Dota Underlords Tier List
Valve released the open beta last week for Dota Underlords, its official take on auto chess, which has become wildly popular in the Dota 2 community. Right now it's accessible as an independent download to all owners of the Dota 2 International 2019 Battle Pass.
The playable units will be largely familiar to anyone who's played the auto chess mod in the Dota 2 client, but this Dota Underlords tier list should help clue you in to some of the big changes in the new release.
Dota Underlords Tier List: S Tier
Drow Ranger — 1 cost, Heartless/Hunter
Enigma — 5 cost, Primordial/Warlock
Kunkka — 4 cost, Human/Warrior
Medusa — 4 cost, Scaled/Hunter
Mirana — 4 cost, Elusive/Hunter
Tidehunter — 5 cost, Scaled/Hunter
Wind Ranger — 4 cost, Elusive/Hunter
Dota Underlords Tier List: A Tier
Abaddon — 3 cost, Heartless/Knight
Anti-Mage — 1 cost, Elusive/Demon Hunter
Beastmaster — 2 cost, Brawny/Hunter
Bloodseeker — 1 cost, Human/Assassin
Bounty Hunter — 1 cost, Scrappy/Assassin
Clockwork — 1 cost, Scrappy/Inventor
Doom — 4 cost, Demon/Warrior
Dragon Knight* — Human/Dragon/Knight
Gyrocopter — 5 cost, Deadeye/Inventor
Keeper of the Light* — 4 cost, Human/Mage
Lycan — 3 cost, Human/Savage
Necrophos — 4 cost, Heartless/Warlock
Ogre Magi — 1 cost, Blood-Bound/Mage
Queen of Pain — 2 cost, Demon/Assassin
Razor — 3 cost, Primordial/Mage
Shadow Fiend — 3 cost, Demon/Warlock
Slark — 3 cost, Scaled/Assassin
Sniper — 3 cost, Deadeye/Hunter
Techies — 5 cost, Scrappy/Inventor
Terrorblade* — 3 cost, Demon/Demon Hunter
Tiny — 1 cost, Primordial/Warrior
Troll Warlord — 4 cost, Troll/Warrior
Tusk — Savage/Warrior
Warlock — 1 cost, Blood-Bound/Warlock
Dota Underlords Tier List: B Tier
Arc Warden — 3 cost, Primordial/Shaman
Alchemist — 4 cost, Scrappy/Warlock
Chaos Knight — 2 cost, Demon/Knight
Crystal Maiden — 2 cost, Human/Mage
Disruptor — 4 cost, Brawny/Shaman
Enchantress — 1 cost, Savage/Druid
Juggernaut — 2 cost, Brawny/Warrior
Lich — 5 cost, Heartless/Mage
Lina — 3 cost, Human/Mage
Lone Druid — 2 cost, Savage/Druid
Luna — 2 cost, Elusive/Knight
Morphling — 2 cost, Primordial/Assassin
Nature's Prophet — 2 cost, Elusive/Druid
Puck — 2 cost, Dragon/Mage
Pudge — 2 cost, Heartless/Warrior
Shadow Shaman — 1 cost, Troll/Shaman
Templay Assassin — 4 cost, Elusive/Assassin
Timbersaw — 2 cost, Scrappy/Inventor
Treant Protector — 2 cost, Elusive/Druid
Venomancer — 3 cost, Savage/Warlock
Viper — 3 cost, Dragon/Assassin
Witchdoctor — 2 cost, Troll/Warlock
Dota Underworlds Tier List: C Tier
Axe — 1 cost, Brawny/Warrior
Batrider — 1 cost, Troll/Knight
Omniknight — 3 cost, Human/Knight
Sand King — 3 cost, Savage/Assassin
Slardar — 2 cost, Scaled/Warrior
Tinker — 1 cost, Scrappy/Inventor
* = units require alliance synergies or other ways to trigger abilities quickly
Conclusion
In the current version of Underlords, there is no question Hunters are the strongest alliance for which to build. All of their units are independently good, and their alliance bonus is one of the strongest in the game.
Assassin, Inventor, and Scrappy alliances are all generally great bonuses to build towards, and they are worth the cost of taking some sub-par units to maintain.
Mages are currently the most RNG-dependent alliance to build towards, since you're relying on the AI to cast spells on the correct targets. Mage heroes do become exponentially better, though, if you get the Final Flash aura as one of your item drops.
Warriors and Knights currently have a hard time, as offensive value generally trumps their defensive bonuses on the current balance patch.
Cover photo courtesy of Valve