This page will always show the latest DOTA Underlords Tier List for competitive play, and is designed to rank units in terms of their strength in the current meta. Although some are considered niche or balanced, those that aren't higher tiers shouldn't be considered poor. While any match can be won with any unit, this list is designed to present you with the strongest to weakest. You can view our Underlords Alliances Tier List here.

Updated: 9 September 2019

Tier List Descriptions

Tier S+ - Greatly Overpowered. Units which are undoubtedly too strong, and fit any composition.

Tier S - Overpowered. Units which define the meta, and are often first pick material for any effective draft.

Tier A - Balanced. These units should see few if any changes and are considered balanced. Important for their defined strategies.

Tier B - Slightly Underpowered. These units require a niche composition, a highly skilled player, or are a general purchase. They can be substituted frequently for other units.

Tier C - Underpowered. Considered weak, team compositions generally need to be built around a units in this pool. Rarely, if ever, seen in competitive play. 


Tier List Movement ⬆⬇

Made significant changes to the layout of our Hero units, and adapted the Tier List to reflect Aces. 

S+ Tier

No Units are currently considered S+ Tier.

S Tier

A Tier

B Tier

C Tier


S+ Tier

No units are currently considered S+ Tier.

S Tier

Beastmaster: An early unit that can do very well after the Brawn changes. Wild Axes offers good cleave and a low cooldown, and he can quickly secure kills as a result.

Disruptor: A personal favorite thanks to him being Brawny (pairs great with Beastmaster) but also his Warlock alliance. His ability, Static Storm, is also fab as a front-line silence and gradual damage dealer.

Dragon Knight: Brilliant after recent changes, and Dragon is super easy to cap out with Puck or Viper. Scary with a full stack of Knights and Trolls behind him. 

Drow Ranger: Two stacks of Heartless are easy to obtain, while her passive ability allows her to grant attack speed (based on her upgrade level) to those near her. As long as she's protected, it affords units nearby amazing damage potential. She's a powerful enabler. 

Lich: Purely here because of Chain Frost, it's a ridiculously strong ability that slows and deals damage to multiple enemies, for a huge amount. Left to his own devices, Chain Frost will ravage most teams quickly irrespective of composition.

Lycan: Solid end-game, with a good ability and a mix of Alliances. Great with just one other Savage, and acting as a front-line. Can get melted by Mages however, especially if you've reached unit cap. 

Phantom Assassin: Elusive is fine if pursuing it, and her Assassin alliance lets her harrass the back-line easy early game. However, it's the value of Coup De Grace that brings the big bucks. The burst potential is enormous, and any high DPS item attached to her can see her cut through enemies quickly.

Pudge: His Hook is brilliant for pulling a caster into the front-line (often gaurenteeing a kill), while his Warrior/Heartless alliances gaurentee good early-game potency. He's cheap to buy, tough to bring down, and great for yanking a well barricaded back-line Hero to the front.

Terrorblade: Amazing if you can level him, and he's often easy to upgrade as he isn't a popular pick. The only snag is the need to pair him with Anti-mage (more often than not). At a cost of 3 gold, he's amazing value.

Tinker: Like many Scrappy/Inventor alliance units, he's valuable pick that's fantastic when fully upgraded. Salvo might hit random targets, but its cooldown can be tiny, and Tinker can withstand some fairly harsh punishment if he's on the front-line and a 3 star unit. 

A Tier

Abaddon: His Knight alliance combined with Aphotic Shield allows him to protect allies, and be a strong front-line. He can be slow to gain mana to trigger it, but if paired with another few Knights, can do very well. 

Alchemist: A good late-game favorite, Alchemist is sought after due to his easy alliance access, but also because Acid Spray lowers armor in a huge area, allowing his team to captialize on the additional damage. 
Chaos Knight: With Demon and Knight alliances, Chaos Knight has a low cooldown ability that can deal solid damage. He's a safe choice, that compliments melee heavy teams who're Knight stacking. Can last right through to end-game.

Clockwerk: Way better after his rework, a powerful unit with good utility, damage and survivability. A menace at 3 star, that'll carry most teams.

Crystal Maiden: A sleeper unit that I suspect will grow in prominence, her mana gain for her team is outrageous, but her damage is truly terrible. Bring her for a mage composition, and watch your team clear the deck at incredible speeds.

