Patch 7.41b followed the major patch 7.41—and while minor changes are usually considered “cosmetic,” this time they significantly shook up the meta. Especially in position 5. While there weren’t any major reworks, targeted nerfs and buffs shifted priorities: some heroes dipped, while others unexpectedly exploded. We analyzed Dota2ProTracker data (win rate, popularity, stability) and compiled the top five supports of the current patch. Spoiler: Shadow Shaman isn’t just a random selection.
The numbers actually confirm it—let’s stop guessing.
Table of Contents
Patch 7.41b Statistics: Support Win Rate, Pick Rate, and Ban Rate
If you evaluate position 5 based on raw data rather than just an eyeball, the current patch’s meta is based on heroes without hefty farming requirements—they consistently turn minimal resources into maximum benefit. This is especially telling for supports: it’s not just win rate that matters, but also pick rate. Why? A hero can be strong but too narrow (only picked maybe once every twenty games)—or, conversely, they can be picked every other game due to their simplicity and versatility. Both are markers.
Below is a quick breakdown of the most notable hero picks in patch 7.41b. Win rate shows who’s really pulling it off. Pick rate shows who’s being picked without fear. And ban rate reveals who’s already been respected (and feared) in the draft.
Hero Tier List — Dota 2
From a meta point of view, this is more important than just “who has a higher percentage of wins.” Shadow Shaman and Crystal Maiden pull the picrate with clear gameplay — got up, clicked, done. Witch Doctor stays at the top due to stable conversion to kills (his ult still solves fights). And Ancient Apparition and Venomancer are more likely to win due to successful matchups and the right draft — they can’t always be taken head-on. As a result, 7.41b values not just strong buttons, but heroes who don’t sag on an equal line and are able to put the squeeze on the card without extra slots.
How to read the winrate and peak rate in the top five position?
A win rate above 53% in the top five is not a sign of “being broken.” Rather, it’s a signal that the hero has a good bundle: simplicity, survivability, and usefulness in fights. Nothing supernatural — it just works.
The peak rate is important for assessing stability. If a hero is taken often (in every third or fourth game), it means that he closes a wide pool of scenarios, and not just the perfect fifth-pick draft.
A ban rate is an indicator of respect from an opponent. More often, those who either strangle the line at an early stage, or scale too well after one key timing (read: Aganim or 15 minutes) are banned.
And one last thing: for the fifth position, a strong indicator is not a personal damage. This is how the hero creates space for carrie: through control, vision, and pace. If the support team does not need to save 5 thousand for a blink, it is already in the black.
Shadow Shaman in Patch 7.41b: The Best Support with Disables and Pushes
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Difficulty: Easy
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Matches Played: 353
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Win Rate: 54.10%
Shadow Shaman Build and Talents: The Optimal Build for 7.41b
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Popular Build: Arcane Boots → Glimmer Cape → Aether Lens → Aghanim’s Shard
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Skill Build (Leveling Order): Shackles → Ether Shock → Shackles → Hex → Shackles → Mass Serpent Ward → Shackles → Hex → Hex → Hex
Talents:
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Level 10: +170 Shackles damage
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Level 15: Hex applies exhaustion
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Level 20: +1.5 seconds Shackles duration
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25 Level: +1 Totem Attack Target
Shaman is the main winner not so much of the letter patch as of the main 7.41 patch. There, Innate was reworked: it now scales with levels and provides additional mobility. And Aghanim’s Shard was completely replaced with a new ability—an area with an enhanced totem (more damage, longer life). In 7.41b, only Intelligence gain was touched—a slight nerf, but the hero barely noticed.
Strong and Weak Shadow Shaman Matchups
In the current meta, Shaman performs well against heroes with escapes: Queen of Pain (52.30%), Spirit Breaker (50.90%), Night Stalker (50.50%), Invoker (56%). But against those who break control or can focus, it’s more difficult: Slark (45.80%), Doom (48.30%), Tidehunter (48.30%), Rubick (49.10%).
Crystal Maiden in 7.41b: Control, Mana, and a New Survival Barrier
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Difficulty: Easy
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Matches Played: 303
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Win Rate: 54.10%
Crystal Maiden Build and Skill Build for Position 5
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Build: Tranquil Boots → Aghanim’s Shard → Glimmer Cape → Blink Dagger → Aghanim’s Scepter
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Skill Build: All Freezing Field (ult) – the rest is situational
Talents:
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10: +200 Health
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15: +100 Frostbite Range
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20: +50 Freezing Field Damage
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25: +1 Second Frostbite Duration
Crystal Maiden received a new innate passive in 7.41: a portion of her mana is converted into a physical barrier. This significantly increased the survivability of both her and her allies. In 7.41a, she was untouched, and in 7.41b, only the cooldown of her Shard ability was increased—the nerf was insignificant.
