Attributes
Combat
Resources
Win Rate by Rank
Bar scale: 40% – 60% win rate range
Herald
0–770
Guardian
770–1540
Crusader
1540–2310
Archon
2310–3080
Legend
3080–3850
Ancient
3850–4620
Divine + Immortal
5000+
Bane is a highly specialized support hero that thrives in extended games where teamfight control and positioning matter most. His very late-game power curve indicates he rewards patient, methodical play rather than early aggression, making him a strong pick into compositions that lack early kill pressure or burst damage. However, this scaling-dependent playstyle also means he struggles significantly in fast-paced, early-game-oriented metas where he needs to maximize impact before opponents stabilize.
The build path centers on Arcane Boots as your essential first item, establishing mana sustain for Bane's spell-heavy toolkit. From there, the progression follows a clear mid-game pattern: Blink into Aether Lens as your core utility items, then Aghanim's Scepter as your power spike item that dramatically increases your teamfight value. Force Staff and Glimmer Cape serve as flexible defensive or utility pickups depending on the enemy composition, allowing you to adapt your kit for either initiating or surviving burst.
Avoid picking Bane into lineups with fast, mobile carry threats or heroes that punish positioning errors like Storm Spirit and Puck. Games that end before you finish Aghanim's Scepter severely limit your effectiveness, since Bane's damage output is relatively low until that item threshold. Additionally, supports with strong early disable or cores that farm exceptionally fast can invalidate Bane's control-oriented playstyle, making drafts with heroes like Faceless Void or Medusa particularly problematic matchups where you cannot scale fast enough to matter.
Meta Insight
Meta insight unavailable.
Duration data unavailable.
Based on patch 7.41e data · Last updated: 2026-09-06
Position 5 hard support is the team's deep ward placer, vision provider, and initiator protector. You are the poorest hero on the map and must leverage crowd control and utility to win fights without farm. See the Fundamentals page for the full position breakdown.
Full position breakdown → FundamentalsBane's early game priority is lane control and securing vision while staying out of kill range. The hero excels at denying enemy movement with Nightmare and Brain Sap, but has low armor and no escape—play far back and only step up when your core can collapse on enemies. Avoid chasing; focus on warding key areas (river, jungle entrances) and positioning to threaten disable from range. Most Bane games don't see a major item until 21+ minutes, so prioritize impact over farm.
Bane's first spike arrives around 21–25 minutes when Blink Dagger, Aether Lens, or Scepter come online (all show 53–59% win rates at those timings). A Blink Dagger enables Fiend's Grip initiation from fog; Aether Lens and Scepter extend your disable range and utility. Once your first major item lands, winning Bane players rotate into smoke ganks on priority targets, using Nightmare to isolate and Brain Sap to sustain during teamfights. Avoid farming alone; stick with your core and set up kills.
Bane remains a disable anchor who wins by protecting your carry and controlling key enemy targets during teamfights. Your win condition is positioning Fiend's Grip on the enemy's most dangerous hero (mid, carry, or initiator) while staying out of position to die. The data shows Bane's win rate peaks at 30–35 minutes (54.9%) and gradually declines after 45 minutes, suggesting the hero should close games before the enemy scales. In ultra-late scenarios, maintain vision control and ensure Nightmare and Grip are available for the final push or teamfight.
Based on 505 pro matches — ESL One Birmingham 2026 + PGL Wallachia Season 8 + DreamLeague Season 29 + BLAST Slam VII
View full research → Research page⚠️ Item timing data reflects all-skill pubs and all game modes—professional Bane games and high MMR matches typically see Blink and utility items 2–3 minutes faster.
