
Patch 7.41f has changed the meta not only for carries but also for supports. Supports in the current meta aren’t just “nannies” for the core—they’re full-fledged initiators, saviors, and damage dealers capable of single-handedly turning the tide of a team fight. That’s why this article highlights the best Dota 2 supports for positions four and five, which will help you consistently boost your rating.
| Hero | Position | Strengths | Difficulty |
| Lich | 5 | Consistently strong laning, team fights, Sacrifice for mana | Low |
| Winter Wyvern | 4/5 | Powerful save, ultimate with BKB control | Average |
| Undying | 5 | Easy to dominate the lane, ultimate save via Aghanim's Shard | Low |
| Bane | 5 | Strongest laner, control via Black King Bar | Average |
| Enchantress | 4 | Strong laning, can farm the jungle, snowball with Essence Distiller, flexible builds | Average |
| Disruptor | 5 | Control, Glimpse, stability after nerfs to other “fives” | Average |
| Shadow Shaman | 4/5 | Control, push, high survivability thanks to Fowl Play | Low |
| Venomancer | 4/5 | Strong laner, pusher, can farm the jungle, powerful slow | Low |

Winter Wyvern is an extremely powerful laner and one of the best heroes capable of reliably saving herself from physical damage using Cold Embrace. At the same time, Winter’s Curse penetrates the Black King Bar, which alone guarantees a won teamfight. Following recent patches, the hero has only been slightly nerfed: the slow from Splinter Blast, the cooldown on Arctic Burn, and the healing from Cold Embrace at early levels. But the key strength remains: Level 5 Arctic Burn with Eldwurm’s Edda is an incredibly powerful ability in the mid-game and late-game. Wyvern is versatile: you can play aggressively with a Blink Dagger and build into Parasma, Aghanim’s Scepter, and Bloodthorn, or you can play passively—with a Glimmer Cape, Holy Locket, and Aghanim’s Shard—constantly healing and saving your allies.
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Enchantress is one of the best top supports in Dota 2’s fourth position by current meta standards, and the new Essence Distiller item has become the key to her power. With it, she becomes significantly more powerful: by casting Essence Distiller on an enemy—which works even through Black King Bar (if cast after the item is used)—you can unleash a significant number of Impetus spells from a great distance, including with Hurricane Pike. The hero also has an alternative build—with an early Aghanim’s Scepter—which works exceptionally well against mobile heroes like Storm Spirit, Ember Spirit, and Queen of Pain, as well as against summoners.
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Bane is a true model of stability since the patch and is currently one of the most meta supports in Dota 2. One of the best supports from The International 2026 is still going strong: he remains a reliable pick in any draft. He’s incredibly strong on any lane because he easily outplays most heroes early on thanks to Brain Sap. Neither Black King Bar nor Linken’s Sphere can reliably protect against him, and his increased night vision radius allows him to always strike first and set up ganks on enemies. With his new passive, enemies can be knocked out in Nightmare for up to 7.5 seconds, and his ultimate, with the level 25 talent, can be extended to 11 seconds. His core items are timeless: Aether Lens and Aghanim’s Scepter, which ensure a strong late-game presence.
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Disruptor is one of the heroes who wasn’t nerfed by Patch 7.41f—in fact, he was buffed. His base Intelligence was increased from 20 to 21, and his level-1 damage was increased by one. His main tools are Glimpse, which teleports an enemy back to its previous position, and Static Storm combined with Kinetic Field, which create an area-of-effect control zone that’s difficult to escape. Disruptor doesn’t require complex mechanics, but he does require an understanding of timing and positioning.
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If you’re just starting to learn the support role, don’t jump right into complex heroes like Enchantress or Bane. Start with heroes that are forgiving of mistakes, have simple mechanics, and don’t require perfect positioning.
Lich is one of the most consistent supports in the game, and he remained unchanged in 7.41f. He performs well on both lanes and excels in team fights. His new passive ability, Sacrifice, grants mana every few minutes, ensuring you always have the resources to cast your abilities in any situation. And the Level 25 talent with infinite Chain Frost bounces makes him a threat to grouped enemies even in the late game. Despite minor nerfs to his base stats, Lich’s crowd control and utility still have a massive impact on the team.
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Shadow Shaman is the best support hero in Dota 2 for beginners, making it easy to climb the ranks. In 7.41f, the hero received significant changes: Fowl Play now grants a chicken illusion every 5 levels and bonus movement speed, which improves survivability. Aghanim’s Shard unlocks Urnaconda—a powerful ability that deals 275 damage within a 225-radius and summons a Massive Serpent Ward with four times the health and damage of a regular one. Shadow Shaman provides crowd control via Hex and Shackles, pushes lanes with Serpent Ward, and ensures survivability with Fowl Play. The perfect support.
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Undying is one of the strongest supports at The International 2026, having long been second only to Treant Protector among support heroes. He hasn’t changed at all since the letter patch: +10 mana from Decay isn’t particularly significant. His new build with an early Aghanim’s Shard became a real revelation as far back as the Esports World Cup 2026. With an early Shard, in addition to his long-established strength on the lane and in team fights, Undying has become the ultimate lifesaver for himself and his allies against literally anything—any focus, any silence, stuns, and even the most powerful ultimates like Chronosphere, Duel, and Culling Blade. And while he may not be the best support in Dota 2 in the late game, as long as Aghanim’s Shard continues to save him from everything in various situations, Undying will remain in high demand. At the same time, he remains an extremely strong laner in his own right!
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Venomancer received numerous changes in 7.41f that made him stronger as a debuffer. The new Snakebite ability is a powerful skill against heroes with high attack speed: it deals magic damage and applies a toxin for six seconds, dealing additional damage whenever the target attacks. Noxious Plague has been reworked: it now deals less damage but applies debuffs more reliably and can spread a second time. Aghanim’s Scepter reduces the cooldown, lowers enemies’ magic resistance, and makes the ultimate even more impactful in team fights. These changes allow Venomancer to constantly harass enemies, control the map, and apply extremely unpleasant debuffs to enemy heroes in any fight.
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