Crimson Guard
Vitality Booster
Ring of Health
Vanguard in Dota 2: who buys it, when it wins and what it costs
Kevin · Dota2Arena · updated Oct 28, 2026 · numbers live from our scannerVanguard costs 1,700 gold and shows up in 8% of ranked matches. Players holding it at the end win 41.5% of their games across 171,911 inventories, most often on Axe and Bristleback. It wins most in the mid game (42.9%) and least in the early game (30.3%).
What Vanguard does
Passive: Damage Block
Grants a 60% chance to block 50 damage from incoming attacks on melee heroes, and 25 damage on ranged.
In numbers: +250 health, +4.5 health regen.
- Multiple sources of damage block do not stack.
Who buys Vanguard
The share says how many games of a hero end with Vanguard 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 | 14% | 43.2% | 49,499 |
| Bristleback | 21% | 41.7% | 28,125 |
| Centaur Warrunner | 21% | 40.5% | 23,432 |
| Pudge | 2% | 45.4% | 11,445 |
| Ogre Magi | 2% | 44.9% | 7,271 |
| Undying | 3% | 43.0% | 7,028 |
| Underlord | 4% | 38.1% | 4,022 |
| Dark Seer | 5% | 44.7% | 3,872 |
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 | 30.3% | 12,280 |
| Mid game | 25–40 min | 42.9% | 91,828 |
| Late game | over 40 min | 41.5% | 67,923 |
What to combine it with
These items sit in the same final inventory as Vanguard 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 | 51% | 2,400 |
 Blink Dagger | 49% | 2,250 |
 Phase Boots | 34% | 1,450 |
 Bracer | 28% | 505 |
 Heart of Tarrasque | 23% | 5,300 |
 Black King Bar | 19% | 4,050 |
 Aghanim's Scepter | 18% | 4,200 |
 Power Treads | 17% | 1,400 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Vanguard good right now?
In our window Vanguard ends up in winning inventories 41.5% of the time across 171,911 ranked games, below the 50 % mark. It does best in the mid game (42.9%) and worst in the early game (30.3%).
Which heroes buy Vanguard?
Axe (14% of games), Bristleback (21% of games), Centaur Warrunner (21% of games), Pudge (2% of games), Ogre Magi (2% of games). The highest win rate with it belongs to Pudge at 45.4%.
How much does Vanguard cost and what do you need?
Vanguard costs 1,700 gold in total: Vitality Booster (1,000), Ring of Health (700) and a recipe for 0.
What does Vanguard build into?
Vanguard is a component of Crimson Guard (3,725).