Abaddon vs Wraith King

How this matchup plays

Trying to kill either of these heroes often feels like a waste of time. The key difference is what happens next. Wraith King’s Reincarnation is a clean reset; he dies and comes back with full health and mana to keep fighting. Abaddon’s Borrowed Time, on the other hand, is a stall. It keeps him alive and heals him, but the fight continues while it’s active. A hero like Wraith King, who relies on sustained right-clicks instead of a single big spell, isn't too bothered by this. He can often ignore a target protected by Abaddon’s shield or ult and simply switch to someone else.

In practice, this means Wraith King can force a fight, trade his first life to bait out Abaddon’s cooldowns, and then clean up with his second. Abaddon’s best play is to try and kite, using Aphotic Shield to dispel Wraithfire Blast and keep his own carry alive long enough to chew through both of WK’s health bars. The problem is that Wraith King is happy to have a long, drawn-out battle. He can wear down Abaddon's team, making it an uphill struggle for Abaddon to save everyone from the pressure of two lives worth of right-clicks.