Platemail
Splintmail
Chasm Stone
Recipe
Shiva's Guard in Dota 2: who buys it, when it wins and what it costs
Kevin · Dota2Arena · updated Oct 28, 2026 · numbers live from our scannerShiva's Guard costs 4,500 gold and shows up in 44% of ranked matches. Players holding it at the end win 64.2% of their games across 1,189,575 inventories, most often on Necrophos and Pudge. It wins most in the early game (88.9%) and least in the late game (59.0%).
What Shiva's Guard does
Active: Arctic Blast
Emits a freezing wave that deals 225 magical damage to enemies and slows their movement by -40% for 4 seconds. Radius: 825
Passive: Freezing Aura
Reduces the attack speed of all enemies by -40. Radius: 1200
In numbers: +17 armor, +75 aoe bonus, 27s cooldown, 75 mana.
- The wave extends at a speed of 400 to a max size of 825.
- The Arctic Blast follows its caster.
- Multiple instances of Freezing Aura do not stack.
- AoE bonuses from multiple Chasm Stones or its upgrades do not stack.
Who buys Shiva's Guard
The share says how many games of a hero end with Shiva's 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Necrophos | 31% | 66.7% | 102,331 |
| Pudge | 13% | 67.4% | 74,436 |
| Tidehunter | 28% | 62.8% | 71,259 |
| Dragon Knight | 23% | 66.4% | 71,036 |
| Doom | 49% | 62.2% | 59,945 |
| Phoenix | 55% | 60.5% | 57,717 |
| Dark Seer | 68% | 56.1% | 56,433 |
| Timbersaw | 39% | 62.9% | 44,839 |
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 | 88.9% | 2,324 |
| Mid game | 25–40 min | 79.2% | 306,191 |
| Late game | over 40 min | 59.0% | 881,809 |
What to combine it with
These items sit in the same final inventory as Shiva's 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 |
|---|---|---|
 Blink Dagger | 45% | 2,250 |
 Black King Bar | 44% | 4,050 |
 Aghanim's Scepter | 38% | 4,200 |
 Phase Boots | 29% | 1,450 |
 Power Treads | 17% | 1,400 |
 Boots of Travel | 17% | 2,500 |
 Heart of Tarrasque | 16% | 5,300 |
 Kaya and Sange | 15% | 4,200 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Shiva's Guard good right now?
In our window Shiva's Guard ends up in winning inventories 64.2% of the time across 1,189,575 ranked games, above the 50 % mark. It does best in the early game (88.9%) and worst in the late game (59.0%).
Which heroes buy Shiva's Guard?
Necrophos (31% of games), Pudge (13% of games), Tidehunter (28% of games), Dragon Knight (23% of games), Doom (49% of games). The highest win rate with it belongs to Invoker at 70.6%.
How much does Shiva's Guard cost and what do you need?
Shiva's Guard costs 4,500 gold in total: Platemail (1,400), Splintmail (950), Chasm Stone (900) and a recipe for 1,250.