How Dark Willow and Riki perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Dark Willow and Riki win 51.85% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 351 matches.
Getting caught by this pair can feel very frustrating. Dark Willow offers multiple ways to lock a target down, from the delayed stun of Cursed Crown to the root patches from Bramble Maze. This gives Riki a perfect window to position, drop a Smoke Screen, and apply his damage without the target being able to retaliate. The chain of control and damage can be enough to secure kills on isolated heroes, especially in the earlier stages of the game. Willow's ability to hold someone still for Riki to unload is the core of their partnership.
The effectiveness of this duo fades when teams group up and carry detection. Both heroes are quite fragile and can be bursted down if they are caught or if their initial assault fails. Without a durable frontline, they rely on getting the jump and executing a target before the fight turns against them. If Riki gets revealed before he can strike, or if Dark Willow gets initiated on, their plan can fall apart quickly. It's a combination that either works decisively in a gank or struggles against a coordinated team.
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 | 53.02% | 215 |
| Crusader & Archon | 50.85% | 413 |
| Legend & Ancient | 47.86% | 280 |
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 | 51.85% | ▲ +1.1pp | 351 |
| 7.41d | 50.72% | ▲ +0.1pp | 36,152 |
| 7.41c | 50.60% | ▼ -0.6pp | 17,495 |
| 7.41b | 51.20% | — | 17,558 |
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Data updated Aug 11, 2026.