How Phantom Lancer and Pugna perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Phantom Lancer and Pugna win 54.02% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 1,120 matches.
Picking a fragile carry like Phantom Lancer can be a gamble, but Pugna offers a unique kind of support that helps him survive extended fights. While Pugna doesn't have a traditional stun or instant save, his Life Drain can continuously heal the real Phantom Lancer as he commits to a fight. This constant stream of health makes it much harder for opponents to wear PL down with area-of-effect damage. At the same time, a well-placed Nether Ward punishes spell-heavy lineups that are trying to spam abilities to clear out the illusions, creating a tax on the resources they need to deal with the carry.
The goal is to get Phantom Lancer to the mid-game where he can start creating chaos, with Pugna acting as a battery and deterrent in the backline. Pugna's Decrepify is also a flexible tool, either saving PL from a dangerous right-clicker or amplifying magic damage on a key target. This pairing isn't unbeatable, though. Teams with heavy, instant physical burst can still find and kill the real Phantom Lancer before Pugna’s healing has an impact. The enemy will focus on ganking and ending the game early before the two heroes can properly enable each other.
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 | 51.43% | 420 |
| Crusader & Archon | 51.90% | 869 |
| Legend & Ancient | 54.77% | 577 |
| Divine & Immortal | 56.29% | 167 |
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 | 54.02% | ▲ +2.1pp | 1,120 |
| 7.41d | 51.88% | ▼ -0.2pp | 59,287 |
| 7.41c | 52.08% | ▼ -0.2pp | 28,566 |
| 7.41b | 52.27% | — | 27,272 |
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Data updated Aug 14, 2026.