Bristleback offers no hard lockdown to hold enemies in place for Death Ward. Viscous Nasal Goo helps slow targets, but opponents can often still walk out of the ultimate's range. The combination isn't without merit, though. Maledict is a great amplifier for the constant damage from Quill Spray, and Voodoo Restoration can give Bristleback a surprising amount of extra staying power as he wades into the fight.
In practice, fights with this duo are inconsistent. Bristleback charges in to create chaos, but this can make it hard for Witch Doctor to find a safe, stable position to channel. Success often hinges on whether the enemy team panics and clumps up to burst the Bristleback down, ignoring the Witch Doctor in the back. If the enemy team has good mobility and can split their focus, they will often pick off the Witch Doctor first, leaving Bristleback to be kited and dealt with alone.
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 | 53.73% | 1,660 |
| Crusader & Archon | 51.00% | 3,004 |
| Legend & Ancient | 44.39% | 1,399 |
| Divine & Immortal | 37.40% | 246 |
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 | 50.36% | ▼ -0.5pp | 16,660 |
| 7.41d | 50.86% | ▲ +0.2pp | 210,669 |
| 7.41c | 50.71% | ▼ -1.0pp | 109,696 |
| 7.41b | 51.69% | — | 120,420 |
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Data updated Aug 17, 2026.