How Phantom Assassin and Witch Doctor perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Phantom Assassin and Witch Doctor win 53.77% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 31,928 matches.
Getting caught by a Paralyzing Cask makes it incredibly easy for Phantom Assassin to get on top of you. The real problem, though, is Maledict. Once that curse is on you, any big crit from PA becomes a death sentence, as the bonus damage will tick you down even if you manage to escape her initial attack. It's a simple, effective partnership: Witch Doctor provides the lockdown and damage amplifier that a burst carry like Phantom Assassin needs to secure kills on elusive targets, turning close calls into clean kills.
This duo comes online in the mid-game once PA has some damage items. A successful pickoff on an enemy hero with this combo can open up the map for objectives. The main weakness is that it's very predictable. Opponents will try to burst Witch Doctor before he can cast his spells or use defensive items to survive Phantom Assassin's jump. If the initial burst fails or the Cask misses, both heroes can be left in a bad position, which is why the pairing is helpful but not always a guaranteed win.
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 | 53.14% | 2,640 |
| Crusader & Archon | 52.04% | 5,834 |
| Legend & Ancient | 50.90% | 3,151 |
| Divine & Immortal | 47.55% | 572 |
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 | 53.77% | ▲ +0.6pp | 31,928 |
| 7.41d | 53.17% | ▲ +0.1pp | 354,267 |
| 7.41c | 53.10% | ▲ +1.1pp | 176,410 |
| 7.41b | 52.02% | — | 168,438 |
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Data updated Aug 17, 2026.