What are 10 teams in Dota Underlords that can wreck your opponents?

With the arrival of every patch, Dota Underlords is starting to find a shape of its’ own. This new patch ,I’ve come across a couple of builds, old and new, fun and basic but I can only say that this game is moving in an interesting direction. Besides the normal builds who have become rather basic, I’ve been trying to find compositions that are fun to play and also wreck hard.

You will find in this article a couple of fun attempts that I’ve collected from my personal experience and some I’ve had to suffer going against. Every patch, people have to get used to the meta and what is good but forget to look for what is also fun and entertaining to play. Since Dota Underlords is still in Open Beta, we have a good span of time to figure out what our favourite builds are, what creatures to stay away from and how to handle different situations with different compositions.

I’ve crossed many of the builds you’ll see down below and I’ve tried all of them to better understand their strategy. Most of the core builds and secondary alliances have turned out to be probably one of my favourite patches. With a sense of wonder and a lot of failed attempts, I’ve come across 10 builds that may interest you on your Dota Underlords ride; here are my top 10 builds that are also very fun to play with:

1.Scrappy Demon Hunters

This build is a duo of fun and entertainment. With two alliances that have had a lot of success, the Scrappy Demon Hunters have found some success when coming together. The idea of the build is to never get past level 8 and to always keep an eye out for Terrorblade. Check what your opponents are picking and try to get you Scrappies and Terrorblade to higher than rank 2. You might have noticed a CM in there, her purpose is to make sure that you Terrorblade goes off as fast as possible.

The Scrappies will act as a decoy for your strategy to take place. Terrorblade will be your main dps source and one very important item for you to keep an eye out is Blink Dagger. Make sure you equip that on your Terrorblade for a fast and relentless Metamorphosis. You will also have a Shadow Fiend due to the Alchemist being a Warlock. That will give your composition some sustain and keep your Terrorblade healed up in case he gets bursted.

Finally, this build stays at level 8, where you will start rolling, looking for your upgrades on your Scrappies, the bigger they are, the stronger the explosion on your Inventors. If you hit your creatures and you believe that you are strong enough, do go ahead and get to level 9, finding a Gyrocopter or Techies will most certainly bring you even closer to that sweet win.

Core units:

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• Anti Mage (Elusive/Demon Hunter)
• Timbersaw (Scrappy/Inventor)
• Clockwerk (Scrappy/Inventor)
• Tinker (Scrappy/Inventor)
• Terrorblade (Demon/Demon Hunter)
• Shadow Fiend (Demon/Warlock)
• CM (Human/Mage)
• Alchemist (Scrappy/Warlock)

Active Alliances:

Four Scrappies (All Scrappy units gain +9 Armor and +8 HP Regeneration. Armor and HP are doubled whenever you have fewer units alive than your opponent does)

Two Demon Hunters (Invalidate your opponent's Demon Alliance bonus. All Demon and Demon Hunter units gain +50% Pure Damage)

Two Warlocks (Whenever a Warlock casts a spell, they form a link with the Ally who has the lowest health for 2 seconds. When either linked hero deals damage, both units are healed 50% of the damage dealt)

Two Inventors (Allied Inventors explode on death dealing 15% of their Max Health to all enemies 1 cell away)

Tips:

If you have the opportunity to get your Gyrocopter or your Techies, do take it so you can finish your Inventors alliance

Units to look forward to getting to rank 3: Terrorblade, Tinker, Clockwerk

2.Blood-Bound Knights

This build is a little bit situational since it’s purely reliant on an item, Big-Time Contract. The whole idea behind this is to give your Luna the contract and have her carry you with the help of our friendly Blood-Bounds.

You want to get two level one Warlocks and an Ogre Magi in your frontline and pull the rest of your units back. Keep your Luna as safe as possible. That is why we add 3 other supportive Knights  in the composition and two Warlocks. The Troll alliance will give your units even more attack speed and that is always good for a Big-Time Contracted Luna.

