The best 30 hero killers in 7.07
The top 30 hero killers in 7.07 sorted by average number of kills per game. I featured also the easiest early-game heroes for beginners. Stomp your pubs!
Recently, I received a question about the best heroes to kill other heroes in Dota 2. Unfortunately, there isn’t a definite answer - all depends from your team and the opponents you are fighting.
To present a rational insight, I compiled a list of the top 30 heroes by average number of kills per game. The data considers all the competitive games that took place in 7.07 so far and includes also the quantity of matches played and the win rate for each hero.
Note that the statistics aren’t very solid for the heroes with a limited number of games played, but I preferred sharing them all because they can still give us an idea of the killing potential of each hero.
The table is sortable and responsive so adjust it according to your preferences.
| Hero | Avg. Kills | Matches | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinkz | 11.2 | 5 | 40 |
| Morphling | 10.1 | 87 | 65.5 |
| Huskar | 9.8 | 26 | 50 |
| Storm Spirit | 9.5 | 143 | 51 |
| Chaos Knight | 9.4 | 100 | 55 |
| Shadow Fiend | 9.3 | 107 | 49.5 |
| Meepo | 8.9 | 18 | 38.8 |
| Ursa | 8.8 | 43 | 46.5 |
| Spectre | 8.7 | 22 | 50 |
| Arc Warden | 8.6 | 15 | 73.3 |
| Phantom Assassin | 8.6 | 67 | 53.7 |
| Queen of Pain | 8.5 | 326 | 48.1 |
| Windranger | 8.4 | 22 | 45.5 |
| Invoker | 8.2 | 79 | 55.7 |
| Troll Warlord | 8 | 21 | 42.8 |
| Juggernaut | 7.9 | 100 | 62 |
| Gyrocopter | 7.9 | 203 | 45.3 |
| Necrophos | 7.9 | 43 | 48.8 |
| Weaver | 7.9 | 135 | 43.7 |
| Tinker | 7.8 | 125 | 44.8 |
| Sniper | 7.8 | 78 | 39.7 |
| Outworld Devourer | 7.7 | 89 | 51.6 |
| Slark | 7.7 | 55 | 41.8 |
| Lifestealer | 7.6 | 164 | 48.1 |
| Tiny | 7.6 | 228 | 53.9 |
| Luna | 7.6 | 115 | 52.1 |
| Mirana | 7.4 | 204 | 44.1 |
| Razor | 7.4 | 210 | 49.5 |
| Phantom Lancer | 7.3 | 119 | 48.7 |
| Templar Assassin | 7.3 | 79 | 55.7 |
Let’s have a look at some top killers in this list and at the adjustments they received in 7.07.
I will deliberately focus my attention on heroes able get kills since the early game as this is what most of the readers looking for this topic are demanding.
For example, Morphling achieved a 65.5% win rate over 87 games, and is also the second top killer in our list. But, you can’t just pick him, get some levels, and end up with a killing streak in the first 10 minutes of the match.
Cloak of the Fallen loading screen for Clinkz - Image: Valve
Clinkz
Great against low-hp heroes and for quick ganks.
7.07 nerfed his agility growth from 3.3 to 2.6, and reduced Death Pact damage by 1% at all levels.
The Strafe rework affected his gameplay the most.
Before, the skill provided 130 attack speed (200 with the talent) for 10 seconds once maxed. Now, it gives twice the attack speed (260) but with only a 3 seconds duration. You can extend it to 7s with the level 25 talent, but that won’t happen prior the very late game.
Less sustained damage, but more ganking power
His total damage during a teamfight has been severely cut down. Strafe has only a 15 seconds cooldown, but even if you can use it two-three times during a 55s long battle, a total of 6-9 seconds under steroids isn’t enough.
Clinkz is undoubtedly stronger in quick ganks or when dealing with squishy targets as he can melt them faster, but will have troubles against tough adversaries.
When Strafe is on cooldown, the damage is poor. Even before the agility gain nerf, Searing Arrows was an useful tool only in the early-mid game, but afterwards Clinkz must rely on items.
If you are dealing with low armored-hp targets, and you want a hero capable of roaming and getting kills early, Clinkz can be your choice.
Reckless Vigor loading screen for Huskar - Image: Valve
Huskar
A pub-stomper in the early-mid game against the right lineup.
Huskar is the ideal hero for those who wish to jump in any fight and burn down their opponents. He can be a true torment, especially for magic users, but is also easily countered via a correct draft
Very vulnerable to disables. Huskar needs to auto-attack constantly, and stack Burning Spears on the targets.
