Is Hydra's Breath really that bad? — Stats on new items in Patch 7.41b

20.04.2026

112

7 min.

It’s been nearly a month since several new items were added in patch 7.41. Players have already had a chance to test out the new artifacts and find uses for them. In this article, we’ll analyze the stats for Consecrated Wraps, Crella’s Crozier, Essence Distiller, Specialist’s Array, and Hydra’s Breath in Patch 7.41b, as well as how they’ve fit into the meta.

Statistics are based on matchmaking games (7000 MMR+) lasting more than 30 minutes over the past 8 days. Only considers items that were purchased at least 7 minutes before match end.

Consecrated Wraps is the most popular of the new items. It replaced the removed Ghost Shroud and appears in 1 out of 5 high-MMR builds. It is typically purchased for heroes who previously favored Hood of Defiance and Ghost Shroud: Necrophos, Pudge, Bristleback, and similar characters. The item is most often purchased by the 19th minute of the game. However, the win rate when purchasing this item at later stages is significantly higher than 51%, while in games where it was purchased early on, it is less than 50%.

Crella's Crozier isn’t as universal as Consecrated Wraps, but it has an extremely high win rate. As expected, the item became most popular on Necrophos, Pudge, and Leshrac, but, surprisingly, Primal Beast also joined the list. Additionally, PB with Crella's Crozier has the highest win rate for this item — 71.3%. For “Primal”, this artifact has replaced Shiva’s Guard, which no longer reduces health restoration, although “Shiva” hasn’t disappeared from PB builds due to the increasing spells' AoE. Crella's Crozier usually appears at the 36-minute mark, but the item’s win rate remains incredibly high even at other timings.

Essence Distiller is a new upgrade option for Urn of Shadows. It is most often purchased on fourth-position roam supports because of its active ability, which heals allies or provides vision on enemies. It has performed best on Dark Willow, Mirana, and Ringmaster. The most popular timing for the item is the 16th minute, but its win rate doesn’t drop even when purchased later. It’s worth noting, however, that in a small portion of matches where Essence Distiller was purchased at the 10th minute, its win rate was only 36.4%.

Specialist's Array — one of the components of the new Hydra's Breath artifact. As expected, it has become popular on ranged heroes who primarily deal damage with auto-attacks. It is usually purchased at the 18-minute mark (Mask of Madness is often disassembled to build it). The item’s win rate is lowest at this specific timing and rises at later time points.

Hydra’s Breath is a new alternative for upgrading Dragon Lance. Pro players have not taken to the item. In particular, Alan Satanic Galyamov stated that the artifact might be decent only on Weaver and Morphling, but is generally useless. Nevertheless, in matchmaking, Hydra's Breath, though not in high demand, has an excellent win rate of 57.9%. Just like Specialist's Array, it is most popular on range cores: Clinkz, Sniper, Shadow Fiend, and similar heroes. It is most often built by the 26th minute, but its win rate only increases at later timings.

We should also note the stats for Shiva’s Guard and Bloodstone, which were significantly reworked in patch 7.41. “Shiva” appears in every fourth match with a win rate of 62.5%. Bloodstone’s pick rate is, of course, lower at 10%, but its win rate is even higher at 65.5%. Helm of the Overlord, despite buffs in 7.41b, remains the least popular item with a win rate of 48.1%, while Hand of Midas has the lowest win rate at 43.9%.

As CyberScore previously reported, Meepo’s win rate dropped by 9% in 24 hours in patch 7.41b.