Abaddon vs Phantom Lancer

How this matchup plays

Applying Curse of Avernus to the real Phantom Lancer is Abaddon's win condition in a direct fight, but it's much harder than it sounds. Phantom Lancer's illusions give Abaddon too many targets to choose from, and a well-timed Doppelganger can reset any stacks you manage to build up. On the flip side, Aphotic Shield is a useful tool for purging the slow from Spirit Lance, but it gets popped almost instantly by the swarm of illusions. This leaves Abaddon struggling to lock down his target while his defensive spells are quickly stripped away by overwhelming physical damage.

The matchup typically depends on who has the better teamfight execution. Abaddon's strength is keeping a key ally alive through the chaos with his ultimate, forcing Phantom Lancer to switch targets or waste his damage. He can't really kill Phantom Lancer himself, but he can enable his team to survive the onslaught. The game often becomes a race where Abaddon tries to create an unkillable core for his own team before Phantom Lancer's illusion army becomes too much for anyone to handle. It's a toss-up that depends entirely on team coordination and item timings.