With the frog bard entering Captain’s Mode, we might see highlights of some plays featuring the hero in upcoming tournaments.
Just a month after his release, the new Strength hero Largo has officially entered Captains Mode following Dota 2’s Patch 7.40c. The update also introduces buffs to two of his abilities, Frog Stomp and Amphibian Rhapsody, making him a bit more viable in the current meta.
Largo made his Captains Mode debut much faster than heroes like Ringmaster and Kez, with Ringmaster needing six months of balancing before becoming available and Kez taking nearly a full year.
Throughout his existence as a hero, Largo has drawn largely negative feedback from the community, with many players criticizing his weak laning presence and underwhelming damage output. Even Team Spirit offlaner Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov did not hold back, bluntly describing Largo as a “sh***y hero with zero damage.”
Will Largo become a key piece in professional teams’ drafts and strategies this year? To find out, let’s take a closer look at the hero’s performance and game stats so far.
Dota 2 Largo’s win rate, pick rate, and other stats
According to the latest data on Dotabuff, Largo sits at the lower tiers of the Dota 2 meta, having a 48.85% overall win rate as of January 2026. His overall pick rate is 1.83%, which is rather low for a relatively new hero.
Apparently, Largo performs slightly better in the position 4 role. So far, the frog hero has an average win rate of 49.95% as a Soft Support, with a pick rate of 3.85%. He also has a slightly stronger presence in the offlane compared to the Safe Lane, which suggests teams may prefer him in more flexible or roaming roles.
Is Largo one of the worst supports in Dota 2?
As of writing, Largo's performance in matches appears to be underwhelming based on its current stats on Dotabuff. Here are the most common reasons why this hero is struggling right now:
- Not a beginner-friendly hero. It takes excellent micromanaging to maximize Largo’s ultimate, as you have to click the right buff at the right moment while keeping Largo safely positioned, activating item effects, and toggling his ultimate effectively.
- Bad at the laning stage. As a melee hero, Largo is not a good lane harasser in the early game unless paired with strong and durable Offlane heroes like Centaur and Underlord.
- His Ultimate heavily restricts his participation in team fights. Amphibian Rhapsody disarms Largo, limiting his teamfight impact to providing buffs and heals for teammates. When played as a core hero, this forces the other cores to work harder in dealing more damage and potentially absorbing more of the enemy’s attacks.
- Requires gold to become more efficient. Largo becomes significantly more threatening once he obtains items like Aghanim’s Shard, which unlocks Encore. This ability allows him to automatically spread the buffs from his skills to both himself and his allies.
On the flip side, Largo can still be a viable hero when played correctly and with a coordinated team. By securing key items such as Holy Locket, Lotus Orb, Aghanim’s Shard, and Aghanim’s Scepter, he can become a ‘walking well,’ providing substantial healing for his team during fights.
A good item build for Largo
Ideally, the sample late-game build for Largo would be the following items:
- Guardian Greaves - For better mobility and heal/mana regeneration aura.
- Holy Locket – Amplifies Largo’s healing ability.
- Shiva’s Guard – Boosts the effects of Croak of Genius, slows down enemies, and provides armor to Largo.
- Lotus Orb – Improves Largo’s survivability in the frontlines, and increases his mana regeneration.
- Gleipnir – Provides Largo with another reliable disable.
- Aghanim's Scepter – Allows Largo to play two of his abilities while his ultimate is active.
- Aghanim's Shard - Unlocks Encore.
Although Largo lacks strong offensive skills, his ability to buff teammates makes him highly versatile in terms of itemization. You can equip him with a wide range of aura and support items, adjusting his build depending on the situation.
If the enemy team deals heavy magic damage, Pipe is a solid choice. If your team is lacking physical damage, you can swap Shiva’s Guard for Crimson. So far, the options are nearly endless, as long as you understand which items are needed for each scenario.
In the pro scene, teams may already be studying Largo in Captains Mode, but we may only see him in lower-stakes matches, such as the group stage. Whether he makes the jump to high-level competitive play will depend on how effective he proves in these early games.
