Lion is one of the most picked heroes of the patch: 24.1% of Very High matches, 26.5% of High and 26% of Normal. He wins 48.5% / 48.7% / 48.7%. Earth Spike stuns a line of enemies, Hex disables a target, Mana Drain slows and takes mana, and Finger of Death deals heavy damage to one hero. Unusually for a support, he gets better with game length: his team gains more XP in only 43.5% of games before minute 15 and 44.2% up to minute 35, but 51% after, and he wins 40.8% of games under 25 minutes, 48% at 25–50 and 52.4% past 50.
Countered by RubickRubick's team gains more XP in 57.1% of games before minute 15. Fade Bolt jumps between enemies and lowers their damage, and Telekinesis lifts a target and stuns those around it when it lands.
Lion's whole kit is spells, and Spell Steal takes the last spell an enemy hero cast. A stolen Hex, Earth Spike or Finger of Death is one of the best things Rubick can hold, and Lion casts them in every fight. Arcane Supremacy gives Rubick extra cast range and spell damage, so the stolen spell often lands harder than Lion's own. Rubick's team still gains more XP in 57.6% of games between minutes 15 and 35.
Rubick's edge is early: he wins 67.4% of games under 25 minutes (1,278 games) and 54% at 25–50 (50,589 games), but only 46.6% past 50 (11,809 games), where Lion is stronger. Lion has no hard counter: Rubick's +3.64 weighted is a small edge (+4.46 in Very High, +3.08 in High, +3.48 in Normal), but it comes from 63,671 games, the most of any pair in these guides. Rubick wins 53.7% / 52.5% / 52.5% (Very High / High / Normal) against Lion, against his usual 50% / 49.6% / 49.5%.
Best teammate: Naga SirenThis pair starts badly: their team gains more XP in only 34.9% of games before minute 15, and they win only 32.4% of the 71 games under 25 minutes. Naga Siren needs time to farm.
Song of the Siren puts every nearby enemy to sleep, and when it ends Lion's Earth Spike and Hex land on enemies who are still standing together. Ensnare holds the target that Hex doesn't, and Lion's Mana Drain can also target an ally to give Naga Siren mana. The XP-gain share is still only 36.4% between minutes 15 and 35.
The pair turns games around late: their team gains more XP in 53.9% of games after minute 35, and they win 53% of games past 50 minutes (575 games) and 48.5% at 25–50 (2,573 games). The pairing works in Very High (+8.86) and High (+5.42), but barely in Normal (+1.03). The pair wins 52.4% / 49.4% / 47.9% (Very High / High / Normal), with Naga Siren normally at 49.4% / 48% / 48.7%.
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 Lion page update every few hours. More guides: Dota 2 counter guides.