Your goal is to upgrade your Knights to rank 3, especially the Luna. This build can absolutely obliterate your opponents if you do it right and you stick to the plan. Luna has Moon Glaives so she will be splitting her now empowered damage all over your opponents’ board. 

Core units:

• Warlock (Blood-Bound/Warlock)
• Warlock (Blood-Bound/Warlock)
• Ogre Magi (Blood-Bound/Mage)
• Batrider (Troll/Knight)
• Luna (Elusive/Knight)
• Omniknight (Human/Knight)
• Abaddon (Heartless/Knight)
• Witch Doctor (Troll/Warlock)

Active Alliances:

Two Blood-Bounds (When a Blood-Bound unit dies, all other Blood-Bound units deal +125% Attack Damage for the rest of the battle)

Four Knights (Knight units take 20% less physical and magic damage and an additional 20% when standing 1 cell away from another Knight)

Two Warlocks (Whenever a Warlock casts a spell, they form a link with the Ally who has the lowest health for 2 seconds. When either linked hero deals damage, both units are healed 50% of the damage dealt)

Two Trolls (All Troll units gain +35 Attack Speed and other Allies gain +10 Attack Speed)

Tips:

Blink Dagger could be useful on your Blood-Bounds, the faster these units die, the faster your Luna gets enraged.

You can have two Ogre Magi instead of two Warlocks but make sure you have both creatures on your board

3.Primordial Mages Assassins

This is the build I’ve had the most success with and it also brings a lot of satisfaction once you hit your wanted units. With a lot of burst damage coming from the Mages trait, you will find yourself in a position where all you need to do is look for upgrades.

The main units you want to get to 3 stars are usually Queen of Pain, Morphling and Viper. As you can see ,this is another build that doesn’t go to level 10, you stay at 8 and you look for your 3 stars. Your frontline should be Tiny, Razor,Morphling  and Viper(due to his secondary passive ability).

There are certain items you want to keep an eye out for, like Bracers of Desperation, Arcane Boots, items that will most of the time go on Mages. With a lot of magic damage and with the help of the Primordial alliance trait, this build will give you a good economy to play around with and a very successful composition.

Core units:

• Tiny (Primordial/Warrior)
• Razor (Primordial/Mage)
• Morph (Primordial/Assassin)
• Puck (Dragon/Mage)
• Queen of Pain (Demon/Assassin)
• Crystal Maiden (Human/Mage)
• Viper (Dragon/Assassin)
• Arc Warden (Primordial/Shaman)

Active Alliances:

4 Primordials (Allied Primordial units spawn a rank 2 Eidolon on death. Eidolons are ranged Primordial units that don't spawn Eidolons)

3 Mages (Enemies take 40% more Magic damage)

3 Assassins (All Assassins gain a 15% chance to Critical Hit for 300% Damage)

2 Dragons (All Dragon units unlock an additional draconic ability)

1 Demon (All Demon units gain +50% Pure Damage. Active when you have only one type of Demon unit on the board)

Tips:

Try not to place your Arc Warden in the corner in case anyone has a Pudge

If you get the Bracers of Desperation, equip it on your Morphling

4.Human Dragon Mages

This build is the balance between burst and tankiness. Mages have had trouble on their own but with the help of the Knights and the six Human alliance you have the potential to keep your opponent silenced long enough for your Keeper of the Light to get his cast off.

The composition usually gets spread around your board to make sure that not all your units get hit by the enemy AoE and your frontline is usually Ogre Magi, Kunkka, Omniknight and Dragon Knight. There are certain instances where even your Keeper of the Light can act as a frontliner with the item Helm of the Undying.

Overall, the build doesn’t require specific items or specific ranks of units to be successful. Always make sure that you check the positioning of your opponent so that you don’t get caught off guard.

