Phantom Lancer wins 53.7% of public ranked matches in patch 7.41, the 4th highest win rate of 127 heroes: 53.7% in Very High, 53.8% in High and 53.6% in Normal skill games. It is picked in 11.5% of matches, and over the last 8 days its win rate has stayed about the same.
Phantom Lancer does best in long games (over 50 minutes), winning 60.1% of them, against 48.3% in short games (under 25 minutes). Phantom Lancer is strongest against Clinkz, Wraith King and Viper, and struggles against Tidehunter, Axe and Meepo. The best teammates for Phantom Lancer are Muerta, Primal Beast and Keeper of the Light.
From public ranked All Pick matches of the current patch. Updated 4 October 2026. Compare with every other hero in the Dota 2 meta table, or pick against a full enemy draft in the Counter & Synergy Picker.
Advantage (Adv) - The difference between the actual winrate of the heroes and the expected winrate from their base winrates.
Example: Let's take two heroes, Superman, with a general winrate of 53%, and Lex Luthor, with a general winrate of 47%. When they meet on the battlefield they each have a statistical winrate of 50%.
In this case it's obvious that, even if they have the same winrate when they battle, there is some sort of innate statistical advantage that Lex Luthor (average winrate 47% but 50% against Superman) has over Superman (average winrate 53% but 50% against Lex Luthor). There are many theories about why this happens, but the most common one is related to Kryptonite.
Winrate (WR) - The winrate between the two heroes.
Skill level:
Each line in the graph represents the probability that Phantom Lancer brings an advantage to the total XP of a team
at a certain point in time (the probability to change the inclination of the xp graph).
Phantom Lancer's experience edge comes late: its team gains the lead in 47.2% of games at minute 5 and in 57.1% around minute 45. Until about minute 35 its team is usually behind on experience, so it needs time before taking even fights.
The chart shows, every 5 minutes and for each skill bracket, the share of games in which Phantom Lancer's team gains more experience than the enemy team (50% is neutral). All heroes compared: Hero XP Advantage by Minute.
Daily win rate and pick rate of Phantom Lancer for each skill bracket, overall and in short, medium and long games. All heroes side by side: Hero Win Rate and Pick Rate Trends.
Phantom Lancer is picked in 12.8–13.7% of matches and wins 52.9–53.6%. He fills fights with illusions: Juxtapose creates them when he attacks, Spirit Lance adds one and slows the target, and Doppelganger scatters him among copies. Phantom Rush closes the distance. He is a slow starter with a strong late game: his team gains more XP in only 45.5% of games between minutes 15 and 35, but his win rate climbs from 48.3% under 25 minutes to 59.4% past 50 minutes.
Countered by TidehunterTidehunter's team gains more XP than Phantom Lancer's in 50.9% of games before minute 15. The early lane is roughly even. The gap opens in the midgame, when Phantom Lancer has illusions and Tidehunter has his tools against them.
Phantom Lancer's illusions deal a small share of his damage and take much more damage than he does. Anchor Smash hits every unit around Tidehunter and cuts their attack damage, so it clears illusions and weakens the real hero at once. Kraken Shell blocks a fixed amount from each physical attack, which takes a large share out of weak illusion hits. Ravage stuns everything nearby, illusions included, and Tidehunter's team can find the real Phantom Lancer during the stun. Tidehunter's team gains more XP in 57% of games between minutes 15 and 35.
This is the largest counter so far: +15.19 weighted, with +20.89 in Very High, +11.83 in High and +12.78 in Normal. Tidehunter wins 55.5% / 51.6% / 52.9% (Very High / High / Normal) against Phantom Lancer, against his usual 48.7% / 48.5% / 50%. The effect lives in the midgame: Tidehunter wins 56.1% of 25–50 minute games but only 43.9% past 50 minutes, where Phantom Lancer's scaling comes back. The 32.6% under 25 minutes comes from only 43 games.
Best teammate: Ancient ApparitionThis pair starts badly. Their team gains more XP in only 42.2% of games before minute 15, and 46% between minutes 15 and 35. Neither hero is built for the lane.
Cold Feet stuns a target who doesn't move far enough away, and a hero surrounded by Phantom Lancer's illusions can have trouble walking out. Ice Vortex slows and raises magic damage taken, which helps Spirit Lance. Chilling Touch adds magical damage and a slow to Ancient Apparition's attacks. Ice Blast stops enemies from healing and shatters them at low health, which finishes targets that Phantom Lancer's army has worn down.
The pair wins 57.1% at 25–50 minutes and 63.4% past 50 minutes, and their XP-gain share rises to 55.2% after minute 35. The pair wins 59.9% / 56.3% / 58.5% (Very High / High / Normal), with Ancient Apparition normally at 51.6% / 51.1% / 53.3%. The synergy is strongest in Very High (+9.53), with +4.6 in High and +3.37 in Normal. The 29.4% under 25 minutes comes from only 17 games and says little.
Based on 365,489 public ranked matches of patch 7.41, played 27–30 September 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 in the lists and charts below update every few hours. More guides: Dota 2 counter guides.