Doom: Benefitting from the fact he's a Demon (gaining pure damage), he's also a Warrior. What makes him particularly potent, however, is the fact his ability (also called Doom) provides a powerful silence that stops spellcasting, items and deals damage over time.

Keeper of the Light: Super vulnerable to burst, KOTL is great because of his Human alliance, but also because if he's left to channel Illuminate, he can absolutely wreck a tight group of units. 

Kunkka: His Human status helps his team silence (when you have 2) and he's also a Warrior. Best of all, his Ghostship offers a good splash of AOE for those tightly grouped up.

Medusa: She has AOE attacks, and her ability, Stone Gaze, can freeze an entire team if they're grouped up and don't shut her down. Ridiculously strong if surrounded by other Hunters.

Shadow Fiend: A safe Demon choice with easy access to lifesteal, his true damage is great and Requiem of Souls offers excellent AOE potential. Brilliant if you get an early upgrade on him. 

Tidehunter: Without doubt he's top-tier, simply because his special ability offers the hardest crowd control in the game. If he's front-line, with items, at level 2, he takes an age to kill and can cause enormous disruption across the board.

Lone Druid: My go-to unit, Lone Druid is a ranged attacker that's capable of massive damage if you pursue his Savage alliances. He's also easy to get to level 3 upgrade, if you take two Druid alliances. Lastly, Spirit Bear is super annoying, and focuses the attacks of enemies (while letting him freely attack). 

Necrophos: Heartless and Warlock are a good combo of alliances, as both only need two for bonuses. Paired with Alchemist and Lich, he can do super well when protected by a strong front-line. 
Queen of Pain: Two brilliant alliances in one, Queen of Pain gains true damage from her Demon form, but as an Assassin, she's also great early game for picking off squishy compositions. Scream of Pain is also great for softening up multiple foes, from 3 cells away. This makes her potent, even if she's being body-blocked. 

Sand King: I like Sand King, but he's only in A Tier because he's fairly expensive. Assassins do fall off late game, but they're still great for bursting down squishy compositions.

Slardar: A good early Warrior who pairs well with Slark, only let down by the fact Corrosive Haze is single target only. 

Slark: My favorite Assassin, who's brilliant early to mid game, Slark's Scaled alliance pairs amazing with Tidehunter and Medusa, ensuring he and his team can quickly mitigate 30% magic damage. His attack speed is also ridiculous with Tier 4 items. 

Sniper: While he can be deleted by an Assassin heavy composition, Sniper, if left unchecked, can regularly one-shot units thanks to Assassinate. 

Techies: A Tier 5 unit that's expensive, but valued if they're left unfocused to gain mana. Remote Mines can clear the board, and with their low cooldown and if itemised, can be terrifying. 

Timbersaw: Similarly to Tiny, Timbersaw is popular and it's not surprising why. He's cheap, his Inventor alliance gives him a strong early game if you trigger it, and Whirling Death can be charged quickly. Drops off massively, and quickly. 

Tiny: The most popular Warrior and not entirely surprising. Cheap, easy to upgrade, and his ability - Toss - sees him gain a quick and valuable stun. He's valuable all game, right through to the finish. Let down only by Primordial (which is a bit duff now).
Troll Warlord: My favorite Warrior, he's ranged and also has Troll alliance. Once he winds up, his attack speed is terrifying. If you combine this with items, and one other Troll, such as Witch Doctor, there's no stopping him. 
Windranger: Powershot is fantastic, on a relatively low cooldown with the ability to cleave. Not as good as some mages, but still very strong if protected and sat alongside Drowranger.

Venomancer: Not particularly great alliance pairings (Savage/Warlock) and Plague Wards are super easy to kill. They get absolutely destroyed mid to late game. 

B Tier

Anti-mage: A niche pick designed to counter Demon drafts or mana heavy compositions. He falls off massively late game, and doesn't bring enough group-wide utility.
Axe: A cheap, and functional unit that has value in Taunt. Unfortunately, his value late-game plummets when fighting Knights.

Batrider: Largely good early game, but his value is only retained through his Alliance. His Knight alliance is fab, though his ranged damage isn't amazing, and you won't get other Knight units until mid-game. 

Bounty Hunter: An early game unit that's strong, with a powerful ability, but his Scrappy Alliance is poor, and Knights nuture his burst potential.