Core units:

• Ogre Magi (Blood-Bound/Mage)
• Puck (Dragon/Mage)
• Lina (Human/Mage)
• CM (Human/Mage)
• Omniknight (Human/Knight)
• Dragon Knight (Dragon/Human/Knight)
• Keeper of the Light (Human/Mage)
• Kunkka (Human/Warrior)
• Lich (Heartless/Mage)

Active Alliances:

Six Mages (Enemies take 100% more Magic damage)

Six Humans (All Human units gain a 66% Chance to Silence target for 4 seconds when attacking)

Two Dragons (All dragon units unlock an additional draconic ability)

Two Knights (Knight units take 15% less physical and magic damage and an additional 15% when standing 1 cell away from another Knight)

Tips:

If you can find a Helm of the Undying, equip it on the Keeper of the Light and place him in the frontline for a faster cast

Spread your units to avoid AoE CC (Disruptor)

5.Scrappy Hunters

This build has come to life after the changes that were made to the Sniper unit. The more Dota Underlords is changing, the more builds we’ll be able to test out and I can guarantee that this one is challenging but it feels a lot more rewarding when you make it work.

The prime units that you should look forward to 3 star are Lycan, Tinker and Sniper. These heroes will be your main damage dealers and you will need them to become as strong as possible to have a good chance when competing against the regular builds.

With the sustain that is now available for the Scrappy alliance, this build can bring you good results and a new fun way to discover what works better with what. Keep a positive mindset and always look for upgrades when you hit level 8.

Core units:

• Bounty Hunter (Scrappy/Assassin)
• Drow Ranger (Heartless/Hunter)
• Timbersaw (Scrappy/Inventor)
• Sniper (Scrappy/Hunter)
• Tinker (Scrappy/Inventor)
• Clockwerk (Scrappy/ Inventor)
• Lycan (Human/Savage/Hunter)
• Alchemist (Scrappy/Warlock)
• Necrophos/Techies (Heartless/Warlock , Scrappy/Inventor)

Active Alliances:

Six Scrappies (Allies gain +9 Armor and +8 HP Regeneration. Armor and HP are doubled whenever you have fewer units alive than your opponent does)

Three Hunters (All Hunters have a 25% chance of quickly performing 2 attacks)

Two Warlocks (Whenever a Warlock casts a spell, they form a link with the Ally who has the lowest health for 2 seconds. When either linked hero deals damage, both units are healed 50% of the damage dealt)

Two Heartless (All Enemies lose 5 Armor)

Four Inventors (Allied Inventors explode on death dealing 30% of their Max Health to all enemies 1 cell away)

Tips:

You may add Necrophos or Techies, it’s up to you and it differs from game to game

Your final build should have 9 units in it and your main concern is getting your Hunters and Tinker to 3 stars

6.Brawny Warriors

With a twist of tanky and one of crowd control, this build is another cranky but successful one; the possibilities for fun and creative builds have risen up with the arrival of the Big-Time Contract item. The buffs that Juggernaut received also make this composition a lot more fun since that is usually the unit that will receive the contract.

The strength of this build relies on getting the Brawnies to 3 stars and it also contains a lot of damage reduction ,both physical and magical. Positioning-wise, you want the Blood-Bounds to be frontline and the rest of your units aligned in the back. You want low level Blood-Bounds so they can die faster and enrage your Juggernaut.

This build has a lot of potential against most of the alliances due to the positioning as well. Assassins or Blink Dagger units will always have a little surprise when they jump into your backline and they find themselves surrounded by mad and tanky units.

Core units:

• Ogre Magi (Blood-Bound/ Magi)
• Warlock (Blood-Bound/Warlock)
• Axe (Brawny/Warrior)
• Slardar (Scaled/Warrior)
• Beastmaster (Brawny/Hunter)
• Juggernaut (Brawny/Warrior)
• Tidehunter (Scaled/Warrior)
• Doom (Demon/Warrior)
• Kunkka (Human/Warrior)
• Disruptor (Brawny/Warlock)

Active Alliances:

Four Brawnies (All Brawny units gain +60 maximum HP for each kill they have)

Six Warriors (All Warriors gain +20 Armor)

Two Scaled (Allies gain +30% Magic Resistance)