Silver Edge is a hard-counter. It breaks his passive Berserker’s Blood, making him vulnerable to magic attacks and weakening his attack speed.
DoT isn’t the best source of damage. Damage over time has a fatal flaw: the enemy won’t die immediately and will have time to fight back, harming or even killing Huskar.
Team draft and supports
While in the lower brackets you can dominate a game also on your own, at higher ranks players know how to behave against Huskar, so it is crucial to have a proper team on your side.
1. Huskar will generally end up fighting with low hp to maximize his attack speed via Berserker’s Blood, so a support that can heal and keep you alive is perfect. Dazzle, Omniknight, and Oracle are excellent examples.
2. In teamfight, you need heroes that can spread disorder in the enemy lines. Initiators with AoE disables (Tidehunter) or with skills that force the enemies to abandon their formation (Bristleback) are the best options.
Before picking Huskar, look at the team you are confronting: he can be a beast against some heroes, but useless versus others.
Ursa taking advantage of the +1 Enrage duration talent with an Aghanim's Scepter
Ursa
A carry that can snowball if properly assisted. Do not jungle!
If paired with a support with a slow or stun, Ursa can kill almost any hero in lane.
Similarly to Huskar, he is extremely ineffective against disablers, and in teamfights requires the protection of the team. Especially at higher ranks, players know they must avoid melee contact, and just kite while dealing with the rest of the team
Ursa’s flexibility in teamfight increased with 7.07
The new level 20 talents introduced in 7.07 helped our bear past the mid game.
The +25s Fury Swipes duration talent extends the skill from 6 to 31 seconds.
Before, you were obliged to engage a single target and murder him as quickly as possible. Being kited would reset the debuff and lead to a huge loss of damage. Now, kiters are less problematic and you can have a bigger impact in teamfight.
The other level 20 talent, +1 Enrage Duration, is likewise an excellent addition to his arsenal.
Ursa can unleash a lot of damage in a short amount of time, sufficient to wipe out even the toughest opponent. But, he needs to stay alive and attack - often preventing disables with a Black King Bar isn’t enough to do your job.
Enrage has a 4 seconds duration and makes your hero basically immortal reducing all incoming damage by 80%; at the same time it multiplies by 2 the damage of Fury Swipes.
One extra second should not be underestimated, particularly if you decrease the cooldown of the skill to 18 with the Aghanim’s Scepter.
If you wish to learn more about Ursa, check out my talent guide.
Creeping Shadow loading screen for Phantom Assassin - Image: Valve
Phantom Assassin
Do you like big crits? Search no more.
Get a Mask of Madness for the attack speed, Desolator for damage and armor reduction, and a Black King Bar to prevent magic damage and disables. You will easily turn into a killing machine in the mid game.
Note that the Black King Bar is imperative on Phantom Assassin as she is a squishy hero. Literally any nuker can get rid of her, and disables are a very big problem for any auto-attacker.
The new level 15 talents can either add -4 armor corruption to your attacks or a 20% cleave damage. When single target dps is the priority, weakening the armor will immensely enhance your critical hits.
Monkey King Bar reworked
7.07 also nerfed the True Strike effect on the Monkey King Bar, and now only 75% of the attacks can pierce through evasion.
Read this analysis that compares the old and the new item with different amounts of attack speed and evasion. Overall, Phantom Assassin has an easier time against the current variant.
Team Liquid's Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barqawi on Queen of Pain.
Queen of Pain
One of the strongest laners. High mobility and ganking potential at any stage of the game.
The only caster I featured in this list - I skipped Storm Spirit as he is a more late-game oriented hero. 7.07 has not altered her gameplay.
A successful mid-laner that can face most opponents 1vs1
Can easily secure farm, deny it, and keep the rune control
High mobility thanks to Blink
With proper ganks in the early game she can snowball becoming a huge threat
Queen of Pain can zone out most heroes in lane and constantly harass them via Shadow Strike's slow and damage. During its 15 seconds duration, she can also auto-attack multiple times, forcing the opponent to leave the lane to regen.
Don’t fail your ganks
The real issue with a natural born killer as QoP is learning when and where to gank. Many players just throw their games as they waste too much time roaming, getting no kill, while the enemy mid is farming in an empty lane.
From level 6 you can bring devastation in any lane, and you should start ganking because that’s your role, but do not over-commit in wrong fights and try to alert the team before any action.
Combo when engaging: Blink -> Scream of Pain -> Shadow Strike -> Auto-attacks.
If you will buy a Veil of Discord, which is great on QoP, remember to use it ASAP after blinking in.
Check out my Viper magic build if you are looking for more amazing heroes in the early game.
