Ancient Apparition vs Clockwerk

How this matchup plays

Fighting into a Clockwerk who has trapped one of your allies is all about bursting him down before he can escape. Ancient Apparition's kit is well-suited for this. A Cold Feet cast inside Power Cogs is a guaranteed stun, and an Ice Vortex slows and reduces magic resistance on the trapped targets. The biggest factor, however, is Ice Blast. It completely shuts down any healing or regeneration Clockwerk relies on to survive his deep initiations. Instead of being a durable tank, he becomes a liability who will shatter if his health drops too low.

This forces Clockwerk to change his priorities. He can't play as a simple frontline initiator; he has to actively hunt Ancient Apparition. Because AA is so fragile and lacks escapes, a successful Hookshot on him is almost always a kill. Clockwerk will use Rocket Flare to find AA's position before a fight begins. The matchup often comes down to whether Clockwerk can find his pickoff on AA before a major teamfight, or if Ancient Apparition can stay safe enough to land a game-winning ultimate once Clockwerk commits.