Bloodseeker: Like Batrider, he's fine for a few early rounds, but his Passive leaves him vulnerable that he can die ridiculously fast, even when upgraded. The fact he runs through units - rather than teleports or leaps - also sees him have some odd pathing. Unless he gets an early kill, he's feast or famine. Great for getting that Assassin bonus early. 

Enchantress: It can often take too long for Nature's Attendants to even activate (or have the mana for it), while her Savage alliance sees her needing to pair with Lone Druid: you won't get him till late game, at which point she has likely been a liability. 

Engima: He can be burst down quickly late game, but his ability - Midnight Pulse - if he gets it off, offers massive damage. It takes maximum health from enemies, so can destroy tanky compositions. Let down massively by the fact he's Shaman.

Gyrocopter: A late game, expensive heavy hitter, Gyrocopter is desirable because of his AOE ability in Call Down, but also because Deadeye and Inventor alliances - with a single Sniper - ensures low health units are focused, and they both gain HOT. Quite a niche, expensive unit. 
 
Juggernaut: A safe early pick that falls off quickly, due largely to the fact that Blade Fury doesn't have amazing damage. Solid early game, mind. Falls off later. 
Lina: Her ability is powerful, and can lop off lots of health, but it's only single target, takes a long time to charge, and her basic damage isn't great.
Luna: Her Elusive and Knight alliance is fab, but her primary ability - Moon Glaives - isn't amazing, not when other units have powerful ones. 
Mirana: Useful in the sense that she can leap around the board, Mirana is weakened by the fact she's a Hunter - it's not easy to stack 3, and when you do, you've a super squishy composition. 
Morphling: Brilliant early game but he falls off quickly. Waveform is brilliant if he can gain enough mana to cast it, but its damage isn't particularly high and neither is the number of cells it affects.

Omni Knight: I like Omni Knight a lot, and he pairs well with Luna and Chaos Knight. Limited against true melee units, as he can get destroyed super quickly by Assassins after his nerfs.

Puck: Good if you've got Dragon Knight, and are pursuing a Mage heavy composition. However, super squishy, and Illusionary Orb has low damage, reflecting its low cooldown. 

Razor: Another solid Mage, Razor has OK AOE potential in Plasma Field if he's protected. His Primordial Alliance lets him down massively. 

Templar Assassin: Highly valued due to the strength of Elusive, Refraction allows her to not only build on this and mitigate further damage, but also deal it. Amazing when upgraded. 

Treant Protector: Elusive alliance makes Treant Protector valuable, while Leech Seed is never a bad thing (a DOT and HOT to enemies/allies). Pairs brilliantly with Lone Druid.

Tusk: Walrus Punch is good, and easy to gain mana for quickly. However, it doesn't deal damage and only provides a slow. A cheap unit to upgrade quickly. 
Viper: Dragon alliance instantly makes him niche, while Viper Strike isn't incredible. By the time he has charged it, and it being a DOT, it's often too late. 
Witch Doctor: Paralyzing Cask is really good, as the AOE stun - when he's upgraded - can slow a team if he has a front-line. His Troll status does make him a little niche, as it means he has to pair with a Troll Warlord to have real value (the other Trolls are poor). 

C Tier

Arc Warden: There was a time when Arc Warden was a brilliant draft, but his Primordial Alliance is meh, and he's easily shut down in the current meta (Mage/Hunter/Brawny). 

Nature's Prophet: The Treant's are fine for creating a few nuisance adds, but that's about it. Too easy to kill, too little utility. 
Ogre Magi: Blood-bound alliance is limited (it needs 2, and someone to die), while Bloodlust rarely seems to cast on himself. Fine early game, but move him on quickly. 

Shadow Shaman: Just a super niche unit, that needs not only another Troll to have value, but also another Shaman. Hex is fine, and can work in some circumstances, but he's too easy to kill and deals too little damage. 

Warlock: The AOE damage and healing potency of Shadow Word is fine, but it has a high cooldown and without it, he's pretty useless. There are far better ranged alternatives, who can instantly delete opposing units. 


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Dota Underlords Game Page.

Last Updated: Sep 13, 2019

About The Author

Lewis is a long standing journalist, who freelances to a variety of outlets.

Comments