Position 5 Guide for Dota 2 7.38b: How to Carry as a Support

The Blix team is here to shine a spotlight on the Position 5 role in Patch 7.38b — because you are the unsung heroes who keep the team alive, secure vision, and turn games around while everyone else is busy farming.

As pros grinding through the Immortal Draft, we’ve been in the support trenches, testing the latest patch changes to bring you the best builds for the hard five life. This patch has delivered some exciting updates—new features, ability buffs, and improved scaling potential—making supporting more rewarding than ever.

Our top picks? Jakiro, Ancient Apparition, and Abaddon. These heroes aren’t just warding bots; they are lane dominators, team fight terrors, and late-game scalers. Let’s dive in!

Dota 2: Supports

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Jakiro – Ice Breaker Facet: Nuke and Push Master

Dota 2 hero: Jakiro

Jakiro has long been a reliable position 5 hero, but the Ice Breaker mechanic introduced in Patch 7.38b has transformed him into a formidable force in both lane and team fights. The Blix team has been frequently using this hero in public matches and scrims, and we believe he is one of the best support heroes in the current patch—without a doubt.

Why It Works

Ice Breaker transforms W (Ice Path) into a powerful ability. It lasts longer on the ground and detonates for 225 damage when it expires—or sooner if triggered. Additionally, it adds a 0.5-second stun on top of the base 2-second duration, resulting in a total of 2.5 seconds of area-of-effect lockdown with a 9-second cooldown. This amounts to a 275-damage nuke at max level, rivaling some spells used by mid-lane heroes.

In the lane, E (Liquid Fire) excels in trades with its free-cast slow and building damage. The alternate ability, Liquid Frost, enhances your mid-game damage when used with Dual Breath and Macropyre. The shard upgrade allows you to dual-cast both E variants without a cooldown, making it incredibly effective for pushing and fighting.

Skill Build

Start with Q (Dual Breath) at level 1 for its slow and damage capabilities. Take W at level 2 for setup, and then pick E (Liquid Frost) at level 3 to enhance your Q ability. Max W by level 8 to increase the stun duration and boost your nuke power. After that, focus on maxing E for further damage amplification. Remember to take R (Macropyre) at levels 6, 12, and 18.

Dota 2 Jakiro: Point Choices By Level

Avoid the trap of prioritizing Q; its 170 mana cost and weak scaling do not compare to Ice Path, which only costs 100 mana and synergizes well with E. Our preferred early build is 1-0-2 by level 3, followed by 1-4-2-1 by level 8. This approach keeps your mana efficient while maximizing your control over the game.

Item Build

Start with Tango, a Stick, and a few branches—standard item setup for position five. Rush Mana Boots to maintain your spell spamming, then acquire Solar Crest for team utility and to counteract Rot (it synergizes well with Ice Breaker’s uptime).

Glimmer Cape is a crucial follow-up for saving allies and providing magic resistance. By mid-game, you should definitely buy the Shard, as it allows you to dual-cast Liquid Fire and Frost, turning you into a powerhouse for both pushing and fighting. In the late game, consider purchasing Force Staff or Lotus Orb for added flexibility against stuns and silences. Avoid over-investing in items focused on your Q ability; your strengths lie in your W and E abilities.

Dota 2 Jakiro: Most Used Items

Playstyle

In the lane, trade using your Q ability and Liquid Fire. The 60% attack speed slow on buildings makes Glyph ineffective. Once you reach level 3, Liquid Frost enhances your Q, allowing for significant harassment of your opponents. In the mid-game, when you have maxed Ice Path, you can control fights by locking down multiple enemies—combine it with your ultimate (R) for devastating area-of-effect damage.

Use Liquid Fire to push towers, as its 75% building damage can really make an impact. Utilize shards to burn down waves and heroes alike. You are a lane bully who transitions into a powerful team-fighting damage dealer. Position yourself to catch multiple enemies with your W and R, and watch as your team capitalizes on the opportunities you create.

Blix Pro Insight

Dota 2 hero: Jakiro

The dual-cast of the shard is incredible—Liquid Frost adds 30 bonus damage per tick, contributing 120 additional damage to Liquid Fire every 4 seconds. That’s free DPS that most supports can’t match. When timed with Macropyre, you become a one-dragon wrecking crew.

Tips

• Each attack provided by your Double Trouble innate can proc items and counts as an additional hit against things like Phoenix’s Supernova, Undying’s Tombstone, or even enemy wards.
• Dual Breath can hit targets farther than the max cast range of the spell, so stick to ground targeting if you’re trying to damage an enemy that’s escaping.
• If you ground target Dual Breath from fog, you won’t reveal yourself to the enemy who gets hit by it. If you directly target them, they’ll get the vision of you.
• When casting Dual Breath, the slow ‘ice’ breath is released first, then the DoT ‘fire’ breath shortly after. So be aware that an enemy may be able to react to the first Dual Breath and Blink Dagger out.
• Since Ice Path has a lot of ‘active time,’ you can use it to preemptively disable enemies. This is good against things like Puck’s Phase Shift, Io’s Relocate, heroes who are cycloned, or heroes who are TPing in to defend a structure.
• Ice Path gives vision. Use it to scout high ground or the Rosh pit or cliffs when dewarding.