Two Warlocks (Whenever a Warlock casts a spell, they form a link with the Ally who has the lowest health for 2 seconds. When either linked hero deals damage, both units are healed 50% of the damage dealt)

One Demon (All Demon units gain +50% Pure Damage. Active when you have only one type of Demon unit on the board)

Tips:

Always keep an eye out for Slardar, getting him to 3 stars is always a good idea

Big-Time Contract is best for Juggernaut due to the Brawny alliance

Keep your Blood-Bounds one star to ensure your Juggernaut gets enraged as fast as possible

7.Hunter Warriors

With a lot of physical damage, Hunter Warriors have found a reasonable amount of success in my games. Putting together the right amount of units is usually so much more satisfying than playing the meta. This build focuses a lot on positioning and keeping an eye out for the units that you want to 3 star.

Your frontline will be good versus physical and magical damage due to the Scaled alliance and your dps is enough to even turn Knights into a group of harmless kittens. Given enough time, Beastmaster will also become a big boy and he will ensure you the early game.

This build goes to level 9, making you focus on your 3 starred units. The units that you want to hit rank 3 are Lycan, Beastmaster and another ranged Hunter. Make sure you do not position your Hunters in corners due to Pudge hook and if you go against pesky Assassins, go for the corner strategy.

Core units:

• Drow Ranger (Heartless/Hunter)
• Beastmaster (Brawny/Hunter)
• Windranger (Elusive/Hunter)
• Juggernaut (Brawny/Warrior)
• Lycan (Human/Savage/Hunter)
• Sniper (Scrappy/Hunter)
• Slardar (Scaled/Warrior)
• Tidehunter (Scaled/Warrior)
• Mirana (Elusive/Hunter)

Active Alliances:

Six Hunters (All Hunters have a 40% chance of quickly performing 2 attacks)

Three Warriors (All Warriors gain +10 Armor)

Two Brawnies (All Brawny units gain +30 maximum HP for each kill they have)

Two Scaled (Allies gain +30% Magic Resistance)

Tips:

You may replace the Juggernaut with a Pudge if you get a chance to and you believe it is necessary, you will love the Brawnies but you will gain Heartless

Keep an eye out for the enemy boards, place your Tidehunter properly so he can get a better stun

8.Dragon Knights

Probably one of the most solid builds at the moment in Dota Underlords, the Dragon Knight build brings a culmination of the best alliances together. A perfect combination of physical damage and magic damage, this build has a straight forward building path and an easy to follow rule of thumb; see a knight, pick it.

Being also very noob friendly, anyone can go into a game and find success with such a build. With S tier creatures like Bat Rider and Dragon Knight, you will have an easy time going from early to late game.

In general you will always look for 3 star Knights in a build like this. Luna is always a good unit to look forward to upgrading, same goes for Abaddon and Omniknight. These three units will have the most impact in this build and they will carry you to an easy victory.

Core units:

• Batrider (Troll/Knight)
• Chaos Knight (Demon/Knight)
• Luna (Elusive/Knight)
• Witch Doctor (Troll/Warlock)
• Abaddon (Heartless/Knight)
• Omniknight (Human/Knight)
• Viper (Dragon/Assassin)
• Dragon Knight (Human/Dragon/Knight)
• Necrophos (Heartless/Warlock)

Active Alliances:

Six Knights (Knight units take 25% less physical and magic damage and an additional 25% less when standing 1 cell away from another Knight)

Two Heartless (All Enemies lose 5 Armor)

Two Humans  (All Human units gain a 20% Chance to Silence target for 4 seconds when attacking)

Two Warlocks (Whenever a Warlock casts a spell, they form a link with the Ally who has the lowest health for 2 seconds. When either linked hero deals damage, both units are healed 50% of the damage dealt)

Two Trolls (All Troll units gain +35 Attack Speed and other Allies gain +10 Attack Speed)

Two Dragons (All Dragon units unlock an additional draconic ability)

One Demon (All Demon units gain +50% Pure Damage. Active when you have only one type of Demon unit on the board)

Tips:

Clump up your units for maximum protection, Knights have a good game when they stand together

In case you are struggling with the more expensive Knights, Batriders will carry your early game, play multiple bats

9.Scrappy Inventor Mages

With the changes that the Inventors alliance went through, the potential of this composition has gone up a couple of notches. Techies has been changed to the Ace unit of the Inventors and now has the Chain Reaction trait that will blow, literally, the board of your opponents.

