Dragon Knight is more popular in higher brackets: 16% of Very High matches, 13.4% of High and 11.2% of Normal. He wins 52.6% / 52.9% / 52.9%. Breathe Fire weakens enemy attacks, Dragon Tail stuns, Dragon Blood gives him armor and regeneration, and Elder Dragon Form turns him into a ranged dragon. His curve is flat: his team gains more XP in 50.3–51.4% of games at every stage, and he wins 54.3% under 25 minutes, 52.8% at 25–50 and 52.7% past 50.
Countered by ViperViper wins the lane hard: his team gains more XP in 63.6% of games before minute 15. Poison Attack slows Dragon Knight and lowers his magic resistance with every hit, and a melee Dragon Knight has to walk into Corrosive Skin, which damages and slows the attack speed of anyone who hits Viper.
Viper Strike disables the target's passives, and Dragon Blood's armor and regeneration are what keep Dragon Knight alive. It also slows his movement and attack speed. Nethertoxin slows the attack speed of everyone standing in it, and Poison Attack's magic resistance reduction makes all of Viper's damage hit harder. Viper's team still gains more XP in 54.2% of games between minutes 15 and 35.
The edge is early. Viper wins 59.5% of games under 25 minutes (215 games) and 50.9% at 25–50 (8,349 games), but only 45.3% past 50 (2,251 games), and his XP-gain share drops to 48.5% after minute 35. The advantage is largest in Very High (+13.52), with +8.71 in High and +6.34 in Normal. Viper wins 53.3% / 50% / 48.1% (Very High / High / Normal) against Dragon Knight, against his usual 49.1% / 48.6% / 47.8%.
Best teammate: BrewmasterThe pair starts slightly ahead: their team gains more XP in 52.1% of games before minute 15. Thunder Clap slows the movement and attack speed of enemies around Brewmaster while Dragon Knight trades hits.
Cinder Brew drenches enemies and slows them, and a drenched enemy that takes magic damage is set on fire. Dragon Knight's Breathe Fire and Fireball deal exactly that damage. Dragon Tail stuns a target inside the brew, and Primal Split gives the team three more fighters for the fight that follows. The XP-gain share is 49.8% between minutes 15 and 35.
The pair grows into the late game: their team gains more XP in 56.9% of games after minute 35. They win 57.6% of 25–50 minute games (1,346 games) and 52.2% past 50 minutes (253 games). The advantage is even across brackets, +7.5 in Very High, +6.11 in High and +6.47 in Normal, and the pair wins 56.9% / 56.9% / 56.3% (Very High / High / Normal), with Brewmaster normally at 50.6% / 50.9% / 50.1%. They are a rare pair outside Very High (357 games in High), so this comes from 1,644 games.
Based on 2,111,000 public ranked matches of patch 7.41, played 30 September – 14 October 2026. Advantage is the win-rate difference from what the two heroes' own win rates predict, times two (+6 is about 3 win-rate points), weighted over the skill brackets. The live numbers on the Dragon Knight page update every few hours. More guides: Dota 2 counter guides.
