How Phantom Lancer and Pudge perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Phantom Lancer and Pudge win 53.48% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 37,995 matches.
Landing a good Meat Hook provides Phantom Lancer a perfect, isolated target to swarm. The follow-up from Rot and Dismember holds an enemy in place long enough for him to build a small army of illusions and secure the kill. This is most effective against slippery heroes who would normally escape Phantom Lancer’s initial assault. Pudge essentially offers single-target lockdown that PL’s kit lacks, helping to guarantee kills during ganks or skirmishes and letting the carry snowball a little faster than he might on his own.
This dynamic works best when Pudge can create constant pressure in the mid-game. His roaming and pickoffs make space for Phantom Lancer to farm key items without interruption. The weakness is that their game plans can diverge. Pudge is strongest early, while PL needs time to come online. If the enemy team starts grouping up to push, it becomes difficult for Pudge to find clean hooks. The duo's success often hinges on converting Pudge's early tempo into a decisive farm advantage for Phantom Lancer before the five-on-five fights begin.
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 | 52.48% | 2,460 |
| Crusader & Archon | 52.37% | 6,259 |
| Legend & Ancient | 50.85% | 4,389 |
| Divine & Immortal | 51.22% | 1,685 |
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 | 53.48% | ▲ +0.9pp | 37,995 |
| 7.41d | 52.55% | ▲ +0.1pp | 399,677 |
| 7.41c | 52.41% | ▼ -0.0pp | 174,087 |
| 7.41b | 52.44% | — | 166,176 |
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Data updated Aug 17, 2026.