Counters

• Ice Path has a long cast animation but an insane range. If you’re running away from a gank, keep your camera on Jakiro to see if/when/where he is casting an Ice Path. The margin for error for him increases dramatically the further you get, but the stun will stay the same if you’re caught in it or walk into it.

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Ancient Apparition – Exposure Buff: Anti-Heal Anchor

Dota 2 hero: Ancient Apparition

Ancient Apparition (AA) may not be the flashiest position 5, but his improved E ability, Cold Feet, in 7.38b has turned him into a lane terror and a mid-game powerhouse. The Blix team appreciates his consistency—when healing is abundant, AA is the go-to choice.

Why It Works

Cold Feet received a significant upgrade, increasing its damage and adding extra exposure stacks, which makes it a powerful tool for lane trading. When combined with Q (Chilling Touch) for spell amplification and R (Ice Blast) for global anti-heal, AA transforms into a support hero who excels from the very beginning of the game all the way to the end. The current meta is still focused on healing, despite the recent tweaks to Bloodstone, and AA’s abilities counter this perfectly. With wave clear, spell amplification, and effective anti-regeneration, he remains a relevant choice throughout the entire match.

Skill Build

Begin by leveling up E to level 1 for harassment; it serves as your primary trading tool. At level 2, take Q to enhance your damage, and at level 3, pick W (Ice Vortex) for its slowing effect and vision utility. Focus on maxing E first to maximize damage and exposure stacks, then prioritize Q for team damage buffs, and take your ultimate (R) at levels 6, 12, and 18. W is typically only worth one point, unless you really need additional vision—its scaling isn’t as strong compared to the power of E.

Dota 2 Ancient Apparition: Point Choices By Level

Item Build

To start, use Tango, Stick, and branches to help you survive in the lane. Your first significant purchase should be Mana Boots, as they provide essential mana regeneration for your ability to use abilities frequently and benefit your team. Next, buy Solar Crest for added utility and survivability, followed by Glimmer Cape to protect against magic damage bursts. 

Dota 2 Ancient Apparition: Most Used Items

In the late game, consider getting Aether Lens to increase your cast range, which allows for global Ice Blasts. Additionally, Force Staff can be useful for saving allies or repositioning yourself. Focus on utility items rather than greedy damage-focused ones, as your role is primarily about providing support.

Playstyle

In the lane, use your E ability to deal damage to enemies; its exposure stacks make trades more effective. Use your Q to enhance your carry’s harassment of the opponent, and deploy your W for vision or to slow enemies when ganks are imminent. 

In the mid-game, you take on the role of an anti-heal anchor—time your Ice Blast to catch healers in the middle of fights (such as Oracle and Dazzle). Stay back, amplify your team’s spells, and clear waves with E and W when necessary. While you may not be flashy, you are crucial; every kill secured in your R’s no-heal zone is because of your efforts.

Blix Pro Insight

Dota 2 hero: Ancient Apparition

E’s buff allows you to pressure melee officers who can’t escape the freeze. Pair with a right-click carry like Juggernaut, and they’ll quickly fall under Q’s amplification while you maintain the pressure. Simple, effective, deadly.

Tips

• Ice Vortex is more than a massive range slow. Throw them all over the place when you’re pushing or defending to reduce enemy magic resistance. Keep this in mind when attacking people with Chilling Touch’s magical damage as well.
• Ice Vortex is a great scouting tool with the vision it provides. Use it to scout out Rosh attempts, or to check high ground, or to help with counterwarding.
• Ice Vortex is a great spell to use to stack camps because of its ludicrous range and cheap mana cost.
• Manually casting Chilling Touch on enemy heroes won’t draw creep aggro.
• Ice Blast is a great way to disable enemy Blink Daggers for an extended period of time. You don’t even need to land the Blast, as long as they get the Frostbitten DoT debuff an enemy’s Dagger will stay broken for the whole duration.

Counters

• His ult is famous for having Dota 2’s most complicated tooltip. If you’re against an AA, all you need to know is that if his ult flew over your head, you have a debuff that won’t let you heal any HP. No lifesteal, no fountain regen, no Tranquil Boots, no Urn of Shadows, no Omniknight Purification. Just you sitting and praying that you don’t drop below the Shattering threshold.
• If you’re walking back to the fountain at low HP and an enemy AA is alive, take a short break and try to bait the Ice Blast. It’s worth spending a few extra seconds standing somewhere else in your base rather than risking getting Blasted in your fountain.

