Patch 7.38c has delivered a fresh shakeup in the carry role. With buffs, nerfs, and item shifts now firmly part of the new meta, players are searching for consistency and win potential in a sea of average-performing heroes. Pro player and content creator Speed is here to break down which carries are worth your time—and which should stay in the draft screen.
In his latest YouTube breakdown, Speed ranks over 50 heroes, diving deep into their current place in the meta based on win rates, ease of execution, pro viability, and farming potential.
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Meta Snapshot: The State of Carries in 7.38c
While this isn’t a “bad carry patch” by any means, Speed notes that most heroes feel very average. However, if you’re picking the right heroes, there’s a lot of MMR to be gained.
Speed’s tier list uses a classic S to E ranking system, but what makes it interesting is the separation between heroes that are strong in pro games vs those that excel in pubs. Let’s dig into each section.
S Tier: The Best Carries in the Patch
Wraith King
With the Bone Guard facetessentially letting him perma-spawn skeletons, Wraith King has become one of the most efficient farmers in the game. It’s not just his wave clear that’s scary—it’s the ease of use.
He farms jungle, recovers from bad lanes, and deals big damage in teamfights. Blade Mail, Radiance, S&Y, and Blink remain core.
Medusa
Another hero that thrives on low execution and massive late-game scaling. Whether played with Venomous Volley for damage or Undilation in the offlane, Medusa remains a beast in the carry role.
Key strengths include her incredible item flexibility (Manta, Scotty, Butterfly) and the fact that even in a bad game, she scales.
Lifestealer
Despite repeated nerfs, Lifestealer is still a beast. His corpse-eating facet still lets him snowball, and items like Radiance and S&Y keep him scaling through every phase of the game.
A Tier: Underrated or Rising Picks
Morphling
With high win rates in both pro and pub scenes, Morphling is seeing a resurgence thanks to his stat scaling and ult changes. He’s become a solid all-around pick with surprising flexibility.
Juggernaut
Jug is back to pub dominance. With Manta + Mjolnir and Sange & Yasha, he scales hard, and his early game is smoothed out by healing ward and improved Q cooldown.
Templar Assassin (TA)
Recent Refraction buffs have made TA a terrifying farmer and laner again. Speed highlights her ability to farm ancients early and her synergy with the current map layout.
B Tier: The Stable But Situational Crew
Heroes like Terrorblade, Gyrocopter, Alchemist, and Weaver populate this tier. They can work well when played optimally or in the right matchups but require higher skill or riskier timing windows.
- Terrorblade is amazing if mastered, but punished if played sloppily.
- Gyrocopter shines in enabling greedy mid/offlane picks.
- Alchemist still buys insane value items like Radiance, but struggles on certain map layouts.
- Weaver and Clinkz push lanes well but lack direct power.
C to E Tier: Beware or Avoid
C Tier
- Phantom Assassin – Too dependent on early game, struggles to scale.
- Ursa – Outpaced and kited too easily.
- Sven – Needs perfect games to shine.
D/E Tier
- Monkey King, Faceless Void, Lina, Windranger – Either nerfed too hard or way too difficult to execute well in pubs.
- Phantom Lancer – Terrible lane, and the illusion meta has too many counters right now.
FAQs
Q: Which carry should I spam to climb MMR fast?
A: Wraith King or Medusa—both are strong, consistent, and require low execution.
Q: What about scaling carries like Anti-Mage or Arc Warden?
A: Good in niche situations. Anti-Mage is rising due to favorable matchups, while Arc Warden is Cheese-tier strong if mastered.
Q: Should I try support Slark or carry?
A: Speed recommends trying carry Slark, especially in flex drafts.
Q: Is Nature’s Prophet a viable carry?
A: Yes—but it’s hard. Requires understanding the map and build paths like Mjolnir, Revenant’s Brooch, and Pike.
Q: What about new/experimental builds?
A: Razor with Mjolnir, Blade Mail Morphling, and Ags Ricky are all emerging picks with high tempo.
If you’re trying to climb this patch, you don’t need to pick stylish heroes—you need consistency, map control, and farm tools. And in 7.38c, Wraith King, Medusa, and Lifestealer check all those boxes.
If you’re ready to climb, you know where to start.
