Poor Man's Shield in Dota 2: who buys it, when it wins and what it costs
Kevin · Dota2Arena · updated Oct 28, 2026 · numbers live from our scannerPoor Man's Shield is a neutral item that shows up in 14% of ranked matches. Players holding it at the end win 45.0% of their games across 363,575 inventories, most often on Pudge and Axe. It wins most in the early game (49.8%) and least in the late game (42.6%).
What Poor Man's Shield does
Passive: Damage Block
Gives a 100% chance to block 30 damage from incoming attacks on melee heroes, and 20 damage on ranged. Has a 50% chance to block damage from creeps.
- Multiple sources of damage block do not stack.
Who buys Poor Man's Shield
The share says how many games of a hero end with Poor Man's Shield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pudge | 5% | 49.6% | 29,903 |
| Axe | 5% | 44.4% | 18,569 |
| Undying | 4% | 49.0% | 10,679 |
| Tidehunter | 4% | 40.4% | 9,118 |
| Spirit Breaker | 2% | 47.9% | 8,850 |
| Bristleback | 6% | 44.2% | 7,606 |
| Anti-Mage | 2% | 49.7% | 7,545 |
| Ogre Magi | 2% | 43.8% | 7,543 |
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 | 49.8% | 21,972 |
| Mid game | 25–40 min | 45.0% | 287,218 |
| Late game | over 40 min | 42.6% | 54,640 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Poor Man's Shield good right now?
In our window Poor Man's Shield ends up in winning inventories 45.0% of the time across 363,575 ranked games, below the 50 % mark. It does best in the early game (49.8%) and worst in the late game (42.6%).
Which heroes buy Poor Man's Shield?
Pudge (5% of games), Axe (5% of games), Undying (4% of games), Tidehunter (4% of games), Spirit Breaker (2% of games). The highest win rate with it belongs to Juggernaut at 50.0%.