Alchemist vs Dark Willow

How this matchup plays

Trying to burst down a farmed Alchemist is a frustrating experience for Dark Willow. His regeneration from Chemical Rage, combined with the tanky items he gets so quickly, means he can often survive her entire spell combo. Once her spells are on cooldown, she has very little left to defend herself. Alchemist can then use Acid Spray to melt her armor and run her down. While Dark Willow can use Shadow Realm to dodge his Unstable Concoction, a common Radiance purchase on Alchemist can still burn her to death while she's trying to hide.

The matchup really comes down to timing. If Dark Willow and her team can successfully gank and disrupt Alchemist's farm early on, they can prevent him from accelerating out of control. Her spells are great for setting up kills on him before he gets his key items like a Black King Bar. If Alchemist gets a good start, however, he hits a point where he can ignore her control and simply run at her and her team. She lacks the sustained damage to bring him down, making her more of a nuisance than a real threat in later teamfights.