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Abaddon – Quickening Facet: CDR King

Dota 2 hero: Abaddon

Abaddon has been a favorite for Blix for some time now, but the Quickening facet introduced in patch 7.38b has convinced us that he is the best position 5 support in this update. His cooldown reduction ability enhances his healing and shielding capabilities, making him a resilient support that is difficult to eliminate and hard to overlook.

Why It Works

Quickening reduces all ability and item cooldowns by 6 seconds for each hero death (both ally and enemy) and by 0.2 seconds for each creep death within a 900 radius. This is significant for abilities like Q (Mist Coil), W (Aphotic Shield), and even R (Borrowed Time). But the real game-changer? It also applies to items. Mana Boots become exceptionally effective, Pavise activates more frequently, and—here’s the twist—Midas can turn Abaddon into a scaling powerhouse in matches. Coupled with his natural durability, this makes him a support hero who not only sustains allies but also scales and surprises opponents.

Skill Build

Start by taking Q at level 1 for healing and harassment. Choose W at level 2 for shields, and then select E (Curse of Avernus) at level 3 to enhance your presence in the lane. Prioritize maxing Q first for its low cooldown heals (6 seconds with Quickening during fights), followed by W for stronger shields. Take your ultimate (R) at levels 6, 12, and 18. E is best maxed later; its damage per second (DPS) talent at level 15 becomes effective once you have gained levels from Midas or through fights.

Dota 2 Abaddon: Point Choices By Level

Item Build

Start with Stick, Tango, and Blood Grenade for effective lane trades. Your core item should be Mana Boots—Quickening reduces their cooldown to 10 seconds during fights, providing additional mana to you and your team. Next, prioritize Pavise for mana regeneration and crucial shields, which you can upgrade to Solar Crest later. Surprisingly, Midas is a viable option; with a 6-second reduction per hero death, you’ll be activating it every 30 to 40 seconds during big fights, significantly boosting your experience. After that, build a Glimmer Cape for saves, and consider Aghanim’s Scepter or Lotus Orb if the game extends into the late phase. This build may be greedy, but it can be quite effective.

Dota 2 Abaddon: Most Used Items

Playstyle

In the lane, trade using Q and Blood Grenade while shielding your carry with W. During the mid-game, your role is that of a healer—Quickening allows you to constantly use Q and W, and Mana Boots provide energy for your team. Midas helps you reach level 15 quickly, unlocking the Curse DPS talent, which turns you into a strong wave-pushing and camp-taking threat. Stay close to fights to trigger Quickening; every death reduces the cooldown on your abilities. 

In the late game, you’ll be a tanky utility champion equipped with Glimmer and Solar saves. Avoid diving in first—let others take the lead so you can maximize your cooldown reduction, then clean up with your ultimate ability, R.

Blix Pro Insight

Dota 2 hero: Abaddon

We tested Midas Abaddon in a public match and achieved a decisive victory. Two hero deaths during a fight reduced Midas’s cooldown to 48 seconds. By the 25-minute mark, we reached level 18, while the enemy team was only at level 13. It’s incredibly effective in chaotic games—give it a try and watch your MMR increase!

Tips

• Any damage you deal to enemies from attacks, spells, or items will apply your Withering Mist innate.
• Aphotic Shield can absorb the self-damage on Mist Coil and will heal you during Borrowed Time.
• Aphotic Shield is a strong dispel. You can cast it on allies to wipe off most disables and debuffs, including stuns.
• You can cast Aphotic Shield on creeps. Handy for split pushing.
• The Aphotic Shield buff lasts for quite a while, so you can consider casting it on yourself for free in the fountain before TPing to a lane.

Counters

• The burst damage radius on Aphotic Shield is pretty huge, but it doesn’t damage targets in fog. If a target with Aphotic Shield is trying to explode on you, try to juke them in trees and stay out of vision.
• Since Abaddon illusions can apply Curse of Avernus, Terrorblade’s Reflection or Shadow Demon’s Disruption can be annoying for Abaddon to deal with.
• Eul’s Scepter can be a useful Abaddon counter since it can waste a few seconds of Borrowed Time while he’s spinning in the air.

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Final Thoughts

Patch 7.38b has transformed Position 5 into a dynamic role for impactful support heroes. Jakiro, Ancient Apparition, and Abaddon are our top picks to help lead your team to victory. Jakiro brings powerful nukes and push capabilities; Ancient Apparition offers reliable anti-heal options; and Abaddon provides excellent cooldown reduction scaling. This diverse toolkit ensures you can excel in various situations—whether you’re dominating lanes, winning team fights, or outlasting your opponents.

We’ve refined these builds in the Immortal Draft, making them ready for your ranked games. Supporting is no longer just about placing wards; it’s about making plays, and these heroes excel in that aspect. Stay tuned for more breakdowns of Patch 7.38b from Blix as we analyze other roles. In the meantime, focus on keeping your carries alive, maintaining vision, and lifting everyone’s spirits! We also recommend visiting the Reddit thread for more Dota 2 content.