Intelligence · Ranged
Directs the battle with fear and mesmerism
Win rate
48.6%
C across all ranks
Pick rate
4.7%
of public matches
Public picks
160.6K
in the sample
Pro scene
15
5 bans · 53% win rate
Bars start at 50%. Sample sizes: Herald 2.1K · Guardian 7.9K · Crusader 17.3K · Archon 31.7K · Legend 42.7K · Ancient 30.7K · Divine+ 28.1K.
Last 6 days
48.6%
Bought before the horn
Iron Branch
Faerie Fire
Observer and Sentry Wards
Tango
Blood Grenade
Sentry Ward
The first minutes
Boots of Speed
Core items
Arcane Boots
Blink Dagger
Essence Distiller
Eul's Scepter of Divinity
Glimmer Cape
The full build
Blink Dagger
Aether Lens
Aghanim's Scepter
Force Staff
Aeon Disk
Glimmer Cape
Most-bought items for Ringmaster in OpenDota’s sample of parsed public matches (1,203 purchases counted). Bars compare each item with the most-bought one in its phase. The percentage is the win rate in games where Ringmaster bought the item by minute 30 (green or red when it is clearly above or below Ringmaster’s average). Teams that are ahead buy items sooner, so a high number shows the item goes with winning games, not that it causes the win. Items with fewer than 100 games show no percentage. Cheap components are hidden from the mid and late game.
Blink Dagger
135 games
Essence Distiller
107 games
Arcane Boots
176 games
Ghost Scepter
89 games
Aether Lens
176 games
Blink Dagger
459 games
Final items compared within the same purchase window (at least 60 games each), so they are not simply ranked by how late or expensive they are. Still a correlation: a team that is far ahead can buy anything sooner.
55
Use: Plant Tree: Targets the ground to plant a happy little tree that lasts for 20 seconds.
65
Use: Imbue: Instantly restores 85 health.
5s
Use: Imbue. Instantly restores 85 health.
50
Use: Plant: Plant the currently active ward. Double-Click to switch the currently active ward.
Use: Plant. Plant the currently active ward. Double-Click to switch the currently active ward.
90
Use: Devour: Consumes a target tree to gain 7 health regeneration for 16 seconds. Consuming an Ironwood Tree doubles the heal duration. Comes with 3 charges.
50
Use: Throw Grenade: Throw a grenade at the target area. Enemies in the area will take 50 damage on impact, and be slowed by -15% and take 15 damage every 1s for 5…
10s
Use: Throw Grenade. Throw a grenade at the target area. Enemies in the area will take 50 damage on impact, and be slowed by -15% and take 15 damage every 1s for 5 seconds. Radius 300.
50
Use: Plant: Plants a Sentry Ward, an invisible watcher that grants True Sight, the ability to see invisible enemy units and wards, to any existing allied vision within a…
1s
Use: Plant. Plants a Sentry Ward, an invisible watcher that grants True Sight, the ability to see invisible enemy units and wards, to any existing allied vision within a 1050 radius. Lasts 7 minutes. Does not grant ground vision. Hold Control to give one Sentry Ward to an allied hero.
500
Movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack.
1,500
Active: Replenish: Restores 150 mana to all nearby allies. Radius: 1200
Win rate when bought50.3% · 1,210 games
55s
Active: Replenish. Restores 150 mana to all nearby allies. Radius: 1200
Passive: Basilius Aura. Grants 1 mana regeneration to allies. Radius: 1200 Movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack.
2,250
Active: Blink: Teleport to a target point up to 1200 units away. Blink Dagger cannot be used for 3 seconds after taking damage from an enemy hero or Roshan.
Win rate when bought59.8% · 604 games
15s
Active: Blink. Teleport to a target point up to 1200 units away. Blink Dagger cannot be used for 3 seconds after taking damage from an enemy hero or Roshan.
1,775
Active: Soul Release: Provides 40 health regeneration when cast on allies.
Win rate when bought60.6% · 193 games
10s
Active: Soul Release. Provides 40 health regeneration when cast on allies. Can be ground targeted to lie dormant for up to 15s and attach to the first enemy that comes within 450 radius. When on enemies, deals 25 damage per second and provides True Sight over them and shares their vision with the wearer's team. Lasts 8 seconds. Gains charges every time an enemy hero dies within 1500 units.
2,600
Active: Cyclone: Sweeps a target unit up into a cyclone, making them invulnerable for 2.5 seconds. Cyclone can only be cast on enemy units or yourself.
Win rate when bought57.8% · 249 games
23s175
Active: Cyclone. Sweeps a target unit up into a cyclone, making them invulnerable for 2.5 seconds. Cyclone can only be cast on enemy units or yourself. Enemy units take 50 magical damage upon landing. Dispel Type: Basic Dispel
2,150
Active: Glimmer: After a 0.5 second delay, grants invisibility, 20 movement speed and a magic damage barrier that absorbs up to 375 damage to you or a target allied unit…
Win rate when bought54.3% · 324 games
15s125
Active: Glimmer. After a 0.5 second delay, grants invisibility, 20 movement speed and a magic damage barrier that absorbs up to 375 damage to you or a target allied unit for 5 seconds. Can be cast while channeling.
