Vanguard
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Recipe
Crimson Guard in Dota 2: who buys it, when it wins and what it costs
Kevin · Dota2Arena · updated Oct 28, 2026 · numbers live from our scannerCrimson Guard costs 3,725 gold and shows up in 9% of ranked matches. Players holding it at the end win 55.7% of their games across 187,935 inventories, most often on Axe and Bristleback. It wins most in the early game (78.9%) and least in the late game (52.5%).
What Crimson Guard does
Active: Guard
For 7 seconds, grant nearby allied heroes and buildings a 100% chance to block damage equal to 70 plus 2% of the caster's max health value from each incoming attack. Radius: 1200
Passive: Damage Block
Grants a 60% chance to block 75 damage from incoming attacks on melee heroes, and 50 damage on ranged.
In numbers: +250 health, +12 health regen, +6 armor, 40s cooldown, 75 mana.
- Multiple sources of damage block do not stack.
- When the Guard buff is applied to ranged heroes, Guard blocks 25 less damage.
- Guard does not affect units that have been affected by Guard within Crimson Guard's cooldown.
Who buys Crimson Guard
The share says how many games of a hero end with Crimson Guard in the inventory, the win rate is that hero's win rate in exactly those games. A high share with an average win rate means the item is standard on the hero; a low share with a high win rate means it is a situational pick that works when it is needed.
| Hero | Share of games | Win rate with it | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axe | 10% | 57.7% | 35,794 |
| Bristleback | 19% | 53.4% | 26,008 |
| Centaur Warrunner | 23% | 55.4% | 24,575 |
| Undying | 8% | 56.1% | 21,342 |
| Pudge | 3% | 57.0% | 15,161 |
| Underlord | 11% | 53.7% | 11,542 |
| Ogre Magi | 2% | 54.4% | 6,968 |
| Dark Seer | 4% | 55.9% | 3,553 |
When to buy it
Win rate by match length tells you in which kind of game the item pays off. Items that win short games are usually bought early and snowball; items that win long games are late-game purchases or things you buy when the game is already going well, so read the number as "games with this item at this length" rather than as advice to rush it.
| Phase | Match length | Win rate | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early game | under 25 min | 78.9% | 768 |
| Mid game | 25–40 min | 63.5% | 52,224 |
| Late game | over 40 min | 52.5% | 135,059 |
What to combine it with
These items sit in the same final inventory as Crimson Guard most often (based on every 4th match). Boots and other staples appear on almost every list; the interesting entries are the ones specific to this item.
| Item | In the same inventory | Cost |
|---|---|---|
 Blade Mail | 47% | 2,400 |
 Blink Dagger | 43% | 2,250 |
 Phase Boots | 31% | 1,450 |
 Heart of Tarrasque | 26% | 5,300 |
 Pipe of Insight | 22% | 3,725 |
 Bracer | 21% | 505 |
 Aghanim's Scepter | 20% | 4,200 |
 Black King Bar | 19% | 4,050 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Crimson Guard good right now?
In our window Crimson Guard ends up in winning inventories 55.7% of the time across 187,935 ranked games, above the 50 % mark. It does best in the early game (78.9%) and worst in the late game (52.5%).
Which heroes buy Crimson Guard?
Axe (10% of games), Bristleback (19% of games), Centaur Warrunner (23% of games), Undying (8% of games), Pudge (3% of games). The highest win rate with it belongs to Spirit Breaker at 61.5%.
How much does Crimson Guard cost and what do you need?
Crimson Guard costs 3,725 gold in total: Vanguard (1,700), Helm of Iron Will (975) and a recipe for 1,050.