How Magnus and Phantom Lancer perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Magnus and Phantom Lancer win 50.80% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 14,582 matches.
Giving Phantom Lancer an Empower seems like a natural fit. The bonus damage helps his illusions hit harder, and in theory, the cleave should let him farm faster and shred teams. The problem is that his illusions don't actually get the cleave. This means the main farming and teamfight benefit of Empower is lost on the hero who needs it most. While a big Reverse Polarity from Magnus can lock down enemies, Phantom Lancer is already great at sticking to targets on his own with Spirit Lance and Phantom Rush. The setup is helpful, but not essential for him to do his job.
As a result, the two heroes often feel like they're on different timers. Magnus wants to force big teamfights with his ultimate as soon as he gets a Blink Dagger, but Phantom Lancer usually isn't strong enough to commit that early. By the time PL is ready to fight with his key items, the game might have become more about his split-pushing and chaotic, drawn-out engagements. Magnus is built for a single, decisive moment, while PL excels at wearing the enemy down over time. They don't actively work against each other, but their plans don't always line up.
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 | 48.00% | 575 |
| Crusader & Archon | 45.73% | 2,272 |
| Legend & Ancient | 49.18% | 2,141 |
| Divine & Immortal | 48.04% | 739 |
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 | 50.80% | ▲ +0.7pp | 14,582 |
| 7.41d | 50.10% | ▼ -1.1pp | 135,331 |
| 7.41c | 51.22% | ▲ +0.3pp | 62,251 |
| 7.41b | 50.95% | — | 57,179 |
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Data updated Aug 17, 2026.