Perseverance
Ring of Health
Void Stone
Cloak
Blades of Attack
Orb of Venom
Mage Slayer in Dota 2: who buys it, when it wins and what it costs
Kevin · Dota2Arena · updated Oct 28, 2026 · numbers live from our scannerMage Slayer costs 3,100 gold and shows up in 13% of ranked matches. Players holding it at the end win 50.8% of their games across 289,447 inventories, most often on Tidehunter and Kez. It wins most in the early game (66.0%) and least in the late game (48.7%).
What Mage Slayer does
Passive: Mage Slayer
Places a debuff when you attack enemies, dealing 35 physical damage per second and causing them to do 40% less spell damage for 3 seconds.
In numbers: +18% magic resistance, +5.5 health regen, +2.5 mana regen, +12 damage.
Who buys Mage Slayer
The share says how many games of a hero end with Mage Slayer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tidehunter | 24% | 54.1% | 62,027 |
| Kez | 59% | 45.0% | 47,109 |
| Ember Spirit | 32% | 51.9% | 43,808 |
| Slark | 11% | 50.2% | 32,583 |
| Void Spirit | 20% | 49.1% | 15,877 |
| Viper | 8% | 50.8% | 13,669 |
| Pangolier | 18% | 47.7% | 11,753 |
| Dragon Knight | 3% | 53.1% | 10,370 |
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 | 66.0% | 4,253 |
| Mid game | 25–40 min | 52.7% | 134,354 |
| Late game | over 40 min | 48.7% | 151,032 |
What to combine it with
These items sit in the same final inventory as Mage Slayer 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 |
|---|---|---|
 Aghanim's Scepter | 44% | 4,200 |
 Power Treads | 43% | 1,400 |
 Phase Boots | 40% | 1,450 |
 Black King Bar | 32% | 4,050 |
 Blink Dagger | 30% | 2,250 |
 Desolator | 18% | 3,500 |
 Shiva's Guard | 11% | 4,500 |
 Spirit Vessel | 11% | 2,725 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Mage Slayer good right now?
In our window Mage Slayer ends up in winning inventories 50.8% of the time across 289,447 ranked games, close to the 50 % mark. It does best in the early game (66.0%) and worst in the late game (48.7%).
Which heroes buy Mage Slayer?
Tidehunter (24% of games), Kez (59% of games), Ember Spirit (32% of games), Slark (11% of games), Void Spirit (20% of games). The highest win rate with it belongs to Dawnbreaker at 54.2%.
How much does Mage Slayer cost and what do you need?
Mage Slayer costs 3,100 gold in total: Perseverance (1,400), Cloak (900), Blades of Attack (450), Orb of Venom (350) and a recipe for 0.