Underlord vs Clockwerk

How this matchup plays

Hookshotting an Underlord is often a bad trade for Clockwerk. The ideal Clockwerk gank involves isolating and bursting a single hero inside Power Cogs. Underlord is simply too durable to be bursted this way, and he can immediately punish the attempt by dropping Pit of Malice and Firestorm inside the cogs. This turns Clockwerk's own initiation tool into a trap, rooting him in place while he takes heavy damage. Atrophy Aura also reduces Clockwerk's right-click contribution, making the whole engagement feel weak.

The matchup becomes a game of avoidance. A smart Clockwerk will ignore Underlord completely and focus on finding pickoffs on his more fragile teammates, trying to start fights before Underlord can arrive and set up his area control. In response, Underlord's team will want to play grouped together, using him as a safe anchor point that Clockwerk cannot engage on. The game is decided by which hero can better dictate the map positioning and engagement rules for their team, leading to a very back-and-forth dynamic.