What players buy
The items bought most in each of Valve’s four game stages
Public matches · each item’s own count
1stMost bought
129 buys
2ndSecond most
113 buys
3rdThird most
111 buys
4thFourth most
74 buys
5thFifth most
64 buysBy GamGem ResearchLast updated 22 Sept 2026
Sniper
Ranged · Agility
- Win rate
- 50.0%
- Pick share
- 2.0%
- Matches
- 936,370
- Patch
- 7.41f
Draft coverage
BringsCarryNuker
NeedsSupportInitiatorDisablerFrontlineTower damageEscape
Recommendation
Pick
- The game is heading for 0–20 min — that is where this hero measures best, at 54.8% over 2,197 matches.
- You are playing around Herald — its strongest medal, 52.0% over 29,817 picks.
Avoid
- Ember Spirit is on their side — this hero wins 31.5% of 54 matches against it.
- Crystal Maiden is on their side — this hero wins 42.4% of 177 matches against it.
- Axe is on their side — this hero wins 43.1% of 123 matches against it.
129 buys113 buys111 buys74 buys64 buys
Skill Order
Which ability to max first, and where each point goes — what most league players on Sniper took at each level.
QShrapnel
Consumes a charge to launch a ball of shrapnel that showers the target area in explosive pellets.
AOE · Point Target · Magical damage
WHeadshot
Sniper increases his accuracy, giving him a chance to deal 20 extra damage and knock back his enemies.
Passive · Physical damage
ETake Aim
Passively increases Sniper's attack range by 160.
No Target
RAssassinate
Sniper locks onto a target enemy unit and, after a short aiming duration, fires a devastating shot that deals Sniper's attack damage plus bonus damage at long range and mini-stuns the target.
Unit Target · Magical damageMax Order
QWE
Max Q first, then W, then E. Most took R at 6 / 13.
Level-up Order
- QShrapnel
- WHeadshot
- ETake Aim
- RAssassinate
- TTalent
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QShrapnel | Q | Q | Q | Q | |||||||||||
| WHeadshot | W | W | W | W | |||||||||||
| ETake Aim | E | E | E | ||||||||||||
| RAssassinate | R | R | |||||||||||||
| TTalent | T | T |
Matchup map
How Sniper performs against every opponent with 30 or more counted games
108 opponents · public matches40%60%Sniper's win rate
≥ 60%Very favorable
55 – 60%Favorable
50 – 55%Even
45 – 50%Unfavorable
40 – 45%Hard
< 40%Very hard
If this happens, use this
- They are running away
Something that holds them still, or closes the gap yourself. Matched on “slow”, “stun”, “knockback”.
- Kill them in one window
Damage that lands now rather than over a minute. Matched on “magical”.
- Stay in lane
Healing, regeneration or lifesteal — not having to walk back. Matched on “restore”.
- See what is coming
Vision, or true sight against something invisible. Matched on “vision”, “reveal”.
By medal
- Herald52.0%29,817
- Guardian51.1%96,431
- Crusader50.9%158,555
- Archon49.9%206,984
- Legend49.5%196,821
- Ancient48.6%108,010
- Divine46.9%49,294
One count per medal, not one rate split across them; a medal with no counted matches is left out.
By match length
- 0–20 min54.8%2,197
- 20–30 min50.6%5,926
- 30–40 min45.5%2,872
- 40–50 min43.2%1,174
- 50 min +41.9%627
Bands under 120 matches are absent rather than shown small.
Learning Sniper
Abilities
Shrapnel
AOE · Point Target · Magical damageConsumes a charge to launch a ball of shrapnel that showers the target area in explosive pellets. Enemies are subject to damage and slowed movement. Reveals the targeted area. Shrapnel charges restore every 35 seconds.
Headshot
Passive · Physical damageSniper increases his accuracy, giving him a chance to deal 20 extra damage and knock back his enemies. Knockback distance increases based on how close the enemy is to Sniper. Headshots briefly slow enemy movement and attack speed by -100%.
Take Aim
No TargetPassively increases Sniper's attack range by 160. On cast, Sniper gains increased vision, Headshot chance, and attack range. Slows you by 65% for the duration and restricts your vision to a frontal cone.
Concussive Grenade
Point Target · AOE · Magical damageLaunches a grenade at the target area, dealing damage to enemies and knocking them and Sniper back. Enemies affected are disarmed and have their movement slowed after the knockback.
Keen Scope
PassiveSniper’s attacks deal bonus damage for every 100 units of distance Sniper is from the target.
Assassinate
Unit Target · Magical damageSniper locks onto a target enemy unit and, after a short aiming duration, fires a devastating shot that deals Sniper's attack damage plus bonus damage at long range and mini-stuns the target. Whenever Sniper kills an enemy hero, Assassinate is refreshed.
Base attributes
- Strength
- 19 +2.0
- Agility
- 27 +3.2
- Intelligence
- 15 +2.6
- Move · range
- 285 · 550
Talents
- 4Shrapnel Charge Restore TimeMax Headshot Knockback Distance
- 3Take Aim DurationShrapnel Damage
- 2Attack Speed During Take AimAssassinate Damage
- 1Take Aim Passive Attack RangeHeadshot Damage
Aghanim’s Scepter
Changes Assassinate
Causes Assassinate to fire quicker and stun the enemy target.
Aghanim’s Shard
Changes Concussive Grenade
Launches a grenade at the target area, dealing damage to enemies and knocking them and Sniper back. Enemies affected are disarmed and have their movement slowed after the knockback.
Sources
- Kit, talents and upgrades · mechanicalread 22 Sept 2026
Ability names, icons, behaviour, damage type and text, plus the Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard descriptions — as the game itself ships them. Nothing here was counted over matches.
- Win rate by medal · countedread 15 Sept 2026
The same hero at each of Valve’s eight medals, over 4,610,063 public matches. Each medal carries its own sample, because the eight buckets are nothing like the same size.
- Matchups and match length · counted, on a narrower windowread 16 Sept 2026
Win rate against each opponent and across five match-length bands. This channel reports far fewer games than the medal figures above: the median hero pairing is 51 matches and the largest on the whole roster is 707. Rows under 30 games are absent rather than shown small, and the ones that remain are ORDERED by a figure shrunk toward even by its own sample — the rate you see is the real one, the ranking is the careful one.
- What players build · countedread 15 Sept 2026
The five most common items in each of Valve’s four game stages, with each row’s own pick count.
- Skill order · counted, in league matchesread 3 Oct 2026
Where skill points go, read off every player's own learning order in premium and professional league matches on patches 7.41 and 7.40. Each level shows the ability most players took there and the share that did — a column only a third agree on is printed as a third, not as the rule. Heroes under 30 counted games show no path.
- Situation index · derived, and checkableread 22 Sept 2026
Each situation is a phrase match against Valve’s own ability text, and every row shows the phrases that matched. No win rate is attached, because nobody counts one per situation.
Mechanics are the ones Valve publishes for patch 7.41f. GamGem is not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve Corporation.