Ancient Apparition vs Sniper

How this matchup plays

Thinking Ancient Apparition has a clean shot at Sniper is a common mistake. While a well-aimed Ice Blast can completely neutralize Sniper by preventing healing, landing it is the hard part. Sniper's game plan is to sit far outside the fight and out of vision, making him a difficult target for global spells that require a read on the enemy's position. Conversely, Ancient Apparition is a fragile hero who can be quickly eliminated by Sniper's long-range physical damage. If AA steps out of position to cast Cold Feet or Ice Vortex, he becomes an easy target.

The entire matchup revolves around a tense cat-and-mouse game in teamfights. Ancient Apparition and his team need to establish deep vision to find where Sniper is hiding and set up a successful Ice Blast. Sniper, on the other hand, wants to play patiently, wear down the frontline, and wait for AA to reveal himself. An early Assassinate can often remove the Ice Blast threat entirely before the real fight begins. The game often comes down to which of these two heroes gets their ultimate off first on the correct target.