Underlord vs Lion

How this matchup plays

Trying to find a clean initiation on Underlord’s team can be frustrating for Lion. Underlord’s passive damage reduction from Atrophy Aura makes it harder to bring targets into kill-threshold for Finger of Death, forcing Lion to commit more resources for a pickoff. In turn, Lion is a very tempting target for Underlord. With no escape mechanism, getting caught in a Pit of Malice is often a death sentence, as Lion is too fragile to survive being held in place. While Lion’s Hex is great for controlling a single target, using it on Underlord himself often feels like a waste, as he’s naturally durable enough to withstand the follow-up.

The matchup often comes down to positioning and team coordination. A well-played Lion can still find and eliminate one of Underlord's squishier allies before the frontline hero can react. However, Underlord excels at turning these initiations around. By being a constant, disruptive presence, he forces Lion to play from the edges of the fight. If Underlord’s team groups up, they can use Fiend's Gate to collapse on Lion or escape his setups entirely. The game is a constant back-and-forth between Lion’s hunt for isolated targets and Underlord’s attempt to create a slow, grinding teamfight where he thrives.