Best and Worst Crystal Maiden Matchups
Crystal Maiden is strong against heroes dependent on escapes: Ember Spirit (55.40%), Invoker (53.30%), Mars (52%), Faceless Void (51%). She has issues with high burst and breaking stuns: Lifestealer (46.60%), Doom (45.80%), Tidehunter (44.40%), Queen of Pain (46.70%).
Venomancer in 7.41b: A support for teamfights and lane control
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Difficulty: Easy
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Matches played: 299
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Win rate: 53.20%
Optimal Venomancer build and talents in the current patch
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Build: Tranquil Boots → Spirit Vessel → Glimmer Cape → Force Staff → Aghanim’s Scepter
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Skill build: Plague Carrier → Snakebite → Plague Ward → Plague Ward → Plague Ward → Noxious Plague → then Plague Ward, then Plague Carrier
Talents:
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10: Poison Sting reduces health regeneration by 15%
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15: +75 Noxious Plague beam range
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20: -2 seconds Plague Ward cooldown
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25: Health/Damage 2.5 times more totems
Venomancer received a major rework in 7.41: his passive became innate, and he received a new skill, Snakebite, which deals additional damage in lane. Noxious Plague’s ultimate now spreads between targets and carries debuffs. In 7.41b, it was completely untouched, so all the effort went into it.
Venomancer Matchups: Who He Presses and Who He Fears
He’s good against heroes who can’t survive crowd control or get caught after escapes: Mars (55%), Luna (53.8%), Invoker (51.6%), Storm Spirit (53.9%). He suffers from heroes who survive crowd control: Slark (45.2%), Lifestealer (43.7%), Legion Commander (44.2%), Rubick (45.10%).
Witch Doctor in 7.41b: the most reliable pub support by win rate
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Difficulty: Easy
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Matches played: 234
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Win rate: 56.20%
Witch Doctor Build: Build and skill build for pubs
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Build: Arcane Boots → Glimmer Cape → Aghanim’s Shard → Aghanim’s Scepter
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Skill build: Maledict → Maledict → Maledict → Death Ward → Maledict → Voodoo Restoration (others are situational)
Talents:
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10: +200 health
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15: +4 seconds Maledict duration
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20: Maledict deals 75% of lost health damage in an 800 radius
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25: +40 Death Ward totem damage
Witch Doctor burst into the meta almost unchanged—and This is his main asset. In 7.41, his talents were slightly tweaked and his ultimate’s attack range was increased. And in the character updates, he was left untouched. As a result, he’s one of the most reliable fifth heroes.
Who is he strong against and who counters him?
Good against heroes vulnerable to burst: Venomancer (51%), Pudge (53.3%), Jakiro (53.4%), Weaver (52.1%). Weak against high DPS and control: Lifestealer (46.7%), Slark (45.1%), Doom (44.9%), Shadow Shaman (45.9%).
Ancient Apparition in 7.41b: counters healing and has become stronger with each patch
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Difficulty: Easy
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Matches played: 180
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Win rate: 53.90%
Ancient Apparition Build and Talents for Position 5
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Build: Arcane Boots → Aghanim’s Shard → Rod of Atos → Force Staff
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Skill Build: Chilling Touch → Cold Feet → Ice Vortex → Ice Vortex → Ice Vortex → Ice Blast → Ice Vortex → Cold Feet → Cold Feet
Talents:
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10: +30 Cold Feet damage per second
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15: +250 Cold Feet break distance
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20: +4 seconds of Ice Blast frostbite
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25: +4% Ice kill threshold Blast
Ancient Apparition is another beneficiary of 7.41. It received an innate slow and power reduction. Its core abilities were buffed: damage increased, crowd control added, and mana cost decreased. And in 7.41a and 7.41b, buffs continued—in the latest patch, the Aghanim’s Scepter power reduction bonus was significantly increased.
AA Matchups: Who Counters and Who Shuts It Down
Good against heroes with high regen: Alchemist (52.80%), Warlock (59.50%), Winter Wyvern (53.10%), Invoker (55%). Bad against heroes who don’t care about crowd control: Lifestealer (45.70%), Doom (48.60%), Spirit Breaker (47.60%), Tidehunter (45.40%).
Bottom Line: Which Support to Pick in Patch 7.41b
Patch 7.41b didn’t completely overturn the fifth position—it merely solidified what had been established after the major update. The targeted changes either had little or no impact on the heroes. The top picks are old favorites that don’t require a lot of resources but deliver maximum impact. Shadow Shaman, Crystal Maiden, Venomancer, Witch Doctor, and Ancient Apparition—each of them either received beneficial changes in the main patch or retained their strength amid nerfs to their competitors. With them now, climbing the ladder is a sure bet.
