Welcome! You want wins? You want MMR climbing like a goddamn elevator with no brakes? Then buckle up, because the 7.38c meta just dropped a truckload of changes onto your pub games—and if you don’t know the top carries right now, you’re going to get steamrolled.
This isn’t your casual patch overview. This is the best Dota 2 Boost Guide to which carry heroes are worth your time, and which ones are practically griefing your team. It’s time to shake off those trash-tier picks and lock in the big dogs that are designed to dominate 1v9.
Let’s break down the current best Position 1 heroes, from the throwaway junk in the E tier to the absolute monsters in the S tier. Whether you’re a 2k pub warrior or a divine-level grinder, this tier list is your playbook for success.
Table of Contents
E Tier – The Carries You Should NEVER Pick
Let’s be honest—some heroes are flat-out garbage right now. Whether due to heavy nerfs or bad matchups in the meta, these E-tier carries are best left in the graveyard.
Windranger, Lina, Phantom Lancer – Each of these heroes has seen the spotlight before. But patch 7.38c hit them like a truck. Windranger’s damage was gutted, Lina lost her best item synergy with Gleipnir, and PL is just too easy to counter in today’s item-heavy and AoE-focused environment.
Monkey King, Void, Tiny – These guys are victims of either complexity (Monkey King) or simple number tuning (Void and Tiny). Tiny’s late-game scaling was kneecapped, making him a poor investment as a primary 1.
- Conclusion: If you want to win, just don’t pick these unless you’re trolling or an actual god on one of them.
D Tier – Please Think Twice Before Picking
These carries can technically be played… but should you? Probably not. Unless you have a deep reason or a perfect draft, they’re a waste of time.
Shadow Fiend, Ursa, Luna, Faceless Void – All have seen better days. They’re outclassed in farming speed, laning stability, or late-game impact.
Marci, PA, Naga – Each of these heroes requires specific draft setups or are over-nerfed. PA might look good in pro games, but in pubs? She falls off way too hard.
C Tier – Middling and Matchup-Dependent
We’re getting into heroes that can work, but need a few stars to align. You can win with them, but don’t expect to carry every game unless you’re playing them to perfection.
Meepo, Weaver, Arc Warden – Strong cheese or scaling potential, but extremely hard to play or draft-dependent.
Bloodseeker, Sniper, CK, Riki – Solid laners or snowballers, but limited by survivability or team synergy. A bad lane or item decision can cost the game.
Troll, Venge, Nature’s Prophet – These can carry with the right tempo, but in most solo queues, you won’t get the coordination or draft to make it work consistently.
B Tier – The Average but Reliable Squad
These are your jack-of-all-trades carries. Not flashy, not dominant, but can get the job done.
Sven, Lone Druid, Dragon Knight, Pudge – All solid, but none particularly exciting. Pudge carry can still shine if last-picked correctly.
Terrorblade, Spectre, Razor, Clinkz – All of these carry hard in the right hands. TB and Spectre are great 1v9 heroes if you put in the reps. Razor’s new builds give him crazy burst potential, and Clinkz is severely underrated for his wave clear and pickoff threat.
Juggernaut, Anti-Mage, Gyrocopter – These are your stable laners with decent scaling. Jug is a pub classic, Gyro is flexible and forgiving, and AM—while niche—can win games against the right comps.
A Tier – The Power Picks You Can Lock Without Regret
Now we’re getting into serious business. These are the heroes you can reliably take into your ranked games and feel confident you’ll make an impact.
Abaddon, Morphling, TA, Slark, Alchemist – This group is full of flexible, scaling monsters.
Morphling is top-tier in pro play and climbing in pubs due to a broken interaction with transformed stats.
- TA received major buffs and can now farm ancients like a maniac.
- Abaddon and Alch? Still strong despite nerfs.
- Slark is one of the best flex picks in the game right now.
- If you want heroes that can carry fights and farm efficiently, these are it.
S Tier – Patch 7.38c’s Best Carries to One-Trick and SPAM
This is it. The gods of the meta. Heroes in this tier are broken or absurdly easy to win with, and every game you don’t pick them is a wasted opportunity to gain MMR.
Wraith King – The Skeleton Army Returns
Wraith King is back and better than ever. Thanks to his new Wraithfire slow duration talent and almost perma-skeleton uptime, this hero farms like a god. His itemization is dirt simple—Radiance, Blade Mail, S&Y, Blink—and his fight presence is incredibly reliable.
The biggest strength? Ease of use. He literally plays himself.
You want:
- Massive AoE damage with his army
- High HP pool and comeback potential
- The simplest execution curve of all carries
- Pick this hero and watch the skeletons win you games.
Medusa – Unkillable Late Game Machine
Medusa is pure chaos in the late game. With Venomous Volley builds taking over the meta, she becomes a brutal mix of lane dominance and AoE DPS. Her Manta–Skadi–Butterfly timings let her out-damage and outlast just about any carry.
She shines even in bad games. Why? Because her farm pattern is safe, and her talents let her pump out damage even when she’s 0-3. In pubs, that’s gold.
If you want a hero with:
- Huge teamfight presence
- Ridiculous damage from range
- The ability to 1v5 if your team feeds
- Then Medusa is your pick.
Lifestealer – The Patch-Proof God
Nerfs? Who cares. Lifestealer still doesn’t die. His facet and scaling are built around inevitability. You get HP on kills, Radiance and S&Y are perfect items, and even his support aura build still enables 1v9 potential.
He’s easy to lane, easy to build, and can counter some of the other strongest heroes in the meta.
Perfect for:
- Players who want simple mechanics
- Heroes that naturally scale
Pub games where your team will ignore you—because you don’t need them
Final Thoughts: What to Pick for Free MMR
Patch 7.38c has created a pub paradise for carry players who are paying attention. It very obvious in this amazing Dota 2 Boost Guide. The S and A tiers are littered with heroes that can carry from behind, farm incredibly fast, and scale into monsters. If you’re still hovering over Windranger carry, it’s time for a change.
If you want to rank up:
- Wraith King for easy skeleton-based farming and tempo
- Medusa for dominant scaling and pub-proof reliability
- Lifestealer for idiot-proof fights and sustain
- Every other tier has its place—but if you’re playing to climb, this is your holy trinity.
