Alchemist vs Phantom Assassin

How this matchup plays

Farming up a lead is Alchemist’s entire game plan, but Phantom Assassin is built to punish greedy heroes caught out of position. PA’s burst damage can often bring down a mid-game Alchemist before he can even react, especially if she gets a good critical strike. His Unstable Concoction can be a great tool to lock her down, but she can often dodge it with Phantom Strike. The entire interaction revolves around items. Alchemist needs a Monkey King Bar to reliably hit through Blur, while Phantom Assassin needs enough damage to overwhelm Chemical Rage’s regeneration.

The matchup typically boils down to a race. If Phantom Assassin and her team can successfully gank Alchemist and disrupt his farm, they can build a lead he can't recover from. She wants to hit her item timings first and end the game while she's strongest. If Alchemist is given space to farm, however, he can itemize to counter her completely. Once he has the tools to pierce her evasion and lock her down with an Abyssal Blade, the fight swings heavily in his favor. It’s a contest of timings where either hero can come out on top.