With a very strong magic damage composition, this build brings about a decent amount of tankiness with it, followed by very strong burst. The main damage dealers of this build are Tinker, Techies and Keeper of the Light.

Keep in mind that you are playing Inventors and that you want these units to act as frontline for their alliance trait. Try to spread your backline in case the opponent has a lot of AoE and you should be good to go. This build has a lot of damage in the frontline and the backline so keep those separated so that you always have a comeback in case something dies too fast.

Core units:

• Timbersaw (Scrappy/Inventor)
• Clockwerk (Scrappy/Inventor)
• Tinker (Scrappy/Inventor)
• Alchemist (Scrappy/Warlock)
• Disruptor (Brawny/Warlock)
• Crystal Maiden (Human/Mage)
• Puck (Dragon/Mage)
• Keeper of the Light (Human/Mage)
• Techies (Scrappy/Inventor)

Active Alliances:

Four Scrappies (All Scrappy units gain +9 Armor and +8 HP Regeneration. Armor and HP are doubled whenever you have fewer units alive than your opponent does)

Four Inventors (Allied Inventors explode on death dealing 30% of their Max Health to all enemies 1 cell away)

Two Warlocks (Whenever a Warlock casts a spell, they form a link with the Ally who has the lowest health for 2 seconds. When either linked hero deals damage, both units are healed 50% of the damage dealt)

Three Mages (Enemies take 40% more Magic damage)

Two Humans (All Human units gain a 20% Chance to Silence target for 4 seconds when attacking)

Tips:

With this build, you don’t need to go past level 9

Make sure you try to hit your 3 starred units when you hit level 8, that is the best time to start rolling for upgrades

10.Blood-Bound Assassins

Another build that I’ve found success with is the Blood-Bound Assassins. Based on the item Bit-Time Contract, this has a lot of potential, especially when it comes to squishy Mage backlines. With a lot of single target burst damage and some AoE CC, this build has given me a couple of wins.

The number one rule of this build is to obviously look for that Big-Time Contract. Hitting upgrades on your key Assassins is going to be very important as well, Phantom Assassin and Slark are your main carries. The best target to equip your Big-Time Contract on is Slark.

Place your rank 1 Blood-Bounds as your frontline, they are the ones to die first so that your Slark can eliminate the enemy frontline. Most of the time, you want to keep your frontline only the Blood-Bound units, all six of your Assassins should be pulled back so that you have enough targets in the enemy backline for your Phantom Assassin not to get one shot.

Core units:

• Ogre Magi (Blood-Bound/Mage)
• Warlock (Blood-Bound/Warlock)
• Phantom Assassin (Elusive/Assassin)
• Viper (Dragon/Assassin)
• Templar Assassin (Elusive/Assassin)
• Sand King (Savage/Assassin)
• Slark (Scaled/Assassin)
• Queen of Pain (Demon/Assassin)
• Dragon Knight (Human/Dragon/Knight)

Active Alliances:

Six Assassins (All Assassins gain a 25% chance to Critical Hit for 400% Damage)

Two Dragons (All Dragon units unlock an additional draconic ability)

Two Blood-Bounds (When a Blood-Bound unit dies, all other Blood-Bound units deal +125% Attack Damage for the rest of the battle)

One Demon (All Demon units gain +50% Pure Damage. Active when you have only one type of Demon unit on the board)

Tips:

This build needs a lot of pieces to be completed, keep calm and roll for your units at level 8

The more Big-Time Contracts, the better

Target Buddy is your friend, always