2,275
Win rate when bought60.4% · 217 games
4,200
Passive: Ability Upgrade: Upgrades the ultimate, and some abilities, of all heroes.
2,200
Active: Force: Pushes any target unit 600 units in the direction it is facing.
Win rate when bought56.4% · 204 games
19s150
Active: Force. Pushes any target unit 600 units in the direction it is facing.
3,000
Passive: Combo Breaker: When you take damage and your health falls below 70%, a strong dispel is applied and you gain a 2.5 second buff that provides +75% Status…
105 / 125 / 145 / 165s
Passive: Combo Breaker. When you take damage and your health falls below 70%, a strong dispel is applied and you gain a 2.5 second buff that provides +75% Status Resistance and causes all damage you deal and are dealt to be reduced to zero. Only triggers on player based damage. Cooldown increases every time it triggers. Dispel Type: Strong Dispel
Whipped enemies are damaged and flee in fear from Ringmaster. Channel time exponentially increases damage and extends the fear duration, but reduces the radius.
Ringmaster packs himself or an allied hero into a mobile, extradimensional box. Boxed units gain phased movement, slow resistance, bonus magic resistance, and bonus movement speed. They are also untargetable, muted, silenced, and disarmed. The box will pop open after the effect expires or it moves out of the initial area.
Aghanim’s ScepterEscape Act has 2 charges. When the box pops open, Impalement Art daggers are thrown in all directions, and all enemies around it take damage.
Ringmaster throws one of his daggers to a precise point of his choosing. If he strikes an enemy, the dagger deals impact damage, briefly slows the unit hit, and causes them to bleed. The bleeding deals a percentage of the victim's maximum health in damage every second to heroes and flat damage per second to creeps.
Ringmaster shines 3 spotlights that sweep over an area. Enemies in the light have a chance to miss their attacks and are revealed if invisible. Illusions hit by the beam fade away, losing a percentage of their maximum health each second. These effects linger for 0.3 seconds after leaving the light.
Ringmaster rolls the Wheel of Wonder to the targeted location, knocking aside enemies along the way. After it reaches its target, enemies in range of the wheel take damage over time and are slowed by -50%. Enemy heroes who face the wheel for more than 0.5 seconds are mesmerized and drawn towards it. The first enemy to be mesmerized triggers a timer for the wheel to explode. If the timer is not triggered, it will automatically explode after 4 seconds.
Ringmaster receives a random single-use Dark Carnival Souvenir whenever an enemy hero dies within 925 units of him. Additional Souvenirs are held as charges. If Ringmaster does not have a Souvenir when he dies he will be granted one.
Use: Proportion DistortionCreates 1 imperfect image of your hero that lasts 18 seconds. Your illusion deals 100% and takes 300% damage.
Use: Forcefully ImbibeTemporarily increases an allied hero's Strength by 5 plus 1 per Ringmaster's level for 8 seconds. The effect holds for 4 seconds and then deteriorates over the duration.
Use: WhoopsiePropels your hero forward 400 units. Leaves a 250 radius stink cloud behind for 3 seconds that slows enemies by -30%.
Use: Saddle UpSummons a speedy unicycle to ride around on for 10 seconds. 1.5s after mounting the unicycle, taking damage from enemy hero sources greater than 20 dismounts the rider. Crashing into trees destroys them and slows the unicycle. Attacking, using channeled abilities, or crashing into units and other obstacles also dismounts the rider.
+150 Wheel of Wonder Radius and Range
25Escape Act Grants Strong Dispel and Flying
+1s Impalement Arts Bleed and Slow Duration
20+75/+300 Tame the Beasts Min/Max Damage
Impalement Arts Penetrates One Target
15Debuff Immunity While Channeling Tame the Beasts
+1 Impalement Arts Charge
10+75 Tame the Beasts Radius
Strength21+2.1/lvl
Agility11+1.6/lvlIntelligence25+3/lvlWelcome, welcome, one and all — to a stage-lit extravaganza for the ages! Prepare to have your senses shattered! Your expectations demolished! Your Ancients smashed to ruins! Witness the impossible feats and derring-do of the one and only clockwork marvel, the Great Cogliostro Kettle — Ringmaster, torture artist, genius in his own time — here now for the sole agony and entertainment of any hero bold enough to draw back the crimson carnival curtain and behold what mysteries await inside. The mistake most maestros make is waiting for the public to come to them. The Ringmaster knows you need to go out and find your audience! Drag them to you. And make them watch.
Win rates come from public Dota 2 matches (OpenDota), 3.4M matches counted, refreshed Oct 24, 2026. Tiers use the win rate in the chosen rank: S 52.5%+, A 51%+, B 49%+, C 47.5%+, D below; heroes with too few games are left unrated. Hero data and patch notes are Valve’s. Builds Forge is an unofficial fan site, not affiliated with Valve.